Apr. 4, 2022
- Capital One has added Virgin Atlantic as a new transfer partner, points are a 1:1 ratio.
Key Takeaways
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club can offer solid value, but only in specific cases.
- Virgin adds fuel surcharges to many awards, especially on its own metal and transatlantic routes.
- ANA Business Class roundtrips between the U.S. and Japan are among the cheapest in points but require round-trip bookings and can be hard to find.
- You can transfer points from Amex, Chase, Citi, and Bilt, which makes miles easy to earn (if you have a Virgin Red account, you can transfer from Capital One as well).
- Virgin Red is a loyalty system that allows you to earn and redeem points on things beyond flights
- It is separate from Virgin Flying Club, but both earn Virgin points and can be combined when you have an account with both
Reward Program Ratings
Hobby Score
5.0
Brand Footprint
4
Real World Practicality
6
Earn/Redeem Efficiency
6
Policy Fairness
6
Ease of Holding
8
Product Quality
0
Travel Partner Transfers
Transfers In
Transfers Out
Points Transfer Guide
5,500
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Points
Associated Alliances
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club associated alliance is SkyTeam Alliance
Visit SkyTeam AllianceAirlines within SkyTeam Alliance Alliance
How to Earn Miles
Flying with Virgin Atlantic or one of its partners is the fastest way to earn points with the airline. The cabin you book in, ticket type, and your status tier all affect how many miles you earn on a given flight. You can also open their co-branded credit card or transfer points from all major credit card programs for top ups and award bookings.
Earn by Flying Virgin
Your booking class and elite status determine how many points you earn on each Virgin Atlantic flight. Points are calculated as a percentage of miles flown, multiplied by a rate that varies by fare class and status tier. With 22 booking classes and 3 status levels, earning rates can be complicated. The easiest way to see exactly what you’ll earn is to use Virgin’s earning calculator.
Earn by opening a co-branded credit card
Virgin Atlantic currently has one co-branded credit card — the Virgin Red Rewards Mastercard. It’s a solid option if you fly the airline at least once or twice per year, and it earns points you can redeem for award flights.
Earn by opening credit cards that have transferable points to Virgin Atlantic
All major credit card rewards systems transfer to Virgin Atlantic, making it easy to top up or book award flights with the airline or its partners. American Express, Bilt, Capital One (via Virgin Red), Chase, Citi, and Wells Fargo all transfer at a 1:1 ratio.
Flying with Partners (alliance and non-alliance partners)
Virgin Atlantic belongs to SkyTeam Alliance, so you can earn points with partners like Delta, Air France, KLM, and others. They also have a range of non-alliance partners. Earning rates vary by airline, class of service, and your status. Visit their partner page and select each airline to see the earning details.
Annual Bonuses & Big Spend Bonuses
Virgin Red Rewards Mastercard:
- Spend requirement: If you spend $15,000 in a calendar year, you can choose one of the perks below. If you spend $30,000, you can choose two.
- One Flying Club reward voucher (companion seat or cabin upgrade)
- One free hotel night stay at a Virgin Hotel
- One priority room upgrade at a Virgin Hotel
- Up to $300 bar tab credit on Virgin Voyages
- Blue Extras perks package on Virgin Voyages
- Our take: We think you’re better off putting that extra spend toward a welcome offer on a new card, but it may make sense for some travelers.
Other Options to Earn
Breaking Points
Special Offers Related to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.
How to Redeem Miles
Redeem for Flights
The best way to redeem your Virgin Atlantic points is for flights on Virgin or one of its many partners. Like many airlines, Virgin now uses dynamic pricing instead of a fixed award chart, so you’ll find both excellent and poor redemptions depending on route and timing.
To search for reward flights:
- Log in to your Virgin Atlantic account
- Toggle “Search for Rewards Flights” above the search bar
- View results displayed by week
- Check surcharge amounts – Virgin flights often include high surcharges, though these were reduced after the 2024 program overhaul
Most of Virgin’s best sweet spots come from partner redemptions. These are generally distance-based or region-based and vary by airline. To view the charts:
- Visit Virgin’s partner page
- Select the partner airline you’re interested in
- Scroll to the “Spend Virgin Points” section to see award costs with each airline
Hotels, Cars, and Other Redemption Options
Virgin Red promotes itself as a program that lets you use Virgin points across the entire Virgin Group. You can redeem points for stays at Virgin Hotels, voyages on Virgin Voyages, bottles from Virgin Wines, and other travel or entertainment experiences. These redemptions typically give you only a 0.5–1 cent per point value, which isn’t ideal for maximizing rewards.
Even though the options are broad, we still recommend saving your points for airfare, where you can get far better value from. If you want to explore everything you can book with Virgin Red points, click here.
Sweet Spots Finder
Discover your points' highest-value redemption options. Use the filters to find the optimal sweet spot for your next trip.
