Guide To Redeeming Virgin Atlantic Points On Delta

The frequent flyer program of a partner airline can be used to redeem points on a specific airline. It is where we see many of the best award sweet spots.

The Virgin Atlantic Flying Club has a number of redemption opportunities. Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points can be used for redemptions on Delta. There is still value to be had despite the fact that this opportunity isn't as lucrative as it was in the past.

I wanted to take a closer look at the situation at hand. How much Virgin Atlantic points do you need?

Redeem Flying Club points for travel on Delta

If there's saver level award availability, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club has lower redemption rates than Delta Skymiles. Virgin Atlantic could be charging 50,000 points, while Delta could be charging 200,000 points. The difference can be important.

There are many other benefits to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.

• Virgin Atlantic points are easier to come by, since the program partners with Amex, Capital One, Chase, and Citi, while Delta SkyMiles only partners with Amex
• Virgin Atlantic points can often be acquired with a transfer bonus, while we almost never see a transfer bonus from Amex to Delta

Let's look at the details of the opportunity

How many Virgin Atlantic points do you need for travel on Delta?

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points can be redeemed for travel on Delta.

• There’s region based award pricing between the United States and Europe
• There’s distance based award pricing for travel within and between all other regions

One-way redemption rates for travel on Delta between the United States and United Kingdom are listed here.

• 15,000-30,000 Flying Club points in Main Cabin (economy class)
• 47,500-77,500 Flying Club points in Delta One (business class)

The one-way redemption rates for travel on Delta between the US and Europe are listed here.

• 30,000 Flying Club points in Main Cabin (economy class)
• 50,000 Flying Club points in Delta One (business class)

The Virgin Atlantic Flying Club awards are charged based on the distance between the US and Europe.

Does Flying Club have surcharges when redeeming on Delta?

Flying Club imposes fuel surcharges when redeeming on Virgin Atlantic, but not Delta.

• There are fuel surcharges for travel on Delta between the US and UK
• There are fuel surcharges for travel on Delta between Europe and the US when originating in Europe
• There aren’t fuel surcharges for travel on Delta between the US and Europe (with the exception of the UK) when originating in the US
• There aren’t fuel surcharges for travel on Delta between or within any other regions

You don't have to worry about surcharges for all non European travel, and you don't have to worry about them for US to Europe travel.

How to book Delta awards through Flying Club

You can find Delta awards on Virgin Atlantic. If you're used to searching SkyMiles award space, Virgin Atlantic's website interface will be familiar.

If something is available on Delta, it will show up on Virgin Atlantic's website. When looking at the calendar feature on Virgin Atlantic's website, it can be hard to distinguish between award availability on Virgin Atlantic and other options.

The New York to Amsterdam ticket can be used as an example. You can get the calendar view by selecting the date, the number of passengers, and the fare option.

You can see a calendar view and a week of availability at the same time. Delta is the only option for 50,000 points and $6 in taxes and fees based on the type of award I'm looking for.

You can see the flight option after selecting the date.

If you search award availability and get a message saying "Sorry, no reward flights are available for your search", that's a good sign. There are periods of time with no award availability.

The award space on Delta is quirky. There are awards from the US to Europe in business class. Sometimes you can search months of availability at a time without finding a seat, while at other times you may find a seat.

You can make a lot of money when you find space. An award that costs 50,000 Virgin Atlantic points will cost 215,000 Delta Skymiles.

Is it worth redeeming Virgin Atlantic points on Delta?

Business class travel to Europe is the best use of Virgin Atlantic points on Delta. There are no fuel surcharges for business class one-way. It is just a function of finding award availability.

It's a great deal if you can find availability, but I don't think it's one of the best spots for awards.

If you want to redeem Virgin Atlantic points for short haul travel, you should look at the distance-based award chart.

For 7,500 points, you can book a one-way economy award for a flight of less than 500 miles.

For 8,500 points, you could book a one-way economy award for a flight of up to 1,000 miles.

It's a good deal to redeem 15,000 points for a one-way economy award for flights of 2,001-3,000 miles.

It is always a good idea to compare these to revenue tickets since they may not cost as much when you pay with cash.

When booking through Delta SkyMiles, first class pricing will be an advantage. If you book the above flight with Delta, you'll pay 40,000 SkyMiles for 17,500 Virgin Atlantic points in first class.

How to earn Virgin Atlantic pints

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club has transfer partners with all major points currencies. These are some of the easiest points to earn.

It will stretch your points even further if you see transfer bonuses from these currencies to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.

Virgin Atlantic points can be used for Delta flights. Business class between the US and Europe can be flown for 50,000 points without fuel surcharges. Short haul redemptions on Delta can be a good deal in both economy and first class.

Sometimes Virgin Atlantic will have access to a fair amount of Delta award space, while in other cases you will find no availability for a long time.

Did you redeem Virgin Atlantic points for travel? What were your experiences like?