Tickets on sale: Fly to Cape Town from 12,500 miles one-way with new Virgin route
Tickets on Virgin Atlantic's relaunched route to Cape Town are now on sale. As of Monday morning, the carrier is showing return flights from its base in London to the popular holiday destination of Cape Town.
As reported by One Mile at a Time, the airline has started issuing tickets on the relaunched route. As of 25 October 2020, Virgin will fly daily between London Heathrow (LHR) and Cape Town (CPT) — a route it previously serviced until 2014.
On the route, Virgin will use one of its Boeing 787-9 aircraft, which feature a three-class configuration: Upper Class, premium economy and economy.
Return flights with Virgin are showing as £598 ($778) in Economy Light, Virgin's most restrictive economy ticket. For £669 ($870) round-trip, you can purchase an Economy Classic ticket, which is less than Virgin's original advertised price of £713 ($927) round-trip.
If you're looking to use points and miles from London Heathrow (LHR), you can expect to pay as few as 57,500 Flying Club miles + £391 ($509) one-way in Upper Class —or 115,000 miles and around £590 ($768) in taxes and fees round-trip.
However, if you originate in Cape Town and want to redeem for a one-way reward ticket in Upper Class, you can expect to pay slightly less in taxes and fees. For example, this one-way flight costs the same 57,500 Flying Club miles but 4,451 South Africa Rand, or about £228 ($297) — more than £150 ($195) less than originating in London.
If economy is more in the books, expect to pay 25,000 Flying Club miles and around £275 ($358) for a return itinerary from London to Cape Town — from 12,500 miles plus taxes and fees one-way. Based on TPG U.K.'s most recent valuations, those 25,000 Flying Club miles are worth £300 ($390). On top of the taxes and fees, you're looking at about £575 ($748)— a good value, considering it's booked in Economy Classic, where the lowest cash fare is £668 ($869) round-trip.
We also found flights from the U.S. to Cape Town via London for about $974 round-trip from New York (JFK), from Los Angeles for $1,155 round-trip, and about $1,307 from Seattle.
Related: Virgin Atlantic to fly its new A350 4 times daily to New York City
Related: Virgin Atlantic adds more A350 flight, book them with points and miles
The best way to get Flying Club miles is by transferring points from a bank or hotel program.
You can transfer American Express Membership Rewards (instant transfer), Chase Ultimate Rewards (instant transfer), Citi ThankYou Rewards (instant transfer) and Diners Club points to Flying Club at a 1:1 ratio.
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Annual 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
Rewards Rate
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. |
2X | 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day |
Intro Offer
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
$395Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO© Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
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