Virgin Flying Club can now price infant miles redemption tickets properly

The relaunch of the Virgin Atlantic website in late 2016 did not go smoothly.  Most of the teething problems were eventually ironed out.

There was one very serious issue which did not get fixed.  Because of limitations in the new booking software, redemption tickets for infants were no longer charged at a nominal mileage cost plus taxes and charges.

They were now being charged at 10% of the lowest cash fare, plus taxes and charges.  This could be very high indeed.  The new policy was identical to the Delta policy, Virgin Atlantic’s 49% shareholder, and it was a version of Delta’s booking software that Virgin introduced.

This change had the potential to be very bad indeed.  If you were flying in Upper Class, 10% of the cheapest Upper Class return cash ticket for your day of travel would usually be £200 – £300.

It went crazy on a one way flight.  As Virgin Atlantic only sells fully flexible one way tickets, you were looking at around £5,000 if you paid cash for an adult.  This meant that the infant redemption ticket was £500 plus taxes and charges!

Virgin Atlantic has finally fixed the problem

You can now book lap infants (children aged under 2) at standard fixed prices through the Virgin Customer Service Centre.  This is what it costs:

Economy – 1,000 miles per sector

Premium – 2,000 miles per sector

Upper – 5,000 miles per sector

At some point in the next few weeks, infant bookings at these prices will also be available online.

What will not be possible online is booking a seat using Flying Club miles for a child under two.  This will still need to be done, at standard Flying Club child (not infant) pricing, via telephone.

This is great news for any Virgin flyer with young children although it has taken far too long to be fixed.

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 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.