Virgin Atlantic guts one-way Delta redemptions with Virgin Points

Whilst Virgin Atlantic has a reputation for high taxes on redemption flights – although those who complain conveniently forget that you need FAR fewer points compared to Avios – there was one loophole.

Virgin Atlantic let you book one-way Delta Air Lines business class flights from the US to continental Europe for a flat 50,000 Virgin Points plus $6 of taxes.

Given that Delta was charging its own members around 375,000 SkyMiles for the same one-way flights (the Delta scheme is fundamentally revenue based with 1 mile = 1 US cent), this was a ludicrous deal.

With one snag ….

…. it was virtually impossible to book.

This wasn’t Virgin Atlantic’s fault. Delta makes virtually no business class seats available at ‘saver’ levels of pricing, and those are the only seats offered to partners.

Virgin Atlantic has now sharply increased the cost of the seats you can’t book.

A one-way business class flight on Delta from the US to Continental Europe is now priced from 47,500 to 77,500 Virgin Points. This is based on whether you fly from the East or West Coast and, in a new development, whether you fly on a peak or off-peak date.

More impressively, the taxes and charges have jumped from $6 to just over $1,000. This is probably some sort of record percentage rise.

This is almost certainly a decision taken by Delta, which has a 49% shareholding in Virgin Atlantic. It has been trashing the value of its frequent flyer scheme for years by moving it towards a revenue based redemption model. Virgin Atlantic was messing this up by offering seats cheaply on the very rare occasions when they were available.

For clarity, nothing here impacts flights to/from the United Kingdom and United States on Delta, which are priced differently and are on a par with Virgin Atlantic pricing.

You can see the points cost of different Delta Air Lines redemptions using Virgin Points on this page of the Virgin Atlantic website.

PS. There is no change to Economy redemption on Delta from US to continental Europe. A one way from Atlanta to Rome, for example, still shows as 30,000 Virgin Points plus $6.

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 (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.