Flexibility is key: Why I (mostly) like the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club changes

On Oct. 30, Virgin Atlantic rolled out the long-awaited changes to its Flying Club program, and overall, they were not as bad as I had feared.

For Flying Club members, all seats on Virgin-operated flights are now available to book with Virgin points, a dramatic shift from the strictly capacity-controlled system the program previously operated under. Additionally, the biggest program change is that all award seats are now dynamically priced, with some fare costs reducing and others increasing.

The changes are a mixed bag and very much depend on which type of traveler you are. As a flexible traveler without children, I'm pleasantly surprised with the new Flying Club program and pricing — here's why.

The Flying Club reinvention wasn't quite as expected

Though Virgin Atlantic released some information regarding the adjustments to Flying Club before it went live on Oct. 30, as a frequent flyer on the airline, I published a wish list of changes that I felt would keep the program attractive to members and competitive in the loyalty landscape.

Here's a look at whether those wishes were granted.

• A reasonable cap on dynamic pricing: I hoped the most expensive peak-date fares would be no more than twice the previous award-chart levels. Unfortunately, rates are now as high as 350,000 points per flight, more than four times the previous amounts. While this is undeniably a negative change, many of these high award-fare seats would have never been offered for redemptions under the old capacity-controlled award system.
• The ability to pay surcharges with points: While this change has not yet been implemented, surcharges have been significantly reduced, so I consider this a program improvement.
• Discounts on surcharges during off-peak periods and no increased surcharges on peak periods: Flying Club has implemented reduced surcharges across all dates, including dramatically lower surcharges with the new Saver fares. This is a major program plus in my book.
• Points-only upgrades: Unfortunately, you must still pay the surcharges on award upgrades.
• Continued network-wide discounts on award seats: I consider the new Saver seats, available on about 75% of all Virgin Atlantic-operated flights, equivalent to the previous limited-time-only network-wide discounts.

New Virgin Atlantic Saver fares are a terrific deal

While I hoped for reduced redemption rates on low-demand dates, the new Saver fares made my jaw drop, and now offer the lowest rates of any major airline loyalty program for flights to Europe in all classes.

While the availability of these flights is limited (look for the red "Saver" tag when booking), prices start from as low as 6,000 Virgin points in economy from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Heathrow Airport (LHR), 10,500 Virgin points in premium economy and just 29,000 Virgin points in business class.

There is no denying these rates greatly improve the Flying Club program and are market-leading prices. However, since a published award chart no longer sets the pricing standard for Flying Club, being a flexible traveler is key to snagging a great redemption deal now that the carrier has switched to a dynamic pricing model.

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Related: Leisurely luxury: A review of Virgin Atlantic's A350 leisure configuration in Upper Class from Manchester to Orlando

Reduced surcharges across the network

For years, I've complained about Flying Club's eye-watering carrier-imposed surcharges, which added more than $2,000 to the cost of a round-trip business-class redemption to Europe. Despite holding a healthy balance of Virgin points for years and being a fan of their premium products, I couldn't bring myself to pay that much cash on top of the points required for an award redemption.

Along with the new Saver fares, a real program improvement has been the reduction of carrier-imposed surcharges. The surcharges are priced dynamically — which is an unusual concept in itself — but for the cheapest Saver fares, this means that the total fees, taxes and surcharges payable for a flight to London are now as low as:

• $73 in economy
• $105 in premium economy
• $254 in business class

Even on peak travel dates when you'll pay the highest number of Virgin points required, round-trip business-class fees, taxes and surcharges from the U.S. West Coast to London are about $1,350 (note that this price may fluctuate, since it is priced dynamically). Though you still may gasp at the price, this is a reduction from previous surcharges the carrier imposed.

Plus, this heftier tax is due to the U.K. APD Tax that all airlines pass onto consumers. Therefore, just know that when you fly from the U.K. to the U.S., you will pay more in surcharges.

Capitalize on Virgin Atlantic transfer bonuses

Since Flying Club is a transfer partner of many popular credit card programs, transfer bonuses are a great way to save even more on your next flight.

