Virgin Points should be redeemable on Riyadh Air, if you want to try their amazing cabins

Last week we published an interview with Tony Douglas, CEO of upstart Saudi airline Riyadh Air.

Riyadh Air has just unveiled the cabins which will be used on its first long-haul services, and they look very impressive.

Many readers were dismayed that Riyadh Air was not planning to join an airline alliance, and so there would be no easy way to redeem miles to try the new service. However, it seems we were mistaken.

Virgin Atlantic launched flights to Riyadh this week. We didn’t cover the story but our article on the initial announcement is here.

(The second new route mentioned in that article, to Accra, now appears to be permanently dead.)

One snippet of information which emerged during the launch trip is that Virgin Atlantic is planning a partnership deal with Riyadh Air.

Given that London is likely to be Riyadh Air’s first destination later this year – we understand that it has the Heathrow slots it needs – it doesn’t immediately make sense why a partnership with Virgin Atlantic would be necessary.

It would, however, allow Riyadh Air to feed in to Virgin Atlantic’s North American network until it can get its own US services established. Operating two Riyadh Air flights per day alongside one Virgin Atlantic flight would give it full coverage across the day on the key Heathrow to Riyadh route.

I asked Riyadh Air if it would be possible to spend Virgin Points on Riyadh Air. Whilst non-committal about a Virgin Atlantic deal, it told us that it was planning to have ‘earn and burn’ with its airline partners.

You may be able to try Riyadh Air’s impressive looking cabins without spending a fortune after all ….

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How to earn Virgin Points from UK credit cards (May 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 Credit Card

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.

The American Express Business Platinum Card

50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

The American Express Business Gold Card

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.