You can now book your $450,000 ticket to fly into space with Virgin Galactic
The fledgling spaceline Virgin Galactic announced it is now selling tickets for seats on its rocket ship to members of the general public who can afford a 90-minute jaunt into space.
Ticket are officially on sale to anyone who can afford one as of February 16. The cost is $450,000 per seat, a price tag the company had previously revealed last August just weeks after founder Sir Richard Branson had reached the edge of space in the Unity spacecraft. The spaceline, which is based in New Mexico, says a third of the cost of the ticket, $150,000, must be paid in an initial deposit ($25,000 of which is non-refundable), and the remaining balance due before the flight takes off.
A hefty price, for sure. But think of the points you'll accrue when you slap down your credit card to reserve your seat.
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If the sky-high price tag would keep your feet firmly planet on earth, there is a points and miles option. Anyone with 2 million Virgin Points can enter a prize draw to redeem those points for a trip with Virgin Galactic - its a three day trip including the two-hour space flight and at least five minutes of weightlessness.
You'll only need to redeem the points if you win the prize draw.
According to CNBC, Virgin Galactic has had about 600 reservations on the books from ticket sales going back several years, when a trip to suborbital space was being sold for about $200,000 to $250,000 per seat. The company actually sold about 100 tickets at the increased $450K price last summer. During Virgin Galactic's most recent earnings call in November, CEO Michael Colglazier said the company had been testing its sales process had sold about 100 seats at the new $450k price point. Its goal is to book 1,000 sales before commercial flights actually begin, which right now appears to be in October.
This marks an encouraging turnaround for the company, which saw its stock price jump by more than 30% on the news of ticket sales reopening. The Wall Street Journal says Virgin Galactic stock has lost 80% of its value in the past year after delays caused the optimism and public-relations buzz from Branson's flight to space on the air-powered Unity rocket to fade. Branson had won the "Billionaire Space Race" by beating Amazon boss Jeff Bezos to the launchpad and getting to space first. Companies like Virgin Galactic and Bezos' Blue Origin have both been trying to develop a viable business model around space tourism.
But there were also safety concerns after a story in the New Yorker revealed that the Federal Aviation Administration was investigating a red warning light that had gone off in the cockpit during Branson's flight. The FAA grounded all flights as it probed the incident, but eventually gave Virgin Galactic approval to resume operations.
Featured Image courtesy of VirginGalactic.com.
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- If you don’t travel frequently, this might not be the best card for you.
- Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
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10X | Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel |
5X | 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel. |
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Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel75,000 bonus milesAnnual Fee
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Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X card is one of the best all-round travel credit cards ever launched. Not only is it offering a tremendous welcome bonus, but cardholders can earn tons of miles on everyday spending and receive a 10,000-mile anniversary bonus to boot. Its annual fee is $395, but cardholders can count on up to $300 in statement credits toward travel booked through Capital One Travel each year and other valuable benefits like access to Priority Pass lounges and Capital One’s own growing family of airport lounges.Pros
- Excellent welcome offer worth 75,000 miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months.
- Up to $300 in annual travel statement credits toward bookings make through Capital One Travel.
- 10,000 bonus miles (worth $100 toward travel) each account anniversary.
Cons
- The $395 annual fee might be expensive for some, but this card’s benefits provide much more value than that.
- If you don’t travel frequently, this might not be the best card for you.
- Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
- Receive up to $300 back annually as statement credits for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of options
- Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
- Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
- Unlimited complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,300+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network
- Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more—you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Named editors' choice for "Best New Credit Card of 2021" by The Points Guy
- Earn 10 miles per dollar when you book on Turo, the world's largest car sharing marketplace, through May 16, 2023