Virgin Atlantic launches new 30% off redemption seat sale in Economy, booking to 2017

Virgin Atlantic has launched another reward seat sale.  This one is more aggressive than those we saw in 2015, with a 30% discount.

Given that Economy fuel surcharges have also come down by about 10% in the last six months, these deals look pretty good.

You can book until 11th May.  There is also a parallel ‘buy miles’ bonus which runs to the same date and which I will cover tomorrow.

Virgin taxes on Economy redemptions are lower (by roughly £50-£70) than British Airways.  Following the Avios devaluation last April, you will also need substantially fewer miles than BA for an identical route, especially on a ‘peak’ Avios day.

Here are some example prices in Economy:

New York – 24,500 miles + £231

Barbados – 31,500 miles + £209

Delhi – 29,750 miles + £250

Hong Kong – 35,000 miles + £260

Almost all other routes are bookable too.  A full list of taxes and the miles required can be found here.

As an example, an off-peak Avios redemption to New York in World Traveller currently prices at 26,000 Avios + £301.  On a peak day, however, the Avios price is 40,000 + £301.

What is interesting about the Virgin sales is that you can always book for any time in the next 11 months.  There are no date restrictions as long as seats are available.  Remember that, even with 30% off, not all of these deals necessarily make sense in low season.

The closing date for booking is 11th May.

If you are short of miles, remember that Virgin miles transfer INSTANTLY from American Express Membership Rewards as long as your accounts are already linked.  It will take a couple of days if you have not previously linked your accounts.

Transfers from Tesco Clubcard are also very fast, usually overnight – the ‘Clubcard to Virgin’ page is here.

You can combine these discounts with a CombiFare.  CombiFare is explained in this post, but basically if you can only find a redemption in one direction Virgin will sell you a cash ticket for the other half at a discounted rate.

You cannot do a ‘miles plus money’ redemption for these deals.  It has to be a 100% miles booking.

Virgin is also offering a 30% bonus on purchased miles and on Miles Booster.  I will take a look at this tomorrow.

Full details of the reward flight sale are here.

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How to earn Virgin Points from UK credit cards (April 2025)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Virgin Points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

You can choose from two official Virgin Atlantic credit cards (apply here, the Reward+ card has a bonus of 18,000 Virgin Points and the free card has a bonus of 3,000 Virgin Points):

Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard

18,000 bonus points and 1.5 points for every £1 you spend Read our full review

Virgin Atlantic Reward Mastercard

3,000 bonus points, no fee and 1 point for every £1 you spend Read our full review

You can also earn Virgin Points from various American Express cards – and these have sign-up bonuses too.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is FREE for a year and comes with 20,000 Membership Rewards points, which convert into 20,000 Virgin Points.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express comes with 50,000 Membership Rewards points, which convert into 50,000 Virgin Points.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

Small business owners should consider the two American Express Business cards. Points convert at 1:1 into Virgin Points.

American Express Business Platinum

50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

American Express Business Gold

20,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year Read our full review

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Virgin Points.