How to Upgrade a Flight Using Virgin Points?

Dream of utilizing your Virgin Points to tour the world in style? Virgin Atlantic Upgrade allow you to enjoy the greatest luxury in the Upper Class, leaving you with the most difficult decision: where to go next.

Think of the adventures you could have in Cape Town, “The Mother City,” or maybe just kick back in style on beautiful Barbados. Maybe you cruise by Walt Disney World and Universal Studios in Orlando for an adrenaline fix. Where your heart desires, it can take your Virgin Points to the next level and make you travel like a superstar. Keep in mind that upgrades are contingent on the availability of reward seats in the higher cabins of your flight.

How can I access my Virgin Points?

Did you know that if you have a Virgin Red and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club account, you can merge them both to get double the benefits? Points you earn by flying can be used to get a variety of incentives from Virgin Red, while others can be used to travel across the globe with Virgin Atlantic. Link your accounts by inserting your Flying Club number within the ‘Personal Details’ section in the Virgin Red app.

If you’re a member of Virgin Red but not of the Flying Club, join the Flying Club. If you’re a member of the Flying Club but not of Virgin Red, join Virgin Red. Once you link the two accounts, you’ll see your Virgin Points both within Virgin Red and Flying Club, so you can collect even more rewards.

How do I upgrade my flight with Virgin Points?

One of the most common questions everyone asks is: How do I upgrade my flight with Virgin Points? It’s easy, and you can do it with Virgin Points. You’ll be able to upgrade your flight using Virgin Points if you have an entirely paid-for booking or if your booking includes Points Plus Money. You can upgrade your flight when you have enough Virgin Points in your account. And there is availability in the upper cabin—that’s Premium or Upper Class. Upgrades are not available in the event that you have booked an incentive flight.

Just book your ticket early enough to fully take advantage of Virgin Atlantic’s guarantee that there are at least 12 prize tickets on each flight. These are allocated as reward seats as each flight goes on sale so book your seats quickly to be able to get them. If there are no reward seats available when you book then try checking again as new seats are frequently released during the flight selling time. You may use your points as part payment on any standard flight from as little as 3,000 Virgin Points using Points Plus Money, even if incentive seats have sold out.

Booking an Upgrade

Upgrade points, as well as taxes, fees, and surcharges, vary depending on the destination and cabin class. Here are some examples:

  • Economy to Premium: 7,000 points plus £104 for taxes, fees, and charges (London to Tel Aviv).
  • Premium to Upper Class: 25,000 points + £330 for taxes, fees, and charges (London to Miami).
  • Economy to Upper Class: 37,500 points + £434 in taxes, fees, and charges (London-New York).

For additional information on upgrading with Virgin Points, see the Flying Club upgrade chart.

Earning tier points on upgrades with Flying Club

The main benefit of using Virgin Atlantic for upgrades is that you can upgrade your ticket from Economy to Premium or Upper Class but the tariff restrictions remain applied to your original ticket. You continue to earn Virgin Points and Tier Points even after upgrading your reservation to a reward seat.

The following is a summary:

  • Virgin points: These are based on the price of your first ticket and not that of your upgraded class.
  • Tier Points: You will still earn Tier Points on the base ticket, which work towards moving up the Flying Club Membership Tiers for example Silver or Gold.

You will enjoy more comfortable features of this product without losing Tier Points. There is one fundamental principle about Flying Club membership tiers, that tier steps are made on Tier Points so you will earn priority boarding, free baggage allowance, and priority access to lounges.

Use Your Points for Things Other Than Travel-

Once you have banked your Tier Points and Virgin Points, you can use them in a multiplicity of ways to derive pleasure from your win. While such everyday uses include the booking of future travel and upgrades to tickets, Virgin Points can also be used to purchase a wide variety of services and goods through Virgin Red.

If you are not in the mood to go right away, you can spend your Virgin Points on treats such as:

  • A 12-bottle case of Virgin Wines, which you can enjoy at home. Afternoon tea or hot air balloon rides.
  • Various electronic items or exclusive events.
  • Virgin Red affords you different opportunities to enjoy lifestyle perks and to max out points used beyond flying.

