Virgin Atlantic/Amex Card

[Ian.Whiteley]

For those who don't know, Virgin Atlantic have an Amex card on which you collect Flying Club miles. I took the card out just over a year ago and got a special offer whereby I was getting 4 miles per £spend. I don't know whether this is available still and you have to pay a fee for the card to get that rate.

Anyway....dependent upon your spend throughout the year you also qualify for VA rewards. I received a free companion flight plus 2 premium economy upgrades

I have just booked our flights to LA in August 2008 for our Disney Cruise and instead of paying over £6,800 cash, I have only paid £2,045....saving over £4,500

Now thats what I call proper rewards. Anybody who travels on VA to Orlando etc. would probably benefit from this card...just a thought!!!

 

[Ian.Whiteley]

Oh...thats for 4 Premium Economy returns

 

[Pootle]

An interesting post. Thanks for sharing and congratulations on your good deal.

If you are getting 4 miles for each £1 you spend, then I guess you had the Virgin credit card before they changed to Amex? I also got the black card just over a year ago for a fee (£120?) and I get 2 miles to £1 but 4 to the £1 if the spend is with Virgin.

Up to now I've used one of the upgrades to get 2 PE tickets for a total of £880 next April which I was quite pleased with.

I'd originally gone for the card intending to use the companion ticket for 2 tickets to Las Vegas next August, PE. However, I had specific dates I needed and my experience with using the upgrade made me believe I would have to be flexible and so I booked with Maxjet (all business class flights from Stansted to Las Vegas) at £730 each.

Did you get exactly the dates you were after for next August?

I'd be interested in any others' experiences of using the card. Normally I don't travel at peak times but next August is the exception. I think I remember UKDeb saying that the Virgin scheme works best if you can be flexible.

I'm actually thinking of going back to the BA Amex card since I've always got more or less what I wanted with them by booking at 11 months out and we do have a lot of miles. We've just had 2 return Club World (business) flights to Seattle for a total of £288 taxes using the BA Amex companion voucher. Now that was a bargain

 

[mikki.young]

I got the card January last year and then changed to the Amex when that came out. I didn't get the one you pay a fee for. So far this year we have got two free companion flights in PE (January and October) and next year doing miles plus money to get PE in April/May. So far so good!

 

[Miffy2003]

I'd originally gone for the card intending to use the companion ticket for 2 tickets to Las Vegas next August, PE. However, I had specific dates I needed and my experience with using the upgrade made me believe I would have to be flexible and so I booked with Maxjet (all business class flights from Stansted to Las Vegas) at £730 each.

Hi Moira

Sorry for going slightly OT here - but would you let me know what you think of Maxjet on your return, please? The flight prices I was looking at were hardly much more than VA Economy in the school holidays, and the service looks exceptional for the price. Vegas looks a wonderful place; I would love to visit one day.

Ian - that's an absolute bargain you got there!

Cheers
Karen

 

[Ian.Whiteley]

Hi Moira,

I could have been slightly flexible on dates although I didn't want to be. I think that as long as you can get your booking done as close to the 11 month window (thats 11 months prior to your return date) then you have a very good chance of getting the flights you want.

We got the exact dates I wanted and booked exackly 11 months out. The VA telesales guy told me that they always have a minimum of 9 reward flight seats per flight and that his screen was showing that all those were still avaliable foe both flights (including the outbound one which I was most concerned over as those seats were released 3 weeks earlier!).

I guess if you plan well ahead as most of us Brits do then you'll be fine....just don't tell anyone else

Ian

 

[Pootle]

Hi Moira,
.... The VA telesales guy told me that they always have a minimum of 9 reward flight seats per flight ....
Ian

Really useful information Ian I still have another 10 months to use the black card before I pay again, so I'm sure I can always fit in booking another flight to MCO before I decide if I give it up in favour of BA Amex

Hi Moira

Sorry for going slightly OT here - but would you let me know what you think of Maxjet on your return, please?

Will definitely do that Karen I've researched Maxjet and have only read good reports so far.

I paid £733 pp Maxjet business. Same dates: Virgin PE £1219 and M plus Money £955, so I figured that even if I used my free companion ticket, I'd still be paying £1219 plus £180 taxes on free ticket. For only slightly more than PE I've got business class

DH does keep mentioning the age of Maxjet's aircraft I know he's only looking for a reaction from me though (he flies weekly). So long as they are not sacrificing a couple of goats in front of the aircraft before we take off ..........!!

