Start here: Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

What is Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, and how do you join?

Flying Club is run by Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited, a company incorporated in England, with Virgin Red Limited handling the awarding and redemption of Virgin Points and owning the points held in member accounts. [3] The two balances do different jobs. Virgin Points are the spending currency: members earn them with Virgin Atlantic, its partners and partner brands, then use them on rewards or to discount future flights and holidays. [1] Tier Points are the status currency and decide whether a member sits in Red, Silver or Gold. [1]

Joining costs nothing. [1] An application must give the member's full name as it appears on their passport, date of birth, an email address that can be used on one account only, and a preferred mailing address. [3] Applicants under 18 need a parent's or guardian's consent, and membership is not fully active until that consent has been received and processed; a child under 12 has to be enrolled by phone through the Virgin Atlantic Customer Centre, while a 12-to-17-year-old can apply online or by phone, with a completed consent form sent in for online applications. [3] Only one Flying Club account is allowed per person, membership cannot be transferred or assigned, and companies and other business entities are not eligible. [3]

How do you earn Virgin Points and Tier Points?

Earning starts from the day you enrol, and the first qualifying revenue flight in Economy Light, Economy Classic, Economy Delight, Premium or Upper Class begins the balance. [3] On Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Points are a percentage or multiple of each "Base Mile" flown, set by booking class, cabin and product purchased, while the Tier Points for a qualifying flight are set by the booking class paid and the cabin flown. [3] Status then lifts the rate: Silver earns a 30% bonus on top of the class rate and Gold earns 60% more. [5]

Points are issued only for flights actually flown and are credited after travel is completed, not at booking, and they reflect the cabin paid for rather than a complimentary or reward upgrade. [3] Free or reduced-rate tickets do not earn, including upgrades bought at the airport, Plusgrade upgrades, travel-agent or industry discounts, charter flights operated by Virgin Atlantic and complimentary tickets. [3] Partner airlines earn Tier Points in qualifying classes, [3] and on codeshares Virgin Points and Tier Points are earned only where the flight number carries a "VS" prefix in an applicable class, except inside the Virgin Atlantic, Delta, Air France and KLM joint venture or the wider SkyTeam alliance, where the marketing carrier's levels apply. [3] If the membership number was missing at booking, Virgin Atlantic flights can be claimed for up to six months after the travel date, and points normally credit within 7 days of travel, or usually within 30 days for partner purchases. [3] For the general mechanics behind these balances, see Start here: airline miles.

How do you use Virgin Points?

Rewards are listed on Virgin Atlantic's Ways to Spend Virgin Points pages and can only be claimed once enough points sit in the account. [3] Reward flights exclude passenger taxes, fees, charges and surcharges, which are payable per passenger; availability is never guaranteed, blackout dates may apply, and some partner rewards need at least 14 days' notice. [3] Across the Atlantic, Virgin Atlantic advertises reward seats from 6,000 Virgin Points one way. [1]

On every flight Virgin Atlantic operates, a minimum of 12 reward seats is made available across the three cabins — 8 in Economy Classic, 2 in Premium and 2 in Upper Class — at the point seats are released for sale, 331 days before departure. [3] Reward seats still unbooked 30 days before departure may be returned to general sale, extra seats are not promised once the 12 are taken, and Economy reward bookings are made in the Economy Classic product. [3]

Reward flights and Points Plus Money discounts can be booked on the website, but Upgrade, Companion and Chauffeur Driven Car Service rewards must be booked by phone. [3] Points Plus Money turns points into a discount on any published fare for flights operated by Virgin Atlantic, with no blackout dates or inventory restrictions; the member must be logged in, the discount is applied online only, it can cover the base fare and all taxes, fees, charges and surcharges, and it applies to adult and child fares but not infant fares. [3] Upgrades and Companion Rewards cannot be added to a booking made in Economy Light. [3]

How does Flying Club status work, and how do you plan a first reward booking?

