Up until February 28, the Chase Ultimate Rewards program will offer a 40 % move benefit to Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Club system. This means that for every 1, 000 Ultimate Rewards points you move, there will be 1, 400 Virgin items. Multiples of 1, 000 may become transferred, with at least 1, 000 items being required. If you’re a newcomer to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, it’s important to be aware that the airport has switched to dynamic pricing for its own planes. Every seat in the move was made point-only, but it also led to some painfully great atonement rates on busy days and well-known routes, particularly in premium cabins. The good news is that companion airline redemptions made with Flying Club follow classic award formulas. That results in more definite sales, more widespread availability, and, in many cases, significantly lower surcharges. With this move bonus, you may think about booking partner awards. If you can mouth the taxes, Virgin Atlantic’s powerful sales results in some shockingly higher rates. One-way Upper Class sales from some U.S. cities to London starts at only 29, 000 Virgin points at Save rates, making this the least expensive business-class atonement to Europe of any big commitment program. Related: How to book lie-flat business-class chairs to London for only 21, 000 points using a combination of a transfer reward and Virgin’s Saver fares They are not available within 30 days of withdrawal, and they are very challenging to find on peak travel times like summer vacation, school falls, and Christmas. And that’s where issues start to cost. When dynamic sales begins, the cost of Virgin points for flights that are operated by Virgin may be exorbitant. What I discovered while looking for a Virgin Atlantic flight in August from Miami International Airport (MCO ) to London’s Heathrow Airport ( LHR ) was interesting. VIRGIN ATLANTICA I’m never a fan of how Delta SkyMiles automatically rates flights to Europe, but at least that plan doesn’t charge additional fees. Why are companion airline redemptions a better choiceRIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUYVirgin Atlantic Flying Club has partnerships with a number of airlines, including all Airlines carriers as of the airline’s joining the empire in 2023, and these companion redemptions are priced using set award charts. If you have Ultimate Rewards items, you can use the latest move bonus to give even less. With this Chase move extra, you can get some fantastic partner offers: Air France business class travel from Detroit to Paris for 58,500 Virgin items plus$ 302 in taxes and fees. You would only need to transfer 42, 000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points to cover that cost with the 40 % transfer bonus. Lock in this flight for 47,500 Virgin points plus$ 5.60 in taxes and fees for SAS premium economy from Atlanta to Copenhagen. For a total cash investment of less than$ 6, that is a direct transatlantic flight in premium economy. You would need to transfer 34, 000 Chase points with the transfer bonus. For 50, 000 Virgin points plus$ 55, you can book this option in business class from New York to Lima, Peru, using one of the best partner redemptions available through the Flying Club program. The flight lasts about eight hours, and I found several dates to book. You would need just 36, 000 Chase points to transfer to South America with the 40 % transfer bonus. Delta Air Lines Business Class from Seattle to Seoul, South Korea: In recent memory, Amex has not provided a transfer bonus to the Delta Air Lines program. American Express Membership Rewards points do transfer to SkyMiles at a 1:1 ratio. You can use Virgin points to book Delta-operated flights because they are SkyTeam partners. For 130, 000 Virgin points plus just$ 5.60 in taxes and fees, I found nonstop Delta business-class flights from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport ( SEA ) to Incheon International Airport ( ICN) in Seoul. To transfer the bonus’s 93, 000 Chase points to this redemption is all that is required. Domestic Delta flights: Delta flights start at just 7,500 Virgin points plus$ 5.60 in taxes and fees for routes like Las Vegas ‘ Harry Reid International Airport ( LAS ) and John Wayne Airport ( SNA ) in Orange County, California. You’ll only need 6, 000 Chase points with the limited-time transfer bonus. The following Chase cards offer great welcome bonuses that can be used to increase your wallet’s value: Chase Sapphire Preferred ® Card ( see rates and fees ): Earn 75, 000 bonus points after making purchases of$ 5, 000 within the first three months of account opening. Earn 125, 000 bonus points after making$ 6, 000 in purchases within the first three months of an account opening ( see rates and fees ). Earn 100, 000 bonus points after making an$ 8, 000 purchase within the first three months of the account opening with Ink Business Preferred ® Credit Card ( see rates and fees ). Your Virgin points balance can be greatly improved by receiving a 40 % Chase transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. There is no denying that 29, 000 Virgin points for Upper Class to London are difficult to beat because Virgin Atlantic’s own flights can offer fantastic value at Saver rates. However, those seats can be difficult to find, and even with a 40 % transfer bonus, paying more than 300,000 Virgin points for a one-way flight to London on high season isn’t a great deal, especially when surcharges also apply. To maximize this Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer bonus up to February 28, take into account the numerous partner airlines with which you can use Virgin points.
