Virgin Atlantic Flying Club has launched a time-sensitive promotion, during which members will enjoy discounted Virgin Atlantic flights until the end of the year.
From now until June 24, 2024, Flying Club members will get a 40% discount on Virgin Atlantic flights booked through Flying Club, in economy, premium economy, and Upper Class, to all destinations in the airline’s network.
40% Off Virgin Atlantic Award Flights
Virgin Atlantic has introduced a limited-time offer, whereby Virgin Atlantic award flights booked through Flying Club will have a 40% discount on the amount of points required.
The 40% discount only applies to Virgin Atlantic flights booked through Flying Club, and isn’t applicable to any partner airlines.
You have from June 21–24, 2024, to make your booking, for travel from June 21–December 31, 2024, inclusive. The discount applies to both peak and off-peak dates, too.
There’s no registration required for this promotion, and the 40% discount is already factored into the search results on the Virgin Atlantic website.
It’s worth noting that the discount only applies to the amount of Virgin Points required for a flight, and it doesn’t discount the taxes and fees associated with the ticket.
Unfortunately, flights with Virgin Atlantic tend to come with heavy taxes, fees, and fuel surcharges, especially in higher classes of service. However, as we’ll discuss below, this can still be a great deal in some circumstances.
Are Virgin Atlantic Awards a Good Deal?
From its hub in London, Virgin Atlantic flies to many destinations across the United States and the Caribbean, as well as to major cities in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. As it stands, it doesn’t operate any flights to Canada, although that’s set to change when it launches a new route to Toronto in March 2025.
A 40% discount on Virgin Atlantic flights can be a great deal, especially since Flying Club’s transatlantic award pricing is competitive to begin with. This is particularly true if you value direct flights to and from the UK.
However, keep in mind that the discount only applies to the cost of flights in points, and it doesn’t apply to taxes, fees, and carrier-imposed surcharges.
With Virgin Atlantic, you’ll pay a greater amount of taxes, fees, and surcharges as you fly in higher classes of service.
For example, with the current promotion, you can book a Virgin Atlantic flight from Seattle to London for the following amounts of points, with the 40% discount factored in:
- 9,000 Virgin Points, plus $152.80 (all figures in USD) in taxes and fees, in economy
- 16,500 Virgin Points, plus $437.80 in taxes and fees, in premium economy
- 40,500 Virgin Points, plus $1,027.80 in taxes and fees, in Upper Class
Without the 40% discount factored in, those same flights would cost the following amounts of points, plus the same amounts of taxes and fees:
- 15,000 Virgin Points in economy
- 27,500 Virgin Points in premium economy
- 67,500 Virgin Points in Upper Class
Compared to other loyalty programs that offer transatlantic award flights, the cost in points for Virgin Atlantic flights is very competitive, and even more so with the 40% discount factored in. This is especially the case with economy and premium economy flights.
Furthermore, since Virgin Atlantic doesn’t use dynamic pricing, the price for a redemption is predictable, unlike many other North American programs.
Even with the hefty amount of taxes, fees, and carrier-imposed surcharges, some people may wish to take advantage of this promotion, and save on the number of points required for a booking.
In the US, Virgin Points are easy to come by, as Flying Club is a transfer partner of the following transferable points currencies:
- American Express US Membership Rewards
- Bilt Rewards
- Capital One Miles
- Chase Ultimate Rewards
- Citi ThankYou Rewards
Otherwise, you could consider converting Marriott Bonvoy points to Virgin Points at the optimal ratio of 60,000 Bonvoy points = 25,000 Virgin Points.
Aside from Virgin Atlantic flights, some of the other best uses of Virgin Points include booking ANA First Class and ANA business class at spectacular rates (if you can find award availability), as well as short-haul domestic flights with Delta.
Conclusion
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club has launched a new promotion, which offers a 40% discount on Virgin Atlantic flights booked with Virgin Points.
The booking window for this promotion runs from June 21–June 24, 2024, and the discount applies to Virgin Atlantic flights through to December 31, 2024.
If you have any plans to fly with Virgin Atlantic before the end of the year, consider taking advantage of this deal to save 40% off the cost of a redemption. If you’re redeeming points for premium economy or Upper Class, just be prepared to pay a tidy sum of taxes, fees, and carrier-imposed surcharges.
