Virgin Atlantic Reward and Reward+ Credit Cards

The airline loyalty scheme with the most members in the UK, is undoubtably the British Airways Executive Club. BA's loyalty scheme is followed closely behind by the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. Both loyalty schemes offer co-branded credit cards (such as BA-Amex Premium Plus card) in order to collect miles faster and more efficiently. The focus of this article will be the Virgin Atlantic Reward and Reward Plus cards issued by Virgin Money in partnership with Mastercard. Contrary to the BA American Express cards, you won't have any problem finding a place to shop or eat that accepts Mastercard. Indeed, not all retail outlets are equipped with the possibility to pay with American Express cards. So, should you apply for the free card, or the Plus card with a £160 annual fee? Let's find out!

Virgin 787 landing at Heathrow. Picture by @josephtakingpics on Instagram

Who are these cards for?

 

If Virgin Atlantic is your favourite airline and you wish to earn miles with them, look no further! These cards are perfect for anyone starting out in the points game, but also people with a little more experience. Indeed, as these cards are Mastercards, you won't have a problem finding a shop that accepts one of these cards. For a beginner, this means not such a big hop from a regular card to a credit card, as contrary to Amex cards, you don't need to look out for a retail outlet that accepts your credit card. For the more experienced credit card individual, this is the perfect card to compliment your Amex cards. If you end up in a situation where you can't use your Amex card, you won't be losing out on points as you can use this card. Virgin has two cards on offer: the basic Reward card, which is free of charge, and the Reward + card, which comes with a £165 annual fee.

Virgin A330 banking out of Heathrow. Taken by @airbusal.off on instagram

Eligibility

 

The eligibility requirements for both cards are exactly the same. You must be 18 years old or older (the same goes with any additionnal cardholder), a UK resident, and have a current UK bank or society account with a good credit history. You will also need to provide proof of your income (of at least £7,000 or £15,000 of household income). Finally, you can only apply for one of these cards if you are NOT a current Virgin Atlantic credit card holder or have not closed a Virgin Money credit card in the past 6 months. This means that you can't hold both cards at once.

Virgin 787 landing at Heathrow. Picture by @josephtakingpics on Instagram

Welcome bonus

 

The welcome bonuses which accompany both of these cards aren't so attractive. 

 - With the free card, you will get 5,000 Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles, once you use your card for the first time within the first 90 days. 

 - The Reward + card comes with 15,000 Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles, once you use your card for the first time within the first 90 days. 

Unlike the BA-Amex cards (see review here), you don't have to spend a minimum amount to earn the bonus miles, which is rather positive.

At Aviation Travel - World, we value Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles at a slightly higher rate than Avios: 1.3p/Flying Club Mile. If we apply this to the welcome bonuses, the free card would (according to our valuations) give you £65 worth of miles. On the other hand, the welcome bonus of the Reward + card is worth £195.

Virgin 787 approaching Heathrow. Taken by @airbusal.off on instagram

Earning Rate

 

 - The basic Reward card comes with the poor earning rate of 0.75/£ . This means that you will earn 0.75 Flying Club miles for every £1 you spend on the card.

- With the Reward + card, you will earn 1.5 Fying Club Miles for every £1 spent on the card.

You will be awarded double miles for any purchases made on the card with Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Atlantic Holidays.

Virgin A330 jetting out of Heathrow. Shot by @airbusal.off on instagram

Perks

 

Similarly to the BA-Amex credit card, once you hit a spending target by the end of your card membership year, you will unlock benefits like companion vouchers or upgrades. The system is a little more complicated than with the British Airways Companion Voucher. Indeed, with Virgin Atlantic, the benefit you can choose from depends on your status (red, silver or gold) with the airline. To unlock the benefits to choose from, you must spend £20,000 on your basic card or £10,000 on the Reward + card. Here are the benefits available depending on your status :

{from Virgin Atlantic's website}: 

1. "If you’re a Flying Club Red member, you can choose a reward from:
   • A Premium Upgrade. If you spend your miles on an Economy flight, you’ll be upgraded to Premium for no extra miles.
   • A Companion Reward Ticket in Economy. If you spend your miles on an Economy flight, you can take one person with you in the same cabin for no extra miles.
2. If you’re a Flying Club Silver member, you can choose a reward from:
   • A Premium Upgrade. If you spend your miles on an Economy flight, you’ll be upgraded to Premium for no extra miles.
   • A Companion Reward Ticket in Economy or Premium. If you spend your miles on an Economy or Premium flight, you can take one person with you in the same cabin for no extra miles.
   • A Clubhouse Pass for one person to use in our London Heathrow or London Gatwick Clubhouse when flying with Virgin Atlantic. No additional guests can be permitted.
3. If you’re a Flying Club Gold member, you can choose a reward from:
   • A Premium Upgrade. If you spend your miles on an Economy flight, you’ll be upgraded to Premium for no extra miles.
   • A Companion Reward Ticket in Economy, Premium or Upper Class. If you spend your miles on an Economy, Premium or Upper Class flight, you can take one person with you in the same cabin for no extra miles.
   • Two Clubhouse Passes for one person to use in our London Heathrow or London Gatwick Clubhouse when flying with Virgin Atlantic. No additional guests can be permitted"

With one of these cards, you also have access to Virgin Money lounges all around the UK. In additon to the Virgin Money lounge passes, you get free wifi at Boingo hotspots (over one million available), if you are the owner of a Virgin Atlantic Reward + card. If you are an Apple user, these cards are eligible for Apple Pay. However, unlike the BA-Amex cards, the Virgin Atlantic cards don't come with any travel insurance whatsoever.

Bottom Line

 

When you compare these cards to the British Airways-Amex competitor cards, the Virgin Atlantic cards are lacking behind with their perks. In addition to the lack of perks, the perks the cards do offer, are earned based on your status, and if you don't have much status with the airline, the rewards aren't that beneficial. Overall, I would say that renewing the £160 annual fee isn't worth it, unless Virgin Atlantic is your go-to airline, and that you have a lot of status with the airline. On the other hand, you can always downgrade to the free card the second year and keep it as an alternative if you want a back-up card for non-Amex eligible purchases.

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