Virgin Atlantic is one of Britain’s major international airlines, they operate a network of international services to North America, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia from its hub at London’s Heathrow.
If you’ve flown with Virgin Atlantic before, make sure you take advantage of their program Flying Club! Start earning miles on every Virgin Atlantic flight, and spend them on fabulous rewards like upgrades, flights and much more!
Continue reading below to learn more about Virgin Atlantic Flying Club’s features and services.
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Summary
| Airline Alliance | No alliance |
| Hubs | London (England), Manchester (England) |
| U.S. Destinations | Atlanta, Boston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Newark, Orlando, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington D.C. |
| U.S. Credit Cards | Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard |
| Redemption Options | Award flights, upgrades, companion seats, Miles Plus Money, hotel stays, airport services, Virgin Group purchases, transfer or gift miles and more. |
| Average Mile Value | $0.015 |
 The Platinum Card® from American Express offers 80,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. You'll earn: • 5X Membership Rewards Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year. • 5X Membership Rewards Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. • $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts(R) or The Hotel Collection bookings through American Express Travel using your Platinum Card(R). The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay. • $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required. • The American Express Global Lounge Collection can provide an escape at the airport. With complimentary access to more than 1,400 airport lounges across 140 countries and counting, you have more airport lounge options than any other credit card issuer on the market. As of 03/2023. • $155 Walmart+ Credit: Save on eligible delivery fees, shipping, and more with a Walmart+ membership. Use your Platinum Card to pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership and get up to $12.95 plus applicable taxes back on one membership (excluding Plus Ups) each month. • $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card. • $200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member only. Terms Apply. • $199 CLEAR Plus Credit: CLEAR Plus helps to get you to your gate faster at 50+ airports nationwide and get up to $199 back per calendar year on your Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Card. CLEARLanes are available at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues. • Receive either a $100 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card. Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost. • Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required. This card comes with a $695 annual fee.¤ (See Rates & Fees), but you cardholders can enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member and Additional Centurion Cards only. Terms Apply. Terms Apply. |
Flying Club Elite Status
Flying Club has three status tiers: Red, Silver and Gold.
The more you fly, the more Tier Points you’ll earn:
| Ticket Type | Tier Points Earned |
| Economy | 25 – 50 |
| Premium | 50 – 100 |
| Upper Class | 100 – 200 |
To reach a status, you must have a certain number of Tier Points each year:
| Red | Silver | Gold |
| 0 Tier Points | 400 Tier Points | 1,000 Tier Points |
Red. The time frame is calculated from the current date back to the first day of the month to the previous year.
Silver and Gold. The Upgraded Fixed Membership Period starts on the day you earn status and continues for the remainder of that month until the end of the following 12 months. During this time, you have to earn the necessary Tier Points to requalify for the status.
From March 2020 until further notice, Flying Club Gold and Silver members have 24 months to earn the required tier points to maintain their status.
When you join Flying Club, you automatically get Red status. Benefits at this base tier include:
- Earn miles when you fly
- Spend miles on reward flights
- Miles Plus Money on flights
- Access to partner brands
- Discounted access to Flying Club lounges
- Dedicated Flying Club phone line
Silver status members get all Red benefits, plus:
- 30% bonus miles on flights
- Free seat selection in Economy Light
- Premium check-in
- Priority waitlist
- Tier renewal bonus
- Maternity/paternity membership pause
Gold status members get all Silver benefits, plus:
- 60% bonus miles on flights
- Extra baggage allowance
- Upper Class check-in
- Clubhouse passes for you +1
- 1 complimentary Clubhouse spa treatment, 10% discount thereafter
- London Heathrow Revivals Lounge access
- 2,000 bonus birthday miles
- Complimentary companion ticket (upon status renewal)
- Complimentary Silver membership for a friend
Once you’ve reached Gold status, you can get even more perks after hitting certain Tier Point thresholds.
- 1,500 Tier Points: Clubhouses passes for you to keep or share
- 2,000 Tier Points: Cabin upgrade rewards
Earning Flying Club Miles
There are many way to earn miles with Virgin Atlantic, we’ve listed them below:
Flying with Virgin Atlantic is the fastest and easiest way to earn miles! Keep in mind that the number of miles you earn will depend on your flight distance, fare class and your status.
Not only that, you’ll also earn Flying Club miles when you fly with Virgin Atlantic’s partner carriers:
Airline partners include:
You can also earn miles on your everyday purchases with a Virgin Atlantic credit card account. Keep in mind that this is only for residents of the US and its territories.
Another way to earn Flying Club miles is by converting points from loyalty programs into Flying Club miles.
This means that you can earn Flying Club miles by spending on the credit cards listed below:
The Platinum Card® from American Express ($550 annual fee). Get 5x points for flights (up to $500,000 on these purchases) and prepaid hotels. Extras include a $200 annual airline fee credit, up to $200 in Uber Cash every year, a Global Entry or TSA Precheck application fee credit, American Express Global Lounge Collection membership, Marriott Bonvoy Gold elite status, Hilton Honors Gold status and benefits with the Fine Hotels & Resorts Program.
