Major Devaluation: Virgin Voyages Redemptions Just Got Way More Expensive

Virgin Red has good news, but it comes with a big downside. All Virgin Voyages itineraries recently became bookable with points, but the amounts required have jumped dramatically, making it no longer worth redeeming points for cruises.

The lowest available rate for a 4-night cruise is now 305,000 points, a significant increase from the 95,000 points required just last fall, with some sailings even costing more than a million points.

Here’s what you need to know about the latest devaluation of Virgin Red.

How To Book Virgin Voyages With Points and Miles

Over the past couple of years, Virgin Red has periodically offered the ability to book Virgin Voyages cruises with points. These deals typically came with limited dates and destinations, but they stood out as a rare and valuable way to redeem credit card points for cruises, which have been notoriously difficult to book with rewards.

While these promotions only came around a couple of times per year, they offered strong value if you were able to take advantage of them. Just last summer, you could snag a 4-night sailing in the Caribbean for just 95,000 points for 2 people.

As such, many people took advantage of this amazing deal. To make the promotion even sweeter, I was able to earn Virgin points with a credit card transfer bonus, allowing me to move over even fewer points to Virgin Red than required.

Virgin Voyages Points Devaluation: What To Know

As we head into the summer, Virgin Red has quietly rolled out a significant change. All Virgin Voyages sailings in 2025 and 2026 (in a Central Sea Terrace cabin) are now bookable with points — no blackout dates, no restrictions.

The catch? Prices have skyrocketed. Redemptions now start at 305,000 points, though most of its sailings cost far more. You can browse all available cruises with points under the Spend tab, but be warned that the rates are astronomical.

Consider that same 4-night Caribbean cruise from last summer, which is the shortest and cheapest itinerary Virgin Voyages offers. It now costs 315,000+ points, and that plus symbol is key: Virgin Red can tack on more depending on demand.

We found dates priced between 320,000 and 360,000 points — compare that to just 95,000 points for the same cruise last year. That’s at least a 230% increase!

Even on the highest-priced dates, the cash fare for 2 sailors is around $2,400. That means you could have gotten about 2.5 cents per point in redemption value last year, and you’re now getting, at best, about 0.8 cents per point.

For example, as of last month, the program was offering select Fall 2025 sailings, such as a 13-night itinerary from Portsmouth to Lisbon, Casablanca, and Spain, which could be booked with points for 422,500 points. While this wasn’t the best deal, given that the voyage lasts 13 nights, the math works out to around 33,000 points per night, which isn’t too terrible.

As of May 2025, that same cruise now costs 830,000 points — an increase of nearly 100% from the previous rate. We’re seeing similar rate increases across all sailings, upwards of 300%.

Virgin Red does note in the fine print that prices are subject to change at any time, but a hike this steep doesn’t suggest we’ll be seeing a return to last year’s lower rates anytime soon.

Final Thoughts

While Virgin Red isn’t restricting eligible dates or itineraries, the sharp increase in redemption rates is hard to overlook. Unless you have an extensive collection of points and miles, it’s unlikely that any of these redemptions will make financial sense. We can only hope Virgin Red reconsiders these rates and brings back more down-to-earth pricing.