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Whoa: £1200 surcharges now showing on BA and Virgin Atlantic redemption flights

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Both British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have sharply increased surcharges on redemption tickets.

This definitely covers routes to North America – I’m not totally sure about the impact elsewhere due to a lack of historic data.

Avios flyers have some protection because of Reward Flight Saver which caps your fees, but you will take a big hit if you use Avios to upgrade to Business Class.

EDIT: Virgin Atlantic has now reversed this increase after an outcry. Click here to read the latest.

What’s happened with Virgin Atlantic surcharges?

Let’s take a look at what you pay, starting with Virgin Atlantic.

Here’s an Upper Class return to New York:

BA and Virgin sharply increase surcharges on redemption flights

£900 of ‘carrier imposed surcharges’ (which is pocketed by the airline) is pretty crazy, however you cut it. This is a £200 increase on what you would have paid last week.

Premium is ‘just’ £280 of ‘carrier imposed surcharge’ return:

BA and Virgin sharply increase surcharges on redemption flights

What’s happened with Avios surcharges?

Let’s go across to Avios.

Here’s a Club Suite return from Heathrow to New York JFK off-peak. The price is unchanged at 160,000 Avios + £350 because of the Reward Flight Saver cap:

However, if you look at upgrading a World Traveller Plus flight to Club World, you see the full force of the £900 ‘carrier imposed surcharge’.

Here’s a World Traveller Plus cash ticket to New York which is £999 return:

Let’s try upgrading this ticket to Club World with Avios during the booking process. You may, naively, believe that the price would be 48,000 Avios + the World Traveller Plus cash price of £998.59. You would be wrong.

Here’s exactly the same flight but using the ‘upgrade with Avios during booking’ option. The cash element shoots up to £1,619. The difference of £620 is because the ‘carrier imposed surcharge’ has jumped from £280 (World Traveller Plus) to £900 (Club World).

However …. want to see something weird?

BA has NOT increased the surcharge on First Class tickets, which is ‘only’ £550 return:

First Class – which is not part of Reward Flight Saver, remember – now has total taxes and charges of £849 between Heathrow and New York. Compare this to the £1,199 of taxes and charges you have to pay on a Club World seat when upgrading from World Traveller Plus.

Conclusion

It’s not a coincidence that BA and Virgin Atlantic keep their surcharges in step. This is always the case.

I don’t know who moved first here. The Virgin Atlantic increase happened in the last 48 hours but I don’t know when BA went to £900. If it was British Airways moving first, and Virgin Atlantic automatically followed, then Virgin Atlantic has been caught out.

Ever since BA moved to Reward Flight Saver for long haul redemptions, the carrier surcharge doesn’t have an impact on what you pay. The surcharge only kicks in for anyone upgrading with Avios or who doesn’t qualify for Reward Flight Saver – which isn’t many people.

For Virgin Atlantic, an increase in surcharges makes a difference to everyone who redeems.

£1,196 return for Upper Class is just silly. Pre-covid, BA Holidays would regularly offer Club World flights to New York, plus 3-4 nights in a hotel, for £1,299 per person all-in. Even in recent sales we have seen cash tickets to New York in Business Class drop back to the £1,500 mark.

We have, of course, seen Virgin Atlantic offer a lot of reward seat sales in recent months. There was one just last week. However, even with a 50% reduction in miles, you’d still be looking at around 50,000 Virgin Points plus £1,200 in taxes and charges for a return flight to New York. This isn’t much of a deal.

At the full price of 95,000 Virgin Points plus £1,200 of taxes and charges, you seriously have to consider what value you are getting out of Virgin Flying Club if your goal is premium cabin redemptions.

What is crazy is that you can still redeem Virgin Points for one way Delta flights in Business Class from the USA to mainland Europe for just £5 in taxes and charges.

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How to earn Virgin Points from UK credit cards

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. 

Category

British Airways and Avios, Virgin Atlantic and Flying Club

Comments (231)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Chris W says:
    26 Mar26 March 06:34

    I mean, while Delta only charge about $10 return in fees, taxes and surcharges for a business class ticket to the UK they also want 750,000 Skymiles….

