Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Worth holding for two things: ANA business and First at fixed prices (booked by phone) and SkyTeam flights on Delta, Air France and KLM. Virgin's own Upper Class is cheap in points but heavy in cash charges.
- Alliance
- None
- Buy price in a typical sale
- about 1.47 US cents
- Best 2026 sale
- 1.2 US cents
- Annual buy cap
- 200,000
- Expiry
- None while the account stays open and in good standing
- Holds
- A free 24-hour phone hold is reported (2025), but it is not in the terms and agents have declined holds on ANA; not confirmed for 2026.
Never pay list: a typical sale costs 41 percent less
US cents per mile or point, 2026.
Numbers
| Row | Range |
|---|---|
| Best 2026 sale | 1.2¢ |
| Typical sale | 1.47¢ |
| List price | 2.5¢ |
DataBuying points research, 2026 sales on record
As ofOct 8, 2026
Use it for
- ANA business US West Coast to Tokyo: 52,500 points (60,000 from Central and East, 37,500 from Hawaii) plus about USD 180 to 400 in taxes and surcharges, by phone
- ANA First US West Coast to Tokyo: 72,500 points (85,000 from Central and East) plus about USD 200 to 400, by phone
- Delta One US East or Central to the UK: 47,500 off-peak (57,500 peak), West Coast 67,500, with modest taxes from the US (about USD 212 in one 2026 report)
- Air France business Europe to the US East Coast from 48,500 points off-peak, plus Air France surcharges (about USD 440 reported)
Do not use it for
- Virgin Upper Class if cash matters: Saver from 29,000 points London to New York, but charges reach about USD 586 one-way (June 2025 figure)
- Delta One from the UK to the US: about USD 1,028 in taxes and carrier charges one-way
- ANA within 14 days of departure: Virgin cannot book it, so last-minute ANA seats are out of reach
Where to search
virginatlantic.com 'Search for Reward Flights' shows Virgin, Delta, Air France and KLM online (Air France and KLM up to 300 days out); the cheapest seats carry a red 'Saver' label. ANA never shows online: find ANA space on united.com, aeroplan.com or seats.aero, then call. seats.aero caches Virgin Atlantic space; confirm Delta seats on virginatlantic.com because errors at payment are common.
How to book, step by step
- Join Flying Club in your passport name. You can book awards for anyone, with no nominee list.
- For Virgin, Delta, Air France or KLM: search Reward Flights logged in, pick a flight with the red 'Saver' label, and walk to the payment page to see the charges.
- For ANA: find the exact flight on united.com, aeroplan.com or seats.aero first and write down flight numbers, dates and cabin. Virgin cannot book ANA inside 14 days of departure.
- Call Flying Club (US and Canada +1 800 862 8621, UK 0344 874 7747) and ask the agent to confirm the ANA seat and price before you transfer.
- Transfer points 1:1 from Amex, Chase, Citi, Capital One, Bilt or Wells Fargo (mostly instant) while the agent waits or while any hold runs.
- Pay the taxes and carrier charges by card, and ask for the ticket number and the ANA booking reference before you hang up.
- Use the ANA booking reference on ana.co.jp to choose seats.
- If plans change, cancel more than 24 hours before departure: GBP 70 per person on UK departures, USD 100 elsewhere; inside 24 hours no points come back.
When you need to phone
Needed for ANA and for partners not bookable online. Official numbers: US and Canada +1 800 862 8621, UK 0344 874 7747, both 24 hours. No phone booking fee is listed. The often-quoted 1-800-365-9500 is not on Virgin's contact page.
Fees
No booking fee on rewards. Change or cancel GBP 70 per person on UK-originating rewards, USD 100 (or local equivalent) elsewhere; within 24 hours of departure only some taxes are refunded. Partner date changes GBP 30 per person. Gold members reportedly cancel free.
Surcharges
Virgin Upper Class: up to about USD 586 one-way US to UK (June 2025 figure). Delta One UK to US about USD 1,028 one-way including carrier charges. ANA about USD 180 to 400 (Tokyo to New York was USD 315 in 2024, of which about USD 248 was fuel surcharge). Air France and KLM surcharges are passed on.
Getting points in
US: Amex Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou, Capital One, Bilt and Wells Fargo, all 1:1 and mostly instant. UK: Amex Membership Rewards 1:1 and Heathrow Rewards 1:1. Marriott Bonvoy 3:1 (1 to 8 days). Canada has no bank transfer route to Virgin.
Booking for other people
You can book for anyone, and you can name Authorised Account Users (18 or over) who can book with your points. A Household account pools points for up to 9 people at one address; only the Household Leader spends, existing balances stay put, the minimum is 12 months, and moving points between members costs GBP 10 or USD 15.
Strengths and traps
- ANA business US West Coast to Japan 52,500, East 60,000; ANA First 72,500 to 85,000, bookable one-way
- Delta One US to the UK 47,500 off-peak and 57,500 peak, with low taxes ex-US (about USD 1,028 in fees from the UK)
- UK accounts buy at about 1.20 cents (GBP 15 per 1,000 plus 70 percent bonus)
- Trap: Only two great uses (ANA, Delta One); Virgin's own Upper Class carries up to USD 586 in surcharges one-way
- Trap: ANA First repriced without notice for 2026 (up 28 to 42 percent); ANA business space is extremely scarce
- Trap: US accounts pay about 20 percent more than UK accounts plus a USD 22 transaction fee
Transfers in from: Amex MR US, Chase UR, Citi ThankYou, Capital One Miles, Bilt, Wells Fargo Rewards, Amex MR UK, Marriott Bonvoy.
Redemptions worth having through this program
Online at virginatlantic.com, reliable. Some KLM routes price 48,500 (e.g., YYZ-AMS).
Search ANA space on united.com or aeroplan.com, then phone Virgin to book. Compare AAdvantage JAL business at 60,000 (bookable online) if ANA space is dry.
Search ANA space on United.com/Aeroplan; phone Virgin to book. 'The Room' on 777-300ER (JFK/ORD/IAH/SFO/LAX-HND routes).
Confirm space on the ANA, United or Aeroplan search or seats.aero, then call Virgin; the Virgin site is unreliable for ANA. JFK and ORD to HND first class seats appear less often than West Coast ones.
Confirm space on ANA/United/Aeroplan search or seats.aero, then call Virgin (1-800-365-9500); Virgin site unreliable for ANA. ANA releases F to partners sporadically, often 1-2 seats <2 weeks out and at 355 days.
virginatlantic.com or phone; same saver-space dependency as Europe.
Reported, not confirmed.virginatlantic.com shows Delta saver space (fixed chart, not Delta dynamic). Confirm exact DL flight number before transferring; phantom space errors at payment are common.
virginatlantic.com; 'Standard' reward seats; off-peak midweek best.
Filter all redemptions in the Sweet spot finder.
No 2026 change to Virgin's award prices or ANA chart was found; Virgin has changed ANA prices without notice before. ANA prices come from Virgin's ANA page plus secondary sources. 2026 Upper Class charges, phone holds and Air France and KLM prices through Virgin are reported, not confirmed.
Sources checked
Before you transfer or buy: run Points vs cash with the seat you found. Stuck at a step? When it doesn't work has the fixes.