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How to redeem your Virgin Points at Greggs – a step-by-step guide!

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This is actually a serious article, although I accept that you may have your doubts ….

When the Virgin Red app launched a few years ago as the new ‘home’ for Virgin Points, the ability to redeem your points at Greggs became – for better or worse – the highest profile redemption.

Whilst most Head for Points readers would see redeeming for ANA’s business and First Class seats to Tokyo to be the ultimate redemption, it was Greggs that people were talking about.

How to redeem your Virgin Points at Greggs

If you are not a Virgin Red member, you can register for free here. You will get 1,000 bonus points via this link and you get this even if you are an existing Virgin Flying Club member. You can merge your two balances in the app.

How do you redeem Virgin Points at Greggs?

I was interested to see how the redemption process works and how smooth it is.

A Greggs sausage roll costs £1.45, at least on Cheapside by our office, and it requires 200 Virgin Points. You’re getting 0.7p per point.

This is better value than most Virgin Red redemptions which get you 0.5p of value. You can smash this with a premium cabin flight redemption in most cases, where you should be aiming for 1p.

Redeeming via the Virgin Red app

Assuming that you have registered for Virgin Red and then downloaded the Virgin Red app and linked it to your Virgin Atlantic account, the first thing to do is find Greggs products on the long list of redemptions. Unless you filter by ‘Food and Drink’ it will take a while.

This is what you are looking for, if a sausage roll is your goal:

Redeem Virgin Points for Greggs sausage roll

Click into it and you see a big ‘Redeem’ button.

The points are deducted from your account and a QR code created. It pops up on screen, and I would recommend saving it as a screenshot in case you have reception problems when you are inside the store:

Redeem Virgin Points for Greggs sausage roll

The voucher is valid for a month. You can also see it inside the ‘Vouchers’ section of the Virgin Red app:

Redeem Virgin Points for Greggs sausage roll

There is some small print which is emailed to you after you have redeemed. Here are the highlights:

  • Code is only valid for either a single Sausage Roll or Vegan Sausage Roll.
  • Code is redeemable with Greggs up until the ‘Valid Until’ date noted on the code. After this date, the code will expire and you will not be able to use the code with Greggs. Please note that this code will not be reissued.
  • You must display your code to a member of staff at Greggs.
  • Code is valid for one use only.
  • Only one code can be used per person per visit.
  • Subject to availability and while stocks lasts. If there are no Sausage Rolls or Vegan Sausage Rolls available, an alternative product may be supplied by Greggs (at equal or lesser value) but this is not guaranteed.
  • Valid for take away only – product cannot be consumed in store.
  • Please note, Virgin Red codes are not valid / accepted at Greggs stores located within service stations.
  • Code is non-refundable, non-transferable and has no cash value (or cash value equivalent).
  • Codes do not qualify for a Greggs Rewards stamp and they cannot be added to the Greggs Rewards app.

How does it work in practice?

It is a slick process, I have to admit.

Having popped down to our local branch of Greggs, I asked for a sausage roll and scanned the QR code on a scanner at the till when asked to pay.

It scanned first time and I was left with nothing to pay.

Redeem Virgin Points from Virgin Red for Greggs sausage roll

Caffe Nero redemptions with Nectar points work in exactly the same way. Using 400 Nectar points for a Caffe Nero drink – any drink, any size – is arguably the best way of spending Nectar points.

Conclusion

Using your Virgin Points at Greggs isn’t a great way to redeem if you’re looking to maximise the value you get, although it is better than most Virgin Red offers.

However, I am impressed by the technology behind it and by the way that Virgin Red has got it working. I’m sure there are other retailers who would be interested in similar spontaneous redemptions, especially those who – like Pret – already have QR code scanners in place at their tills.

What Virgin Red needs to do is find someone like Caffe Nero who is willing to offer outsize value in the hope of picking up additional sales. It’s the croissant or cake you buy with your coffee that encourages Nero to offer such a good deal to Nectar in the first place.

You can find out more about Virgin Red, and register for free, here.

