Written on 24^th November 2016

Virgin Atlantic introduces changes to its loyalty programme – Flying Club

Virgin Atlantic is significantly increasing the number of miles you will earn in Upper Class and flexible Premium Economy (W, S) and reducing the number of miles you will earn from flying in the lowest Economy classes. Here's a glance of all the changes:

• Kickstart more adventures with accounts for under 12s;
• Silver members enjoy 30% more miles on every flight and Gold members 60%;
• Get more choice from your miles with standard and peak season reward flights (available to book from 16th January 2017);
• Enjoy great discounts on reward seat upgrades to Premium Economy or Upper Class;
• Save on adventures from as little as 3,000 miles;
• Your new membership number is now for life.

Are there changes to how Flying Club miles are earned?

The way you earn miles will still continue to be based on the distance flown and earning a bonus based on the cabin you choose to fly in. Starting from earning 50% of the base flown miles in Economy, Red members can now earn from 400% of the base flown miles if travelling in our Upper Class cabin.

Are Tier Points changing?

Virgin Atlantic also introduced a new structure for how you achieve status. You will earn 25 tier points for the lowest Economy tickets and up to 200 tier points in Upper Class. Silver status is reached and maintained with 400 tier points (from just one Upper Class return flight (J, C, D, I)). Gold status is reached and maintained with 1,000 tier points (from just three Upper Class return flights (J, C, D, I)). We’re also multiplying your existing tier points by 25, so you don’t have to worry about the flights you’ve already taken or have booked to travel.

What are standard and peak season reward flights?

From 16th January 2017, Virgin’s new seasonal prices enable members who fly less frequently the opportunity to reach a reward flight sooner. With standard reward flights starting from 20,000 miles for an Economy round trip, reward flights are much more achievable. Peak season reward flights start from 40,000 miles for an Economy round trip.

What’s changed with reward upgrades?

Virgin Atlantic has simplified the miles prices required to upgrade a revenue ticket based on the cabin you wish to upgrade to. An upgrade now costs 50% of the miles of a reward seat for a one cabin upgrade and 75% of the cost of a reward seat for a two cabin upgrade. This means you get a great value upgrade to Premium Economy starting from just 8,700 miles (plus taxes, fees and carrier imposed surcharges) one way.

How does the Miles Plus Money work?

Instead of one set discount per cabin, Virgin has introduced a flexible discount for all cabins that starts at 3,000 miles. For every 3,000 miles spent, you’ll be able to get £18 off, with no limit to how many miles you can use. So, with enough miles, it will be possible to pay for an entire trip using Miles Plus Money, which includes taxes, fees and carrier imposed surcharges. You will now also earn miles and tier points on all Miles Plus Money bookings. Miles Plus Money bookings can be made on our website from 13 November 2016 but cannot be made via our Customer Service Centre. For more information, please visit http://discoverflyingclub.virginatlantic.com/#1169 .