SKYTEAM LAUNCH: How to earn Virgin Atlantic tier points and Virgin Points on SkyTeam flights
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Today, 2nd March, is the day that Virgin Atlantic joins the SkyTeam airline alliance.
This means that today is also the day that you can earn Virgin Atlantic tier points and Virgin Points on any airline in the SkyTeam alliance.
Let’s have a look at the charts.
Which SkyTeam airlines will now earn Virgin Atlantic tier points and Virgin Points?
- Aerolíneas Argentinas
- Aeromexico
- Air Europa
- China Airlines
- Czech Airlines
- Garuda Indonesia
- ITA Airways
- Kenya Airways
- Korean Air
- Middle East Airlines
- SAUDIA
- TAROM
- Vietnam Airlines
- Xiamen Air
Delta Air Lines, Air France and KLM already earned Virgin Points and Virgin Atlantic tier points before today as part of the transatlantic joint venture agreement.
Which SkyTeam airlines do not earn Virgin Atlantic tier points or Virgin Points?
China Eastern will not earn Virgin Points or Virgin Atlantic tier points until later in 2023.
How many Virgin Atlantic tier points do you need for elite status?
Let’s look at the Virgin Atlantic tier point system, which is outlined on its website here.
Virgin Flying Club is tiered like this:
- Red – sign-up level
- Silver – requires 400 tier points per year, does not give lounge access across SkyTeam
- Gold – requires 1,000 tier points year, gives lounge access across SkyTeam and arrivals lounge access at Heathrow
IMPORTANT: Unlike British Airways Executive Club, there is no requirement to fly a minimum number of Virgin Atlantic segments to earn status in Virgin Flying Club. You can earn status based purely on partner flights.
What benefits do you get on SkyTeam airlines?
This article looks at the SkyTeam benefits you get if you are Virgin Flying Club Gold.
This article looks at the SkyTeam benefits you get if you are Virgin Flying Club Silver.
The Virgin Atlantic SkyTeam Virgin Points and tier points earning charts:
This list does not cover Delta Air Lines, Air France or KLM as they have been Virgin Atlantic partners for some years. This HfP article explains how you earn Virgin Points and tier points with Air France and KLM.
Earning Virgin Points and tier points on Aerolineas Argentinas (AR flight number required):
| Cabin | Booking class | Virgin Points | Tier Points < 2,000 miles | Tier Points > 2,000 miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business | J, C | 150% | 30 | 75 |
| Premium Economy | D, I, W, S | 125% | 20 | 50 |
| Economy | Y | 100% | 10 | 25 |
| Economy | B, M, U, K, H, L, Q | 50% | 10 | 25 |
| Economy | T, E, G, V, N, A*, R* | 25% | 10 | 25 |
A and R discounted economy tickets do not earn on domestic routes.
Earning Virgin Points and tier points on Aeromexico (AM flight number required):
| Cabin | Booking class | Virgin Points | Tier Points < 2,000 miles | Tier Points > 2,000 miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premier (business) | J, C, D, I | 200% | 30 | 75 |
| Premium Economy | W | 125% | 20 | 50 |
| Economy | Y, B, M | 125% | 10 | 25 |
| Economy | T, Q, L, H, K, U | 100% | 10 | 25 |
| Economy | E, N, R | 50% | 10 | 25 |
| Economy | V | 25% | 10 | 25 |
Aeromexico flights booked under the Virgin Atlantic codeshare arrangement, with a VS flight number, will earn Virgin Points and tier points at the standard Virgin Atlantic rates.