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 65,000 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

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

Virgin Atlantic and Flying Club

Comments (56)

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

  • kt74 says:
    13 Jun13 June 05:27

    £1.45 is the peak station/airport/City price

    Walk half a mile from the Cheapside branch to the Leather Lane/Clerkenwell branch (or anywhere else in the UK) and the price goes down to £1.20 / 0.6p value

    (Or get it free once a week with your O2 Priority or various other loyalty apps – similar redemption process)

    • John says:
      13 Jun13 June 05:39

      I wouldn’t pay more than £1 so it’s 0.5p per point for me.

      • BJ says:
        13 Jun13 June 06:21

        And I really dislike sausage rolls so 0.0p value for me. I once took one from O2 and fed it to a sorry-looking dog sitting outside in the rain, said dog ate it but I have no idea what value it attributed.

    • Andrew J says:
      13 Jun13 June 07:16

      Agree that if you’re a serous Greggs fan then having your mobile with O2 would be much better value than this redemption – you can get a free sausage roll or breakfast sandwich once a week and a free coffee once a week.

      • John says:
        13 Jun13 June 07:35

        If you are truly dedicated, you can buy O2 SIMs for 20p on ebay and use an android emulator to create as many priority accounts as you require.

        Someone on here posted that the codes remain valid beyond the 25 minutes claimed by the app.

        • David says:
          13 Jun13 June 07:59

          Yes until Sunday.

        • Bervios says:
          13 Jun13 June 10:39

          Buying sims doesn’t work, you would need to top the account up first.

          • John says:
            13 Jun13 June 22:48

            Use airtime rewards, or even if you need to use real money and you value sausage rolls at £1, you’ve got your money back after 10 weeks (and you have £10 worth of calls/data…)

  • lumma says:
    13 Jun13 June 06:47

    The Greggs savoury for 300 points is better value. Beef and Vegetable pasty (the pasty formerly known as Cornish) is £3.75 in the Greggs in Liverpool Street station, so over 1p of value

    • Guernsey Globetrotter says:
      13 Jun13 June 10:12

      Weirdly the 300 point Greggs savoury redemption actually includes all of the following options: Sausage Roll, Vegan Sausage Roll, Steak Bake, Vegan Mexican Chicken Free Bake, Chicken Bake, Cheese and Onion Bake, Corned Beef Bake, Sausage and Bean Melt, Beef and Vegetable Pasty, Vegetable Bake, Bacon and Cheese Wrap, Three Cheese or Pepperoni Pizza.
      Why would they include the sausage rolls in the 300 point option when they can be purchased for 200? Incompetence or sneaky …?
      I don’t know which of the list offers best value though as there is no Greggs in Guernsey 🙁

      • JDB says:
        13 Jun13 June 10:44

        Well, that has to be be the most disgusting list of anything ever published on HfP!

        To compete, here’s the list of ingredients of a sausage roll, with no less than 11 E numbers and accounting for 63% of your daily recommended intake of saturated fat. They really should have at least 100% tax hypothecated to the NHS.

        Water, Fortified Wheat Flour (Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Pork (20%), Palm Oil, Rusk (Wheat), Seasoning (Salt, Yeast Extract, Modified Starch, Pea Fibre, Sugar, Stabiliser (Diphosphates), Ground White Pepper, Barley Malt Extract, Acidity Regulator (Tartaric Acid), Preservative (Sodium Metabisulphite), Spice Extracts, Rapeseed Oil, Herb Extracts), Glaze (Water, Sunflower Oil, Rapeseed Oil, Modified Starch, Milk Protein, Emulsifier (Mono- and Diacetyl Tartaric Acid Esters of Mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids, Mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids), Skimmed Milk Powder, Stabiliser (Carboxy Methyl Cellulose, Carrageenan, Cellulose), Acidity Regulator (Sodium Phosphates), Colour (Carotenes)), Rapeseed Oil, Isolated Soya Protein, Wheat Gluten, Salt, Wheat Protein

        • sayling says:
          13 Jun13 June 10:58

          But they taste SOOOOOOO good!

          😆

        • Thywillbedone says:
          13 Jun13 June 12:43

          Pet food for humans basically …

        • Lady London says:
          13 Jun13 June 20:22

          Let’s not get into what, exactly, from an animal is allowed to be called “meat”. In this case “pork”.

          Some would be rather surprised.

