A Guide to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club: How to Earn, Redeem Points, and Upgrade

Introduction to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

In 2024, Virgin Atlantic transitioned to a dynamic pricing model, but the Flying Club still offers some attractive Saver fares and a remarkable partner award chart. While booking through this program can sometimes be pricey due to taxes and fees, there are still plenty of enticing opportunities to explore.

The Flying Club collaborates with many major credit card reward programs, making it easy for point enthusiasts to take advantage of promotions. Whether you're planning a trip to Europe or looking to book a domestic flight with Delta Air Lines (a SkyTeam partner), the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club should definitely be on your radar.

How to Earn Flying Club Points

You can earn Flying Club points in various ways. Here are some of the primary methods to help you accumulate points.

1. Fly with Virgin Atlantic

One of the most straightforward ways to earn points is by flying with Virgin Atlantic. The number of points you earn depends on the distance flown, your fare class, and your membership status in the Flying Club. To calculate how many points you’ll receive, be sure to use the airline's points calculator.

Interestingly, Virgin Atlantic is a member of the SkyTeam alliance, so you can also earn points when flying with partners like Delta Air Lines, Air France, and KLM. To check the points earned on partner airlines, visit Virgin Atlantic's partner page.

2. Earn Points through Credit Cards

The Flying Club partners with most major credit card reward programs, allowing you to easily boost your Virgin points. Cards like American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Citi ThankYou Rewards let you convert points to Virgin at a 1:1 ratio.

Notable credit cards with excellent reward programs include the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, which offers 75,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 in the first three months. The American Express® Gold Card also features special offers for new users.

3. Purchase Virgin Points

Virgin Atlantic allows you to buy up to 200,000 Virgin points each year at a cost of 2.5 cents per point, plus a transaction fee of $22. However, the purchase price of points is often higher than their actual value, so it’s wise to consider this before making a decision.

4. Earn Points from Other Partners

You can also earn Virgin points by booking stays at partner hotels like Marriott and Hilton, or renting cars from Avis and Hertz. Additionally, you can accumulate points from train travel or by participating in online surveys.

Virgin Atlantic Elite Member Status

The Virgin Atlantic Flying Club has three levels of Elite status: Red, Silver, and Gold. When you fly with Virgin Atlantic or its partners, you will accumulate tier points, and the higher your status, the more benefits you'll enjoy.

Benefits by Tier Level

At the Red level, you'll enjoy priority boarding and the ability to select your seat for free up to 7 days before departure. The Silver level requires 400 tier points, offering additional perks such as priority check-in and a 30% bonus on points earned for flights.

The Gold level requires 1,000 tier points, providing a 60% higher bonus on earned points along with other advantages, such as lounge access and free seat selection for your flights.

Conclusion

With a variety of ways to earn points and numerous attractive benefits, the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is an excellent choice for frequent flyers with the airline. I personally enjoy this program, especially when I have long-haul flights and want to accumulate as many points as possible for future rewards.