Quick highlights
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Rewards rate: 3X points per dollar spent directly on Virgin Atlantic purchases. 1.5X points per dollar spent on all other purchases
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Welcome offer: Earn 30,000 bonus Virgin Points after spending $1,000 or more on purchases in the first 90 days of account opening
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Annual fee: $90
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Purchase intro APR: N/A
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Balance transfer intro APR: N/A
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Regular APR: 18.24 percent to 26.24 percent, variable
Current Welcome Offer
New cardholders can earn 30,000 bonus points when they spend $1,000 on purchases within the first 90 days of opening an account. This is halved from the previous 60,000-mile bonus after spending $2,000 within 90 days of owning the card. While the value is a clear downgrade, it is easier to obtain with cardholders only having to spend $334 per month versus $668.
According to the Points Guy valuation, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points are worth 1.5 cents per dollar, which is an average rewards rate for travel cards. In total, this bonus is worth $450, much higher than the $90 annual fee.
Rewards Rate
With a rate of up to 3X points on every purchase, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points accumulate quicker than you think. Redemption may be limited, as points can only be used on Virgin Atlantic travel options but can be applied on a variety of travel bookings such as flights, seat upgrades, and more. You can also use a combination of points and miles to cut costs. Keep in mind that blackout dates can apply depending on dates and locations.
How you earn
Built for Virgin Atlantic loyalists who travel often, the Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard gives you multiple opportunities to earn bonus miles.
Virgin Atlantic offers three membership tiers (Red, Silver and Gold) through which you can gain benefits like premium check-in, lounge access and rewards flights. Every $2,500 you spend on net purchases with the Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard, you’ll earn 25 Tier Points (a maximum of 50 Tier Points can be earned each month and 600 Tier Points each year).
Super-spenders can earn either a premium upgrade or same-class companion ticket after spending $25,000 annually. Other bonus mile-earning opportunities include 15,000+ Flying Club bonus miles each anniversary (after qualifying purchases) and up to 5,000 Flying Club bonus miles when you add an authorized user to your card. Miles don’t expire as long as your account is active once every three years.
If you value a solid list of transfer airline partners, the card boasts quite a few, including:
- Delta Air Lines
- Air France
- Air China
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
- Hawaiian Airlines
- All Nippon Airways
- South African Airways
- Virgin Australia
- Singapore Airlines
- Scandinavian Airlines
- Air New Zealand
You can also earn and spend miles with Virgin Atlantic’s list of 13 hotel partners.
How to redeem
There’s no limit to the number of miles that you can earn, and miles can be redeemed for either Virgin Atlantic flights, partner flights or upgrades. Whether booking a Virgin Atlantic Holiday, getting a rental car, or reserving a room with one of the hotel partners, your Virgin points go far. Say you spend $1,500 each quarter on Virgin Atlantic purchases and an additional $200 a month on all other purchases. You’ll have earned 21,600 miles by the end of your first year. Based on your spending, you’ll qualify for the 30,000-mile welcome bonus (achieved after spending $1,000 within your first 90 days of account opening), for a total of 81,600 miles.
However, you can only spend points on travel bookings and extras, which can be a big drawback for those who prefer to spend points on purchases or redeem for statement credits.