  • tony says:
    13 Jun13 June 06:49

    Yes this seems strange when I see Octopus Energy will offer me a completely free hot drink at both Greggs and Caffe Nero, presumably on the commercial basis that 1) they think I will also buy something and 2) the margin they make on hot drinks is insane.

    • lumma says:
      13 Jun13 June 07:13

      At least with cafe nero, they need a trained barista to make the drink. Greggs they just press a button

      • Andrew. says:
        13 Jun13 June 08:13

        That’s all I do at home too. Stick mug under B2C machine nozzle, press button.

      • CJD says:
        13 Jun13 June 11:47

        ‘batistas’ at coffee chains like Nero are glorified button pushers.

  • Thywillbedone says:
    13 Jun13 June 07:15

    Interesting idea but frankly I’d rather starve ….

  • Mikeact says:
    13 Jun13 June 07:26

    Or Three, £1 Caffè Nero coffee, any size, any day.

  • Yuff says:
    13 Jun13 June 07:31

    Or Octopus 🐙 have a free coffee every week

  • Simon says:
    13 Jun13 June 08:17

    I like the Greggs vegan sausage rolls but it’s a shame they are often cold, where they display them the light is just a light it doesn’t produce any heat to keep them warm.

    Not keeping them warm saves them paying VAT I read, presumably keeps their costs down as well.

    • whiskerxx says:
      13 Jun13 June 09:19

      Not keeping them warm saves YOU the VAT

      • Rob says:
        13 Jun13 June 10:56

        That’s not necessarily true – we’d need to see the elasticity demand curve for Greggs sausage rolls.

    • CJD says:
      13 Jun13 June 09:43

      If the light was to keep the product warm you’d be liable to pay 20% VAT on your sausage roll.

      For tax purposes, the fact your sausage roll is warm is a happy coincidence of buying it when it’s been freshly baked.

      • paul says:
        13 Jun13 June 11:06

        Ive always wondered why fish & chip shops dont have a “collection / display rack” to place freshly cooked food on – that way it wouldnt be sold as hot food (20% vat).

        Box up the food, place on rack for 2 minutes, customer picks it up and pays – saving the VAT.

        Surely someone somewhere has tried it.

        • JDB says:
          13 Jun13 June 11:19

          @Paul – your suggestion probably hasn’t been tried because it fails several of the tests set out in the VAT guidance notes as do other takeaway meals. The position on sausage rolls is different (and explicitly cover in the same guidance) as they are being sold at ambient temperature but might by chance have been freshly baked, so still hot.

        • CJD says:
          13 Jun13 June 11:45

          Fish and chips are obviously sold to be consumed hot.

          Sausage rolls can be eaten hot or cold.

          • paul says:
            13 Jun13 June 21:03

            My 85 year old father in law takes that long to walk home that his fish and chips are freezing – so he’d happily buy them cold with 20% off and heat in microwave at home which he has to do anyway 😂😂😂

          • John says:
            13 Jun13 June 22:50

            What’s the point of buying them from a chippie then? Just get the frozen stuff from Sainsburys

  • HampshireHog says:
    13 Jun13 June 08:35

    I prefer to use my points for something aspirational. Now if it was Pret

    • ChrisBCN says:
      13 Jun13 June 09:19

      Pret is aspirational?!

      • HampshireHog says:
        13 Jun13 June 09:45

        To us northerners for sure

      • tony says:
        13 Jun13 June 09:47

        Compared to Greggs, yes…

        • Bervios says:
          13 Jun13 June 10:40

          Both Pret and Greggs coffee are poor. Nero on the other hand, lovely.

          • Peter K says:
            13 Jun13 June 11:02

            Depends on your Nero branch. My local one just makes coffee that tastes like they’ve burned it, every time. Doesn’t matter the barista, it’s the same. I’ve given up going there as I’d rather not drink coffee than drink the muck they produce. The local Greggs do a *much* nicer coffee!

          • jjoohhnn says:
            13 Jun13 June 14:54

            Organic filter coffee from Pret is good, and good value. It used to be 99p or 49p less if bringing your own cup, but sadly it has increased in price now, but its still quite good value.

      • Rob says:
        13 Jun13 June 10:57

        Given that you’d need to work for an hour at minimum wage to afford a sandwich, probably.

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

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