Points Booster advice

[CharlieUK]

I’ve got a Virgin flight in a couple of weeks’ time and am thinking of taking advantage of the Points Booster offer:

21,872 points for £218.72

However, Virgin have just launched a bonus offer when you buy points and I’m wondering if they’ll add a bonus offer to Points Booster. They used to always do this. Anyone know if they’ll likely do it this time too?

[AL]

I would be surprised if they didn’t, but it isn’t called out specifically. Both schemes are run by Points.com, so it might well just be automatic. You might need to ask VS on the phone to see what they say. Or, play it safe, and buy that many points (plus the boost) without using Points Booster.

[Bob]

If it is included then it will be clearly stated as the pricing options are different during any bonus period when you go on the points booster payment page. If it’s not there then it isn’t included in this offer

[Guernsey Globetrotter]

I think @Bob is correct as when I log in and go to points booster for my LHR-SFO flight next month I am still seeing a charge equivalent to the standard 1p per point and no mention of any bonus.

Usually this is a relatively good deal if you need to buy points as Virgin normally sell at a rate of 1.5p.

However, @CharlieUK , as the buying points route is currently offering a 60% boost rate any purchase over 15,000 points reduces your cost per point to below the 1p booster level and so you’ll be better off (marginally) buying via this route. If you have silver or gold status then you get a 70% boost. If this applies to you then any purchase over 7,500 points is better value than the standard 1p per point rate offered on your ticket booster. The bigger your purchase the better off marginally you become (due to the £15 fixed fee also levied on each points purchase) e.g. as Silver / Gold status any purchase of 75k + points is at a marginal cost of 0.89p/pt .

So the answer to your original question is that if you have need for 20k or more points then you are likely better off buying them direct via the points portal at the current promotional offer rate rather than going via the points booster link with your flight booking…

[CharlieUK]

Thanks for the advice on this. @GuernseyGlobetrotter it looks like I’ve got a different/worse Buy Points offer from you. As a Silver, I’m offered:

Up to 70% bonus promo:
• 5,000-24,000 — 20% bonus
• 25,000-69,000 — 30% bonus
• 70,000-119,000 — 50% bonus
• 120,000-200,000 — 70% bonus

Which means I’d have to buy 70,000 points to get them at the 1p booster level.

[AndyGWP]

CharlieUK wrote:

I’ve got a Virgin flight in a couple of weeks’ time and am thinking of taking advantage of the Points Booster offer:

21,872 points for £218.72

However, Virgin have just launched a bonus offer when you buy points and I’m wondering if they’ll add a bonus offer to Points Booster. They used to always do this. Anyone know if they’ll likely do it this time too?

How soon do you need them? Don’t forget you have 6 (IIRC) months after the flight to purchase them, so you can always hold off for now in case an offer does come along

[CharlieUK]

@AndyGWP that’s a very good point – I’d forgotten that you can buy the points retrospectively. Might as well wait, as you say. Thanks!

[Guernsey Globetrotter]

CharlieUK wrote:

Thanks for the advice on this. @GuernseyGlobetrotter it looks like I’ve got a different/worse Buy Points offer from you. As a Silver, I’m offered:

Up to 70% bonus promo:
• 5,000-24,000 — 20% bonus
• 25,000-69,000 — 30% bonus
• 70,000-119,000 — 50% bonus
• 120,000-200,000 — 70% bonus

Which means I’d have to buy 70,000 points to get them at the 1p booster level.

Ah – you’re right – I just saw the headline 60/70% rates and missed that it was a tiered bonus offer! IIRC the 70% bonus is equivalent to the best rate that was seen during the pandemic so if you need the points for something then it may be as good a time as any to buy.

[AndyGWP]

CharlieUK wrote:

@AndyGWP that’s a very good point – I’d forgotten that you can buy the points retrospectively. Might as well wait, as you say. Thanks!

No worries – the only slight faff is that you have to phone up if you want to do PointsBooster retrospectively – last time I tried though, it only took a few minutes 🙂