Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard review
- Is the Virgin Atlantic Credit Card the best credit card for you?
- How to earn rewards from the Virgin Atlantic card
- How to use Virgin points
- Benefits and features
- Fees and costs
- Virgin Atlantic card vs other Bank of America travel cards
- Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
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The information for the following product(s) has been collected independently by Business Insider: Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard®, Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card. The details for these products have not been reviewed or provided by the issuer.
The Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard® often flies under the radar, as co-branded credit cards from foreign carriers tend to do. The card offers a decent welcome bonus and has a reliable set of perks that can be worth the $90 annual fee. Between a generous earning rate and annual bonuses, this card can offer hundreds of dollars in value.
Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard®
Insider’s Rating A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star Annual Fee$90
Regular APR17.49% to 25.49% Variable
Recommended CreditGood to Excellent
Pros- Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Good welcome offer and earning rate on non-bonus categories
- Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Ability to earn tier points with spending
- Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Companion reward and bonus points after meeting spending thresholds
- con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Few travel benefits compared to similar airline credit cards
- con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. The best perks require meeting a high spending requirement
- con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Annual fee
- The information related to the Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard® has been collected by Business Insider and has not been reviewed by the issuer.
- Earn 30,000 bonus Virgin Points after spending $1,000 or more on purchases in the first 90 days of account opening
- Up to 15,000 bonus Virgin Points every anniversary after qualifying purchases
- Up to 5,000 bonus Virgin Points when you add additional cardholders to your account
- Get a companion reward in the same cabin class or a cabin upgrade when you book a ticket through Virgin Atlantic. Must spend $25,000 or more in purchases annually to qualify
- 3 points per dollar spent directly on Virgin Atlantic purchases
- 1.5 points per dollar spent on all other purchases
- Earn 25 tier points per $2,500 in purchases (maximum 50 per month)
- No foreign transaction fees
- Low $90 Annual Fee
Virgin Atlantic Credit Card Overview
Not only are the Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard®'s benefits exceptional considering the low annual fee, but Virgin Atlantic's Flying Club program also makes award redemptions attainable. While the card's welcome bonus offer of 30,000 bonus Virgin Points after spending $1,000 or more on purchases in the first 90 days of account opening is one of the lowest credit card bonuses available right now, it's actually enough for at least one round-trip transatlantic flight.
The card and its corresponding program offer several surprising benefits that you might not know about. Here's our full review of the Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard® and who it might be a good fit for.
Who should consider the Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard?
The Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard® is best for frequent travelers who want to supplement their rewards and accelerate their path towards elite status. The recurring benefits are also tailored towards those who fly with Virgin Atlantic, at least on occasion.
However, you don't have to be loyal to the airline to make this card worthwhile. If you're willing to familiarize yourself with the Flying Club program and how to maximize its award chart, this card can be valuable. The welcome bonus isn't as high as some other airline credit cards, but big spenders who don't want to deal with category bonuses might benefit from the 1.5x earning rate on all purchases.
Lastly, it's worth noting that Virgin Atlantic's Flying Club program is a transfer partner of Amex Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards®, and Citi ThankYou. You can also transfer Capital One miles to Virgin Red, the loyalty program of Virgin brands (including Virgin Atlantic).
Those programs have credit cards that not only offer bigger welcome bonuses than this one but also allow you to transfer points to dozens of other programs. That way, if Flying Club ever gets devalued and awards require more points, you have other options.
How to earn rewards from the Virgin Atlantic card
The Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard®'s welcome bonus offer is usually small compared to other airline credit cards, but it can still go a long way thanks to Flying Club's generous award chart. New cardholders can earn 30,000 bonus Virgin Points after spending $1,000 or more on purchases in the first 90 days of account opening. Plus, cardholders can earn up to 5,000 bonus points for adding two additional cardholders to the account.
The Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard® doesn't offer much in the way of category bonuses. However, it makes up for it with an elevated earn rate on regular purchases. Cardholders earn 3 points per dollar spent directly on Virgin Atlantic purchases and 1.5 points per dollar on everything else. Considering other airline credit cards typically only earn 1 mile per dollar on non-bonus spending, this is pretty generous.
This card is a great choice for people who want to earn more than 1 mile per dollar spent on everyday purchases without having to track category bonuses. This elevated earn rate makes award flights more attainable, especially considering some of the cheap awards you can book through Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (more on that later).
The Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard® will further reward your spending with up to 15,000 bonus points every anniversary. All you have to do is meet a certain spending threshold within your anniversary year to qualify for these bonuses:
- 7,500 points after you spend $15,000 within your anniversary year
- An additional 7,500 points after you spend a total of $25,000 within your anniversary year
How to use Virgin points
Redeem points for flights
Virgin points are undervalued, considering the number of sweet spot awards you can book. Virgin Flying Club offers one of the cheapest ways to travel to Europe. An economy class ticket to London starts at just 10,000 points each way. That's less than what most frequent flyer programs charge for a domestic award ticket.
Keep in mind Virgin Atlantic adds significant fuel surcharges to some awards, so be sure to compare the cost of a flight including taxes and fees to other programs.
If you're looking for reasonable international business and first-class award tickets, Virgin Atlantic offers several sweet spots. You can fly Delta One business class to Europe for just 50,000 points each way.
Virgin Atlantic points are worth, on average, 1.3 cents apiece based on Personal Finance Insider's points and miles valuations.
If you're itching to get to Japan once it reopens to visitors, you can fly All Nippon Airways' aspirational first-class seat to Japan for just 110,000-120,000 points round-trip. This is an incredible bargain, considering Star Alliance partner United charges at least 70,000 points each way for the same award.
Virgin Atlantic is a great program if you want to redeem miles for international travel. It offers reasonable rates for both economy and premium seats. With the welcome bonus from the Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard®, you can book at least one round-trip ticket to Europe.
Redeem points with upgrades and companion tickets
If you don't have enough points for a premium cabin award, you might want to book an economy fare and upgrade your seat with points. Rates vary greatly depending on your travel dates, departure city, destination, and the cabin you're booked into.
Upgrades to premium economy start at 16,000 points round-trip, while economy-to-Upper-Class upgrades start at 42,000 points. If you have many Virgin Atlantic points and dread a long-haul flight in economy class, redeeming points for an upgrade can be worthwhile. That's especially true if you booked a particularly cheap fare.
The ability to book a companion ticket for less is also a noteworthy feature of the Flying Club program. With as few as 9,000 points, you can book a companion ticket on select routes. This can be a good way to put the welcome bonus from the Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard® to good use. Again, the exact number will vary by route and travel dates.
Redeem points for other travel experiences
If you don't quite have enough points for an award or seat upgrade, you can use them for spa treatments or chauffeur service to the airport. Spa treatments at Flying Club locations start at just 2,000 points for brow wax or 3,000 for a facial. You can choose from many more treatments and the rates will vary, but this is a nice way to unwind during your trip and put a small point balance to good use.
If you want to start your trip in style, you can splurge on a chauffeured ride to the airport for just 17,500 points. You must be traveling on an Upper Class ticket to qualify for this redemption and picked up within 75 miles of the airport.
Virgin Atlantic card benefits and features
Up to 15,000 bonus points every anniversary after qualifying purchases
With a standard earning rate of 1.5 points per dollar spent, the Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard® is already generous on the rewards front. However, the card offers an additional incentive when you complete a certain amount of spending every year. You can earn up to 15,000 bonus points for completing $25,000 in spending within your anniversary year:
- 7,500 points after you spend $15,000 within your anniversary year
- An additional 7,500 points after you spend a total of $25,000 within your anniversary year
These bonuses may not seem like much, but they can go a long way, thanks to Virgin Atlantic's generous award chart. Moreover, this bonus can help some cardholders justify keeping the card long-term and paying the annual fee.
Up to 5,000 bonus points when you add additional cardholders to your account
The Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard® lets you give your Flying Club balance an easy boost by adding an authorized user. There's no additional fee and you'll earn 2,500 bonus points for adding an additional cardholder to your account. You can earn up to 5,000 bonus points this way.
While 5,000 points may not sound like much, it gets you halfway to a one-way economy class ticket between the East Coast and London. That's a terrific value for a simple action that takes just a few minutes.
Ability to earn elite status through spending
The Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard® is one of the few airline cards that let you earn elite status via credit card spending. You can earn 25 Tier Points for every $2,500 made in purchases, up to 50 per month. That means you can earn Silver elite status through credit card spending alone and get more than halfway through earning top-tier Gold status via credit card spending.
Earning Silver status normally requires earning 400 Tier Points. However, the status requirements have been reduced between April 1, 2022, and March 31, 2023. Instead of completing 400 Tier Points for Silver status, you need just 300. Meanwhile, Gold status requirements have been reduced from 1,000 Tier Points to 800.
Once you achieve status with Virgin Atlantic, you have some practical benefits to look forward to.
