At TPG, we often praise Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Club program as one of the most underrated and high-powered frequent flyer programs. Flying Club is a transfer partner of all major credit card programs, so Virgin points are easy to earn.
However, just because the points are easy to earn does not mean they are easy to use.
Virgin Atlantic joined the SkyTeam alliance in 2023 and has several other nonalliance airline partners with which you can earn and redeem Virgin points. Unfortunately, Virgin’s website is not the most user-friendly and has many limitations.
Some Flying Club redemption partners can be booked online, while others require you to hunt for award space and call in to book.
What are the Flying Club airline partners? ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY
You can earn and redeem Virgin Atlantic points on the following member airlines of the SkyTeam alliance:
Aerolinas Argentinas
Aeromexico
Air Europa
Air France
China Airlines
China Eastern Airlines
Czech Airlines
Delta Air Lines
Garuda Indonesia
ITA Airways
Kenya Airways
KLM
Korean Air
Middle East Airlines
Saudia
TAROM
Vietnam Airlines
Virgin Atlantic
Xiamen Airlines
ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY
In addition to these airlines, you can also book award flights with the following non-SkyTeam airlines using Virgin points:
Air New Zealand (Star Alliance)
All Nippon Airways (Star Alliance)
Singapore Airlines (Star Alliance)
South African Airways (Star Alliance)
You can also earn Virgin points — but not redeem them — with partners Scandinavian Airlines, IndiGo and LATAM.
Which Flying Club partner airlines can be booked online? BEN SMITHSON/THE POINTS GUY
In addition to flights operated by Virgin Atlantic, Flying Club members can redeem their Virgin points on the following partner airlines (for all other airlines, you must call 800-862-8621 to book).
Related: Is Virgin Atlantic premium economy worth it on the A330-900neo?
Air France-KLM
To avoid the significant surcharges Flying Club imposes on flights operated by Virgin Atlantic, booking flights operated by Air France-KLM can be an affordable way to use Virgin points to fly to Europe and beyond. While premium economy on these airlines is not usually available to book online or by phone, economy and business class can be booked online at the following rates:
One-way economy flight to Europe from the West Coast for 15,000 points
One-way economy flight to the Middle East from the East Coast for 25,000 points
One-way business-class flight to Europe from the East Coast for 48,500 points
One-way business-class flight from the East Coast to North Africa for 66,500 points
Related: Private suites and high-tech touches: What it’s like flying Air France’s new business class
VIRGINATLANTIC.COMDelta Air Lines
With Delta taking dynamic pricing to the extreme and charging 300,000-plus miles for one-way, international, business-class awards, using Virgin Atlantic to score cheap awards can be great.
Long-haul flights to Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa and South America are fairly easy to find and can be booked online.
Related: A review of Delta Air Lines economy on the Boeing 767 from London to New York
VIRGINATLATIC.COM
Unfortunately, Delta’s premium economy product is unavailable to book with Virgin points, and while Delta One business-class seats can technically be booked online, they are very rarely available and now come with huge surcharges.
Short-haul flights operated by Delta are easy to book online. Prices start at a reasonable 7,500 Virgin points in economy class or 21,000 points in first class.
VIRGINATLANTIC.COMKorean Air
Based in Seoul’s Incheon International Airport (ICN), Korean Air flights can be booked with Virgin points online, though availability outside of Asia is difficult to find.
VIRGINATLANTIC.COMITA Airways
Rising from the ashes of the now-defunct Alitalia, ITA Airways has excellent award availability using Virgin points and can be booked online. ITA’s long-haul business-class product is excellent, with a solid lounge in Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport (FCO), elaborate onboard meals and stylish Italian finishes.
Related: A review of ITA Airways business class on the A330neo from Rome
VIRGINATLANTIC.COMLATAM
South American carrier LATAM can be booked online with Virgin points, and availability is generally good between North America and South America, with business-class flights from Florida to Brazil costing just 50,000 points plus minimal fees and taxes.
VIRGINATLANTIC.COMEl Al
Flying Club quietly added Israel’s flag carrier El Al to its partner airline list earlier in 2024, and fortunately, these flights can be booked online, though the rates between the United States and Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport (TLV) are steep.
Related: Inside El Al’s first retrofitted — and massively upgraded — Boeing 777
VIRGINATLANTIC.COMMiddle East Airlines
One of SkyTeam’s lesser-known airlines, Middle East Airlines (commonly referred to as MEA), is based in Lebanon’s Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport (BEY).
While MEA does not operate long-haul flights, it has a decent route network to Europe and can be booked online using Virgin points.
VIRGINATLANTIC.COMChina Airlines
While Flying Club insists that flights on Taiwanese carrier and SkyTeam member China Airlines (not to be confused with China-based Star Alliance member Air China) can be booked online with Virgin points, TPG has not found any availability on China Airlines through Virgin’s website.
Xiamen Airlines
Based in Xiamen, China, SkyTeam member Xiamen Airlines operates numerous flights within Asia and a handful of routes to Australia and Europe. Its current North American destinations include New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Vancouver International Airport (YVR).
You can book Xiamen Airlines redemptions using Virgin points online.
VIRGINATLANTIC.COMHow to earn Virgin points SKYTEAM
It’s easy to boost your Virgin points balance with the right credit card, as Flying Club is a transfer partner of every major program with a transferable currency, including:
American Express Membership Rewards (1:1)
Bilt Rewards (1:1)
Capital One (1:1)
Chase Ultimate Rewards (1:1)
Citi ThankYou Rewards (1:1)
Marriott Bonvoy (3:1, with a 5,000-point bonus for transferring 60,000 points and a 48-hour transfer time)
Some of the above programs offer regular transfer bonuses to Flying Club, meaning you might need even fewer points than you first thought.
Many of these programs offer cards that feature terrific welcome bonuses. Here are some of our favorite travel rewards credit cards that earn transferable points that can be converted to Virgin points:
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
The Platinum Card® from American Express
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Bottom line
Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Club program boasts an impressive list of redemption partners inside and outside of the SkyTeam alliance. Unfortunately, the program’s website is less impressive, with most partner redemptions unavailable online, requiring a little extra legwork and a phone call to 800-862-8621.
You may wish to use an external resource to check award availability through other programs and then contact the Flying Club program to book the seats you know are available.
There are some excellent deals to be had, so it’s worth the effort.