Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Estimated value: 1.5¢ per points
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is known for several outsized award chart sweet spots, particularly for booking Delta flights and ANA first class. Despite being a smaller airline, the program punches above its weight for savvy travelers. Key strengths: - Book Delta flights using Virgin Atlantic miles (often cheaper than Delta SkyMiles) - ANA first class round-trip for 110,000-120,000 miles (one of the hobby's best redemptions) - Transfer partner from Amex, Chase, Citi, Capital One, and Bilt (all 1:1) - Miles don't expire with account activity every 36 months - Upper Class (business) on Virgin Atlantic is a strong product - Credit card transfer bonuses to VS are frequent
Credit card programs that can transfer points to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Co-Branded Credit Cards
Past transfer bonuses — useful for spotting seasonal patterns
1.5¢
per points (baseline)
Inbound transfers: - Amex Membership Rewards: 1:1 - Chase Ultimate Rewards: 1:1 - Citi ThankYou: 1:1 - Capital One: 1:1 - Bilt Rewards: 1:1 Strategy tips: - All 5 major transferable currencies transfer 1:1 (best accessibility of any program) - Watch for transfer bonuses (Amex and Chase frequently run 20-30% bonuses to VS) - Only transfer when you have a specific booking in mind - Delta awards through VS can save significantly over booking directly with Delta
Best redemption values: ANA first class (top sweet spot): - 55,000 VS miles one-way US to Japan in ANA first class - 110,000 VS miles round-trip - Book 355 days out for best availability - One of the best cpp redemptions in the entire hobby (worth $20,000+) - Limited to ANA-operated flights Delta flights via Virgin Atlantic: - Delta One (business) domestic: 25,000-50,000 miles one-way - Delta One to Europe: 50,000-75,000 miles one-way - Often significantly cheaper than booking with Delta SkyMiles directly - Search on delta.com, then book through Virgin Atlantic Virgin Atlantic Upper Class: - Upper Class to London: 47,500 miles one-way (off-peak) - Good product with onboard bar and lie-flat seats - Clubhouse lounges at some airports are excellent Air France/KLM via SkyTeam: - Book SkyTeam partner flights through Virgin Atlantic - Compare pricing vs. booking through Flying Blue directly Avoid: - Economy awards on short routes (cash is usually better value) - Premium economy awards (often poor value vs. economy + business) - Transferring without confirmed availability
Earning strategy: Credit cards: - No current US co-brand card (previously through Bank of America) - Earn through Amex, Chase, Citi, Capital One, or Bilt and transfer 1:1 Flights: - Virgin Atlantic flights earn based on fare class and distance - Delta flights can credit to Flying Club - SkyTeam partner flights credit to Flying Club through Delta codeshares Key tips: - The real value of Flying Club is through transfers, not earning directly - Combine points from multiple card programs for large redemptions - Credit Delta flights to Virgin Atlantic when the earn rate is favorable - Watch for Virgin Atlantic promotions and sales for bonus earning