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Fantastic deal alert: Get a 7-night cruise for just 40,000 points per person

May 30, 2023
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5 min read
Valiant-Lady
Fantastic deal alert: Get a 7-night cruise for just 40,000 points per person
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Do you have 80,000 points to burn in the Virgin Red loyalty program? If so, act fast: You can cash them in for a seven-night Mediterranean cruise for two that normally costs around $3,300 or more.

The limited-time offer is only available for sailings on Virgin Voyages ships in the Mediterranean that begin between June 1 and Aug. 31, which means you must be ready to travel in the next two months.

For your points, you'll get accommodations for two on Virgin Voyages' Athens, Greece-based Resilient Lady or Barcelona-based Valiant Lady in a Sea Terrace cabin — Virgin's fancy way of saying a cabin with a private balcony. That's a big upgrade from the ship's entry-level Insider cabins, which are in the interior of the ship and don't have windows. It's also a step up from the vessel's window-but-no-balcony Sea View cabins.

All your meals will be included, as well as free onboard Wi-Fi, gratuities and entrance to all onboard shows.

A Sea Terrace cabin on Virgin Voyages' Scarlet Lady. VIRGIN VOYAGES

The least expensive Sea Terrace cabins on seven-night sailings out of Athens and Barcelona between June 1 and Aug. 31 start at around $3,300 for two, including taxes and fees. Some departures over popular weeks start at significantly higher prices.

Related: I've been on more than 150 cruise ships; here's what I thought of my 1st Virgin sailing

TPG values Virgin points at 1.5 cents each, so by our estimate, 80,000 points would be the equivalent of just $1,200. That makes this an unusually good points offer, as you're essentially getting the cruise for nearly a third of the normal price.

Virgin launched a similar points offer for Mediterranean cruises in February but with a higher rate of 100,000 points for seven-night sailings.

Itineraries available as part of the promotion include:

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  • Seven-night Greek Island Glow sailings out of Piraeus, Greece (the port for Athens), that bring stops at Santorini, Rhodes and Mykonos, Greece; and Bodrum, Turkey.
  • Seven-night Adriatic Sea and Greek Gems sailings out of Piraeus that bring stops in Split and Dubrovnik, Croatia; Kotor, Montenegro; and Corfu, Greece.
  • Seven-night The Irresistible Med sailings from Barcelona to Toulon, France; Carrara, Italy; Ajaccio, Corsica; and Ibiza, Spain.
  • Seven-night French Daze and Ibiza sailings from Barcelona to Marseille and Cannes, France; and Palma de Mallorca and Ibiza, Spain.

Don't have enough Virgin points to book the offer — or any at all? You can still get in on this deal by transferring points from one of several major credit card programs to Virgin Red. Programs include American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One, Chase Ultimate Rewards and Citi ThankYou.

Additionally, both Amex and Chase are currently offering a 30% transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic. That knocks the price down to 62,000 transferred points from either of those programs.

Related: The 5 best places you can visit on a Virgin Voyages cruise

To take advantage of the offer, you first must head to the Virgin Red app and tap "redeem," where you see it promoted. This will deduct the necessary points from your Virgin Red account. A member of the Virgin Red team will then email you an access key within 48 hours that you will use to book a cabin using the points at the Virgin Voyages website.

Among caveats to the offer:

  • There are a limited number of cabins available as part of the offer.
  • Passengers will be assigned a Sea Terrace or Limited View Sea Terrace cabin based on availability.
  • The points price is per cabin, whether one person or two people are staying in the cabin. In other words, if you're traveling alone, you'll pay the full price of 80,000 points for the cabin. If you are traveling with a companion, you'll pay the same 80,000 points for the cabin — or 40,000 points per person.
  • All passengers must be over 18 years of age.
  • Each Virgin Red member can book up to four cabins as part of the offer, but the booking party must check in at the same time.
  • The Virgin Red member responsible for the booking must present their Virgin Red app to verify their eligibility before boarding.

Also, note that you cannot upgrade cabins booked under the offer unless Virgin Voyages subsequently offers the chance to do so.

In addition, Virgin Red recommends that bookings should be completed no later than five business days before the date of travel.

Planning a cruise? Start with these stories:

Featured image by VIRGIN VOYAGES
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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Apply for American Express® Gold Card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees
Best for dining at restaurants

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TPG Editor‘s Rating
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Rewards Rate

4XEarn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
4XEarn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
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  • Intro Offer

    As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.

  • Annual Fee

    $325

  • Recommended Credit

    Excellent to Good

Why We Chose It

There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)

Pros

  • 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
  • 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • Solid welcome bonus

Cons

  • Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
  • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
  • $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
  • Terms Apply.