You could soon redeem miles for flights to space — here's how
If you're feeling left out of the billionaire space race and have 2 million Flying Club points lying around, you might soon have your own shot at floating in a small vessel 300,000 feet above Earth. Virgin Atlantic is offering Flying Club members a chance to redeem miles for space travel.
The catch, of course, is that commercial space travel isn't available yet. Instead of booking a seat outright like you would with an airline, you're entering a drawing to win a trip to space with Virgin Galactic once commercial flights launch.
The points won't be deducted from your account unless you win. So really, there's no harm in entering if you want to do this in the future and have the points ready to go.
The terms have a few important exceptions that are worth noting:
Only points earned on Virgin Atlantic Airways flights qualify for eligibility into the draw and may be used for Virgin Galactic flights.
Points cannot be merged or transferred from other member accounts.
Points earned through supplementary Silver Flying Club accounts and/or Family accounts may not be used towards the Virgin Galactic redemption.
A Virgin Galactic flight may only be booked for the Flying Club card holder who has earned the relevant points and not on behalf of or for another individual.
To enter for a chance to win a future flight to space, you'll need to ... call Virgin Atlantic at 0344 874 7747.
Related: Unlock incredible value with Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
What's included
Two million points is a lot any way you slice it, but considering the flight is just two hours long, it's going to be tough to justify for many people.
Luckily, the grand prize goes beyond that. You get a three-day experience that includes flight preparation, along with a two-hour space flight with at least five minutes of weightlessness.
Related: Experience the next best thing to space travel with Zero-G and Blade
Is it worth it?
If you're a space geek, this three-day experience culminating in a trip to space might well be worth 2 million points (assuming you win the drawing). Flying into space will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for most people. The novelty of saying you were on one of the first commercial flights to space alone might be worth the splurge.
That being said, by redeeming 2 million points for a trip to space, you will give up a lot of other travel opportunities. For example, you can book a one-week trip to Necker Island for two for 1.5 million points.
Alternatively, you can save up your points for a round-trip business-class ticket from the West Coast to Japan for just 90,000 miles. If you're looking forward to a trip to the U.K., you can redeem as few as 20,000 miles for a round-trip ticket from the Northeast.
If you want the most bang for your buck, space travel isn't the most practical way to redeem your points. But if you want to put your points toward a fun experience, it pretty much tops them all.
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| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
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- Annual companion ticket for travel on Delta (upon renewal)
- Ability to earn MQDs through spending
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Cons
- Steep annual fee of $650
- Other Delta cobranded cards offer superior earning categories
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- $650 Annual Fee.
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