Moving up a tier means accumulating Tier Points, and Virgin Atlantic publishes the required totals on its own tier pages. [3] Silver members who retain Silver are credited with 2,000 Virgin Points within seven days of their new membership year, [3] and Gold members receive a complimentary Companion Reward on renewal, issued at the end of the Gold membership year and valid for 12 months. [3] A Gold member reaching 1,500 Tier Points in a membership year gets two Clubhouse invitations valid for 24 months from issue, and one reaching 2,000 earns a one-cabin round-trip upgrade reward for two people on Virgin Atlantic-operated flights, valid for 12 months. [3] Long-term status has its own bar: Lifetime Gold requires at least 10 consecutive calendar years at Gold plus a minimum of 7,500 Tier Points earned in those years on Virgin Atlantic-operated and marketed flights, excluding codeshares, manually added or bonus Tier Points, and excluding any complimentary Gold year. [3] Virgin Atlantic also advertises a status match for travellers who already hold status elsewhere. [1] For how tiers and lounge access work at other airlines, see Start here: status and lounges.

For a first reward, log in and search reward seats with Virgin Atlantic. [5] A reward booking only becomes binding once it is confirmed in writing. [3] After a reward ticket is issued, the date, route or cabin can be changed before travel for a fee of £30 on international flights originating in the UK, US$50 on flights originating in the US, or the local currency equivalent of US$50 elsewhere, while names cannot be changed at all. [3] A reward flight cancelled outside 24 hours of the outbound flight returns 100% of the Virgin Points, less the same £30 or US$50 cancellation fee. [3]

Exceptions and limits

• Flying Club terms can be varied at any time for security, legal or regulatory reasons or to reflect changes in how the programme runs, and rewards, participating companies, features and charges may be changed or withdrawn, with notice posted on the programme homepage. [3]
• The terms are versioned by booking date, with one edition covering bookings up to 29 October 2024 and a later edition for bookings made from 30 October 2024. [4] [3]
• Local rules and eligibility for local promotions depend on the member's preferred mailing address. [3]
• Virgin Points are personal and cannot move between accounts, except to a named beneficiary after a member's death, at Virgin Atlantic's discretion, or through a paid transfer; points are forfeited if an account is cancelled or terminated. [3]
• In a Household Account, one member can link up to nine other members who live at the same address, and the leader must be 18 or over; Virgin Points earned by linked members move to the leader's account while each member keeps their own Tier Points, links last at least 12 months, and only the leader can spend unless an Authorised Account User is named. [3]
• Virgin Points have no cash value, cannot be exchanged for cash, and Virgin Red Limited retains ownership of the points in member accounts. [3]
• Reward availability can be restricted or withdrawn, for example after an aircraft change, during large-scale disruption, or where a cabin is not offered on the aircraft. [3]

Frequently asked questions

Do Virgin Points expire?

Virgin Atlantic states that Virgin Points never expire, and the terms set no prescribed timeframe for redeeming them as long as the member stays enrolled and complies with the terms. [1] [3] Points are forfeited if a member cancels or the account is terminated. [3]

Is Flying Club free to join?

Yes. Joining costs nothing and members can start earning straight away. [1] Only one account per person is permitted, and under-18s need parental consent. [3]

How many Virgin Points do I need for a reward flight?

The number is set on Virgin Atlantic's Ways to Spend Virgin Points pages and can change, and it excludes passenger taxes, fees, charges and surcharges. [3] Virgin Atlantic advertises transatlantic reward seats from 6,000 Virgin Points one way. [1]

Can I earn on partner flights?

Tier Points can be earned on partner airlines in qualifying classes, and codeshare flights earn when they carry a "VS" prefix in an applicable class, or when they sit inside the Delta, Air France, KLM and SkyTeam arrangements. [3]

How long do points take to appear in my account?

Virgin Atlantic says points should credit within 7 days of travel and partner purchases usually within 30 days, and missing Virgin Atlantic flights can be claimed for up to six months after travel. [3]

Related pages

Programme: Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. Courses: Start here: airline miles and Start here: status and lounges. Reference: frequent flyer glossary.

Sources

Sources checked on 18 October 2026. It covers Virgin Atlantic Flying Club only; other programmes, including British Airways Club, Delta SkyMiles, United MileagePlus, Flying Blue and Emirates Skywards, are not covered here.

1. Virgin Atlantic Flying Club programme overview, checked 18 October 2026
2. Virgin Atlantic Flying Club terms and conditions, effective from 30 October 2024, checked 18 October 2026
3. Virgin Atlantic Flying Club terms and conditions, in force 30 November 2021 to 29 October 2024, checked 18 October 2026
4. Virgin Atlantic Flying Club earning calculator, checked 18 October 2026