Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is the frequent flyer program of UK-based Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Points are the airline miles you earn in the program. Founded by Richard Branson, Virgin Atlantic operates flights around the world out of its hubs in London–Gatwick, London–Heathrow, and Manchester.
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club program is unique in that Virgin Atlantic is not in an airline alliance. Instead, like Etihad Airways, Virgin Atlantic has individual partnerships with airlines. This means there can be high value if know where to look. Generally speaking, Virgin Atlantic’s partners use an award chart that has the potential to unlock value when the cash cost of the award flight you are booking is high.
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Credit Cards To Earn Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Points
American Express, Chase, Citi, and Marriott partner with Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. The points that you earn in these programs transfer directly to Virgin Atlantic. Amex, Chase, and Citi points transfer instantly at a 1:1 ratio. Marriott points transfer in less than 48 hours at a 3:1 ratio. Interesting cards to consider applying for include the Amex Gold Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve, and Citi Premier Card.
The Amex Gold Card earns 4x points at restaurants and US grocery stores. You earn 3x points on dining and travel with the Chase Sapphire Reserve. The Citi Premier Card earns 3x points on restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, air travel, and hotels. All in all, a combination of these credit cards can help you to earn enough points to book the flights covered in detail below.
Additional Ways Earn Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Points
One of the best ways to earn Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points is to fly Virgin Atlantic or one its partner airline flights. For partner airline flights, go to wheretocredit.com to see if crediting a partner airline flight to your Virgin Atlantic account makes sense.
Spending on a Virgin Atlantic credit card is another way to earn Virgin Atlantic points. The Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard earns 3x points on Virgin Atlantic purchases and 1.5x points on all other transactions.
Shops Away is Virgin Atlantic’s shopping portal. Simply click through the partnering merchants and you earn points with your purchase. Cashback Monitor is another helpful portal to use for your online shopping.
There are a number of car rental and hotel partners that allow you to earn Virgin Atlantic points with each reservation. By attaching your Virgin Atlantic Flying Club membership number with your car rental or hotel reservation, you earn points at the conclusion of your car rental reservation or hotel stay.
Basic Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Redemption Rules
Virgin Atlantic is not in an airline alliance. Instead, the airline has partnerships with individual airlines similar to Etihad Airways. The rules and number of miles required are determined by the award chart of that airline that you are flying. Currently, Delta Air Lines, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Singapore Airlines, Air New Zealand, Virgin Australia, South African Airways, All Nippon Airways, and Hawaiian Airlines allow you to use Virgin Atlantic points to book its award flights.
Rules and requirements vary by airline partner. So, here are a few of the most important rules to take note of:
- Fuel surcharges vary by the airline operating the flight, including Virgin Atlantic’s own flights
- Virgin Atlantic uses zone-based award charts and has off-peak pricing for its own flights
- Air New Zealand, All Nippon Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, and Virgin Australia award flights require you to call Virgin Atlantic to book the flight
- Virgin Australia uses a distance-based award chart for flights less than 5,000 miles
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue uses a distance-based award chart for flights less than 1,750 miles
- Delta Air Lines flights on routes outside of the US to Europe use a distance-based award chart
- All airline partners allow you to book one-way flights
Using the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Search Engine
Virgin Atlantic’s search engine certainly won’t win any awards for being customer-friendly. The website has quirks that take time to learn. Separately, some airline partner airlines award flights require a phone call to book the flight. However, you can view this as a positive as it makes the barrier to entry high, giving you less competition for award space.
Generally speaking, here’s the breakdown of how to search and book award flights for each airline partner:
- Delta Air Lines – Search for and book award flights on virginatlantic.com
- Air France / KLM – Search for and book award flights on virginatlantic.com
- Singapore Airlines – Search for flights on united.com, call Virgin Atlantic at 800-862-8621 to book the flight
- Air New Zealand – Search for flights on united.com, call Virgin Atlantic at 800-862-8621 to book the flight
- Virgin Australia – Search for flights on delta.com, call Virgin Atlantic at 800-862-8621 to book the flight
- South African Airways – Search for flights on united.com, call Virgin Atlantic at 800-862-8621 to book the flight
- All Nippon Airways – Search for flights on united.com, call Virgin Atlantic at 800-862-8621 to book the flight
- Hawaiian Airlines – Search for flights on united.com, call Virgin Atlantic at 800-862-8621 to book the flight
Best Ways to Use Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Miles
1. Virgin Atlantic US to the UK
Flying Virgin Atlantic’s own award flights entail paying high taxes and fees. However, you may be able to justify the high taxes and fees by not having to use many miles for a transatlantic flight. With 17,500 Virgin Atlantic points, you can book a one-way premium economy Virgin Atlantic flight from the US (Boston, Newark, New York-JFK, Washington DC) and the UK. Flights on routes outside of these require additional points. Taxes and fees to Europe are ~$275 and from Europe are ~$498. Search for and book flights on virginatlantic.com.