For example, the following transfer bonuses are currently being offered:

• Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards to Flying Club and receive a 40% bonus (available until Nov. 30)
• Transfer Citi ThankYou Rewards to Flying Club and receive a 30% bonus (available until Nov. 16).

If you have transferable Chase and Citi credit card points at your disposal, you can book a business-class flight to London starting at 21,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points or 23,000 ThankYou Rewards points with the lowest Saver rates.

This is an astonishing price point as even popular programs like Air France-KLM's Flying Blue start from 50,000 miles when booking a one-way business-class seat from the U.S. to Europe.

Flying Club peak rates are super expensive

Though Flying Club has implemented many positive changes to its program, there are some drawbacks if you want to travel during popular periods. During your award search, you may find that many dates have priced business-class flights at 350,000 points per flight.

In the same way my jaw dropped at how low the new Saver rates are, it was a similar shock to see how disappointingly high peak rates have become. While I expected prices to rise on peak dates, I did not anticipate they would be priced this high.

I would not recommend anyone redeem their Flying Club points at these rates. If you want to travel during peak season, you can likely find a much better deal through other programs or by booking a cash fare. This especially holds true when you consider that TPG values 700,000 Virgin points at $9,800 per our November 2024 valuation of Virgin points.

Even if you want to book an economy ticket for 150,000 points each, this is unreasonable, and I would not recommend redeeming your Virgin or credit card points this way.

Virgin Flying Club award rate discrepancies

With the recent program changes, I've noticed that the new dynamic pricing generates odd rates. For example, this one-way economy ticket from Miami to London costs 161,000 points, while the premium economy ticket costs just 43,500 points. The cost of the economy ticket is almost four times the cost of a premium seat. Is this a technical glitch?

Additionally, I've seen skewed pricing in which a Saver fare is offered for an economy seat, while premium and Upper Class are priced dynamically. I think it's unlikely anyone would be willing to pay almost 27 times the number of points to book a premium economy ticket over an economy ticket on the same aircraft.

I wouldn't panic just yet over these award pricing discrepancies, as I expect Virgin is still figuring out how to price its seats, and these rates will most likely adjust and become more sensible over time.

Even with transfer bonuses from credit cards, I'd be shocked if many Flying Club members are willing to pay 250,000 points for a premium economy flight, especially when they realize it's very much economy plus and not a business-class seat.

Related: Is Virgin Atlantic premium economy worth it on the A330-900neo?

If nobody pays these steep prices and the flights are not full, I would expect to see reduced rates. After all, it's hardly attractive to prospective program members if they only see these maximum rates when deciding whether to transfer credit card points to Flying Club.

Additionally, I'm excited to see if last-minute Saver fares will be introduced to fill planes with plenty of spare seats, even on peak dates. This could mean excellent deals for spontaneous travelers like myself.

Even Delta's SkyMiles program and its notorious dynamic pricing do discount redemption rates from time to time.

How to earn Virgin Flying Club points

Virgin points are easy to earn, with Flying Club being a transfer partner of every major transferable currency:

• American Express Membership Rewards (at a 1:1 ratio)
• Bilt Rewards (1:1)
• Capital One (1:1)
• Chase Ultimate Rewards (1:1)
• Citi ThankYou Rewards (1:1)
• Wells Fargo Rewards (1:1)
• Marriott Bonvoy (3:1, with a 5,000-point bonus for transferring 60,000 points; 48-hour transfer time)

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.

Check out these card options in which you can earn reward points and miles to book Flying Club award seats. Plus, these cards all offer terrific welcome bonuses:

• 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)

As always, TPG recommends finding award availability before transferring your credit card points.

Bottom line

With Virgin Flying Club switching from award charts to dynamic pricing, some people, specifically travelers who fly to London during peak periods, such as during the summer months, may be a bit disappointed with the recent changes, as rates on peak dates have significantly increased.

However, if you have flexibility in your travel plans and love a great flight deal (like myself), the Flying Club changes are much more palatable. The network-wide surcharge reductions are undeniable program improvements, and the new Saver pricing is impressive, especially when you factor in frequent credit card transfer bonuses.

Seriously, paying under 30,000 points for a lie-flat seat to Europe is hard to say no to, and for my travel habits, I'm satisfied with the new Flying Club program changes.