Virgin Atlantic Flying Club: A British Guide to Virgin Points
Virgin Atlantic's loyalty programme. Flying Club — is the closest serious British rival to BA Executive Club. Its currency, Virgin Points (the rebrand from "Virgin Atlantic Miles" in 2021), behaves differently to Avios in several useful ways. If you fly transatlantic, hold a Virgin Money current account, or shop at Tesco, you almost certainly already qualify to earn them.
Earning Virgin Points
- Virgin Atlantic flights. The obvious one. Earning is by route and fare class
- Virgin Atlantic Reward Mastercard (free). 0.75 Virgin Points per £1, plus a 5,000-point welcome bonus
- Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard (£160/year) — 1.5 Virgin Points per £1, larger welcome bonus, and a Companion Voucher at £10,000 of spend
- American Express Membership Rewards transfer at 1:1, so the Amex Gold and Platinum are also indirect Virgin Points earners
- Tesco Clubcard converts to Virgin Points via the Reward Partners page (see Tesco Clubcard guide)
- Virgin Money current accounts drop a steady drip of points just for holding them, often topped up by acquisition promotions
The status tiers
| Tier | Tier Points / annual | Headline perks |
|---|---|---|
| Red | 0 | Entry level: free seat selection at check-in |
| Silver | 400 | Lounge access on Virgin, priority boarding, sapphire-tier SkyTeam benefits |
| Gold | 1,000 | Clubhouse access (incl. Heathrow T3), guest privileges, emerald-tier SkyTeam |
Tier Points are earned per flight by cabin and route, roughly half what BA awards Tier Points at, but the thresholds are correspondingly lower.
The Reward+ Companion Voucher
Spend £10,000 in a card year on the Reward+ Mastercard and earn a Companion Voucher good for a second passenger on a reward flight (Economy or Premium). Spend £20,000 and it upgrades to allow Upper Class. The Upper Class voucher in particular is arguably the best non-Amex companion perk available in the UK. See our sweet-spot redemptions article.
Partner redemptions you should know about
Flying Club isn't just for Virgin metal. Virgin Points redeem on:
- Delta, transatlantic Economy and Delta One Business, often great value
- Air France / KLM. SkyTeam partners with Europe-wide and Africa coverage
- ANA, the legendary Tokyo redemption, especially in First "The Suite". A signature sweet spot
- SAS, ITA Airways, Air New Zealand — useful for niche routings
Where Virgin Points beat Avios
Virgin Points tend to do best on long-haul Upper Class with the Companion Voucher, on ANA First/Business via partner award, and on Delta One transatlantic when ANA-style availability runs out. BA still wins on short-haul Reward Flight Saver Economy and on sheer Avios availability. Most serious British collectors hold balances in both programmes.
One snag
Virgin doesn't have a Household Account equivalent, so family pooling isn't as clean as BA's Household Account. Carrier-imposed surcharges on Virgin metal are also high, comparable to BA. The Flying Club website's award search has improved but still trails BA's calendar in flexibility.