What to do with a modest amount of points?

[masaccio]

I’ve been trickling points in to my Virgin account and my wife’s and was planning to use them for a one-way UC next year back from the Caribbean but I can see that’s not happening now.

We have 60k and 40k respectively and I’ve dismissed flights as even with our healthy MR points balance I could use for top ups, we are booked up for travel into late 2025.

So what is a good value use of Virgin points now that flights are about to be devalued?

[BA Flyer IHG Stayer]

Check the Virgin Red website.

[NorthernLass]

Not sure why you think it won’t be possible to use the points as planned, we haven’t seen the new rates yet. However, Virgin Red, as suggested, or convert to HH if you collect those?

[aq.1988]

I’d probably wait until after the 30th before giving up on VS yet, but you could probably still use the points on their SkyTeam partners.

[NorthernLass]

True – I got what feels like a good redemption on DL; ATL-NAS next March (so peak spring break season) for 11k VS points plus $6 each. Cash prices were around $300.

[masaccio]

I am not in a panic to spend, but I am starting to wonder whether it’s even worth continuing to divert anything to my Virgin account. I would not spend cash on UC from the Caribbean (those seats are getting very old) so it’d need to be an excellent return to top up what I have with valuable MRs.

aq.1988 wrote:

I’d probably wait until after the 30th before giving up on VS yet, but you could probably still use the points on their SkyTeam partners.

Is availability any good there?

NorthernLass wrote:

Not sure why you think it won’t be possible to use the points as planned, we haven’t seen the new rates yet. However, Virgin Red, as suggested, or convert to HH if you collect those?

Nah, I’ve never bothered with hotel points. Not liking chain hotels is part of the reason.

[ekposh]

NorthernLass wrote:

True – I got what feels like a good redemption on DL; ATL-NAS next March (so peak spring break season) for 11k VS points plus $6 each. Cash prices were around $300.

On the phone or online? I find DL availability non existant online. Is there a trick?

[NorthernLass]

Online, I just searched the route on the Virgin app and there was availability on the exact date I wanted. Booked about 7 months out.

[Guernsey Globetrotter]

@masaccio Easy! For 100k points it’s gotta be 500 sausage rolls, innit 😉

[xenole]

Let’s jump in here.

Got around 21k Virgin miles that I’m unlikely to use for flying. Will take me years to earn enough for a UC flight and might as well pay cash with the taxes.
(Dribs and drabs each year from Tesco – haven’t flown with Virgin since 2010)

Don’t really want a load of Greggs food.

Anyway, may convert them at 1:1 to IHG points as they’ll me far more useful.
Do I have to ring Virgin to do this?
How long does it take?

[NorthernLass]

@ekposh – re DL redemptions, I’ve also just booked ATL-FLL for next March, loads of availability.

[BA Flyer IHG Stayer]

xenole wrote:

Let’s jump in here.

Got around 21k Virgin miles that I’m unlikely to use for flying. Will take me years to earn enough for a UC flight and might as well pay cash with the taxes.
(Dribs and drabs each year from Tesco – haven’t flown with Virgin since 2010)

Don’t really want a load of Greggs food.

Anyway, may convert them at 1:1 to IHG points as they’ll me far more useful.
Do I have to ring Virgin to do this?
How long does it take?

Have you even looked at the Virgin Red website / app? There is far more on there than Greggs!

If you want to move your points to IHG then details on how to do it are on the VS website page for IHG

[ekposh]

@northernlass – thanks. I am trying ATL-MCO with no joy for April (seems Fridays is the problem too).