Booking Tips
If you google “Virgin Atlantic sweet spots” you will read about long haul flights in business or first class on certain partner routes. We didn’t include these in our sweet spots because they’re rarely available or bookable. Do they exist? Yes. But you have to be a combination of extremely flexible and extremely lucky to find them
Sometimes you can find Delta flights through Virgin Atlantic for less than on Delta, so make sure you check both and compare, especially since Delta only has Amex as a credit card transfer partner. Pay attention to the fees on each as well, as they will differ
The fuel surcharges have actually decreased since Virgin’s overhaul of their loyalty program in 2024, but they can still be high, so be sure you pay attention to those when you think you’ve found a great points redemption
Changing your flight with Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- £70 fee for change on international flight originating in the UK
- $100 fee for change on international flight originating in the U.S.
- $100 (or local currency equivalent) fee for change on international flight originating in any other region
Canceling your flight with Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- £70 fee for cancellations on international flight originating in the UK
- $100 fee for cancellations on international flight originating in the U.S.
- $100 (or local currency equivalent) fee for cancellations on international flight originating in any other region
Who is it best for?
Virgin Atlantic is a niche airline but has high value potential thanks to its SkyTeam partners and partnership with Delta. Virgin’s own route network is small, mostly serving flights between Europe and major US cities. The biggest strength of Flying Club is its partner redemption possibilities. The sweet spots aren’t as strong as they once were, but there is still plenty of value to be found, especially in premium cabins during off-peak season.
Another advantage of Virgin Atlantic is that it partners with all major point systems - Amex, Bilt, Citi, Chase, Capital One (via Virgin Red), and Wells Fargo. Account creation is free and straightforward, and being a Virgin Red member includes a few extra perks. If you join both reward systems, your points will combine automatically. There is only the one credit card for the two systems, but each has its own set of transfer partners. This means you can move points from all major credit card programs into either Virgin Atlantic Flying Club or Virgin Red, and since they merge, you gain valuable flexibility when redeeming.
This may not be the best program for beginners, as you need to be comfortable navigating partner redemptions and award charts to maximize value. Many of the absolute best redemptions can be difficult to find, so don’t get discouraged if you hear about an opportunity but never see it available (like ANA business class from the US to Japan). If you’re more advanced in the hobby and have a flexible schedule, there are excellent redemptions out there.
Status Levels Explained
There are three different membership levels for Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. You can reach each status level by earning Tier Points. Tier Points are earned by flying with Virgin Atlantic or its partners. You can also earn Tier Points on award travel, which is unique compared to most airlines.
Tier Points expire after one year, so any points you earn in a given year qualify you for status for the rest of that year and the following year.
Elite Status Levels
Below are the Elite Status levels, what it takes to reach each one, and what you receive with each level
- Premium check-in and priority boarding
- Free economy seat selection 7 days before travel (for everyone in your booking)
- One extra checked bag
- Earn 30% bonus points when flying with Virgin Atlantic
- Receive 2000 Virgin Points when you renew Silver status
- Priority baggage handline when flying with Virgin Atlantic, Delta, Air France, and KLM
- Access to Clubhouse lounge for you and a guest
- One extra checked bag
- One extra piece of hand luggage
- Check-in at the Upper Class Wing with a guest at Heathrow when flying on Virgin Atlantic or Delta
- Upper Class check-in at all other airports for everyone on your booking
- Earn 60% bonus points when flying with Virgin Atlantic
- Receive 2000 Virgin Points on your birthday
- Free economy seat selection anytime before travel for everyone on your booking when flying with Virgin Atlantic, Delta, Air France, and KLM
- Free economy exit row and Premium Preferred seat selection anytime before for travel member on Virgin Atlantic flights
- Guaranteed seat in economy when cabin is sold out
- Priority boarding
- Priority baggage handline when flying with Virgin Atlantic, Delta, Air France, and KLM
- Access to Revivals lounge when arriving at London Heathrow
What to Know Before Canceling
There is only one Virgin co-branded credit card, and the terms state that you can only earn the bonus once. Because it’s backed by Synchrony, the long-term rules aren’t as clear as with other banks. Fortunately, Virgin Atlantic miles do not expire, so any miles you’ve earned will remain safe in your Virgin account even after canceling the card.
FAQs
- How many miles do I need to fly to London?
- You can find off-peak flights from the U.S. East Coast to London for as little as 10,000 miles on Virgin Atlantic or Delta. These can be booked with Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles. Fees vary by operating airline, but they’re usually lower when flying on Virgin Atlantic (vs. Delta).
- Can I transfer Delta SkyMiles to Virgin Atlantic?
- You cannot transfer Delta SkyMiles to Virgin Atlantic. However, Virgin and Delta are partners and both belong to SkyTeam, so you can book Delta flights through Virgin Atlantic and book Virgin Atlantic flights with Delta SkyMiles through Delta’s program.
- What is the fastest way to earn Virgin points?
- The Virgin Red Rewards Mastercard offers 50,000 miles after spending $4,000 in the first 90 days. Virgin also partners with every major credit card rewards system, allowing you to transfer points from any of them to quickly boost your Flying Club balance.
- Can I use Virgin Atlantic points on ANA?
- Yes. You can book ANA flights with Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles. ANA and Virgin are not both in SkyTeam, but they do have a partnership. Virgin uses a region-based award chart for ANA redemptions. Click here to see your mileage requirements.