American Express® Gold Card ($250 annual fee). Get 4x points at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets (limited), and 3x points on flights. Extras include a $120 annual dining credit and The Hotel Collection benefits.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card ($95 annual fee). Get 2x points on travel and dining, and 1x points on all other purchases.
Chase Sapphire Reserve® ($450 annual fee). Get 3x points on travel and dining, and 1x points on all other purchases. Extras include a $300 annual travel credit, Global Entry or TSA Precheck application fee credit, Priority Pass Select membership and The Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection benefits.
Citi Premier Card ($95 annual fee). Get 3x points on travel, 2x points at restaurants and on entertainment, and 1x points on all other purchases.
Citi Prestige® Credit Card ($495 annual fee). Get 5x points on air travel and at restaurants, 3x points on hotels and cruise lines, and 1x points for all other purchases. Extras include up to $250 annual travel credit, complimentary 4th night hotel stay, Priority Pass Select membership and cell phone protection.
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card ($95 annual fee). Get 6x points for Marriott spending, and 2x points for all other purchases. Extras include an annual Free Night Award, Marriott Bonvoy Silver elite status and 15 Elite Night Credits every year.
There are so many other ways to collect miles through a variety of Flying Club partners, including hotels, car hire, shopping, financial, Virgin Group and more.
If you’re a little bit off from an award, you can also purchase Flying Club miles. It costs $27 for every 1,000 miles you purchase, and there’s also a $25 transaction fee. To learn more, simply log into your Flying Club account.
Redeeming Flying Club Miles
Keep in mind that your Flying Clubs will expire after 36 months if they see that there is no earn or burn activity on your account.
To make use of your miles, the best is is to use them for award travel, including flights, cabin upgrades and even companion tickets.
You can choose from two types of awards:
- Standard Season roundtrip tickets start from 20,000 miles
- Peak Season ones start from 40,000 miles
Spend your miles on an upgrade. The number of miles you’ll need to spend to upgrade your ticket all depends on when you’re planning to travel. Upgrades are not available from Economy Light. For peak season, you’ll need to spend an additional 10,000 miles on top of the miles more than a standard season.
Not only that you can also get companion seats. You can save a seat onboard for a friend when you buy a full adult ticket in all booking classes, except for Economy Light and Economy Delight. For peak season Companion seats, you’ll need an extra 10,000 Flying Club miles per round trip.
You can use your Miles Plus Money o spend less money on your next Virgin Atlantic flight. With as little as 3,000 miles in your account you can reduce the cost of your flight and still earn miles and tier points on the discounted journey you’ve taken. It’s time to make your adventures happen.
You can also redeem your Flying Club miles for award flights with partner airlines. They include:
You can also use your Flying Club miles with their partners:
Hotels
- Hilton Honors
- IHG Rewards Club
- Kaligo.com
Virgin Group
- Virgin Balloon Flights
- Virgin Galactic
- Virgin Trains East Coast
Airport Services
- Chauffeur
- Wellness Spa
Other Partners
- Eurostar
- WE
However, these options will typically yield less than $0.01 per mile. We recommend you stick with flight awards instead.
You can also transfer or gift your Flying Club miles to another member at a maximum of 100,000 miles in one calendar year.
Flying Club Tips & Tricks
Miles Boosters give you the option to purchase extra miles based on how many miles you’re flying. You can use this on past, future and award flights.
Flying Club always has some sort of limited-time promotions. Past offers include:
- Earn 3x miles shopping with Apple
- Earn 3,000 bonus miles on your first RocketMiles hotel booking
Click here for current Flying Club earning offers.
Flying Club is very transparent about its hefty taxes and surcharges, especially for premium and upper class cabins. For Standard Season award flights, expect to pay:
| Route To/From UK | Taxes & Surcharges |
| USA – Northeast | $435 – $1,425 |
| USA – Midwest & South | $435 – $1,405 |
| USA – West | $475 – $1,460 |
You will get the best value for your miles when you redeem for international flights on partner airlines in premium cabins. But you can only book Virgin Atlantic and Delta award flights online through the Virgin Atlantic website. If you are booking with a partner airline, you will have to make a phone call to Flying Club at 800-365-9500.
Here are some of Flying Club’s sweet spots:
| Flight Details | Miles Required |
| US to Europe Delta | One Way | Business |
50,000 |
| US to Asia Delta | One Way | Business |
60,000 |
| US to New Zealand Air New Zealand | Round Trip | Business |
125,000 |
| US to Senegal South African | Round Trip | Business |
50,000 |
| US to Japan ANA | Round Trip | Business |
90,000 – 95,000 |
| US to Japan ANA | Round Trip | First |
110,000 – 120,000 |
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Bottom Line
To summarize, if you’re planning on traveling anywhere anytime soon, check out Virgin Atlantic’s flights and earn miles with their loyalty program Flying Club for each destination you choose!
While you’re here on HMB, you can check out out our Best Travel Credit cards and learn how to earn even more bonus points and miles that you can use towards your future travels!
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