Virgin Atlantic is currently offering increased bonus offers on their Virgin Reward+ and Reward credit cards.
These are the highest bonuses we’ve seen since the cards launched in April 2018.
The enhanced bonus offers are:
- 30,000 Virgin miles for signing up to the Virgin Atlantic Reward+ credit card – an extra 15,000 miles on top of the usual offer.
- 12,000 Virgin miles with the free Virgin Atlantic Reward credit card – an extra 7,000 miles compared to the usual offer.
Both are very good offers – especially compared to their direct competition, the British Airways American Express credit cards.
The 30,000 points bonus on the Reward+ card beats the 25,000 Avios sign-up bonus currently offered by the British Airways Premium Plus card. While the 12,000 bonus miles on the free Virgin Reward card is a big improvement on the current 5,000 Avios offer on the free British Airways Credit card.
Which Virgin card is best for you?
Both cards offer impressive earning rates for a UK travel rewards Visa/Mastercard. But which is the best option for you?
Virgin Atlantic Reward Credit Card
- 5,000 bonus Flying Club miles with your first card purchase (within 90 days of account opening)
- Plus 7,000 additional miles when you spend £1,000 within 90 days of opening your account.
- Earn 0.75 Flying Club miles for every £1 spent
- 1.5 miles per £1 for all direct bookings with Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Holidays
- Spend £20,000 in a year and choose an extra credit card reward (see below)
- 0% interest on balance and money transfers for six months (3% fee)
- No annual fee
This card has a representative APR of 22.9% variable based on a notional credit limit of £1,200.
Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Credit Card
- 15,000 bonus Flying Club miles with your first card purchase (within 90 days of account opening)
- Plus 15,000 additional miles when you spend £3,000 within 90 days of opening your account.
- 1.5 Flying Club miles for every £1 spent
- 3 miles per £1 for all direct bookings with Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Holidays
- Spend £10,000 in a year and choose an extra credit card reward (see below)
- Free access to over 1 million global hotspots via Boingo Wi-Fi
- 0% interest on balance and money transfers for six months (3% fee)
- Annual fee: £160
This card has a representative APR of 63.9% based on a notional credit limit of £1,200 and a £160 annual fee. The representative APR on purchases is 22.9% variable.
Additional credit card rewards after spending £10,000 or £20,000
Reward+ and Reward cardholders can select a further credit card reward of their choice upon hitting £10,000/£20,000 of annual spend.
The rewards options vary according to your Virgin Atlantic elite status.
Red (entry level) Flying Club members
Can choose between a free upgrade to Premium Economy when flying Economy, or an Economy reward companion seat which enables them to take a companion for no additional miles (essentially a 2-4-1 companion voucher).
Silver Flying Club members
Can choose from any of the above options, as well as a Premium Economy reward companion seat or a Virgin Clubhouse lounge pass.
Gold Flying Club members
Can choose from: two Clubhouse passes, an Economy, Premium or Upper Class reward companion voucher, or a free premium economy upgrade.
2-4-1 companion vouchers will be awarded within seven days of hitting the £10,000/£20,000 thresholds.
All rewards have a 2-year expiry date – this is a major plus point for the Virgin Reward card over its British Airways counterpart. The 2-4-1 voucher on the free BA credit card is only valid for a year.
Other Virgin Atlantic credit card benefits
Free use of Virgin Money lounges
All Virgin Atlantic credit card cardholders get free access to Virgin Money Lounges. Refreshments, use of iPads, wi-fi, newspapers etc are also complimentary.
Complimentary global Wi-Fi access with Boingo
Reward+ cardholders receive free global Wi-Fi access via Boingo. This includes in-flight access and can be used on up to four devices. Depending on your travel patterns, this may be very useful.
Verdict
I bit the bullet on the Reward+ card back in December 2018 and love the fact that I can earn 1.5 miles per £1 at places that don’t take Amex.
However, the restrictions on using their 2-4-1 companion voucher remain a frustration. I’ve passed the spending threshold but currently, have no plans for spending my credit card reward. They could rectify this instantly by allowing all cardholders to redeem their voucher for travel in any class, including Upper Class. BA does this with the British Airways 2-4-1 companion voucher and it’s a great selling point for their credit cards.
If you can’t quite make the maths work on the Reward+ card fee, 12,000 miles with the Virgin Reward card is an excellent deal for a free card.
The increased bonus offers end on Sunday 30th June 2019 – I’ll look to slot in a reminder nearer the time.
The Reward card application page is here
The Reward+ card application page is here
Are you tempted by the increased bonuses on the Virgin credit cards?
Disclaimer: The information provided by Tricks of the Trade is intended solely as a helpful guide to relevant travel rewards card products and their various features and offers. You should always conduct your own research as recommendations provided within may not be suitable for your personal financial circumstances.