Check your Virgin Atlantic credit card direct debit payments for errors
Links on Head for Points may support the site by paying a commission. See here for all partner links.
UPDATE – AUGUST 2025: This is an old article, and the credit card information given is likely to be out of date.
To learn about current credit card bonuses, benefits, terms and interest rate information, take a look at our directory of the top UK travel credit card offers – please click HERE or use the ‘Credit Cards’ menu above. Thank you.
Keep up to date with new UK credit card bonuses by signing up for our free daily or weekly newsletters.
thisismoney ran an interesting piece last week about issues with the Virgin Atlantic credit cards. You can read it here.
It appears that if you agree to pay by Direct Debit when applying for the card, your account is set up to only take the minimum repayment each month. This is made clear in the direct debit instructions but you could easily miss it.
If you want to pay the full balance by Direct Debit each month, you need to log in to your Virgin Money account and change the settings.
It seems that quite a few people did not read the small print and were not aware of this, although arguably after the first month they should have spotted what was going on. If you have a Virgin Atlantic credit card on Direct Debit, double check what is being taken out.
PS. The article also flagged some commentary on the Virgin Atlantic cards from Virgin Money’s 2018 half-year accounts, which were the last to be published before the company was taken over. I hadn’t seen this before. It says:
we successfully launched a range of Virgin Atlantic credit cards, with a stronger than expected customer response driving high quality new customer acquisition and increased levels of retail spend;
we issued [to 30th June 2018] over 37,000 new Virgin Atlantic cards, reflecting strong customer demand. A significant proportion of Virgin Atlantic customers are choosing a card with an annual fee, supporting other income;
as expected, the credit quality of the new Virgin Atlantic card customers is superior to that of the existing portfolio, reflecting the more affluent nature of the customer base
Remember that you can get an increased sign-up bonus on the cards if you apply by 28th February. The free card is offering 10,000 Flying Club miles whilst the £160 fee card is offering 25,000 miles.
Full details are on the Virgin Money website here. Just be careful how you set up your direct debit ….
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 70,000 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 (August 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.
The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card is FREE for a year and comes with 20,000 Membership Rewards points, which convert into 20,000 Virgin Points.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 14th October 2025, the sign-up bonus on the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card is doubled to 40,000 Membership Rewards points. This would convert to 40,000 Virgin Points! The spend target is changed to £5,000 within SIX months of approval. T&C apply. Click here to apply.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card
Your best beginner’s card – 40,000 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 14th October 2025, the sign-up bonus on The Platinum Card from American Express is increased to 80,000 Membership Rewards points. This would convert to 80,000 Virgin Points! The spend target is changed to £10,000 within SIX months of approval. T&C apply. 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 14th October 2025, the sign-up bonus on The American Express Business Platinum Card is increased to 120,000 Membership Rewards points. This would convert to 120,000 Virgin Points! The spend target is changed to £12,000 within three months of approval. T&C apply. Click here to apply.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 14th October 2025, the sign-up bonus on The American Express Business Gold Card is TRIPLED to 60,000 Membership Rewards points. This would convert to 60,000 Virgin Points! The spend target is changed to £6,000 within three months of approval. The card remains free for the first year. T&C apply. Click here to apply.
The American Express Business Platinum Card
120,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review
The American Express Business Gold Card
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.
