How We Use Virgin Atlantic Credit Card Points to Fly for Less!
- Hannah Bird
- Apr 15
- 3 min read
Using credit card points is one of the easiest ways we’ve found to save serious money on flights, especially long haul. We’ve been using the Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Credit Card and it’s helped us book everything from Premium seats to New York to companion flights to Europe, all using points. We’re not financial advisors, but this works really well for us, and if you use it right, it can make a huge difference to your travel budget.
Here’s exactly how we do it, and how you can too.
Virgin Atlantic Credit Card Options: Free vs Paid
There are two versions of the Virgin Atlantic Credit Card. Here’s a breakdown of the difference:
1. Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Credit Card (£160 annual fee)
This is the one we use, and it comes with more perks.
1.5 Virgin Points per £1 on everyday spending
3 Virgin Points per £1 spent with Virgin Atlantic or Virgin Holidays
18,000 Virgin Points welcome bonus after your first purchase
Companion voucher or upgrade when you spend £10,000 in a year
2. Virgin Atlantic Reward Credit Card (Free)
This is the no-fee version, still great, just slightly fewer benefits.
0.75 Virgin Points per £1 on everyday spending
1.5 Virgin Points per £1 spent with Virgin Atlantic or Virgin Holidays
No welcome bonus
Companion voucher or upgrade when you spend £20,000 in a year
How We Earn Points Without Flying
We don’t fly every week, so most of our points come from our everyday spending and through Virgin Red. If you’re not already using Virgin Red, sign up, it’s honestly one of the best travel hacks out there.
Booking.com: Link your Virgin Red account and earn points on every hotel you book. We’ve seen deals where you earn 10 points per £1 spent.
Online Shopping: Use the Virgin Red portal to shop at stores like ASOS, Mountain Warehouse, Boots, and loads more, you can earn points per pound spent at each store.
Everyday Spending: We just put everything we can on the card, groceries, petrol, even our coffee runs, and the points add up quickly.
You can explore all Virgin Red earn partners here.
Using Virgin Points for Flights
Here’s how we’ve used our points:
New York to London in Premium: We paid 12,000 points + around £200 in fees using our companion voucher
Barbados to London in Economy: 8,000 points plus fees for two people, one ticket was free using the companion voucher
The best part? The companion voucher means one person flies using just points, and the other only pays the taxes and fees. If you book in Economy, both tickets can be covered in full with points.
You can also use your points to upgrade from Economy to Premium or from Premium to Upper Class, if you’ve paid for a standard ticket and have enough points.
Companion Vouchers Explained
Both Virgin cards come with a companion voucher, but how quickly you get one depends on which card you have:
Reward+ Card: Spend £10,000 in a year
Reward Card (Free): Spend £20,000 in a year
You can use the voucher to:
Get a second seat for a companion on the same flight (just pay taxes)
Upgrade your own seat to the next cabin (e.g. Premium to Upper Class)
This is what makes the card so powerful if you travel as a couple or want a little extra comfort on longer flights.
Tips to Maximise Your Points
Book early - reward seats are limited and get snapped up
Link your Virgin Red and Virgin Flying Club accounts so you don’t miss out on points
Use Virgin Red every time you shop online, even for small purchases
Save your companion voucher for long-haul flights - it’s where you get the most value
Keep an eye out for promotions offering bonus points for hotels or shopping
Final Thoughts
Using Virgin Atlantic points has been a total game changer for us. We’ve flown Premium for the price of Economy, saved hundreds on flights, and booked hotels knowing we were earning points with every stay.
It’s not about spending more - it’s about being smarter with what you already spend.
Important: We’re not financial advisors - this is just what works for us. Always pay off your balance in full each month and use credit cards responsibly.
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