Transfer Citi ThankYou Points to Virgin Atlantic With a 25% Bonus
In the return of a promotion that'll pop up from time to time, Citi is offering a 25% bonus for transferring Citi ThankYou points to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles. The promotion runs now through March 2, but if you're looking to redeem Flying Club miles for peak travel times, you'll want to jump on this promo within the next week.
Virgin Atlantic is in the midst of a program devaluation announced last October. As part of the change, you can no longer redeem Virgin Atlantic miles for Virgin America flights, leaving Delta as the only partner available for US domestic flights. This change was the major catalyst that led TPG to reduce our valuation of Flying Club miles from 1.5 cents per mile to 1.3 cents each.
For redeeming miles on Virgin Atlantic's own flights, there's 10 more days until the award chart goes through a mixed bag of changes. With the addition of off-peak awards, Flying Club miles will become more valuable than before for certain redemptions. However, other award prices are generally going up.
If you're looking for a once-in-a-lifetime redemption, one of the absolute best uses of Virgin Atlantic miles is redeeming 1,200,000 miles for a seven night stay on Richard Branson's Necker Island. With this 25% transfer bonus, you'll only need to transfer 960,000 Citi ThankYou points to have enough for this luxurious redemption.
No matter what you plan to do with your Flying Club miles, there's no lack of transfer partners. Virgin Atlantic is a 1:1 partner with all four major transferable currencies: American Express Membership Rewards (value: 1.9 cents), Chase Ultimate Rewards (2.1 cents), Citi ThankYou points (1.6 cents) and Starwood Preferred Guest (2.7 cents). Based on current TPG valuations, you can see that Citi ThankYou points are already the best source. With this transfer bonus, ThankYou points are the clear winner.
That said, if you want to snag some award bookings using the current award chart, you'll want to start transferring Citi ThankYou points soon. Our testing shows that points take about 2 days to transfer to Virgin Atlantic, and the last day to book awards using the current award chart is January 15.
Bottom Line
This transfer bonus isn't a great deal. But if you're looking to top off your Flying Club account for some last-minute redemptions before the award chart changes, this is a great opportunity to do so.
H/T: One Mile At A Time
[card card-name='Citi Prestige® Card' card-id='221410589' type='javascript' bullet-id='1']
TPG featured card
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| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Delta SkyClub access when flying Delta
- Annual companion ticket for travel on Delta (upon renewal)
- Ability to earn MQDs through spending
- Various statement credits for eligible purchases
Cons
- Steep annual fee of $650
- Other Delta cobranded cards offer superior earning categories
- Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 or more in purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership and an additional 25,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $3,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months, starting from the date that your account is opened. Offer Ends 04/01/2026.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members receive 15 Visits per Medallion® Year to the Delta Sky Club® when flying Delta and can unlock an unlimited number of Visits after spending $75,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Plus, you’ll receive four One-Time Guest Passes each Medallion Year so you can share the experience with family and friends when traveling Delta together.
- Enjoy complimentary access to The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. and select international locations (as set forth on the Centurion Lounge Website), Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. (see the Centurion Lounge Website for more information on Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge availability), and Escape Lounges when flying on a Delta flight booked with the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. § To access Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 90 minutes of their departing flight (including layovers). To access The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 3 hours of their departing flight. Effective July 8, 2026, during a layover, Card Members must arrive within 5 hours of the connecting flight.
- Receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars with MQD Headstart each Medallion Qualification Year and earn $1 MQD for each $10 in purchases on your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card with MQD Boost to get closer to Status next Medallion Year.
- Enjoy a Companion Certificate on a Delta First, Delta Comfort, or Delta Main round-trip flight to select destinations each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Certificate requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of between $22 and $250 (for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. Delta Basic experiences are not eligible for this benefit.
- $240 Resy Credit: When you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card for eligible purchases with U.S. Resy restaurants, you can earn up to $20 each month in statement credits. Enrollment required.
- $120 Rideshare Credit: Earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month after you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card to pay for U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers. Enrollment required.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- With your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, receive upgrade priority over others with the same Medallion tier, product and fare experience purchased, and Million Miler milestone when you fly with Delta.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
- $650 Annual Fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees