On October 30, Virgin Atlantic deployed on long-awaited changes to his Aeroclub programand overall they weren’t as bad as I feared.

For Flying Club members, all seats on Virgin-operated flights are now available book with Virgin pointsa radical departure from the strictly capacity-controlled system in which the program previously operated. Additionally, the most significant change to the program is that all award seats are now dynamically priced, with some prices reduced and others increased.

The changes are mixed and depend a lot on the type of traveler you are. As a flexible traveler without children, I’m pleasantly surprised by the new Flying Club program and prices – here’s why.

The reinvention of the Aeroclub did not go as planned

Although Virgin Atlantic released information regarding adjustments to Flying Club before it went live on October 30, as a frequent flyer of the airline, I released a wish list of changes which I believe would keep the program attractive to members and competitive in the loyalty landscape.

Here is whether these wishes were granted.

• A reasonable cap on dynamic pricing: I was hoping that the most expensive fares on peak dates would not exceed double previous award levels. Unfortunately, fares are now reaching 350,000 points per flight, more than four times previous amounts. While this is undoubtedly a negative change, many of these high award seats would never have been offered for redemption under the old capacity-controlled award system.
• The ability to pay extra with points: Although this change has not yet been implemented, the surcharges have been significantly reduced, so I consider this an improvement to the program.
• Discounts on off-peak surcharges and no increase in peak surcharges: Flying Club has discounted surcharges in place for all dates, including significantly reduced surcharges with the new Saver Fares. This is a major plus program in my book.
• Upgrades with points only: Unfortunately, you still have to pay the surcharges on upgrades.
• Ongoing network-wide discounts on award seats: I consider the new Saver seats, available on approximately 75% of all Virgin Atlantic-operated flights, equivalent to previous limited-time discounts across the entire network.

New Virgin Atlantic Saver fares are a great deal

While I was hoping for reduced redemption rates on low demand dates, the new Saver fares left me speechless and now offer the lowest fares of any major airline loyalty program for flights to Europe in all classes.

Although availability of these flights is limited (look for the red “Saver” tag when booking), prices start at just 6,000 Virgin points in economy from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Heathrow Airport (LHR), 10,500 Virgin points in economy class. Virgin points in premium economy and just 29,000 Virgin points in business class.

It is undeniable that these rates significantly improve the Flying Club program and are the best on the market. However, since a published awards chart no longer sets the pricing standard for Flying Club, being a flexible traveler is key to landing a great redemption deal now that the carrier has moved to a dynamic pricing model.

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Related: Quiet Luxury: Review of Virgin Atlantic’s A350 Premium Class Leisure Configuration from Manchester to Orlando

Reduced surcharges across the entire network

For years I’ve complained about how awesome the Flying Club is surcharges imposed by the carrierwhich added more than $2,000 to the cost of a round-trip business class exchange to Europe. Although I’ve held a good balance of Virgin points for years and am a fan of their premium products, I couldn’t bring myself to pay that much money on top of the points required for an award redemption.

Along with the new Saver fares, a real improvement to the program has been the reduction in surcharges imposed by carriers. Surcharges are dynamically priced – which is an unusual concept in itself – but for the cheapest Saver fares, this means that the total fees, taxes and surcharges payable for a flight to London are now as low as:

• $73 in economy
• $105 in premium economy
• $254 in business class

Even on peak dates, when you’ll pay the highest number of Virgin Points required, round-trip business class fees, taxes and surcharges from the US West Coast to London are around $1,350 (note that this price may fluctuate, as it is priced dynamically). Even if the price still leaves you speechless, it is a reduction compared to previous surcharges imposed by the carrier.

In addition, this heavier tax is due to ODA tax in the United Kingdom that all airlines pass on to consumers. Therefore, just be aware that when traveling from the UK to the US you will pay higher surcharges.

Capitalize on Virgin Atlantic transfer bonuses

Since Flying Club is a transfer partner of many popular credit card programs, transfer bonuses are a great way to save even more on your next flight.

For example, the following transfer bonuses are currently offered:

If you have transferable Chase and Citi credit card points At your disposal, you can book a business class flight to London from 21,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points or 23,000 ThankYou Rewards points with the lowest Saver fares.

This is an astonishing price because even popular programs like Air France-KLM Flying Blue start from 50,000 miles when booking a one-way business class seat from the United States to Europe.

Flying Club peak fares are super expensive

Although the Aero Club has made many positive changes to its program, there are some drawbacks if you want to travel during popular times. When searching for awards, you may find that many dates offer business class flights at 350,000 points per flight.

In the same way that I was speechless at how low the new Saver rates were, it was a similar shock to see how disappointing the peak rates have become. Although I expected prices to increase on peak dates, I didn’t expect them to be this high.

Therefore, I would not recommend anyone to redeem their Flying Club points at these rates. If you want to travel during peak season, you’ll likely be able to find a much better deal through other programs or by booking a cash fare. This is especially true when you consider that TPG values ​​700,000 Virgin points at $9,800 by our November 2024. assessment of blank points.

Even if you want to book an economy ticket for 150,000 points each, that’s not reasonable, and I wouldn’t recommend redeeming your Virgin or credit card points that way.

Virgin Flying Club award spreads

With the recent program changes, I’ve noticed that the new dynamic pricing is generating odd rates. For example, this one-way economy ticket from Miami to London costs 161,000 points, while the premium economy ticket only costs 43,500 points. The economy class ticket price is almost four times that of a premium seat. Is this a technical problem?

Additionally, I have seen asymmetric pricing where a Saver Fare is offered for an Economy Class seat, while Premium and Upgrade Fares are priced dynamically. I think it’s unlikely that anyone would be willing to pay nearly 27 times more points to book a premium economy ticket than an economy ticket on the same plane.

I wouldn’t panic about these price discrepancies just yet, as I think Virgin is still figuring out how to price their seats, and these prices will most likely adjust and become more reasonable as time goes on. time.

Even with credit card transfer bonuses, I’d be shocked if many Flying Club members were willing to pay 250,000 points for a premium economy flight, especially when they realize it’s a seat in economy class plus and not business class.

Related: Is Virgin Atlantic’s premium economy worth it on the A330-900neo?

If no one is paying these high prices and flights aren’t full, I would expect to see reduced fares. After all, it is of little interest to future program members to see only these maximum rates when deciding whether or not to transfer credit card points to Flying Club.

Additionally, I am keen to see if last minute Saver fares will be introduced to fill planes with many empty seats, even on peak dates. This could mean great deals for spontaneous travelers like me.

Even Delta SkyMiles Program and its notorious dynamic pricing make reduced reimbursement rates from time to time.

How to earn Virgin Flying Club points

Virgin points are easy to earn, with Flying Club being a transfer partner of all major transferable currency:

It should be noted that Capital One miles transfer to Virgin Red, not directly to the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. However, you can easily use points from your Virgin Red account with the Aeroclub.

Check out these card options where you can earn reward points and miles to book Flying Club award seats. Additionally, these cards all offer great welcome bonuses:

As always, TPG recommends researching reward availability Before transfer your credit card points.