Bank of Ireland credit cards 2026

Bank of Ireland runs five personal credit cards in 2026 and is the only Irish bank with an airline reward card. All five are open to new applicants.

Figures below are from Bank of Ireland’s published rates, checked on 1 August 2026.

Bank of Ireland credit cards in 2026

Card	Standard rate	Typical APR	Annual fee	Minimum salary	Minimum credit limit
Aer Credit Card	14% variable	22.7% variable	€78 (€6.50/month)	€16,000	€1,600
Classic	16.12% variable	22.1% variable	None	€16,000	€1,000
Platinum	13.79% variable	19.6% variable	€76.18	€40,000	€2,500
Affinity	14.57% variable	20.2% variable	None	€16,000	€1,000
Student	14.54% variable	20.2% variable	None	n/a	€600

The €30 government stamp duty is charged on top and is included in the APR figures above.

Intro offers

New customers on the Aer, Classic, Platinum and Student cards get 0% fixed on purchases for the first 6 months. Aer, Classic and Platinum also get 0% fixed on balance transfers for the first 7 months. The Affinity card takes a different route: 2.9% fixed on balance transfers for 12 months, with no purchase offer.

Balance transfers cannot come from an existing Bank of Ireland card, or from a card issued outside the Republic of Ireland or the UK.

The Aer Credit Card

This is Bank of Ireland’s partnership with Aer Lingus and the reason most people search for Bank of Ireland cards at all. It is the only Irish credit card that earns Avios.

What you earn

100 Avios per €100 spent on Aer Lingus flights, plus 300 Avios from the airline itself
25 Avios per €100 spent on everything else
Bonus rates with AerClub partner retailers

What comes with the €78 annual fee

2 return European flights a year if you spend €5,000 or more on the card, on Aer Lingus routes from Dublin, Cork, Shannon or Belfast. You pay the taxes, fees and charges
2 lounge passes
2 Fast Track passes
Worldwide travel insurance

You have to link the card to an AerClub account to redeem the flights and Fast Track.

Rates

Purchases run at 14% variable, 22.7% typical APR. Cash advances are 21.36% variable. There is also an instalment plan option at 6.7% variable, 6.9% typical APR.

The honest read

Two return European flights for a €78 fee is good value if you were going to spend €5,000 on a card anyway and you fly Aer Lingus. If you spend less than €5,000, you are paying €78 for lounge passes, insurance and a thin 0.25% Avios earn rate — and the 22.7% APR is one of the higher ones in the market. It is a card for people who clear the balance every month.

The rest of the range

Classic is the no-fee default, issued as a Mastercard. The 16.12% rate is the highest standard rate Bank of Ireland charges, so it is not a card to carry a balance on. You can add up to three additional cardholders free, and the €30 stamp duty is charged once for the account rather than per card.

Platinum has the lowest rate in the range at 13.79%, but the €76.18 fee and €40,000 salary bar mean you need real spend to justify it. Compare it against AIB CLICK at 9.11% with no fee before you apply.

Affinity is a college-branded card — the bank makes a donation to the college you pick. The 2.9% for 12 months on balance transfers is a longer runway than the 7-month 0% offers, though not free.

Student caps the credit limit at €1,000 with no account fee and includes travel insurance.

Fees beyond interest

Charge	Amount
Government stamp duty	€30 per account per year
Cash advance, euro	1.5%, minimum €2.54 per transaction
Cash advance, non-euro	1.5% of the converted euro amount including the cross-border fee, minimum €2.54
Cross-border handling fee	2.25% on non-euro transactions

The 2.25% cross-border fee is the highest of the Irish banks. On a €1,000 holiday spend that is €22.50 before you touch a cash machine.

Bank of Ireland debit cards and current account fees

A personal current account costs €6 a month, €72 a year. That covers euro card payments, euro transfers up to €20,000 a day and euro ATM withdrawals.

Second and third level student accounts, graduate accounts and Golden Years accounts for over-66s are exempt.

Non-euro is where it gets expensive: 2% currency conversion on non-euro debit card purchases up to €11.43 per transaction, and 3.5% on non-euro ATM withdrawals with a €3.17 minimum and €11.43 maximum.

Government stamp duty of 12c applies per ATM cash withdrawal, capped at €5 per card per year.

Who Bank of Ireland suits

If you fly Aer Lingus out of an Irish airport more than twice a year and clear your balance monthly, the Aer card is the only Irish product that turns spending into flights. Nothing else in the range leads the market — AIB is cheaper on rate, An Post and Avant are stronger on balance transfers, and everyone is cheaper on foreign currency.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Aer Credit Card worth €78 a year?

It depends on whether you hit €5,000 of annual spend. Above that you get 2 return European flights plus lounge and Fast Track passes, which is comfortably worth more than €78. Below it, you are paying a fee for insurance and a low Avios earn rate.

How many Avios do you get with the Aer Credit Card?

25 Avios per €100 on general spending, and 100 Avios per €100 on Aer Lingus flight base fares, plus 300 Avios from Aer Lingus itself on those bookings.

What is the minimum salary for a Bank of Ireland credit card?

€16,000 for Aer, Classic and Affinity. €40,000 for Platinum. The Student card has no salary requirement.

Can I transfer a balance from another Bank of Ireland card?

No. Balance transfers must come from a card issued by another provider, and that provider must be in the Republic of Ireland or the UK.

How do I log in or contact Bank of Ireland about my card?

Use bankofireland.com, the Bank of Ireland app, or the number on the back of your card. Bank of Ireland publishes an application tracker for credit card applications using the reference number you get by SMS when you apply.