Virgin Atlantic Flying Club: The Optimised UK Workflow
Virgin Flying Club is BA's closest serious UK rival. Earning and burning Virgin Points works very differently from Avios, and the Reward+ Companion Voucher in Upper Class is arguably the best non-Amex companion perk available in Britain. This is the optimised flow if Virgin is in your toolkit.
Who this is for
Anyone who flies transatlantic regularly, anyone planning a long-haul holiday for two where you want Business at the front of the plane, and anyone with an Amex Membership Rewards balance who wants the option of partner redemptions on ANA, Delta, Air France or KLM.
How to build a Virgin Points balance
- Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard. £160/year, 1.5 Virgin Points/£, Companion Voucher at £10,000 spend (Economy/Premium) or £20,000 (Upper Class).
- Virgin Atlantic Reward Mastercard (free). 0.75 Virgin Points/£, no fee, modest sign-up bonus.
- Amex Membership Rewards transfer. 1:1, near-instant. Hold an Amex Gold or Platinum for the bigger earning rate.
- Virgin Money current account. Steady drip of Virgin Points just for holding it.
- Tesco Clubcard. Converts to Virgin Points at the published rate.
- Virgin Atlantic flights. Earn proportional to fare class and route.
Award search
virginatlantic.com's award search has improved markedly and is usable for both Virgin-operated routes and most partner redemptions. For ANA premium-cabin space (a key sweet spot), cross-check with United's website or Seats.aero.
How to book
Virgin-operated bookings work cleanly online. Partner bookings (ANA, Air France, KLM, Delta) often need a phone call to the Flying Club desk, though Delta has improved its online integration.
Sweet-spot redemptions
- Upper Class transatlantic with Companion Voucher. Two passengers in Upper Class to the US for the points cost of one. The Virgin headline play.
- ANA Business or First via partner award. London to Tokyo on All Nippon Airways' superb hard product, including ANA First.
- Delta One transatlantic. When Virgin's own Upper Class is full, Delta's award space often is not.
- Premium short-haul on Air France or KLM when Virgin Points are about to expire.
Common mistakes
- Confusing Virgin Points with Avios. Different programmes, different currencies, no transfer between them.
- Ignoring the high carrier-imposed surcharges on Virgin-operated long-haul. They're comparable to BA.
- Not setting up an Amex MR pipeline. A Gold or Platinum gives you on-demand top-ups via 1:1 transfer.
- Letting Companion Voucher expire unused inside the two-year window.
The optimised workflow
- Open a free Virgin Flying Club account.
- Apply for the Virgin Reward+ Mastercard if a transatlantic trip is on the horizon, or the free Reward Mastercard if you want a baseline.
- Spend on the card. Hit the £20,000 threshold for the Upper Class Companion Voucher if you're aiming high.
- Build Amex MR alongside as a flexible top-up reserve.
- Identify your target trip 6-12 months out and search availability monthly.
- When you find Upper Class seats for your dates, transfer just enough MR to Virgin to cover the booking.
- Apply the Companion Voucher at booking. Book.