  • R01 says:
    26 Mar26 March 06:40

    Just cancelled my Virgin credit card. Complete waste of time

  • Ed says:
    26 Mar26 March 07:08

    Gosh that kills Upgrade with Avios to Club on BA. £1,600ish plus 48k Avios is terrible value too.

    • executiveclubber says:
      26 Mar26 March 09:25

      Yes, you’d “save” a substantial chunk upgrading with cash at the airport

  • dougzz99 says:
    26 Mar26 March 07:08

    I posted this in chat on Saturday, so a little more than 48 hours. I didn’t check BA until later and by then it was at £900 too. No idea who went first, because of RFS it’s less obvious.

  • sturgeon says:
    26 Mar26 March 07:13

    This is insane. Even £996 was totally out of control with Virgin. This isn’t a “reward flight”, it’s a rip off. With 95k+ of points to North America these flights are essentially costing well over £2k, up to £2.5k. Saving up points simply isn’t worth it with virgins routes so North America based.

    Rob, you seem close to Virgin, when are you able to speak to them about this on our behalf? It also makes the credit card vouchers unappealing. I don’t care about saving points when I still need to pay £1,200. My partner doesn’t collect points and I donate mine but no chance are they going to be able to afford £1,200 when an economy cash ticket is £300. It’s just not worth it anymore. What’s the point of even calling these reward seats when the fees are daylight robbery???

    • Chris W says:
      26 Mar26 March 07:22

      You think Virgin care what we think?? They’re not stupid enough to think members like this.

      You should call your gas company and let them know you think their prices are too high so then they will lower them.

      It’s easy, free money for the airline, and clearly people are willing to pay it or they wouldn’t charge it. Their business model seems to be keep the points required low (i.e. with their 50% off deals) but keep raising the cash component.

      I had thought the crazy US surcharges were to deter US members transferring their credit card points to Virgin and snapping up all the seats that the UK members wanted to book but if they are charging the same surcharges regardless of location, that wouldn’t seem to be the case.

      • Rob says:
        26 Mar26 March 07:42

        We don’t know people are willing to pay it. Clearly they weren’t rushing to pay the old price given all the 50% off sales.

        • LittleNick says:
          26 Mar26 March 08:06

          If they discounted YQ by 50% in a reward seat sale I’m sure there’d be plenty booking

  • The Original Nick. says:
    26 Mar26 March 07:23

    This is crazy. I’ll just carry on using my Virgin points on the DXB – LHR route. UC is £320 + 37500 Points. Premium is about £180 + 17500 Points. And KLM or AF are still options.

  • BBbetter says:
    26 Mar26 March 07:23

    Is this only for US routes?

    • Rob says:
      26 Mar26 March 07:41

      Seems to be, but that is 90% of Virgin flights. Will try to do a full list today.

  • Andrew J says:
    26 Mar26 March 07:29

    Give it a couple of years and the whole points and miles game will be something we reminisce about as something we were once interested in – there will be little to no value in it anymore. Every few months a little bit is chipped away at, earning rates, redemption rates, restrictions, surcharges….there will be nothing left but dust and memories. Bring back bmi Diamond Club!!

    • Mark says:
      26 Mar26 March 07:49

      I have been following this site for nearly 10 years, and although things have changed markedly in that time you just adapt and work with whatever is in front of you.

      • Rob says:
        26 Mar26 March 07:52

        180k Qsuite business class returns to Oz / NZ? 40k Finnair business class returns to Doha with £40 tax (ex CPH)? Iberia remains 68k in Business to New York with £200 of tax. You’ve never had it so good.

        Frankly, on a £ per point basis – as you saw in the ‘what is an Avios worth?’ article yesterday – the ‘£ per point’ figures have never been so high due to current crazy cash fares.

      • The Original Nick. says:
        26 Mar26 March 19:44

        Exactly.. I’ve been reading since day one after I picked up Robs comments on Flyertalk (Raffles).

    • JDB says:
      26 Mar26 March 08:11

      @Andrew J – people have been predicting the demise of miles/points schemes for at least thirty years! It’s never been easier to earn Avios, yet if one cuts out all the noise and checks the facts the Avios needed and surcharges have been very stable for more than ten years, even with reductions coming from peak/off peak.

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

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