Earning Virgin Points and tier points on Air Europa (UX flight number required):
| Cabin | Booking class | Virgin Points | Tier Points < 2,000 miles | Tier Points > 2,000 miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business | J, C, D | 150% | 30 | 75 |
| Business | I | 125% | 30 | 75 |
| Premium Economy | F | 125% | 20 | 50 |
| Economy | Y, B, M, L, E | 100% | 10 | 25 |
| Economy | K, V, H, S, W, P | 50% | 10 | 25 |
| Economy | R, U, T, Q | 25% | 10 | 25 |
Earning Virgin Points and tier points on China Airlines (CI flight number required):
| Cabin | Booking class | Virgin Points | Tier Points < 2,000 miles | Tier Points > 2,000 miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business | J | 175% | 30 | 75 |
| Business | C | 150% | 30 | 75 |
| Business | D | 125% | 30 | 75 |
| Premium Economy | W, U | 125% | 20 | 50 |
| Premium Economy | A | 115% | 20 | 50 |
| Premium Economy | E | 100% | 20 | 50 |
| Economy | Y, B, M | 100% | 10 | 25 |
| Economy | K, V, T | 75% | 10 | 25 |
| Economy | R,Q, H, N | 50% | 10 | 25 |
Earning Virgin Points and tier points on Czech Airlines (OK flight number required):
| Cabin | Booking class | Virgin Points | Tier Points < 2,000 miles | Tier Points > 2,000 miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business | J, C, D | 200% | 30 | 75 |
| Business | I | 175% | 30 | 75 |
| Economy | Y, M | 175% | 10 | 25 |
| Economy | B, H, K | 100% | 10 | 25 |
| Economy | A, L, T | 75% | 10 | 25 |
| Economy | G, Q, U, X | 50% | 10 | 25 |
| Economy | N, O, S, V, W, P, R | 25% | 10 | 25 |
Earning Virgin Points and tier points on Garuda Indonesia (GA flight number required):
| Cabin | Booking class | Virgin Points | Tier Points < 2,000 miles | Tier Points > 2,000 miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First | F | 200% | 40 | 100 |
| First | A | 150% | 40 | 100 |
| Business | J, C, D, I | 125% | 30 | 75 |
| Economy | Y | 100% | 10 | 25 |
| Economy | B, M, K, N | 100% | 10 | 25 |
| Economy | Q, T, V, H, S | 75% | 10 | 25 |
Earning Virgin Points and tier points on ITA Airways (AZ flight number required):
| Cabin | Booking class | Virgin Points | Tier Points < 2,000 miles | Tier Points > 2,000 miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business | J, C, D, I, E | 200% | 30 | 75 |
| Premium Economy | P | 150% | 20 | 50 |
| Premium Economy | A | 100% | 20 | 50 |
| Economy | Y, B, M, H | 150% | 20 | 50 |
| Economy | K, V, T | 100% | 10 | 25 |
| Economy | N, S, Q, X, W | 50% | 10 | 25 |
| Economy | R,Q, H, N | 25% | 10 | 25 |
Earning Virgin Points and tier points on Kenya Airways (KQ flight number required):
| Cabin | Booking class | Virgin Points | Tier Points < 2,000 miles | Tier Points > 2,000 miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business | J, C, D, I | 150% | 30 | 75 |
| Business | Z | 125% | 30 | 75 |
| Economy | Y, B, M | 100% | 10 | 25 |
| Economy | U, K, H, Q, T, R, E, N | 50% | 10 | 25 |
| Economy | G, V, W | 25% | 10 | 25 |
Earning Virgin Points and tier points on Korean Air (KE flight number required):
| Cabin | Booking class | Virgin Points | Tier Points < 2,000 miles | Tier Points > 2,000 miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First | F | 200% | 40 | 100 |
| Business | J | 135% | 30 | 75 |
| Business | C, D, I, R | 125% | 30 | 75 |
| Economy | Y, B, M, W | 100% | 10 | 25 |
| Economy | S, H, E | 75% | 10 | 25 |
| Economy | K, L, U | 50% | 10 | 25 |
| Economy | Q, T | 25% | 10 | 25 |
Earning Virgin Points and tier points on Middle East Airlines (ME flight number required):
| Cabin | Booking class | Virgin Points | Tier Points < 2,000 miles | Tier Points > 2,000 miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business fully flex | J, C, D | 200% | 30 | 75 |
| Business value | I, Z | 150% | 30 | 75 |
| Economy fully flex | B, M | 100% | 10 | 25 |
| Economy value | U, K | 75% | 10 | 25 |
| Economy saver | H, L, Q, T | 50% | 10 | 25 |
| Economy super deal | N, R, V | 25% | 10 | 25 |
Middle East Airlines flights booked under the Virgin Atlantic codeshare arrangement, with a VS flight number, will earn Virgin Points and tier points at the standard Virgin Atlantic rates.
