How 5,000 bank card factors saved me over $650 on a flight to London

Whereas Virgin Atlantic shouldn’t be at all times my go-to alternative with regards to award journey redemptions attributable to its extremely excessive taxes and costs, the provider is providing a 50% factors low cost on all flights to London. For bookings made by means of March 20 for journey between March 14 and June 30, Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Membership program will cut back the factors wanted for all Virgin-operated flights between the U.S. and the UK by 50% in all cabins.

Sadly, I nonetheless must pay the charges, taxes and carrier-imposed surcharges, however that is nonetheless a superb award deal, particularly since I bought an financial system ticket. Maintain studying to learn the way 5,000 bank card factors saved me greater than $650 on my flights from New York’s John F. Kennedy Worldwide Airport (JFK) to London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR).

How I’m flying to London for simply 5,000 factors

Since I must fly from New York Metropolis again to my residence in London in April, this Virgin Atlantic promo deal got here on the excellent second and has helped me get monetary savings on my flight.

A one-way ticket flying in Financial system Gentle (fundamental financial system) on Virgin Atlantic on my journey dates was priced at $739 after I researched my choices. A ticket for my most well-liked possibility, Financial system Basic, which incorporates seat choice and a checked bag, was priced greater at $829.

Associated: Is Virgin Atlantic premium financial system value it on the A330-900neo?

Whilst you can discover round-trip tickets to Europe for lower than the money value of a Virgin Atlantic ticket, these fares required a Saturday evening keep, which didn’t work for me.

In case you assume spending greater than $700 for a one-way flight to Europe in financial system is dear, check out what it prices to e-book a flight within the different path. You possibly can anticipate to pay thrice this quantity for a comparable itinerary in the wrong way.

Fortunately, Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Membership nonetheless operates utilizing award charts, a rarity amongst loyalty packages. In accordance with its award chart, Flying Membership prices simply 10,000 factors plus $152.80 in charges, taxes and carrier-imposed surcharges for a one-way redemption from JFK to LHR on off-peak dates.

Whereas different packages don’t impose surcharges, different carriers use dynamic pricing, which means you’ll pay way over 10,000 factors. For instance, Delta Air Traces’ SkyMiles program is charging 48,000 miles for this Virgin Atlantic flight.

Understanding this, I couldn’t ignore this nice 50% factors low cost supply from Virgin. So, I booked my flight to London by means of Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership for simply 5,000 Virgin factors plus $152.80 in charges, taxes and carrier-imposed surcharges.

Since Virgin Atlantic award redemptions e-book in Financial system Basic, I’ll be capable to choose a typical seat at no cost and test a bag in if I want forward of my flight in April. As a result of Virgin Atlantic is a full-service airline, I’ll additionally take pleasure in inflight leisure, plus meals and drinks through the flight.

Associated: TPG opinions all cabins on Virgin Atlantic’s brand-new Airbus A330-900neo

After deducting the $152.80 out-of-pocket value from the identical Financial system Basic money fare of $829, I come to a financial savings of $676 by utilizing 5,000 Virgin factors to e-book the flight. This implies I obtained greater than 13 cents from every Virgin level I redeemed, which is nearly 10 occasions TPG’s present valuation of Virgin factors.

The best way to earn and redeem Virgin Atlantic factors

In case you don’t have Virgin factors, don’t fret. They’re among the many best of any forex to earn, as Flying Membership is a switch associate of each main transferable level forex, together with:

• American Categorical Membership Rewards (1:1)
• Bilt Rewards (1:1)
• Capital One (1:1)
• Chase Final Rewards (1:1)
• Citi ThankYou Rewards (1:1)
• Marriott Bonvoy (3:1 with a 5,000-point bonus for transferring 60,000 factors and a 48-hour switch time)

Understand that Capital One is a switch associate of Virgin Pink, so that you’ll must hyperlink the 2 accounts (i.e., Virgin Pink and Flying Membership) to switch factors from Capital One to Flying Membership.