Virgin Atlantic is extending elite status and vouchers by another 6 months
Editor's Note
Virgin Atlantic is extending elite status, as well as upgrade, companion and Clubhouse vouchers for members of its Flying Club due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
On Tuesday, Sept. 7, Virgin announced it's giving elite members more time to maintain their status, as well as extending the expiration dates on some benefits.
Virgin is extending the status for Gold and Silver members by six additional months. While the number of Tier Points needed is staying the same — 1,000 for Gold and 400 for Silver — members will get an additional six months added to their membership year to meet the requirements for an additional year of status.
Throughout 2020 and 2021, Virgin has now extended members' elite status five separate times, giving travelers a total of two extra years to maintain their tier status.
While Flying Club isn't sending out new physical membership cards with the new status expiration date, Virgin will offer a digital membership card online and via the airline's app.
Members can log in to their Flying Club account to see how many Tier Points they've earned and the new end date for their membership year online or on the app.
"With travel to the U.S. still facing restrictions, we wanted to offer continued flexibility as our customers make plans to travel in 2021 and beyond," said Siobhan Fitzpatrick, Virgin Atlantic's chief digital and marketing officer, in a statement accompanying the announcement. "I'm delighted we can continue to offer our customers reassurance and flexibility with a further six-month status extension."
Related: The ultimate Virgin Atlantic Flying Club guide
In addition to extending status and requalification periods for elites, Flying Club is also extending the validity for some benefits. For all members, regardless of status, Virgin is extending the validity of the following rewards an extra six months:
- Companion vouchers have been extended
- Upgrade vouchers have been extended
- Clubhouse vouchers have been extended
All new expiration dates will show in members' Flying Club accounts soon. You will not need to call Virgin to update your status or extend your reward benefit, as it will be automatically done. Virgin Atlantic has also extended its rebooking window to April 30, 2023.
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