Virgin Atlantic puts an A350, with the new Upper Class suite, onto Barbados

Barbados is one of the positive spots on the Virgin Atlantic network at the moment.

Not only is it a popular Winter destination, but there are no restrictions on travel for UK residents, apart from the need for a negative covid test result. You do not need to quarantine on your return to the UK either.

I’m not sure that word has got out, however. I had no trouble booking 4 x Upper Class reward seats over October half-term for my family, as a back-up plan in case the UAE quarantine rule is not lifted.

From 14th December to 30th April, Virgin Atlantic is now planning to operate an A350 on this route. This means that you will get the new Upper Class suite, pictured above, instead of the old-style A330-300 seat which we will getting in October.

If you are looking at options for a Winter getaway, this is well worth a look.

And if you need somewhere to stay ….

Travelzoo is offering an excellent hotel deal at the Fairmont Royal Pavilion at the moment – see here and the image above. You save over 50% and suites are included. I stayed here about 15 years ago and it is on a lovely stretch of beach. The voucher is fully refundable if you end up not going. Click here to learn more.

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.)