Virgin Atlantic is one of our favorite frequent flyer programs for a reason: it has some incredible redemptions to some of our favorite places to travel. With Capital One's current 30% transfer bonus offer to Virgin Atlantic, these deals only get even better.
The transfer bonus is set to end April 30, 2024. Furthermore, the transfer bonus is "technically" to Virgin Red, but you can easily move your Virgin Red points to Virgin Atlantic to book flights (and vice versa).
In this article, we'll review the transfer bonus + highlight other ongoing bonuses and then delve into some examples of potential redemption opportunities.
Current Virgin Atlantic Transfer Bonuses
Virgin Atlantic will oftentimes run transfer bonuses with its various credit card partners, typically about 20-30% (Bilt has been the anomaly, offering up to 150% for very short periods of time).
With transfer bonuses, you can effectively discount the amount of points you're paying by the % transfer. For example, if an award flight costs 72,500 Virgin miles after a 30% transfer bonus, then that flight will only run you ~55,500 points.
The chart below will highlight any other ongoing transfer bonuses so that you can get an accurate view of the land.
BRAND
Transfer Partner
Transfer Bonus Details
End Date
North America, Europe, Australia <> Japan On ANA Business/First Class For Just 35k C1 Miles
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 Capital One, you can book this same flight for just 35,000 C1 miles (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 Capital One miles.
Given its popularity and how high in demand Japan travel is right now, booking ANA's business and first class is notoriously difficult however, but it is doable with the support of tools like Roame. Click here to learn more about how to do it!
U.S. <> Europe On Air France/KLM Business Class
Virgin Atlantic points can also typically be used to book Air France/KLM business class tickets for as low as 48,500 points + taxes during off-peak seasons and as high as 58,500 during on-peak seasons. When combining these rates with this awesome 30% transfer bonus, rates suddenly become 38k for off-peak and 45k for on-peak. Considering how expensive it has generally become to fly to/from Europe, this is a fantastic deal to fly an awesome business class product over the Atlantic.
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. You can find flights to Europe starting at just 15,000 points + taxes in each direction (or 12k pts with the transfer bonus).
Virgin uses a zone based system to determine its award pricing when booking Air France/KLM tickets. As such, you will see these excellent prices for flights flying to/from Zone 1 and Zone 7 (defined 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.
East Coast U.S. <> Europe In Air France/KLM Economy Class
Similarly, Virgin offers excellent pricing for East Coast U.S., with flights starting at 12,000 points + taxes in each direction. Leveraging the transfer bonus here means you could get to Europe for just 10k Capital One miles—insanely cheap!
Virgin's zone-based system for its award pricing here is also very favorable when booking Air France/KLM flights:
- 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.
Intraeurope Flights Via Air France/KLM
Continuing on the Air France/KLM hype train, Virgin Atlantic has several fantastic offerings here as well. Based on its award chart pricing, more outsized value can be derived with partner flights:
Departing from either CDG or AMS, you can cover a huge portion of Europe using Virgin miles. And this 30% transfer bonus is no slouch here either, making it so you can sometimes fly to places for just a few thousand miles!
U.S. <> Auckland On Air New Zealand Business Class
Flying over the Pacific Ocean to Auckland in business class sounds pretty fun to me. Air New Zealand and Virgin Atlantic's partnership enables some incredibly exciting award redemptions: just 62,500 Virgin miles going each way + minimal taxes/fees. However, this redemption is considered almost a unicorn because of how rare/difficult it is to find.
With Capital One's transfer bonus, that flight becomes just 49k points.
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
Conclusion
Virgin Atlantic is a quirky program that requires you to oftentimes talk with their agents and to confirm availability via partner airlines. However, significant value can be derived with some of their offerings, helping you truly stretch the value of your miles. This is why Virgin remains as one of the top players in the points space, despite some of its technical difficulties.
