Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is running a reward sale that offers a 30% discount on selected Virgin Atlantic flights. You must book before February 28, 2023, for flights departing on or before May 31, 2023.
Only the points element is discounted – you will still pay the full amount of taxes and fees. (which are substantial) But you can book any cabin, including Upper Class. You can also use any 2-for-1 certificates you might have.
Not every Virgin Atlantic route is included. The U.S. destinations on offer are:
- Atlanta
- Austin
- Boston
- Los Angeles
- Miami
- New York (to both London and Manchester)
- San Francisco
- Seattle
- Tampa
- Washington DC
You also travel between London and Antigua, Islamabad, Lahore, Mumbai and Tel Aviv.
Award space is usually decent because Virgin Atlantic guarantees 12 award seats on every flight – 2 in Upper Class, 2 in Premium Economy and 8 in Economy Classic. But much of the Upper Class award space might already be gone – these flights have been available for booking for months now…
How to Top-up Your Virgin Points Balance
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points are available by converting from the major transferable currencies – American Express, Capital One, Chase, Citi, etc. You can also convert Marriott Bonvoy points, although that isn’t necessarily the best use of those…
How to Reduce Taxes & Fees Slightly
Reward flights departing from the United Kingdom have lower fuel surcharges than those departing from the United States. So, you can save a substantial amount by booking your itinerary as one-way flights, instead of a return trip from the U.S.
Unfortunately this promotion won’t work on partner airlines such as Delta, ANA etc. that have lower or non-existent fuel surcharges…
Bottom Line
Because of the high surcharges, you will definitely want to compare any reward ticket pricing with a standard revenue ticket. The savings might not be substantial.
Nonetheless, it’s better to spend 30% fewer points on your reward flight(s) if you are planning to fly to London this spring…