Silver
- 30% bonus points on flights
- Premium check-in
- Free seat assignments in Economy Light
Gold
- 60% bonus points on flights
- Upper Class check-in
- Access to the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouses and London Heathrow Revival lounges
- Extra luggage allowance
Annual Companion Reward
The Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard®'s Companion Reward is a unique benefit. Cardholders who spend $25,000 annually can choose between a companion reward or a one-cabin upgrade. With the companion reward, you can bring a friend or family member on the same itinerary for just the cost of taxes and fees.
If you're a standard Flying Club Red Tier member, you can book the companion ticket on an Economy Classic or Premium ticket. Red members can also upgrade the companion ticket to Upper Class at a 50% point discount.
Flying Club Silver and Gold members can use the companion ticket in any cabin class. So if you were to book yourself an Upper Class ticket, you could book your companion's seat for just the cost of taxes and fees.
Solo travelers can forego the companion ticket in favor of a one-cabin upgrade. Virgin Atlantic gives you plenty of time to decide how to use the anniversary benefit. You have two years after the issue date to redeem it.
World Elite Mastercard perks
Because the Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard® is a World Elite Mastercard, it comes with additional benefits, including:
- Purchase assurance
- Extended warranty
- Travel assistance
- Emergency roadside assistance
- Travel accident insurance
- World Elite Mastercard Concierge
Fees and costs
The Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard® has a $90 annual fee, which is slightly lower than the standard $95 fee on most other airline credit cards. The yearly fee is partially offset by recurring benefits like bonus points and companion rewards.
The card has no foreign transaction fees, meaning you can use it abroad to earn 1.5 points per dollar on all your purchases without any penalties.
Unfortunately, the card doesn't currently offer an introductory APR, so you'll want to pay your card in full every month to avoid interest fees.
Compare the Virgin Atlantic card
Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard® | Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card | Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card | |
Annual fee | $90 | $95 | $0 |
Rewards rate | 3x points on Virgin Atlantic purchases 1.5 points per dollar spent on all other purchases | 3x miles on Alaska Airlines purchases 2x miles on eligible gas, EV charging station, cable, streaming services and local transit purchases 1 mile per dollar on all other purchases | 1.5 points per dollar on all purchases |
Welcome bonus | 30,000 bonus Virgin Points after spending $1,000 or more on purchases in the first 90 days of account opening | 60,000 bonus miles plus Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™ ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after you spend $3,000 or more on purchases within the first 90 days of your account opening | 25,000 online bonus points after making at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening |
Card benefits | Up to 15,000 bonus Virgin Points every anniversary after qualifying purchases Up to 5,000 bonus Virgin Points when you add additional cardholders to your account Companion reward after you spend $25,000 or more in a year Earn 25 tier points per $2,500 in purchases (maximum 50 per month) World Elite Mastercard benefits No foreign transaction fees | Free first checked bag on Alaska flights Alaska companion fare from $121 ($99 fare, plus taxes and fees from $22) on your card anniversary after qualifying purchases 20% back on Alaska inflight purchases 50% off Alaska lounge day passes Visa Signature benefits | 0% intro APR for the first 15 billing cycles for purchases and for any balance transfers made within the first 60 days of account opening, then a 19.24% - 29.24% Variable APR |
Review |
Virgin Atlantic credit card frequently asked questions (FAQ)
What credit score do I need to be approved for the Virgin Atlantic credit card? Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.Most people who qualify for the Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard® have a good or excellent credit score, which means at least a 670 FICO score or a minimum VantageScore of 700.
If you're not quite there yet, check out our guide to the top credit cards for fair credit for other options.
Is the Virgin Atlantic credit card worth it? Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.If you fly Virgin Atlantic or like redeeming points with the Flying Club program, the Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard® could be a useful addition to your wallet. It's particularly valuable for big spenders who can unlock bonus points and the companion certificate by meeting spending thresholds.
That said, if your main objective is to earn Virgin Atlantic points from spending, you might want to look at credit cards that earn rewards in transferable points programs like Chase Ultimate Rewards or Amex Membership Rewards instead. Because you can transfer points to Virgin Atlantic at a 1:1 ratio from these programs, a card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or American Express® Gold Card could be a better fit depending on your spending and travel habits.
Which bank issues the Virgin Atlantic credit card? Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.The Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard® is issued by Bank of America.
Ariana Arghandewal Ariana Arghandewal is a credit card and reward travel expert and is the founder of Pointchaser. She has worked as an editor at The Points Guy, NerdWallet, and FlyerTalk.Her work has also appeared in Forbes, Fodor's Travel, and U.S. News Weekly. Read more Read less Top Offers From Our Partners 
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