Bits: get £1000 Virgin Upper Class flights to Boston, new Norwegian routes launched

News in brief:

Virgin Atlantic brings back £1,000 fares to Boston

Virgin Atlantic has brought back its aggressive Upper Class fares from Manchester to Boston.

How aggressive?  We’re talking ‘£1007 return’ aggressive.

If you are looking to earn some Virgin tier points cheaply or simply want to fly to the US in style – and US fares in economy are not exactly dirt cheap in summer – this is well worth a look.  Even if you are London based, the train trip up to Manchester is not too painful.

Tier point runners should note that you can also book this with a Delta connecting flight from New York or another hub which would generate additional status credit.  No stopovers are allowed however.

Bookings must be made by 12th April and you must travel before 31st May.  

You need to book at least 7 days in advance and stay away for at least 3 days.  You won’t receive the limo transfer at these prices, but you can’t really complain.

The best thing to do if you’re interested is visit the Virgin website and check out potential dates.  Remember to select ‘Upper Class’ before you search, which involves using the drop down ‘Show Advanced Options’ box.  I also strongly recommend using the ‘1 week view’ option as this is not available every day.

New Norwegian long-haul routes announced

If our recent coverage of Norwegian Reward interested you, you might be interested in two new long-haul routes which Norwegian is launching from London Gatwick this Autumn.

Gatwick to Seattle launches on 17th September.  The service will operate four days per week.

Gatwick to Denver launches on 16th December.  It will initially operate two days per week, increasing to three days to week when the Winter timetable is launched in late October.

PS. If you are not a regular Head for Points visitor, why not sign up for our FREE weekly or daily newsletters? They are full of the latest Avios, airline, hotel and credit card points news and will help you travel better. To join our 65,000 free subscribers, click the button below or visit this page of the site to find out more. Thank you.

How to maximise your miles when paying for flights (April 2025)

Some UK credit cards offer special bonuses when used for buying flights. If you spend a lot on airline tickets, using one of these cards could sharply increase the credit card points you earn.

Booking flights on any airline?

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold earns double points (2 Membership Rewards points per £1) when used to buy flights directly from an airline website.

The card comes with a sign-up bonus of 20,000 Membership Rewards points. These would convert to 20,000 Avios or various other airline or hotel programmes. The standard earning rate is 1 point per £1.

You can apply here.

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

Buying flights on British Airways?

The British Airways Premium Plus American Express card earns double Avios (3 Avios per £1) when used at ba.com.

The card comes with a sign-up bonus of 30,000 Avios. The standard earning rate is 1.5 Avios per £1.

You do not earn bonus Avios if you pay for BA flights on the free British Airways American Express card or either of the Barclaycard Avios Mastercards.

You can apply here.

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

Buying flights on Virgin Atlantic?

Both the free Virgin Atlantic Reward Mastercard and the annual fee Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard earn double Virgin Points when used at fly.virgin.com.

This means 1.5 Virgin Points per £1 on the free card and 3 Virgin Points per £1 on the paid card.

There is a sign-up bonus of 3,000 Virgin Points on the free card and 18,000 Virgin Points on the paid card.

You can apply for either of the cards here.

Virgin Atlantic Reward Mastercard

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

Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard

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