BIG NEWS: Major changes at Virgin Flying Club

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Virgin Atlantic announced major changes to Flying Club at 2pm today which, on the face of it, appear to move it closer to British Airways Executive Club in terms of earning and burning.

Unfortunately I am, literally, on a beach and Anika is, literally, getting onto a plane. I am therefore leaving it to you lot to analyse 🙂

There will be a full article tomorrow.

You can see details of the changes to Virgin Flying Club by clicking here.

Here is the official Virgin statement:

“Our goal is to make Flying Club a key differentiator for Virgin Atlantic customers, through the value we offer with miles and by enhancing their Virgin Atlantic experience. As a long haul airline, we know that our members have different needs from a loyalty programme and, by reimagining each component of Flying Club, we ‘re making it more relevant and engaging.”

“The changes we’re making will mean that, whether a customer only travels long haul for a holiday every few years, or they travel frequently or on business, Flying Club will offer them great value and benefits that really make a difference to their experience with us. This is the first step in an exciting journey of change for Flying Club with many more enhancements in the works that we will be announcing through 2017.”

How to earn Virgin Points from UK credit cards (December 2021)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Virgin Points from UK credit cards. Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

You can choose from two official Virgin Atlantic credit cards (apply here, one has a bonus of 15,000 points):

Virgin Atlantic Reward Mastercard

The UK’s most generous free Visa or Mastercard at 0.75 points / £1 Read our full review

Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard

15,000 points bonus and the most generous non-Amex for day to day spending Read our full review

You can also earn Virgin Points from various American Express cards – and these have sign-up bonuses too.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is FREE for a year and comes with 20,000 Membership Rewards points, which convert into 20,000 Virgin Points:

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & two airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express comes with 30,000 Membership Rewards points, which convert into 30,000 Virgin Points:

The Platinum Card from American Express

30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Virgin Points.

(Want to earn more Virgin Points? Click here to see our recent articles on Virgin Atlantic and Flying Club and click here for our home page with the latest news on earning and spending other airline and hotel points.)

Category

Virgin Atlantic and Flying Club

This article is closed to new posts. Discussion continues in the HfP Forums.

Anon says:

31 Oct31 October 18:18

Will be interesting to see if the soft onboard product devalues like BA, ie less attractive food, drink, etc..
- Anon says:
  
  31 Oct31 October 18:21
  
  “This is the first step in an exciting journey of change for Flying Club with many more enhancements in the works that we will be announcing through 2017”
  
  Uhoh, there’s that “Enhancement” word..
  
  Buy on board food for economy pax???
  - James A says:
    
    1 Nov1 November 04:54
    
    Haha the E word jumped out at me too!
James G says:

31 Oct31 October 18:26

The flights I’m looking at are getting much more expensive by mid-November but it looks like I can still book at the old rate (80,000 miles) until then. I’m still 20,000 points short, however…

I have Virgin Black Credit Card. Any idea whether if I pay a big tax bill and then clear my CC balance immediately my points will post to Virgin FC any earlier? Or do I still need to wait until the end of the month (which would be too late…).

Cheers,

James
- Fenny says:
  
  31 Oct31 October 18:36
  
  Points post after the end of the month.
Fenny says:

31 Oct31 October 18:35

Must remember to check with my martial arts instructor when the grading dates are next May/June. I should be able to get away in the off peak time, but don’t want to get caught out and miss my next belt.
Rob says:

31 Oct31 October 19:10

Virgin has confirmed to me that the Hilton and IHG transfer options will remain and the conversion rates will not change. The same goes for all other partner earning and spending.
- Alan says:
  
  31 Oct31 October 19:16
  
  Excellent, thanks for confirming this with them, Rob.
  - Anon says:
    
    31 Oct31 October 19:21
    
    ++1. Rob – excellent service. Top notch, thanks!
- James67 says:
  
  31 Oct31 October 21:48
  
  +1 that’s what I was looking for too tnanks. Have just transfered 30k, will get my ISA cancelled for next time and will do thd tesco autoconvert again.
mikee says:

31 Oct31 October 19:22

Looks like the discounted Z fare Upper Class tier point earning rate has taken a hit. Previously it was 10TPs vs 12TPs for full-fare Upper. Now its 50% of full-fare Upper – 200TPs return vs 400 🙁

I was generating some good TPs by taking advantage of the discounted Z fares ex EU (Cork and Shannon) so looks like it will now take longer to achieve Silver and Gold status using this method.
- mikee says:
  
  31 Oct31 October 19:29
  
  …so under the old rules, 4 x UC return Z-fare flights (4 x 10TPs rtn) got you Gold status (40TPs) but now you’ll need 5 returns (5 x 200TPs rtn) to reach 1,000TPs.
Jake says:

31 Oct31 October 19:27

As steadfast off-peak travellers, these changes are brilliant! Not having kids, I don’t travel during peak times so the amount of miles I’ll save is awesome!

There’ll be a sting in the tail somewhere but at first glance, this looks pretty decent.

Wonder what they’ll do with Miles Booster?
Sebastian says:

31 Oct31 October 19:30

For me, whilst this isn’t pleasant news, it’s not as bad as the BA changes. To be honest, as I am someone who gets the PE upgrade X 2 once a year and then takes a UC return X 2 every 1.5/2 years, it’s kind of swings and roundabouts owing to the changes in miles in Economy. The only real killer for me is miles on economy fares (however, I am booking tickets next week, for Feb, if I pay by then will I still get the current rate?). That said, I am not certain with what is happening on the following:

1) Taxes
2) Reward Saver deals

If anyone could clarify my questions it would be greatly appreciated!
John G says:

31 Oct31 October 19:36

We knew this was due at some stage and I for one am pleasantly surprised. If the availability is there the new PE rates are great value. It is a kick in the balls for anyone looking to redeem in UC but that was always on the cards after BA made their changes. Definitely not as bad as it could have been.