Virgin Atlantic to launch flights to Sao Paulo in 2020
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In an interesting development, Virgin Atlantic has announced that it will be launching flights between London Heathrow and Sao Paulo in Brazil in 2020.
It will be a daily service, although flight times and the exact start date have not yet been released.
It will use a Boeing 787 aircraft so you won’t get the brand new Upper Class which is going onto the A350 fleet – and which will be launched on 8th April.
This is Virgin’s first route into South America. It will go up against British Airways and LATAM, who both offer direct services from Heathrow.
The press release stresses that Virgin Holidays will be launching a full programme to Brazil alongside the launch, which implies that the leisure arm of the group now has some say over where the airline chooses to fly.
Tickets will be on sale “later in 2019” so don’t start looking for cash or Flying Club redemption seats just yet.
We will do a further article when seats become bookable.
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How to earn Virgin Points from UK credit cards (June 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.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card
Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 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.
The Platinum Card from American Express
50,000 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.
The American Express Business Platinum Card
50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review
The American Express Business Gold Card
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.
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