Originally Posted by
StartinSanDiego
Avios earning cards such as the BA/Air LIngus and Iberia cards are especially useful for short haul travel because the redemptions are distance based, not zone based.
That may be less the case now than before for those in the USA, given that Avios USA main partner AA is often not making nonstop flights available for SAAver redemption any more, only "married segment" connecting flights, which Avios prices as if two awards (one for each nonstop leg):
More award availability restricted by married segments / connections (in AA forum)