The Points Guy believes that credit cards can transform lives, helping you leverage everyday spending for cash back or travel experiences that might otherwise be out of reach. That's why we publish a variety of editorial content and card comparisons: to help you find a great card to turn your goals into reality.
Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Advertiser disclosure
The Points Guy believes that credit cards can transform lives, helping you leverage everyday spending for cash back or travel experiences that might otherwise be out of reach. That's why we publish a variety of editorial content and card comparisons: to help you find a great card to turn your goals into reality.
Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Guides
How to book Delta award flights with Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points
Ben Smithson is a senior writer for TPG and is based in London. Originally from Australia and a qualified lawyer with a financial services background, he has almost a decade of experience writing about a broad range of travel and loyalty topics.
August 26, 2024 • 8 min read
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don't cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.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.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
Related stories
Quick summary
Virgin Atlantic's Flying Club program offers valuable opportunities to book Delta-operated flights for fewer points than Delta's own loyalty program, especially on select routes.
The program uses fixed award charts for Delta flights to the U.K. and Europe, and a distance-based chart for other routes, often resulting in lower redemption rates than dynamic pricing models.
Main Cabin economy awards to London can be particularly cost-effective, though carrier-imposed surcharges apply, while flights to other European destinations have minimal fees.
Points from most major transferable rewards programs can be moved to Flying Club, making it accessible for many travelers.
What to consider
Award availability for premium cabins on Delta via Flying Club is extremely limited, and surcharges on some routes can exceed $1,000 each way.
Each flight segment is priced separately, so connecting itineraries may require more points than nonstop flights.
Some offers mentioned in the article are no longer available.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed guide to searching and booking Delta flights with Virgin points, including tips for maximizing value and avoiding common pitfalls.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
However, Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Club program has so many great partner redemptions that it’s worth getting to know the program if you’re looking for good-value award flights.
Since Delta operates using a dynamic pricing model, the carrier can charge upward of 350,000 SkyMiles for one premium award flight. Though Delta is not generous in releasing premium-cabin awards to partner airlines, there are still some good deals to be found.
Whether you want to travel domestically or internationally, if you want to save your Delta SkyMiles, here's how you can book Delta-operated flights using Virgin points.
How to earn Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points
BEN SMITHSON/THE POINTS GUY
Before we get into how to use them, it’s important to note how easy it is to collect Virgin points — even without flying Virgin Atlantic or its partners.
Flying Club is a transfer partner of almost every major program with a transferable currency:
It’s worth noting that Capital One miles transfer to Virgin Red, not directly to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. However, you can easily use your Virgin Red account points with Flying Club.
Additionally, some of the above programs offer regular transfer bonuses to Flying Club, meaning you might need even fewer points than you first thought.
That means you’ve got plenty of card options for earning rewards to transfer to Flying Club, many of which feature terrific welcome bonuses. Here’s just a sample of the travel rewards credit cards that earn transferable points that can be converted to Virgin points:
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
The Platinum Card® from American Express
American Express® Gold Card
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (see rates and fees)
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees)
Virgin Atlantic’s Delta award chart
ANDREW KUNESH/THE POINTS GUY
While Delta did away with its award charts years ago and now has some eye-watering dynamic prices, Flying Club has retained award rates for Delta-operated flights, with some quirks and caveats.
Nonstop flights between the U.S. and Europe (excluding the U.K.)
All other Delta reward flights
Here’s the award chart for one-way, nonstop flights between the U.S. and the U.K.:
VIRGINATLANTIC.COM
Meanwhile, the award chart for flights between the U.S. and Europe is as follows:
VIRGINATLANTIC.COM
For all other Delta flights — such as flights within North America, as well as to Asia, Australia and South America — Virgin Atlantic uses a distance-based award chart. Each segment is priced separately based on the following table:
VIRGINATLANTIC.COM
Due to SkyMiles' dynamic pricing, Flying Club still charges fewer points than Delta’s SkyMiles program may charge for many of the same flights. Therefore, it is worth checking the prices of both programs where you have transferable credit card points, as there is still value to be had.
And as noted above, you’ll redeem points for each segment individually. As a result, flying from New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) will require additional points if you connect through a Delta hub like Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) — even though the total distance flown with the connection is just a few miles longer.
Also, Flying Club members can’t book Delta Premium Select (premium economy) awards on any route.
While Delta One business-class flights to Europe can technically be booked with Virgin points for as low as 47,500 points each way, availability is virtually nonexistent, and Flying Club recently added a huge carrier surcharge of over $1,000 each way, which makes this option a poor use of Virgin points.
Sweet spots for Delta flights
BEN SMITHSON/THE POINTS GUY
There are some great sweet spots where you can use Virgin points to book Delta flights. Main Cabin economy awards are readily available to London-area airports and can represent a terrific value, especially on off-peak dates, for a solid product.
While Delta flights to London should start at 15,000 Virgin points each way, we have seen some dates go for as low as 10,000 points; however, you will have to pay carrier-imposed surcharges.
VIRGINATLANTIC.COM
Considering Delta charges 58,000 SkyMiles for the same Main Cabin flight, booking this flight for just 10,000 Virgin points is terrific.
DELTA.COM
You can also use the handy reward-seat search tool to quickly check the availability of Delta flights, month by month, on routes to and from the U.K.
VIRGINATLANTIC.COM
Though you’ll need more Virgin points to fly Delta from the U.S. to European destinations outside of the U.K., the benefit is that the fees and taxes are virtually nil, and there are no pesky surcharges.
VIRGINATLANTIC.COM
This same Delta flight through SkyMiles would set you back a massive 115,000 miles, so if you have credit card points, it's a much better deal to book through Flying Club than SkyMiles.
DELTA.COM
Despite the recent price increase for most non-Europe Delta flights, the distance-based chart for other Delta-operated flights can also provide value. Flights less than 500 miles in length escaped the devaluation and are still just 7,500 Virgin points per flight, a great deal.
We recommend focusing on routes covering up to 2,000 miles, especially for domestic Delta-operated flights. You may snag a Delta reward flight for less than you would have paid using Delta’s SkyMiles program.
Try to look for nonstop flights since a connecting itinerary will price segment by segment (and thus have a higher price).
On long-haul Delta flights to regions other than the U.K. and Europe, we have only seen Main Cabin availability on a limited number of routes.
How to search Delta flights on Virgin Atlantic
You can search and book Delta flights on the Virgin Atlantic website.
VIRGINATLANTIC.COM
To search, start here and enter the requested information. Don’t forget to change the “Show Price In” choice from "Money" to "Points." I also recommend selecting “Show flexible dates” if you have flexibility.
Virgin Atlantic’s website doesn’t show some airports when you search by entering the three-digit airport code. If this happens to you, click on “Full Airport List” and select your airport.
VIRGINATLANTIC.COM
Selecting “Show flexible dates” will display a small range of dates and prices.
VIRGINATLANTIC.COM
When you click on a given date, you’ll arrive at the screen with flights you can select.
After confirming your flight details, log in to your Flying Club account. At this point, you’ll receive a message if you don’t have enough points to book the award.
VIRGINATLANTIC.COM
As noted, you can transfer American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards and Citi ThankYou Rewards points to Flying Club. The points will typically reach your account instantly.
However, you may need to log out and back in to access your updated balance.
Bottom line
Delta’s decision to remove its award charts in 2015 has led to incredibly high award ticket prices. However, there are often ways to book these flights for significantly fewer points than the carrier would charge.
One option to consider for select routes is Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. It’s always worth checking Virgin Atlantic’s website before booking an award ticket on Delta; you could save plenty of points.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
