Virgin Atlantic. Just saying those two words evokes ‘ultra-luxury’ in my mind. Famous for their cabin amenities, advertisements, and CEO Richard Branson, Virgin Atlantic is an airline you should aspire to ride on one day. But, how do you get on board as fast as possible? With a great credit card sign-up bonus, of course! Now, the Virgin Atlantic MasterCard offers up to 65,000 bonus miles at sign up! Let’s dig into the details, shall we?
Sign-Up Bonus
As stated above, you have up to 65,000 points for signing up for this credit card. The first 20,000 points are yours after the first purchase- no minimum spend required. The next 25,000 points are yours after $2,500 in purchases in the first 90 days of card opening. Next, you can receive 15,000 ‘Anniversary bonus miles’ after qualifying purchases- 7,500 miles after spending $15,000 within a year and 7,500 more after spending $2,500 in spend. Finally, you can receive 5,000 bonus miles after adding two additional cardmembers.
While this isn’t doable for everyone’s spending limits, 50,000 miles is doable for most without a massive outlay of spending. And, if you spend a little over $1,000 a month on the card in the first year, 7,500 miles are yours!
Regular Spending
For this card, regular spend will give you 1.5 miles per dollar spent on purchases. And, you’ll earn 3 miles per dollar spent with Virgin Atlantic. This is a pretty good deal for a ‘regular’ travel card, where most cards only give you 2 one mile or point per dollar spent.
Tier Points
You’ll also earn tier points for spending on the card- up to two per month, and 24 per year. You earn one tier point for every $2,500 in spend. You’ll earn Silver status with 15 Tier points, and 40 Tier points will earn you God. These have to be earned within a 12-13 month rolling period.
Silver gets you 50% bonus on miles when flying Virgin, as well as premium check-in and lounge access in London and Birmingham. Gold earns you 100% bonus miles, and if you earn 60 tier points you’ll receive two lounge passes. 80 tier points will give you a one cabin upgrade for two.
Fees
There is an annual fee for this card, which is $90. This is not waived, so you will be paying this fee from day one. In addition, there are foreign transaction fees, albeit at a lower percentage than most cards- only one percent.
Transfer Partners
One great thing about Virgin miles are their transfer partners, including Delta, Virgin America, Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA, Cyprus, Gulf Air, Hawaiian, Jet, Malaysia, SAS, Singapore, South African, and Virgin Australia. Also, Hilton can be transferred to, at a 1:2 ratio. Thus, 50,000 miles equals 100,000 Hilton HHonors points.
Conclusion
A sound offer, and very worth it if you can meet the spend requirements. As always, review your spending and traveling habits before applying for the credit card, and see if it is right for you! Think the Virgin Atlantic MasterCard is right for you? Apply here, and hopefully you’ll be hopping across the pond very, very soon! Did you get approved? Let us know below in the comments!