How to buy Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points

How do you buy Virgin Points in Flying Club?

Flying Club is the loyalty programme run by Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited, with Virgin Red Limited involved in awarding and redeeming Virgin Points and holding ownership of them. [3] Members may purchase Virgin Points, and may pay to transfer and to gift Virgin Points into other members' Flying Club accounts, using the service on the Virgin Atlantic website or via the Customer Centre. [3] The same clause covers the Points Booster service, which lets a member pay to increase the Virgin Points earned on a Virgin Atlantic flight, and states that the purchase, transfer, gift and booster facility is operated on Virgin Red's behalf by Points International Ltd. [3]

The Flying Club menu on virginatlantic.com lists a Buy points page after Earn points and Earning calculator, under More ways to benefit. [6] Full details of each service are published on the Virgin Atlantic website under the relevant sections. [3]

Virgin Points are personal to a member and cannot be moved between accounts except in the limited circumstances the terms set out. [3] Whatever they cost, they are not a deposit: Virgin Points have no cash value and are not exchangeable for cash under any circumstances. [3]

How do you weigh a purchase against a reward seat?

To weigh a purchase, compare points purchased against points needed for the seat, plus everything the seat does not include. Virgin Atlantic makes available a minimum of 12 reward seats across all three cabins on every Virgin Atlantic-operated flight — 8 in Economy Classic, 2 in Premium and 2 in Upper Class — at the point the flights are released for sale, 331 days before departure. [3] Reward seats not booked 30 days before departure may be released back into general sale, and once all 12 have been taken further availability is not guaranteed. [3] Reward bookings in the Economy cabin are made under the Economy Classic product. [3]

The points total is only part of the price. Reward flights do not include passenger taxes, fees, charges and surcharges, which are charged per passenger and are subject to change. [3] The Flying Club terms version headed “Effective from 30th November 2021 until the 29th October 2024” says that, once reward tickets are issued, a member may amend the travel date, route or class of service before travel for an amendment fee of £30 for changes to international flights originating in the UK, US$50 for changes to international flights originating in the US, or the local currency equivalent of US$50 for changes to flights originating in any other region. [4] The same version says that if a flight reward is cancelled by the member outside 24 hours of the outbound flight, 100% of the Virgin Points are re-credited to the member's account, and a cancellation fee of £30 for changes to flights originating in the UK, US$50 for changes to flights originating in the US or local currency equivalent of US$50 for changes to flights originating in any other region applies. [4]

Availability decides whether the comparison holds at all: popular dates such as weekends, school holidays and public holidays fill quickly, and the seats allocated on a particular flight may be fully booked even when other booking classes still have seats. [3] For a step-by-step method, see buying miles for a specific trip.

What else can Virgin Points pay for?

Points Plus Money lets Flying Club members redeem Virgin Points for a discount when booking any published fare on flights operated by Virgin Atlantic at virginatlantic.com, and it is open to all Flying Club members. [3] There are no blackout dates or inventory restrictions, and the rules of the published fare govern the ticket. [3] The discount is selected online on the payment summary page, applies to adult and child fares but not infant fares, and can be set against the whole booking cost, including the base fare and all taxes, fees, charges and surcharges. [3]

Members still earn Virgin Points and Tier Points on a Pay with Points booking, and Upgrade and Companion Rewards can be combined with a booking that already carries a Points Plus Money discount. [3] Points used for the discount are not refunded with later changes or refunds unless Virgin Atlantic's flight programme or operations are altered, suspended, cut back or cancelled. [3] Outside arrangements such as Points Plus Money, cash can only be combined with Virgin Points in part payment for a reward where Virgin Atlantic or the relevant reward provider expressly says so. [3]

Do bought points count towards tier status or vouchers?

