Positive and Negative Takeaways From Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Club Program Changes

The Virgin Atlantic Flying Club recently underwent major changes that will undoubtedly influence travelers who are considering flying with Britian’s second-largest carrier.

The most prevalent change that took effect yesterday was the introduction of dynamic reward pricing for Virgin Atlantic-operated flights. But that’s not all. The airline has also rolled out saver seats, raised change and cancellation fees, and implemented other changes, including making every seat available for award redemptions.

These new changes may benefit customers in the future but could also have the opposite effect.

There is a lot to unpack, so let’s examine the most recent Virgin Atlantic Flying Club changes in more detail.

Introducing Saver Seats

When Virgin Atlantic announced that every seat on every Virgin Atlantic flight could be booked using Virgin Points, it also introduced new Saver seats with a red marking indicating off-peak pricing.

The carrier is guaranteeing that 12 seats will be available for fixed-price redemption through its Flying Club program on every flight, including 2 in Upper Class, 2 in Premium, and 8 in Economy.

On low-demand days, these flights from the East Coast to London Heathrow Airport (LHR) will now cost as little as 6,000 Virgin points in economy, 10,500 in premium economy, and only 29,000 in business class.

We value Virgin points at 1.4 cents each, and you can now redeem as few as 29,000 points for a saver seat on Virgin Upper Class, which sells for well over $1,500 one-way. That’s a redemption value of nearly 4.3 cents per point.

Below are examples of prices for the new saver seat pricing in comparison to standard rates:

One challenge many people face when trying to redeem Virgin points is the surprisingly high fees, particularly when booking Upper Class. It’s great to see that saver fares have led to a reduction in these carrier-imposed surcharges, making things better for points and miles enthusiasts.

For example, an Upper Class saver ticket now costs $60 in taxes and fees, a significant reduction from the $500+ they used to charge. This is good news for travelers seeking affordable ways to cross the pond during off-peak periods.

Travel at Peak Times Will Result in High Rates

Nonetheless, not all news is positive. During peak periods like holidays, summer, and spring break, dynamic pricing will result in a significant increase in the Virgin points needed to book seats on Virgin Atlantic-operated flights.

While off-peak travel can offer excellent deals to London, if you plan to fly during peak periods in business class, be prepared to spend up to 350,000 points for your Upper Class ticket.

The new dynamic pricing model will require consumers to remain flexible with their travel plans if they want to secure favorable award redemption rates when flying with Virgin Atlantic.

Increased Change and Cancellation Fees

If your Virgin Atlantic flight begins in the U.S. and you need to modify or cancel your booking, the fees have doubled from $50 to $100 per person for changes and cancellations.

If you cancel your redemption more than 24 hours in advance, you can receive a refund for all points, fees, taxes, and surcharges, excluding the cancellation fee. If you cancel your flight within 24 hours of departure, you will only receive a refund for government fees after deducting the cancellation fee. Yes, that means you’re forfeiting everything else.

Upgrade to Any Seat

A welcome change is that all seats on Virgin-operated flights are now available for redemption. Any booking —regardless of whether it was purchased with cash or points — can now be upgraded with Virgin points.

To upgrade an existing award redemption, you must pay the difference in Virgin points plus the cash part, which includes fees, taxes, and surcharges. Since pricing is now dynamic, your upgrade cost will be whatever the cost of that seat is at the time of booking.

If you book a cash fare, you must pay the points price of the upgraded seat, which is less than the maximum Saver reward seat price for the cabin you are upgrading from, plus any applicable fees and taxes. You’ll need to evaluate whether it’s worth it on a case-by-case basis.

Final Thoughts

The recent changes to Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Club program have received mixed reactions. Although redemption rates from the U.S. to London are now extremely affordable, you’ll want to plan your travel during off-peak times to get those low rates, which might not work for everyone. While we aren’t fans of the higher cancellation and change fees, we really value the fact that upgrading to any seat is now an option.