How to earn Virgin Points from UK credit cards (October 2024)

One of the easiest ways to earn Virgin Points without stepping foot on an airplane is by earning UK credit cards linked to Flying Club. Virgin Atlantic offers two primary credit cards that can help one earn points on any type of purchase:

  • The Virgin Atlantic Reward Credit Card with no annual fee gives 0.75 Virgin Points per pound earned. This credit card is great for entry-level but still a frequent flyer.
  • The Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Credit Card is one of the premium cards, with a £160 annual fee, that carries an acquisition rate of 1.5 Virgin Points for every £1 amount spent by regular transactions.

These cards also come with additional point rewards. For instance, provided you spend £3,000 in the first ninety days with Reward+, you will start collecting your welcome bonus in October 2024, and you may get a 15,000-point reward. With such cards, you can easily and quickly check out how many points you have already gathered on free flights and upgrades.

Another way you can get Virgin Points is through strategic partnerships with other businesses and services. Spending money on Waitrose, John Lewis, or Booking.com, for example, could be transferred into travel points from daily spending through their partnership with Virgin Atlantic.

How much does it cost to upgrade flights with Virgin Points?

Get upgrading. Probably the easiest way to splurge your points is on-point upgrades on flights. How many you’ll need depends on fare class and itinerary, not to mention whether you want to get from Economy into Premium or Premium into Upper Class.

Here is a general breakdown of typical point cost:

  • Upgrading from Economy to Premium: For example, flights from London to New York sometimes could cost as many as 17,400 Virgin Points one way.
  • Upgrades from Upper Class to Premium: This is usually going to cost you 20,000 Virgin Points.

You would need to check exactly how many points are taken from you for the route because there is a variable cost dependent on distance and demand. When you are paying in points you will be charged taxes and fees but this can be much cheaper than if it were purchased outright as the higher class ticket.

How to earn Virgin Atlantic Points?

You can easily collect Virgin Points, Here are the most effective ways:

  • In Virgin Atlantic or one of its partners, every flight pays for itself through the earning of Virgin Points. The type of fare, distance flown and membership level of the Flying Club determine the points. When flying on any of Virgin Atlantic’s partner airlines including Singapore Airlines, Air France-KLM, and Delta Air Lines, you earn points.
  • Virgin Atlantic credit cards, as mentioned above, are an easy way to collect points on everyday purchases. This way of earning points without making several booked trips is painless.
  • Virgin Atlantic offers online shopping points that can be earned through agreements with several businesses and services. For instance, aside from your already-pooled spending, you can earn extra Virgin Points when you book hotels through Virgin Holidays or use partners such as Tesco Clubcard.
  • You can earn points on stays and rentals with Virgin Atlantic’s car rental and hotel partners, including Hertz, Avis, and several hotels.
  • You can earn and spend Virgin Points through a single, integrated app. Earning non-travel points is smooth and seamless, building them through just dining and shopping.

Conclusion

Upgrade your Virgin Atlantic journey and indulge in the luxury that upper cabin classes have waiting for you with your Virgin Points. Whether it is from Economy to Premium or up to Upper Class, Virgin Atlantic will offer several alternatives that will suit your travel needs. Remember to book early for reward seats, and keep a lookout for more availability. For further details about upgrading with Virgin Points, see the Flying Club upgrade chart.

For further assistance or any other questions, Skyblue Trips has your back to help you understand your choices and make your journey as smooth and pleasing as possible.

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FAQs-

Q. How do you get an upgrade on Virgin Atlantic?

A. To get an upgrade on Virgin Atlantic, you can use Virgin Points for upgrades on fully paid bookings. But, the upgrade is subject to availability.

Q. Is it worth bidding for an upgrade on Virgin Atlantic?

A. Yes, if you value additional comfort and amenities, it is worth bidding for an upgrade on Virgin Atlantic.

Q. How much does it cost to upgrade from economy to premium on Virgin Atlantic?

A. 7,000 Virgin Points plus taxes, fees, and charges (e.g., £104 from London to Tel Aviv).

Q. Is it worth upgrading to Virgin Premium Economy?

A. Yes, for extra legroom, wider seats, better meals, and priority boarding it is worth upgrading to Virgin premium economy.