The Virgin Atlantic Flying Club program has launched a sale on Economy Class award redemptions on select routes between London. Moreover, there are also wide open award seats in Premium Economy and Upper Class.
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Offering 20% Discounts On Economy Class Awards
For award redemptions booked by April 27, 2023, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club members will be able to enjoy 20% off on Economy Class Reward Flights to selected destinations where you can book a one-way flight for as low as 10,000 points or 20,000 points on round-trip flights.
Based on a round-trip itinerary, you can book discounted Economy Class awards between London and US West Coast for 24,000 points in the standard season and 40,000 points during the peak season.
London Heathrow(LHR) – San Francisco(SFO) roundtrip for 24,000 points
London Heathrow(LHR) – Seattle(SEA) roundtrip for 24,000 points
London Heathrow(LHR) – Los Angeles(LAX) roundtrip for 24,000 points
Between London and US East Coast and Southern Africa for 20,000 points in the standard season and 36,000 points during the peak season.
London Heathrow(LHR) – New York(JFK) roundtrip for 20,000 points
London Heathrow(LHR) – Boston(BOS) roundtrip for 20,000 points
London Heathrow(LHR) – Johannesburg(JNB) roundtrip for 20,000 points
Between London and Tel Aviv, Israel for 14,400 points in the standard season and 17,600 points during the peak season.
London Heathrow(LHR) – Tel Aviv(TLV) roundtrip for 14,400 points
Wide Open Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Awards On Premium And Upper Class
Although there are no promotions running for Premium and Upper Class awards this time, there are wide open award spaces throughout the year. Here are some Upper Class awards on the monthly availability.
London Heathrow(LHR) – New York(JFK)
London Heathrow(LHR) – San Francisco(SFO)
London Heathrow(LHR) – Johannesburg(JNB)
Save Fuel Surcharges And Taxes On Virgin Atlantic Awards By Booking One-Way Trips
The negative aspect of Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Club awards is it charges outrageous taxes and fees. The program charges these fees based on where your travel originates from, especially, when your flight departs from cities other than London.
Here is an example from New York to London in Economy Class. A round-trip award costs 20,000 points and $493 in taxes and fees. As the cabin class goes higher, these fees will skyrocket.
So how can you reduce the fees? You can do it by booking two one-way tickets instead. For example, if you book separate one-way awards from New York – London and London – New York, the taxes and fees will cost around $421.
Given that the round-trip taxes cost $492, you can save $71 just by booking two separate one-way tickets.
Earning Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Points
Historically, Flying Club members were limited to earning points from flying Virgin Atlantic or codeshared airlines, through credit cards or hotel programs and car rentals however, that is not the case anymore.
As of March 2023, Virgin Atlantic is officially a member of the SkyTeam alliance so this is really great news for those who do not possess credit cards or hotel loyalty points as you can earn points by taking any SkyTeam partners.
Summary
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club launched a promotion where members can redeem Economy Class awards with 20% off the regular rates when booked by April 27, 2023. Although this offer requires you to travel between April to July, I think it is great to take advantage of the summer holidays.
Moreover, there are wide award spaces available on Premium and Upper Class seats throughout the year so if you have travel plans, I would recommend booking these seats before selling out.