Tl;dr - just keep calling and emailing Iberia

Iberia - when it comes to this airline and using Avios to book award redemptions on other metal, just be very careful and beware.  In April I found a flight on Qatar from CPT-LAX (part of it in Q-suites) for 130k + $430 (taxes).  The flight was for March 2024 (high season).  Because I don't have AA points, I went ahead and booked it.  Last month I was able to find the same routing (slightly different dates) on Qatar through Alaska for 125k + $80 so I booked a second ticket.  Because I did not want to run the risk of getting the Alaska point ticket cancelled, I contacted Iberia (both via email and on the phone) to ask about cancelling.  On my second or third call, the agent specifically confirmed that I would get my Avios refunded as well as the taxes paid, so I cancelled.  (By this point I had heard three or four different answers - one of which was "Oh no, you only get refunded if your flight is on Iberia or BA metal.")  I was told flight was cancelled and I could no longer locate itinerary in my account, but no Avios had posted. 

I must have then called five or six different numbers, some in US, some in Madrid.  One agent gave me a Madrid number that just rang and rang and rang.  One number told me in Spanish it was no longer operational.  A Facebook enquiry replied that they could not see that my reservation was cancelled. Yesterday, I spoke with an agent (in Madrid) who told me my request was being processed and it could take 7 to 15 business days.  The 15th day would be 6.23.23.   This morning I found the points had been reinstated. 

I wanted to move them to BA immediately.  But now I have to wait until July to do that because Iberia will not allow transfers on Avios accounts unless the account is more than 90 days old. 


Moral of the story - be very persistent.