- Transfers must be done in increments of 1,000 points
- Redeem for this exclusive offer from 12:00 a.m. MT on 4/21/2024 to 11:59 p.m. MT on 5/31/2024 to receive 30% additional Virgin Points
- Additional Virgin Points will be awarded at the time of transfer
- Generally, transfers are immediate but please allow up to 72 hours for the transfer to be completed
- April 2024: 30%
- December 2023: 30%
- June 2023: 30%
- September 2022: 30%
- September 2021: 30%
Virgin Atlantic arguably has some of the best sweet spot redemptions in the award travel game. However, some of them can be particularly tricky to find, so don’t be afraid to leverage tools like Roame or SkyView to improve your search speed.
North America, Europe, Australia <> Japan On ANA Business/First Class For Just 35k AMEX Points
This is arguably one of the best point deals in all of travel, even after its devaluation in 2023. If departing/flying into Australia, Canada, or the Western US (e.g. SFO, LAX), you can fly on ANA’s top-tier business class for just 45,000 Virgin points in each direction. With the 30% transfer bonus from American Express, you can book this same flight for just 35,000 AMEX points (bonus of 10,500 Virgin pts).
You could even fly on ANA’s first class product for just 72.5–85k Virgin points each direction as well. For context, ANA’s first class can sometimes sell for upwards of $20,000 roundtrip from the East Coast, meaning you can really get a lot out of your hard-earned points with this redemption. And with the 30% transfer bonus, that price comes down to just 56–66k AMEX Membership Reward points.
Securing business or first-class tickets on ANA via Virgin Atlantic for a trip to Japan can be tough given the current travel boom, but it's definitely possible with the help of tools like Roame. Click here to find out how to book your seats!
U.S. <> Europe On Air France/KLM Business Class
You can use Virgin Atlantic points to snag Air France/KLM business class seats for as low as 48,500 points plus taxes in the off-peak season, and up to 58,500 points during peak times. With the current 30% transfer bonus from AMEX, these rates drop to just 38,000 for off-peak and 45,000 for peak seasons. Given the rising costs of transatlantic flights, this deal offers a superb opportunity to experience a top-notch business class flight to or from Europe.
Virgin uses a zone based system to determine its Air France/KLM partner award pricing:
- Zone 1: UK, Germany, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Ireland, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Denmark, Balearic Islands, Finland, Italy, Malta, Norway and Sweden.
- Zone 6: East Coast USA, East Canada, Antigua, Barbados, Bahamas, Cuba, Bermuda, Dominican Republic, French Guyana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Caiman Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Virgin Islands, Jamaica, Martinique, Haiti, Porto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago and Saint Marteen.
You can use Roame's premium SkyView product to easily search for deals:
West Coast U.S. <> Europe In Air France/KLM Economy Class
Flying from the West Coast (what Virgin calls Zone 7) can also present several incredible opportunities for deals. Flights to Europe start at just 15,000 points plus taxes each way (or 12,000 points with the AMEX bonus.
Virgin employs a zone-based system for setting its award pricing on Air France/KLM tickets. Consequently, you'll find these attractive prices for flights to and from Zone 1 and Zone 7 (explained below):
- Zone 1: UK, Germany, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Ireland, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Denmark, Balearic Islands, Finland, Italy, Malta, Norway and Sweden.
- Zone 7: Central & West USA, Hawaii, Central & West Canada, Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama and Nicaragua.
U.S. <> Auckland On Air New Zealand Business Class
Traveling to Auckland in business class across the Pacific Ocean sounds like a dream. The partnership between Air New Zealand and Virgin Atlantic offers some truly exciting award travel opportunities: just 62,500 Virgin miles one-way plus minimal taxes and fees. However, finding this redemption can be akin to spotting a unicorn due to its scarcity.
With AMEX's ongoing transfer bonus, that flight becomes just 49k points—a unicorn of the unicorns (a dodo?).
Note: you cannot find Air New Zealand awards on Virgin's website. However, you can use partners to find potential availability so that you can call Virgin later to confirm. This Roame search above shows an Air New Zealand flight priced at 75k Aeroplan pts. To try and book this elusive award, you would:
- Give Virgin Atlantic a call at 1 (800) 862-8621
- Confirm the award availability with the agent and request the award booking to be held for 24-48 hours (this may not be possible)
- Transfer your points to Virgin Atlantic
- Call Virgin Atlantic again at 1 (800) 862-8621 to pay for your booking
- Note the Air New Zealand record locator
I think this has some incredible potential to be a fantastic deal through and through. When looking at Virgin Atlantic’s best, top-tier redemptions, the CPP calculations for these flights are jaw dropping, far exceeding even some of the average valuations we have for points.