Earning Virgin Points and tier points on SAUDIA (SV flight number required):
| Cabin | Booking class | Virgin Points | Tier Points < 2,000 miles | Tier Points > 2,000 miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First | F | 250% | 40 | 100 |
| First | A, P | 200% | 40 | 100 |
| Business | J | 125% | 30 | 75 |
| Business | C, D, I | 150% | 30 | 75 |
| Guest (economy) | Y, B, M, E | 100% | 10 | 25 |
| Guest (economy) | K, H, L, Q, T, V, N | 50% | 10 | 25 |
| Guest (economy) | U | 25% | 10 | 25 |
Earning Virgin Points and tier points on TAROM (RO flight number required):
| Cabin | Booking class | Virgin Points | Tier Points < 2,000 miles | Tier Points > 2,000 miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business | J, C, D | 150% | 30 | 75 |
| Business | I, Z | 100% | 30 | 75 |
| Economy | Y, B, M, L | 100% | 10 | 25 |
| Economy | U, K, H, Q, R, N, A | 50% | 10 | 25 |
| Economy | F, T, V, S, E, P, G | 25% | 10 | 25 |
Earning Virgin Points and tier points on Vietnam Airlines (VN flight number required):
| Cabin | Booking class | Virgin Points | Tier Points < 2,000 miles | Tier Points > 2,000 miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business | J, C | 200% | 30 | 75 |
| Business | D, I | 150% | 30 | 75 |
| Premium Economy | W | 130% | 20 | 50 |
| Premium Economy | U, Z | 120% | 20 | 50 |
| Economy | Y, B, M, S | 100% | 20 | 50 |
| Economy | L, Q, H, K | 65% | 10 | 25 |
| Economy | N, R | 50% | 10 | 25 |
| Economy | T, E, A | 25% | 10 | 25 |
| Economy | G, P | 10% | 10 | 25 |
Earning Virgin Points and tier points on Xiamen Air (MF flight number required):
| Cabin | Booking class | Virgin Points | Tier Points < 2,000 miles | Tier Points > 2,000 miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First | F, A | 150% | 40 | 100 |
| Business | J, C, D, I | 125% | 30 | 75 |
| Economy | Y, B, M, H, L | 100% | 20 | 50 |
| Economy | K, N, Q, V | 50% | 10 | 25 |
| Economy | T | 25% | 10 | 25 |
How to earn Virgin Points from UK credit cards (March 2023)
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 15,000 Virgin Points):
Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard
15,000 points bonus and 1.5 points for every £1 you spend Read our full review
Virgin Atlantic Reward Mastercard
A generous earning rate for a free card at 0.75 points per £1 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.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold
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 30,000 Membership Rewards points, which convert into 30,000 Virgin Points.
The Platinum Card from American Express
30,000 points and unbeatable travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review
Small business owners should consider the two American Express Business cards. Points convert at 1:1 into Virgin Points.
Until 30th March 2023, the sign up bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased to 120,000 Membership Rewards points – click here. The bonus on American Express Business Gold is increased to 60,000 Membership Rewards points – click here. T&C apply, see the application forms for details.
American Express Business Platinum
Crazy 120,000 points bonus (to 30th March) and a £200 Amex Travel credit every year Read our full review
American Express Business Gold
60,000 points sign-up bonus (to 30th March) 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.
(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.)
Richie 
Rhys 
Sam Wardill 
Rob Tharle 
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Iain miller 
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