Get 502 Virgin Flying Club miles for £1.50

On Thursday night I dropped an extra article onto the site in response to a newly launched Virgin Flying Club promotiton.  This is a more developed version of the same idea, and if you read HfP via email you never saw the original deal in the first place.

If you have a Virgin Flying Club account, you probably got an email on Thursday promoting their new Virgin Trains deal. 

Basically:

If you book a Virgin West Coast or Virgin East Coast ticket via the official websites before 31st July

…. and select Flying Club miles instead of Nectar points as your reward …..

…. and book a Virgin Trains service (tickets for other operators don’t earn points) …

…. you will receive 500 Virgin Flying Club miles with your first transaction during this period

…. which will be credited by 31st August

The reason I dropped in the extra article is that Virgin West Coast had a sale which ended on Thursday night and which had tickets for just £4.  This would have got you 508 miles for just £4.

Thanks to the ingenuity of HfP readers, it seems that I didn’t need to rush in with the extra article.  It turns out that there are a few Virgin routes where you can get a ticket for a couple of £.

The 10.51 from Edinburgh to Haymarket, with a railcard, is £1.50 (£1.15 for a child).  This is a Virgin Trains East Coast service.  Do not book any other Haymarket service operated by Scotrail or Cross Country as this will not earn points.

Alternatively, for a West Coast service, Sandwell & Dudley to Wolverhampton is £2.40.  Again, not all trains on this route are Virgin Trains so be careful to avoid London Midland.

You must also book on the right Virgin website to earn points.  East Coast tickets only earn points when book on the East Coast site here.   West Coast tickets must be booked on the West Coast site here.  Book on the wrong site and you won’t earn anything.

You may find others.  Do NOT book anything for under £1 as this may not earn you the bonus.  The transaction is too small to generate base points (2 per £1) and if no base points are sent to Flying Club they won’t know they need to add your bonus.

Of course, if you actually need to book a West Coast or East Coast train ticket before the end of July, there is no need to mess about with this as you will earn the bonus naturally.

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How to earn Virgin Points from UK credit cards (March 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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 8th April 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to 120,000 points. You receive 80,000 points when you spend £12,000 within three months and a further 40,000 points if you spend on the card between Month 14 and Month 17. Points convert 1:1 into Avios and many other programmes. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 8th April 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Business Gold is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 60,000 points. You receive 40,000 points when you spend £6,000 within three months and a further 20,000 points if you spend on the card between Month 14 and Month 17. Points convert 1:1 into Avios and many other programmes. Click here to apply.

American Express Business Platinum

Up to 120,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

American Express Business Gold

Up to 60,000 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.