Virgin Atlantic flights you can book include:
- London (LHR) <> Atlanta, Boston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York–JFK, Orlando, San Francisco, Seattle/Tacoma, Washington–Dulles
- Manchester (MAN) <> Atlanta, New York–JFK, Orlando
2. Delta US to Europe
Virgin Atlantic uses a zone-based award chart for Delta flights from the US to the UK/Europe. All other Delta award flights use a distanced-based award chart. With 47,500 Virgin Atlantic miles (UK) – 50,000 Virgin Atlantic miles (Europe), you can book a one-way Delta business class flight between the US and Europe. Search for flights on delta.com and then call Virgin Atlantic at 800-862-8621 to book the flight.
Examples of flights that you can book include:
- Paris (CDG) <> Atlanta, Boston, Cincinnati, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York–JFK, Raleigh/Durham, Salt Lake City, Seattle/Tacoma
- London (LHR) <> Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York–JFK, Seattle/Tacoma
- Amsterdam (AMS) <> Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York–JFK, Orlando, Portland (OR), Salt Lake City, Seattle/Tacoma
3. Air France / KLM US to Europe
Air France / KLM flights between Zone 6 (East Coast) and Zone 1 (Western Europe) are interesting. Zone 1 includes countries like the UK, Germany, France, Netherlands, Ireland, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Norway, and Sweden. Zone 6 includes the Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Turks and Caicos Islands, Virgin Islands, Jamaica, Chicago, New York, Washington D.C. With 48,500 Virgin Atlantic miles, you can book a one-way Air France or KLM business class flight between Zone 1 and Zone 6. Taxes and fees from the US to Europe are ~ $308 and from Europe to the US are ~ $365. Search for and book flights on virginatlantic.com.
Examples of Air France and KLM flights you can book include:
- Amsterdam (AMS) <> Atlanta, Boston, Chicago–O’Hare, New York–JFK, Washington–Dulles
- Paris (CDG) <> Atlanta, Boston, Chicago–O’Hare, Miami, New York–JFK, Washington–Dulles
4. Air New Zealand US to New Zealand
New Zealand looks like such a beautiful country so it’s likely no surprise it continues to be a popular travel destination. Using Virgin Atlantic points to get you there can make the trip that much better. With 62,500 Virgin Atlantic points, you can book a one-way Air New Zealand business class from the US to New Zealand. Business-class award seats are hard to find so it may make sense to pay for an Expert Flyer subscription to alert you when an award seat becomes available. Search for flights on united.com and then call Virgin Atlantic at 800-862-8621 to book the flight.
Air New Zealand flights you can book include:
- Auckland (AKL) <> Chicago–O’Hare, Houston–Intercontinental, Los Angeles, San Francisco
5. ANA US to Japan
Virgin Atlantic offers one of the best business class redemptions for those looking to fly from the US to Japan. With 45,000-47,500 Virgin Atlantic points, you can book a one-way ANA business class flight between the US and Japan. Search for flights on united.com and then call Virgin Atlantic at 800-862-8621 to book the flight.
ANA flights that you can book include:
- Haneda Airport (HND) <> Chicago–O’Hare, Houston–Intercontinental, Los Angeles, New York–JFK, San Francisco, San Jose (CA), Seattle/Tacoma, Washington–Dulles
- Narita International Airport <> Chicago–O’Hare, Los Angeles, New York–JFK, San Francisco
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club FAQs
How do I contact Virgin Atlantic Flying Club?
You can contact Virgin Atlantic at 800-862-8621.
Do you have to pay to join Virgin Flying Club?
Flying Club is free to join. So, sign up when you ready to reap the benefits of program membership.
How does Virgin Atlantic Flying Club work?
Tier Points are earned by flying and Virgin Atlantic credit card spending. These points determine your elite status within the program. Separately, you earn Virgin Atlantic Points from credit card point transfers and credit card spending. These points are used to book award flights. Generally speaking, the program works like other airline loyalty programs.
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Conclusion
American Express, Chase, Citi, and Marriott makes it easy to earn points that can be transferred to Virgin Atlantic to book award flights. You can also earn Virgin Atlantic points by flying Virgin Atlantic and partner airline flights. Spending time learning the award chart rules will go a long way in helping you to book your next award flight. The Virgin Atlantic search engine is tricky to use so running award searches is key. This will build your understanding of which flights can be booked online vs. flights requiring a phone call to book. Overall, the program has high-value award flights between the US and Europe, and the US and Asia.
So, how do you use Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Miles? Which airline partners do you like to use? Please let me know in the comments below or by sending me an email on my contact page.
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