Can I amend a Virgin redemption ticket to a companion ticket?

[MC]

Hi, I was hoping to combine a Virgin Reward Upper Class return from Manchester to Orlando with a companion voucher, so it would cost a total of 115,000 points for 2 returns in UC, plus taxes/fees. I recently hit the £10k spend on Virgin Credit Card plus but have just realised that I will have to wait until after my next statement (at least) which isn’t due for 3 weeks, to receive any voucher. Unfortunately, I can’t risk waiting that long. I will be 331 days out from my flight in around 7 days. So, now I think I’ll have to try and use 115,000 points for two outbound UC reward flights and then 2 weeks later try and grab 2 inbound UC flights for another 115,000 points when they’re released. Is there any way to change the reward flight to a companion one at a later date? Or will I have to take the hit and use 230,000 points for 2 UC round trip reward flights and use the Companion voucher at a later date? Thanks

[ChasP]

not earned an upgrade voucher for a while but 2 years ago it appeared in my account – just a single line – about 5 days after hitting target

[NorthernLass]

MAN-MCO availability always seems pretty good, even at peak periods, according to SeatSpy. But if you haven’t got your voucher for the outbound booking, you could use it for 2 people on the inbound.

[AL]

Whilst most MAN-MCO services are run by A35Ks, the aircraft operating those routes tend to have tiny Upper cabins. That means, if you’re looking for the bigger social spaces, you might be out of luck. MAN ground handling is, too, abhorrent. I personally prefer to get to LHR, especially if flying in Upper, to make use of the Clubhouse, for which the 1902 is no contender.

Once ticketed, I do not believe they will re-ticket a revenue ticket as a reward, but you can try.

[MC]

Thank you all. I did consider using voucher for inbound but because it will be a companion voucher, I assume I’d have to use points for first person so would only be getting half the value, 57,500 points saved rather than 115,000 for a companion return? To upgrade both inbounds would also only save 50,000 points. I’m trying to work out best use of points. I agree re comment on Manchester. Returned this month from MCO and waited 90 mins for luggage to appear, despite the UC cases supposedly offloaded as a priority. Will the credit card rewards voucher just appear in my flying club account as a one liner or is it on credit card statement? I’m not sure how to tell when I’ve got it?

[MC]

Thank you all. I did consider using voucher for inbound but because it will be a companion voucher, I assume I’d have to use points for first person so would only be getting half the value, 57,500 points saved rather than 115,000 for a companion return? To upgrade both inbounds would also only save 50,000 points as can only upgrade one class with voucher. I’m trying to work out best use of points. I agree re comment on Manchester. Returned this month from MCO and waited 90 mins for luggage to appear, despite the UC cases supposedly offloaded as a priority. Will the credit card rewards voucher just appear in my flying club account as a one liner or is it on credit card statement? I’m not sure how to tell when I’ve got it?

[NorthernLass]

It’s a one liner in your FC account. I can’t remember when mine arrived but I don’t think they necessarily correlated to the statement date.

If you haven’t got a certain level of status, upgrading uses less points than a 241, because of the 50% extra points required for UC.

[AL]

I agree re comment on Manchester. Returned this month from MCO and waited 90 mins for luggage to appear, despite the UC cases supposedly offloaded as a priority.

Whilst I can see why people throw the shade at the operating airlines, this is actually just poor ground handling. Priority cases, theoretically, get thrown in the same bin together, so they’re first off. I suspect, though, they’re not always loaded last, so they just end up somewhere on the plane.

[MC]

Thanks NorthernLass, after your comment re the arrival of the cc reward voucher I checked my FC account again and it has just appeared today as described, as a one liner, 5 days after threshold spend reached. So, I didn’t need to wait for CC statement as advised by CC call centre.
My next question is whether a companion reward return voucher can be split over the outbound/inbound legs? The outbound is available in a few days, and I’m hoping to grab that and then get the inbound a couple of weeks later. The first person I spoke to on the Silver FC number told me this was possible and they could action half the reward voucher and the other half when inbound available. But when I called again re missing points the second person told me they couldn’t split it. Does anyone know if it is possible? I’m not sure I want to risk waiting the 2 weeks for the return to be available before booking because there are only 2 UC reward seats available per flight, so chances are the inbound will be gone before the outbound is released.

