Virgin Atlantic credit card introductory bonuses extended

The airline has extended the Flying Club mile offers on both its cards and improved the bonus on its Black card.

Virgin Atlantic has extended the improved introductory bonus on its White credit cards and further improved the bonus on the Black credit cards.

However, you need to apply by 30th June and spend set amounts within the first three months of having the cards to get the whole bonus on offer.

The White cards are fee free, while the Black charges an annual fee of £140, so is only really suitable if you’re a heavy spender, for example using it for your business expenses, or you want to use it as a way of getting a cheaper cabin upgrade on a flight.

With either option, you will get two cards to use: an American Express and a Visa.

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Earning miles

With the White cards, you earn one Flying Club Mile for every £1 you spend on the American Express, and one mile for every £2 you spend on the White Visa.

Spend on the Black American Express and you’ll earn two miles for every £1 you spend, while the Black Visa will earn you one mile for every £1 spent.

How the bonuses work

The White cards will give you 3,000 Flying Club Miles when you spend anything on either card. Spend £1,000 within the first 90 days of having the card and you’ll also receive 7,000 bonus miles.

Those 10,000 miles will earn you a ‘free’ return flight within the UK (they cost 7,500 miles), to/from London Heathrow, Manchester, Aberdeen and Edinburgh. You will have to pay a charge of £34 per return flight though, or £17 one-way.

Alternatively, you’re just under a third away from a ‘free’ flight to New York, Boston, Chicago or Washington. Again, you’ll have to pay taxes and charges.

Or you could use the miles to upgrade from Economy to Premium Economy, or Premium Economy to Upper Class one way on a transatlantic flight.

With the Black cards, you’ll earn 18,500 miles the first time you make a purchase. Spend £3,000 within the first 90 days and you’ll get an additional bonus of 11,500 miles.

Those 30,000 miles would get you most of the way to a ‘free’ flight to New York, Boston, Chicago or Washington, remembering you'll still need to pay taxes and charges.

Or it would pay for an upgrade, and you'd have miles left over, from Economy to Premium Economy or Premium to Upper on both legs of a transatlantic, Caribbean, African or Asian flight, or a one-way upgrade from Economy to Upper Class. Or you could spend them on a one-way cabin upgrade (Economy to Premium Economy or Premium Economy to Upper) on a flight to Sydney (although you'll need to be quick as this service is being withdrawn on 5th May).

How the Virgin cards compare

Looking at other popular airline reward schemes, you need to collect more Avios to get the cheapest ‘free’ flight to both the UK and the US (9,000/40,000 versus 7,500/35,000). The fees/charges for both schemes are broadly similar. However, if you prefer British Airways for short haul, the British Airways American Express card is offering an introductory bonus of 9,000 Avios if you spend £1,000 or more in the first three months. Its cabin upgrades also require more points.

If you’re a regular Tesco shopper you can earn 625 Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Miles for every £2.50 of Clubcard vouchers. So you would need to spend £4,000 to earn the cheapest one-way cabin upgrade via Tesco, compared to £5,000 using the White Amex card (ignoring the introductory bonus).

And by using your Clubcard and a Clubcard credit card together, you’ll get to your points goal far quicker.

The American Express Preferred Rewards charge card also offers a decent introductory bonus that can be used for flights. Spend £2,000 within the first three months and you’ll earn 20,000 points, enough for two return flights to over 30 European destinations (adding on the fees and charges again). Note that this is a charge card, not a credit card, so you HAVE to pay your balance off in full each month. And while it's fee free for the first year, it costs £125 a year after that.

Or you may prefer a cashback credit card, so you can shop around for the cheapest flight yourself. Read The best cashback credit cards for our lowdown on the top cards in that category. 

However, if you're treating yourself to a big trip, for business or pleasure, and you fancy a cabin upgrade, earning miles via the White or Black cards can save you hundreds of pounds. Just make sure you pay off your balance in full each month, or interest charges will wipe out the value of your miles. And don't overspend just to earn an introductory bonus or more miles.

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