Looking to travel across the pond this summer? To celebrate the airline's 40th birthday, Virgin Atlantic unveiled a new offer to help you save thousands of points on your next award redemption to the United Kingdom, but you'll need to act quickly, as this promotion ends June 24.
You can get 40% off all award redemptions in economy, premium economy and Upper Class (business class) on any flight operated by Virgin Atlantic, including all routes from the U.S. to London on any date in 2024. This is a better Promo Awards deal than the one we saw in January, which only offered 20% off redemptions for most destinations.
To take advantage of this 40% off award deal, you must book by 7:59 p.m. EDT (23:59 GMT) on June 24 for travel through Dec. 31.
Related: Is Virgin Atlantic premium economy worth it on the A330-900neo?
As a reminder, Virgin Atlantic operates between London's Heathrow Airport (LHR) and the following U.S. airports:
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
- Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
- Miami International Airport (MIA)
- New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
- Las Vegas' Harry Reid International Airport (LAS)
- Orlando International Airport (MCO)
- San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
- Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
- Tampa International Airport (TPA)
- Washington, D.C.'s Dulles International Airport (IAD)
The discounts apply to flights in any direction and any cabin with award availability on any route. This offer is available for redemptions, upgrades and companion tickets.
Virgin Atlantic must operate the flight for your redemption to qualify for the promotion. Virgin Atlantic flies beyond London to various destinations in India, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, China and Nigeria, among other locations.
Related: Video alert! TPG reviews all cabins on Virgin Atlantic's Airbus A330-900neo
Daily Newsletter
Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s experts
Round-trip economy redemptions start from just 12,000 Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points from JFK or 18,000 points from LAX on off-peak dates. You'll see the points discount applied when booking online. So, if you want to fly to LHR for a positioning flight to start your European summer vacation, you can redeem just 6,000 points if you book a flight from JFK. This is a terrific deal.
To see the full list of starting award redemption prices in economy, premium economy and Upper Class, check out Virgin Atlantic's website.
While 40% award redemptions is a great deal, especially as this deal covers all dates, routes and cabins, customers will incur the full fees, taxes and substantial surcharges when booking with Virgin Atlantic.
Unlike with British Airways, there is no way to reduce the carrier-imposed surcharges by redeeming more points. Even in economy, you can expect to pay hundreds of dollars extra; in business class, the total is more than $1,000 round-trip. For example, this round-trip business-class flight from JFK to LHR can cost you just 57,000 points, but you must pay more than $2,000 in taxes and fees.
These surcharges remain the biggest frustration with the Flying Club program.
Related: 10 things to know about flying Virgin Atlantic's super business class, the Retreat Suite
How to book Virgin Atlantic award flights
To take advantage of this great offer, you must book by 7:59 p.m. EDT. Sadly, the discount does not apply to existing bookings. You may consider canceling and rebooking if your existing flight falls within the eligibility window. However, availability is not guaranteed.
If you need to earn Virgin points for one of these awards, you can transfer points from American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One, Chase Ultimate Rewards and Citi ThankYou Rewards. These transfers process at a 1:1 ratio and should post instantaneously to your Virgin account.
This terrific offer from Flying Club is generous given it covers all routes in all classes for the rest of 2024. Just be mindful of those pesky surcharges when booking.
Related reading:
- Key travel tips you need to know — whether you're a first-time or frequent traveler
- Best travel credit cards
- 6 real-life strategies you can use when your flight is canceled or delayed
- 8 of the best credit cards for general travel purchases
- 13 must-have items the TPG team can't travel without
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
