Virgin Atlantic Saver fares: How I booked lie-flat business-class seats to London for simply 21,000 factors
Enjoyable reality: Despite the fact that I’ve labored at TPG for five 1/2 years and have a pleasant stash of factors and miles saved up, I’ve by no means booked a global lie-flat business-class flight … that’s, till now.
More often than not, I am an economic system traveler. Even on worldwide long-haul flights, I usually select to forgo a lie-flat seat to avoid wasting my factors and miles. At this level in my life, the variety of journeys I can take per 12 months with my factors is much extra vital than forking out on a luxurious flight expertise, even when which means sacrificing some sleep and luxury on longer flights. And truthfully, I am hardly ever on a global flight that lasts greater than seven or eight hours most.
However when Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership rolled out its new dynamic pricing for Virgin Atlantic-operated flights, I discovered a deal too good to cross up and began specializing in the Flying Membership program correctly for the primary time.
Because of Virgin Atlantic’s new dynamic pricing on award flights and a well timed Chase switch bonus, I booked my first lie-flat, round-trip business-class flight for simply 42,000 bank card factors (plus taxes and costs).
Here is how one can, too.
Stacking an excellent take care of an excellent switch bonus
Whereas some Flying Membership factors charges now skyrocket to 350,000 factors every means for Virgin Atlantic’s Higher Class (enterprise class), versatile vacationers may also rating nice offers by way of Flying Membership’s new Saver fares.
Associated: Flexibility is vital: Why I (principally) just like the Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership modifications
Extra out of curiosity than any precise plan to guide a visit, I did a number of pattern searches in late October to assist co-workers perceive the brand new Flying Membership modifications.
A number of dates all through the primary half of 2025 had been out there for simply 29,000 factors (plus taxes and costs) every means in lie-flat enterprise class between New York Metropolis’s John F. Kennedy Worldwide Airport (JFK) and London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR).
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For comparability, that is about what you’d pay to fly economic system on American Airways from New York to London within the spring of 2025. I’ve earned greater than double that on lease funds alone this 12 months with my Bilt Mastercard® (see charges and costs).
However what turned this nice deal right into a “you would be foolish to not guide this” deal in my head is the present Chase switch bonus in place. Via Nov. 30, you get an additional 40% while you switch your Chase Final Rewards factors to Flying Membership. Which means this journey went from costing 58,000 factors round-trip to simply 42,000 factors round-trip (or 21,000 factors every means).
The draw back is the taxes and costs, that are usually a lot increased for business-class seats than economic system tickets. However whereas $870 in taxes and costs round-trip definitely is not low cost, paying lower than $900 all-in for transatlantic business-class seats that may have simply value $3,000-plus had I paid in money nonetheless classifies as a implausible deal, and the surcharges are a lot decrease than the $2,000-plus Flying Membership charged earlier than this system switched to dynamic pricing.
Regardless of not planning to guide a visit that day, I felt silly to not leap on this deal. I had no thought how lengthy this superb new Saver pricing on Virgin Atlantic could be out there, and the switch bonus ends on the finish of November. I’ve by no means been to London, and I’ve by no means flown lie-flat enterprise class. I had the factors out there to switch, they usually transferred immediately. Award flights are refundable, and it was near the identical worth I might usually pay for an economic system ticket with different airways.
Evidently, I booked it.
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How one can guide Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership Saver fares
Whereas some Saver seats have now been snapped up for the particular dates I booked in March, Virgin Atlantic does have a Reward Seat Checker calendar device the place yow will discover Saver availability because it fluctuates — not only for New York Metropolis to London, but in addition throughout different routes like Orlando Worldwide Airport (MCO) to Edinburgh Airport (EDI).
The secret is to have a stash of bank card factors able to switch and the pliability to leap on a deal while you see it.
First, examine Virgin Atlantic’s Reward Seat Checker for a straightforward solution to see factors costs at a look, and search for these costs with a pink “Saver” tag to make sure you’re paying the bottom worth.
In case you discover a deal you need to guide, search extra particularly for these dates on Virgin Atlantic’s website to search out the particular flight you need and ensure the factors you may want. I discovered round-trip flights on dates I needed in March for 29,000 factors every means, that means I wanted 58,000 factors whole.
Subsequent, switch factors from the issuer of your selecting. After all, for those who guide this journey earlier than the top of November, it is best to make use of your Chase factors to make the most of that 40% switch bonus. No matter while you look to guide, you possibly can examine with every issuer (or our frequently up to date information to switch bonuses) to make sure you’re transferring for the perfect worth.
Guarantee you know the way many factors it’s good to switch, together with the bonus. On Chase’s Final Rewards platform, you will not be proven explicitly what the top quantity of factors will probably be on Virgin after you switch, so you may have to interrupt out these rusty highschool math expertise.
For instance, this is how the breakdown labored for my flights: I wanted 58,000 factors in my Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership account to guide these Saver flights. To account for the 40% switch bonus, I divided that whole variety of factors by 1.4 (the .4 representing the 40% switch bonus). That left me with 41,428.571 factors. Provided that you must switch factors in increments of 1,000, I rounded up and transferred 42,000 factors to Virgin Atlantic.
After transferring your factors, make sure you’re logged in to your Virgin Atlantic account. TPG staffers have discovered that Final Rewards level transfers to Flying Membership are instantaneous; nevertheless, switch instances are usually not common and it could take longer for the factors to hit your account. As soon as your factors are in your account, it is only a few clicks to guide!
TPG all the time recommends discovering availability earlier than transferring factors, as level transfers are irreversible.
Associated: Leisurely luxurious: A evaluation of Virgin Atlantic’s A350 leisure configuration in Higher Class from Manchester to Orlando
The best way to earn Virgin factors
Virgin factors are simple to earn, with Flying Membership being a switch associate of each main program with a transferable forex:
It is value noting that Capital One miles switch to Virgin Pink, not on to Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership. Nevertheless, you possibly can simply use your Virgin Pink account factors with Flying Membership.
Take a look at these card choices to earn reward factors and miles to guide Flying Membership award seats (all provide terrific welcome bonuses):
Backside line
I am removed from a Virgin Atlantic aficionado — that is the primary flight I’ve ever booked via Flying Membership. However it was nonetheless a reasonably easy course of to seek for flights, learn how many factors I wanted and switch the factors from my Chase account to guide my flights. One in every of my pals who had by no means transferred factors additionally took benefit of this deal and stated comparable issues about how simple it was to switch and guide.
I am pumped to take my first worldwide lie-flat business-class flight, and understanding I snagged it for primarily the identical factors worth as an economic system flight makes this redemption all of the sweeter.
Whereas the Virgin Atlantic dynamic worth modifications have execs and cons (particularly for households), in case you are versatile along with your journey dates and maintain a ready-to-transfer stash of factors out there, you possibly can snag some implausible offers like this one.
Associated studying:
See Bilt Mastercard charges and costs right here.
See Bilt Mastercard rewards and advantages right here.
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