Update on Flybe’s loyalty plans now it has dropped Avios

Flybe is not launching a new loyalty scheme imminently, I was told this week.

Flybe‘s partnership with Avios came to an end on 30th April.

It is no longer possible to earn or spend Avios with Flybe, although existing redemptions will be honoured.  For clarity, even if you booked a Flybe cash flight before 30th April, whilst the Avios deal was still running, you will not be earning any points.

I checked in with Flybe to see if there were any plans to launch a new scheme.  They said:

We are currently working on an exciting new loyalty programme, designed to better suit the needs of our regional customer base.  Customer loyalty is very important to us here at Flybe and our aim is to deliver a loyalty programme that recognises and rewards all our customers.  We will be communicating further details in due course.

As Virgin Atlantic is now a core investor in Flybe, it wouldn’t be surprising to see some element of earning and spending Virgin Flying Club miles in the future.

Virgin Atlantic does not seem to be in a rush to rebrand the airline, although the Virgin Atlantic CEO has confirmed that it will, in time, be renamed “Virgin Something” – perhaps “Little Red” will return?  

I would imagine that they are keen to ensure that Flybe’s fleet and punctuality issues are fixed before they start putting their name on the fuselage.  We may need to wait until a rebranding to start earning and spending Flying Club miles.

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How to earn Virgin Points from UK credit cards (April 2024)

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):

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.

The Platinum Card from American Express comes with 40,000 Membership Rewards points, which convert into 40,000 Virgin Points.

Small business owners should consider the two American Express Business cards. Points convert at 1:1 into Virgin Points.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Virgin Points. 

(Want to earn more Virgin Points?  Click here to see our recent articles on Virgin Atlantic and Flying Club and click here for our home page with the latest news on earning and spending other airline and hotel points.)