Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is running a reward sale that offers a 30% discount on selected Virgin Atlantic flights. You must book before February 28, 2023, for flights departing on or before May 31, 2023.

Only the points element is discounted – you will still pay the full amount of taxes and fees. (which are substantial) But you can book any cabin, including Upper Class. You can also use any 2-for-1 certificates you might have.

Not every Virgin Atlantic route is included. The U.S. destinations on offer are:

• Atlanta
• Austin
• Boston
• Los Angeles
• Miami
• New York (to both London and Manchester)
• San Francisco
• Seattle
• Tampa
• Washington DC

You also travel between London and Antigua, Islamabad, Lahore, Mumbai and Tel Aviv.

Award space is usually decent because Virgin Atlantic guarantees 12 award seats on every flight – 2 in Upper Class, 2 in Premium Economy and 8 in Economy Classic. But much of the Upper Class award space might already be gone – these flights have been available for booking for months now…

How to Top-up Your Virgin Points Balance

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points are available by converting from the major transferable currencies –  American Express, Capital One, Chase, Citi, etc.  You can also convert Marriott Bonvoy points, although that isn’t necessarily the best use of those…

How to Reduce Taxes & Fees Slightly

Reward flights departing from the United Kingdom have lower fuel surcharges than those departing from the United States.  So, you can save a substantial amount by booking your itinerary as one-way flights, instead of a return trip from the U.S.

Unfortunately this promotion won’t work on partner airlines such as Delta, ANA etc. that have lower or non-existent fuel surcharges…

Bottom Line

Because of the high surcharges, you will definitely want to compare any reward ticket pricing with a standard revenue ticket.  The savings might not be substantial.

Nonetheless, it’s better to spend 30% fewer points on your reward flight(s) if you are planning to fly to London this spring…