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American Express just relaunched a transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. Now through May 31, 2024, you'll get 30% bonus points when transferring Amex Membership Rewards points to Flying Club. This unlocks value on everything from short Delta domestic flights to flying business or first class to Japan!
This new Amex transfer bonus doesn't seem to be targeted, but you won't be able to see it unless you log into your Amex account. To view the offer, log in to your Membership Rewards account and head to the points transfer page.
Amex Virgin Atlantic Transfer Bonus Key Terms
- Receive a 30% bonus when you transfer Membership Rewards points to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. Here are step-by-step instructions on how to transfer Amex points.
- The promotion is valid through May 31, 2024.
- Transfers must be in increments of 1,000 points.
- Including the bonus points, your transfer total cannot exceed 999,999 Flying Club miles.
- The bonus is hardcoded in the transfer. You will receive 1,300 points for every 1,000 points you transfer.
While the terms say points transfers can take up to 48 hours, data points from AwardWallet users show that transfers are typically immediate.
Best Ways of Using Virgin Atlantic Points
There are a wide range of Virgin Atlantic sweet spots — not only on its own flights but also on partner flights. While recent Virgin Atlantic devaluations have reduced many of the Delta-operated sweet spots, you can still get excellent value using Virgin points for the following:
- Delta domestic economy awards: Book over 450 Delta routes for just 7,500 Virgin points!
- Short-haul flights between North America, Mexico, and the Caribbean yield great value in economy. For example, an award from Boston to Bermuda requires only 11,000 Virgin points one-way or 22k Virgin points round-trip. During this transfer bonus, you only need to transfer 17k Membership Rewards points to book a round-trip award.
- Flying ANA business class between Japan and destinations in Europe, Central and Eastern US, or Mexico for 47,500 Virgin points each way. That's just 37k Amex points during this transfer bonus. Note that ANA first class on the same routes now costs 85,000 Virgin points each way (66k Membership Rewards points during this transfer bonus).
| Route | Cabin | Virgin Points Needed (one-way) | Point Transfer Needed (during 30% transfer bonus) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii - Japan | ANA business class | 35,000 Virgin points | 27k points |
| U.S. West Coast - Japan | ANA business class | 45,000 Virgin points | 35k points |
| U.S. East Coast - Japan | ANA business class | 47,500 Virgin points | 37k points |
| Hawaii - Japan | ANA first class | 57,500 Virgin points | 45k points |
| U.S. West Coast - Japan | ANA first class | 72,500 Virgin points | 56k points |
| U.S. East Coast - Japan | ANA first class | 85,000 Virgin points | 66k points |
Virgin Atlantic Expiration Policy
Virgin Atlantic points do not expire. When Virgin Atlantic revamped its program in 2020, it changed the name of its currency from “Flying Club Miles” to “Virgin Points” — and made this positive change to eliminate point expiration as well.
With no expiration date to worry about, you can transfer points to Virgin Atlantic without having to worry about points expiring. However, Virgin Flying Club has devalued its program several times over the past few years. So, we don't recommend transferring points without a plan.
Related: Why I speculatively transfer points during transfer bonuses
How Does This Virgin Atlantic Transfer Bonus Stack Up?
When it comes to special offers on transferring points from American Express to Virgin Atlantic, a 30% transfer bonus is standard. Historically, this promotion comes around roughly once a year, although it is no surprise that none were offered in 2020. Now it seems Amex is offering this transfer bonus a few times a year:
- 30% transfer bonus through May 2017
- 30% transfer bonus through November 2017
- 30% transfer bonus through September 2018
- 30% transfer bonus through December 2019
- 30% transfer bonus through September 2021
- 30% transfer bonus through December 2021
- 30% transfer bonus through March 2022
- 30% transfer bonus through September 2022
- 30% transfer bonus through December 2022
- 30% transfer bonus through June 2023
- 30% transfer bonus through December 2023
- 30% transfer bonus through May 2024
Other Options To Boost Your Virgin Atlantic Balance
If you have a specific redemption in mind and want to boost your Virgin Atlantic Flying Club balance, you have plenty of options. You can transfer all of the following points to Virgin Atlantic:
Other Transfer Bonuses
This Virgin Atlantic transfer bonus certainly boosts the value of Membership Rewards points — at least through May 31, 2024. However, it's not the only transfer bonus currently being offered. Here's a list of all current transfer bonuses:
Our Take
Amex Membership Rewards points are some of the most valuable transferrable points around. With so many Amex transfer partners, Amex cardmembers have plenty of options for how to maximize their Amex points. Decide what works best for your travel plans, spending patterns, and various points balances.
Also, remember that — no matter how good the bonus is — we don't recommend transferring credit card points without a plan for how you will use them. As transfers generally can't be reversed, you lose flexibility when transferring points. It's best to only transfer when you have a redemption in mind and plans to use those miles.
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