Flying Club ties Tier Points to qualifying flights: they are earned for each qualifying flight taken as a member, and the number depends on the booking class paid and the cabin flown. [3] Virgin Points and Tier Points are issued only for flights actually flown by the member, are based on the class of ticket paid for, reflect no complimentary or reward upgrade, and are credited after travel rather than at booking. [3] The earning calculator shows how tier status lifts flight earnings, with a 30% Silver tier bonus and a 60% Gold tier bonus on top of the booking-class percentage, from 25% of miles in Economy Light booking class T up to 500% in Upper Class booking classes J, C and D for Red members. [5]

Upgrade and Companion Rewards are subject to availability and cannot be applied to bookings made in the Economy Light product. [3] Upgrade Rewards can be redeemed through the Customer Centre or at the airport ticket desk before check-in and at least two hours before departure, never at the boarding gate, and additional taxes and charges apply. [3] An Upgrade Reward cannot be used with a promotional fare or discount, and a round-trip upgrade covers two flown sectors only. [3] Gold members receive a complimentary Companion Reward when their Gold membership renews, valid for 12 months from the date it is awarded. [3] See Virgin Atlantic companion voucher for the conditions attached to companion rewards.

Exceptions and limits

• No cash, no resale. Virgin Points have no cash value, and members may not sell or auction rewards or Virgin Points in any circumstances; doing so could lead to termination of membership. [3]
• Transfers are narrow. Points can move to another member's account only in limited cases, such as a transfer to a named beneficiary after a member's death at Virgin Atlantic's sole discretion and subject to documentation, or a paid transfer where the holding member pays the transfer fees shown on the Virgin Atlantic website and follows the Virgin Points transfer procedure. [3]
• Cancellation wipes the balance. If a member cancels their account, or the account is terminated for any reason, any Virgin Points which have not been redeemed are automatically forfeited and will not be redeemable; the terms provide that a member who instead chooses to cancel Flying Club membership under clause 2.16 and has linked a Virgin Red account keeps those Virgin Points available for use via Virgin Red, and that cancelling Flying Club membership does not cancel Virgin Red membership. [3]
• Audits and errors. Accounts may be audited at any time without notice, points credited because of technical or human error may be withdrawn, and fraudulent or irregular transactions can lead to suspension or termination. [3]
• Rules and charges change. Virgin Atlantic may vary the terms, and rewards, participating companies and programme features including any charges may be modified, withdrawn, replaced or added at any time. [3]
• Seat supply can fall short. Reward availability may be restricted or unavailable in circumstances such as an aircraft change, large-scale disruption or where a cabin is not provided on an aircraft. [3]

Frequently asked questions

Where do you buy Virgin Points for Flying Club?

Members buy Virgin Points through the service on the Virgin Atlantic website or by calling the Customer Centre, and the facility is operated for Virgin Red Limited by Points International Ltd. [3] A Buy points page sits in the Flying Club menu of virginatlantic.com, after Earn points and Earning calculator under More ways to benefit. [6]

Do Virgin Points bought for a trip expire?

There is no prescribed time frame for redeeming Virgin Points while a member continues in the programme and complies with the terms, but points still unredeemed when an account is cancelled or terminated are forfeited. [3]

Are taxes and fees included when you pay with points for a flight?

No. Reward flights do not include passenger taxes, fees, charges and surcharges, which are charged per passenger and are subject to change. [3]

Can you use points and cash on the same booking?

Yes, through Points Plus Money, which lets members redeem Virgin Points for a discount on any published fare on Virgin Atlantic-operated flights booked online, with no blackout dates or inventory restrictions. [3]

Can you move bought points to another member's account?

Virgin Points are personal and cannot be transferred between accounts except in limited circumstances, such as a transfer to a named beneficiary after a member's death, or a paid transfer made under Virgin Atlantic's transfer procedure. [3]

Related pages

Programme: Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. Guides: buying miles for a specific trip, Virgin Atlantic companion voucher. Terms: promotional miles, frequent flyer glossary.

Sources

Sources checked on 18 October 2026. Other programmes, including British Airways Club, Delta SkyMiles, United MileagePlus and Air France-KLM Flying Blue, are not covered here.

1. Virgin Atlantic Flying Club terms and conditions, effective from 30 October 2024, checked 18 October 2026
2. Virgin Atlantic Flying Club terms and conditions, effective from 30 November 2021 until 29 October 2024, checked 18 October 2026
3. Virgin Atlantic Flying Club earning calculator, checked 18 October 2026
4. Virgin Atlantic homepage and Flying Club navigation, checked 18 October 2026