[Gary]

You can split a voucher. When gifting, it needs to be a whole voucher. Good luck.

[NorthernLass]

Yes, you can definitely use half a voucher, I have done this. Booking separately may cost you more in surcharges, though, I don’t know if they recalculate these when you book the inbound?

[Gary]

NorthernLass wrote:

I don’t know if they recalculate these when you book the inbound?

They do.

[MC]

Thank you all. As per your advice, they did let me split my reward companion voucher. So, I’ve booked the outbound in UC, using points for me and half a companion voucher for daughter. Just need to wait for the inbound dates to be released now.

[NorthernLass]

@Gary – thank you, good to know!

@MC, can you let us know how much the surcharges are eventually as and when they are recalculated?!

[MC]

Of course. So, far the fees/taxes were £595.88 per person for both the Companion and points seat, so £1191.76 in total. They both required a different booking reference. I’m not sure if when I get the inbound if the fees will be the same again or will it be priced in dollars/a different amount? I know the fees appear slightly higher doing it separately than as a return booking but I’ll let you know what happens if they get recalculated.

[MC]

Hi Northern Lass, I have just booked the inbound flights for my MAN to MCO trip, and I’m pleased to say that the fees were recalculated so that all I ended up paying was the difference between what I’d already paid in fees for the outbound leg and the fees for a return reward seat, plus a £30 per person amendment fee. This was so much cheaper than if booked as separate inbound and outbound reward seats. I asked the call operator if it were possible to do it this way (otherwise I was thinking about cancelling my inbound and paying the £30 cancellation fee and asking them to hold the flights). But amending it was simpler. I’m not sure if you could do this yourself if doing an online booking, I imagine then it would charge them as separate transactions. Anyway, the fees on a return reward UC seat from MAN to MCO are £969. I’d already paid £596 for the inbound so I had to pay the difference of £372 plus the £30 amendment fee per person, so an additional £402 for the reward seat and companion seat. Therefore, in total paid £999 in fees/taxes for each (rounded up for pence). This compares favourably to paying fees of £596 for outbound plus $977 for inbound. It was the same for the premium reward seat, I’d already paid £366 in fees for the inbound, a return costs £509 in fees, so I only had to pay an additional £142 for the fees for the inbound plus the £30 amendment fee, again rounded up for pence.
So, in my view I got the best of both worlds. I had the certainty of grabbing the outbound leg as soon as they were released and also ending up paying the fees of a return reward seat rather than the more expensive fees if treated as separate bookings.

[NorthernLass]

@MCO, that’s really good to know, thanks! I’m hoping to book MAN-MCO with a Virgin cc voucher in a few months, so will need to call anyway. Hoping to use the voucher to upgrade 2 of us to UC then just book 2 x PE at the standard rate for the return. UC availability is usually pretty good, but I don’t want to risk it as our travel dates inconveniently fall around Thanksgiving and Xmas!

[MC]

Good luck. Like you, I’ve been reviewing the availability on the MAN -MCO route and the MCO -MAN route. I’m going in the peak summer holidays in August so was worried re availability. I noticed that for outbound the economy seats seemed to go quickly but not the UC reward ones. However, for the inbound flight the UC seats were regularly snapped up. I called just before 7am today and the 2 UC reward seats on the earlier inbound flight had already gone but luckily I managed to get the 2 UC seats on the later flight. On the MAN to MCO route there are 2 daily flights, one is usually the older plane with the herringbone configuration in UC with seats facing away from the window and the other is the newer plane, with the seats 1-2-1 and only 16 seats in UC. I’ve been on both in UC and actually found the seats in the older plane comfier when in flat mode. But I’ve also been in economy in the newer plane and the legroom seemed much more generous than the older plane, the screens were bigger too. I’m actually on the new plane both legs this time because that’s all that was left.