American Express is currently offering a 30% transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic until May 31, 2024. That means for every 1,000 Membership Reward points transferred, you’ll receive 1,300 Flying Club miles.

Virgin Atlantic offers some great sweet spots for award flights on ANA, Delta, Hawaiian Airlines, and Flying Blue, among others. I have found flights for my clients as low as 12,000 miles to Europe in Economy. With the current transfer bonus, you can get these same flights for as low as 10,000 points for one way.

Here are some of the best uses of your Flying Club Miles:

1. Delta Airline flights to Europe: Delta Air Lines releases award flights to their partners, such as Virgin Atlantic, and one of the best redemptions for your points can be for their business class, Delta One flights to Europe. Typically, flights to Europe can be secured for as low as 50,000 Flying Club miles roundtrip in Economy and 50,000 miles one-way in Delta One. With the 30% transfer bonus, you can fly to Europe on Delta One for 39,000 Membership Reward Points.
2. Hawaiian Airlines’ new Dreamliner First Class: With the transfer bonus, you can book Hawaiian Airlines’ new first-class Dreamliner flights for as low as 31,000 Membership Reward points, as saver fares can be as low as 40K miles each way. You will need to call Virgin Atlantic Customer Service to provide your desired dates and award availability, and they will take it from there.
3. All Nippon Airways (ANA) “The Room“: ANA has world-class business and first-class products, including the infamous “The Room” suites. This is actually on my bucket list to experience as well, and this transfer bonus is another use of your Flying Club miles. Business class awards between the US, Europe, and Japan cost 45,000-47,500 points one-way, while first-class awards between the US or Europe and Japan cost 72,500-85,000 points one-way. This can now be booked even lower with the transfer bonus. They do charge fuel-imposed surcharges, so it can be more expensive than other airlines.

To find available award seats on Virgin Atlantic, follow these steps:

1. Log in to your Flying Club accounts on the Virgin Atlantic website.
2. Initiate Flight Search: Utilize the booking tool to search for flights, ensuring to select the option to pay with miles.
3. Enter Travel Details: Input departure city, destination, travel dates, and other relevant information.
4. Review Available Flights: Virgin Atlantic will display available flights eligible for booking using miles based on the entered criteria.
5. Select Preferred Flight: Evaluate options and choose the flight that aligns with your preferences and schedule.
6. Complete Booking: Follow the prompts to finalize your booking and complete the redemption using your Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles. (*remember to only transfer your points when you have confirmed availability).

Bonus Tip: Booking Partner Awards

To maximize your Virgin Atlantic miles with partner awards such as ANA’s “The Room” or Hawaiian Airlines’ Dreamliner flights, you’ll need to find availability on the respective partner websites. For ANA, using United Airlines to search may be better as the ANA website requires searching for roundtrip bookings only, and it can be difficult to find award availability at times. Once you have found availability, contact Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Club customer service team at 1-800-862-8621 with the necessary details to assist you in booking the partner award using your miles.

Final Thoughts:

This transfer bonus is an excellent opportunity to maximize your AMEX Membership Reward redemptions. However, as with any transfer bonus or redemption, you should avoid transferring points unless you have plans for them, as they are almost always a one-way street and cannot be reversed.

It is also worth noting that VA taxes and fee surcharges can sometimes be higher than other airlines, so you’ll want to analyze whether it’s worth it.