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Hi All I am in two minds what card should I get, I have the IHG card and thinking to cancel it and go for one of the other major air line cards. I have seen the articles on the Avios changes and the devalue is so bad. I want to get some ideas from the senior points collectectors on the BA Barclays’s & Virgin Atlantic Card.
Who of BA VS Virgin have cheaper business class upgrade, high and low season, what card provider has the best mobile banking app support on android. Also how easy is it to use the upgrade voucher on each air line if I went for the Fee card of each air line . Also any other factors I have not thought about with each card the senior points collectector could tell me about.
Even though AMEX CS has deteriorated its still miles (:-)) better than Virgin
BA fly more places, have more reward seats available esp if you have a voucher
BA on line lets you use a voucher VS you have to call
You collect tier points on VS reward seats and you’ll need status if you want to book 241 in UC
You have to wait 24 months before getting another Signup Bonus with Amex but only 6 months with Virgin
Remember that the card you get for ‘keeps’ and the card you get because it has a nice bonus do not need to be one and the same ….
If you live outside the LHR catchment area I think the metrics sway towards Virgin when they join Skyteam next year because connecting from the regions via AMS/CDG is a far more pleasant experience.
But ultimately it depends on where you intend on flying with the miles you earn and if you’re a solo traveller or have a partner/family.
The IHG card, if you have the black one, is probably one to keep. It will be closed (eventually) but it’s got a good return for a non-Amex and hotel points are easier to spend, in my experience, than airline points.
I’ve had two previous Virgin cards but don’t hold one at the moment. I have a large stash of Virgin miles. I’ve managed one premium redemption to the US in recent years, and now they’ve jacked up the TFCs and shrunk their route map I’m unlikely to be redeeming on Virgin in coming years. Johannesburg, Havana and Tobago are the only places left they fly to I might want to visit, and I don’t think Havana can be booked with points at all.
Did my first AF and KLM redemptions with Virgin points recently. Smooth transfer experience, through checking of bags on different tickets, generally just all good. I’ll be looking to use partners, not Virgin itself, for future redemptions. Full Sky Team membership is going to make it even better I hope, although we don’t know how many miles will be required for any journey, nor if it will be easy to book online.
I wouldn’t give up the IHG just yet. Keep building that stash while you can, maybe switch when we know if the Sky Team offer is attractive, or Creation close the card scheme entirely.
+1. As a general rule, hotel points are FAR more flexibile and easier to spend for most people. If you offered me the same nominal value in hotel or airline points, I’m choosing hotel every time. For this reason, I’ve turned lots of Virgin points into Hilton points over the years despite the supposed loss of value in doing so. This may change when Skyteam comes on board but I’m not so sure – as above it’s unlikely to be all that convenient to use or all that open in terms of dates. That may not be an issue for some, but may be for others like me – only you know how this fits your own travel patterns.
I’d 100% agree keep the IHG card and then work out whether chasing any of the sign-up bonuses are worth your while as an extra to this, given your own typical level of spending.The Virgin TFCs are absolutely eye-watering for Upper Class now. I fundamentally don’t like the most commonly encountered Upper Class seat either (herringbone layout with seats facing the aisle). VS do also have a very limited route network, as others have said. All that means that I struggle to feel like I can obtain good value for the voucher. The BA vouchers have far more utility to me (even the Barclays one, though the Amex one is obviously superior)
Virgin points themselves I do find useful for partner redemptions. I’ve had some wonderful trips in ANA Business and First before the pandemic. They also have a lot of value to me for AF / KL redemptions from the regions. As others have said, full Skyteam integration should help further in this regard, unless there’s a major devaluation…
I also agree with those who’ve said that the IHG card is worth holding onto for as long as you can.
Worth bearing in mind that if you do take the paid VS card, the annual fee is not refundable pro rata (a la Amex) if you decide it’s not for you. I’d make sure you’re clear on what value you’d derive from it before taking the plunge.
Re. sign up bonuses, you’re not entitled to one again with Barclaycard until +24 months from cancelling (however can reapply for the card sans bonus after +6 months), however with the Virgin Atlantic card(s), I don’t think there is any minimum time period or restrictions with the sign bonus?
I don’t think there is any minimum time period or restrictions with the sign bonus?
I received the signup bonus again after a six month gap.
I’m choosing hotel every time. For this reason, I’ve turned lots of Virgin points into Hilton points over the years despite the supposed loss of value in doing so.
I 101% agree with this, plus I hate airports and sitting on aeroplanes. Forget what the calculator says. I have always felt that the value in something is how it makes you feel, and I always get more satisfaction from a stay in a nice hotel than I will ever get in an airport or on an aeroplane, and those airport breakfasts are truely nasty, whether in a lounge or not.
@Harrier25, it all depends on the type of travelling you like to do. I often find that the chain hotels have nothing to offer in places I like to visit – ski resorts, the Greek islands, even rural Britain. Where chain hotels exist in these places, they are often badly located (eg in Vail, one of the largest ski resorts in the USA, the only chain hotel near the center of the resort is the Four Seasons), a cultural mismatch for their surroundings, or low-end.
If you enjoy travelling to big cities or enjoy purpose-built resorts, hotel points can be lucrative.
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