Elevate Triple and More

Elevate Triple and More

Virgin America says you can “push your points to the limit” with their latest offer for travel through Dec. 19, 2014. Members can earn triple Elevate points for first class and double points for Main Cabin Select flights and can “push your points even further” with up to 25,000 more bonus points based on your total qualifying points earned for Virgin America flights in all cabins through Dec. 19. To sweeten the deal even further, the bonus points you earn (up to 25,000 points) will count toward reaching or renewing Elevate Silver or Gold status.

You must register for the bonus prior to your travel date and remember to include your Elevate account number when booking your flight. Triple points equals 200 percent bonus per $1 spent on the base fare for a total of 15 points per $1 spent and double points equals 100 percent bonus per $1 spent for a total of 10 points per $1. Qualifying flights are on any Virgin America destination in first (J, C, D fare classes) and Main Cabin Select (W, Q, Z fare classes).

The additional bonus points will be earned according to the total base points earned during the offer period (does not include any bonus points or points from partners). For example, if your total qualifying points earned for flights between Oct. 6 and Dec. 19, 2014 equal 2,500 points, you’ll get 1,000 bonus points (award and status points); earn 5,000 qualifying points, get 2,500 bonus points; earn 10,000 and get 5,000; earn 15,000 and get 10,000; earn 20,000 and get 15,000 and if you earn 25,000 qualifying points, you’ll max out with 25,000 bonus points. Elevate Silver membership is earned at 20,000 status points and Gold is earned at 50,000 status points. Visit http://insideflyerus.wpengine.com/link/?11780 to learn more.

Bottom line: You will not get the bonus points if you fail to correctly input your membership number when booking the flight and you will not earn any bonus credit for flights taken before the offer began Oct. 2. And if you have chosen to earn points or miles with a partner airline loyalty program, these flights will be excluded from this offer and no bonus points will be earned on your travel with Virgin America. With a little planning, and if you have upcoming travel on Virgin America, you can assure elite status with this offer. And as Lucky of One Mile at a Time says regarding the double and triple points promotion, “Each Elevate point can be redeemed for roughly 2.2 cents towards the cost of a Virgin America ticket. That means through this promotion you’re earning a return of ~22 percent on Main Cabin Select tickets, and ~33 percent on first class tickets. That’s a huge bonus.” Regarding the accelerator bonus miles promotion, Lucky says, “Put another way, if you spent $5,000 on first class tickets between now and Dec. 19 you’d earn a total of 100,000 Elevate points–that’s worth roughly $2,200 in Virgin America travel. That’s a huge bonus.”

An email we received from Virgin America puts it into perspective this way: Traveling Dec. 1 from San Francisco (SFO) to New York (JFK) in first class and returning Dec. 10: Regular 23,760 points; points promotion 110,040 (including 15,000 bonus points). Where that could take you: Roundtrip San Francisco to New York in first class (essentially buy one, get one free).