 

[Halo]

The devil is in the detail in the VA offers. The free companion tickets only work if you book tickets in particular Fare Classes.

4.3.8 Qualifying fare levels for Economy to Premium Economy upgrades and Economy Companion tickets on Virgin Atlantic flights.

Only full adult fares apply:

UK............ Qualifying fares = Y,B,L

4.3.9 Qualifying fare levels for Premium Economy to Upper Class upgrades and Premium Economy Companion tickets on Virgin Atlantic flights:
Any full Premium Economy fare booked in W or S class. Excludes APEX and Excursion type, seat sale or any other special/promotional type Premium Economy fare.

4.3.10 Qualifying fare levels for Upper Class Companion tickets on Virgin Atlantic flights:

Any full Upper Class fare booked in J class. Excludes Z Class APEX and Excursion type, seat sale or any other special/promotional type Upper Class fare.

What this seems to mean in practise is that to use the awards you need to book a fare category which is typically more than twice as much as the cheapest available fare in that class.

I have gone back to collecting BA Miles instead.

 

[Michelle26]

Thank you Ian, that info is really helpful, what a great deal you got. Who would you contact to get one?

Michelle,

 

[Pootle]

Halo: I knew about the categories needed to qualify for the 'free' ticket, but I reasoned that as I was travelling to Las Vegas in peak time anyway, there wouldn't be the same deep discounts available.

Last year I religiously recorded all their special offer dates and had already come to the conclusion that for those able to travel off peak, looking out for their special fares could be a better deal - and less hassle - than doing miles plus money or using the free companion ticket or upgrade.

I have gone back to collecting BA Miles instead.

Yes, I'm pretty sure that's where I'm heading too

 

[Ian.Whiteley]

Hi Michelle,

You can get more info on the card on the Virgin Atlantic website

http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/en/gb/index.jsp?flash=true

Ian

 

[Miffy2003]

DH does keep mentioning the age of Maxjet's aircraft I know he's only looking for a reaction from me though (he flies weekly). So long as they are not sacrificing a couple of goats in front of the aircraft before we take off ..........!!

Good grief, let's hope not

 

[suzycute]

We flew with Maxjet to Las Vegas in July and thought it was great (but have never flown PE with Virgin). The seats in front were so far in front I couldn't touch them and the seat lay very comfortably back - enough to be able to sleep really well. We thought the service was excellent, the staff were very attentive and we all had our own entertainment system - it's the only time I've ever got off an 11 hour flight wishing it would go on a bit longer so I could watch all the movies and enjoy the comfort of the flight.

I suppose the only downside could be that they only have a few aircraft and if one is out of service, this could cause problems. However we were more than satisfied with them and hope they hurry up and introduce flights to Orlando!

 

[mikki.young]

The devil is in the detail in the VA offers. The free companion tickets only work if you book tickets in particular Fare Classes.



What this seems to mean in practise is that to use the awards you need to book a fare category which is typically more than twice as much as the cheapest available fare in that class.

I have gone back to collecting BA Miles instead.

This is not the case with PE. Yes, the ticket is more than the cheapest fare available but it is not double the cost. The worst difference I have had is from £950 to £1400 (when I did miles and money instead) but otherwise it has been around £800 to £900 which makes the free flight a no-brainer. I don't thibnk the options work as well in economy or upper-class for the companion flight.

 

[Ian.Whiteley]

I was told by Virgin that to get the upgrades/free companion tickets you have to purchase a mid range price ticket....certainly not the most expensive options!!

 

[Pootle]

We flew with Maxjet to Las Vegas in July and thought it was great (but have never flown PE with Virgin). The seats in front were so far in front I couldn't touch them and the seat lay very comfortably back - enough to be able to sleep really well. We thought the service was excellent, the staff were very attentive and we all had our own entertainment system - it's the only time I've ever got off an 11 hour flight wishing it would go on a bit longer so I could watch all the movies and enjoy the comfort of the flight.

I suppose the only downside could be that they only have a few aircraft and if one is out of service, this could cause problems. However we were more than satisfied with them and hope they hurry up and introduce flights to Orlando!

Thanks for that, it sounds really good.

I believe they have 3 aircraft, but you are right, it could cause problems as you have to assume they will all be in full use.

Having said that, I've done extra overnight stays in Orlando because both BA and Virgin had technical problems - so they are not immune either.