What are reward seats?

Reward seats are a special allocation of seats on every long haul flight that can be booked using your Virgin Points. And they’re exactly that – a reward for earning all those lovely points.​


On the day a flight goes on sale, we guarantee a minimum of twelve reward seats on all Virgin Atlantic flights – eight in Economy Classic, two in Premium and two in Upper Class so you can redeem your points on a flight to somewhere fabulous.​

When you book a reward seat, the cost of your flight is covered with points. All you need to pay for are the taxes, fees and carrier imposed surcharges. ​
 

If the reward seats have already been snapped up for the flight you want, you can still use your points as part-payment on a normal seat with Points Plus Money, from as little as 3000 points. You'll also earn tier points to help you get to Silver and Gold status. However it’s always worth checking back, as more reward seats can be released closer to the departure date.​

 

For flights where there are no available reward seats, Points Plus Money is a great alternative. Points Plus Money is available on every Virgin Atlantic operated flight when booked online and will reduce the cost of your flight for each 3,000 points redeemed. Plus you'll also earn Virgin Points to top up your account balance, and tier points to help with achieving Gold and Silver status.

Reward seat checker

Reward seat checker

You've earned the points, you're now ready to redeem them on your next flight. Planning is now made easy with our new Reward seat checker.

Reward seat checker
Points calculator

Points calculator

Want to see how many points you can earn on Virgin Atlantic flights? Or see how many points you'll need? Use our handy calculator tool to see.

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Ready to book a Virgin Atlantic flight

Book your flights directly online and select 'show price in points' under "Advanced search".  ​

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See the points you'll earn with your next flight with our partner airlines.

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Benefits of reward seats

 

  • Reward seats offer greater flexibility than most regular tickets that you pay with money.

  • Reward seats don't have minimum or maximum durations. They can also be one way flights.

  • Reward seats are excellent value, especially on longer flights, and in Premium and Upper Class

  • You can earn Tier Points on reward flights, which helps you maintain your Flying Club Tier status, or reach Silver or Gold status quicker.

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What reward seat can I choose?

Worked out that you've got enough points? Great, now let's run through the details with you.

You can book a reward seat in either Economy Classic, Premium or Upper Class. In standard season, you'll need as little as 18,000 points for an Economy Classic return flight, and in peak season you'll need from 22,000 points.

And if you are a Gold member you can use your Gold Reward Seat benefit to book revenue seats when there is no reward availability, by spending double the usual points. Simply call the Gold priority line to make a Gold Reward seat booking. Gold members can find this number on their Flying Club account page. For more information, please see our FAQs.

Not quite sure where you want to go? Check out our reward flight deals to get some inspiration.

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Standard season dates

  • 04 January 2024 - 21 March 2024
  • 16 April 2024 - 15 June 2024
  • 3 September 2024 - 24 October 2024
  • 06 November 2024 - 6 December 2024

Caribbean and Indian Ocean standard season dates

  • 04 March 2024 - 21 March 2024
  • 16 April 2024 - 26 May 2024
  • 03 June 2024 - 19 July 2024
  • 3 September 2024 - 24 October 2024
  • 6 November 2024 - 6 December 2024

Route

To/from UK

Economy Classic Premium  Upper Class
Israel 18,000* 32,000* 56,000*
India & Dubai 20,000* 35,000* 75,000*

USA - Northeast

(Boston, Newark, New York JFK, Washington DC)

20,000* 35,000* 95,000*
Caribbean 20,000* 35,000* 115,000*

USA - Midwest & South

(Atlanta, Miami, Orlando, Tampa)

25,000* 45,000* 95,000*
Nigeria and China 25,000* 45,000* 115,000*
South Africa and Indian Ocean 25,000* 50,000* 115,000*

USA - West

(AustinLas Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle)

30,000* 55,000* 135,000*

If you're booking a Reward ticket for an infant under two (at the time of travel) who will be travelling on your lap, you'll  need the following points (one way):

  • 1,000 points in Economy
  • 2,000 points in Premium
  • 5,000 points in Upper Class

Please note: Taxes, fees and carrier-imposed surcharges apply to all Reward Flights. 

All points shown in this table are per round trip. For one way, the points are simply half of the round trip.

Caribbean Inter island flying

To/from

Economy
Barbados to St Vincent 4,500*
St Vincent to Barbados 4,500*
Barbados to Grenada 4,500*
Grenada to Barbados 4,500*

 

Please note: Taxes, fees and carrier-imposed surcharges apply to all Reward Flights. 

All points shown in this table are per round trip. For one way, the points are simply half of the round trip.

^ Reward flights are subject to availability and taxes, fees and carrier-imposed surcharges apply.  Upgrades are not available from Economy Light. Companion tickets in Economy will be booked into Economy Classic.

Peak season dates

  • 01 January 2024 - 03 January 2024
  • 22 March 2024 - 15 April 2024
  • 16 June 2024 - 02 September 2024
  • 25 October 2024 - 5 November 2024
  • 07 December 2024 - 5 January 2025

Caribbean and Indian Ocean peak season dates

  • 01 January 2024 - 03 March 2024
  • 22 March 2024 - 15 April 2024
  • 27 May 2024 - 02 June 2024
  • 20 July 2024 - 02 September 2024
  • 25 October 2024 - 5 November 2024
  • 7 December 2024 - 2 March 2025

Route

To/from UK

Economy Classic Premium Upper Class
Israel 22,000* 40,000* 66,000*
India & Dubai 40,000* 55,000* 95,000*

USA - Northeast

(Boston, Newark, New York JFK, Washington DC)

40,000* 55,000* 115,000*
Caribbean 40,000* 55,000* 135,000*

USA - Midwest & South

(Atlanta, Miami, Orlando, Tampa)

45,000* 65,000* 115,000*
Nigeria and China 45,000* 65,000* 135,000*
South Africa and Indian Ocean 45,000* 85,000* 135,000*

USA - West

(Austin, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle)

50,000* 75,000* 155,000*

If you're booking a Reward ticket for an infant under two (at the time of travel) who will be travelling on your lap, you'll  need the following points (one way):

  • 1,000 points in Economy
  • 2,000 points in Premium
  • 5,000 points in Upper Class

Please note: Taxes, fees and carrier imposed surcharges apply to all reward flights.

A Premium purchased ticket will get you a 50% discount off a Premium Reward Flight.

An Upper Class purchased ticket, will get you 50% discount an Upper Class Reward Flight.

All points shown in the table above are per roundtrip. For one way, the points are simply half of the round trip.

All Reward Flights are subject to availability and can only be used on Virgin Atlantic flights.

Companion tickets in Economy will be booked into Economy Classic.

Caribbean Inter island flying
To/from

Economy
Barbados to St Vincent 5,000*
St Vincent to Barbados 5,000*
Barbados to Grenada 5,000*
Grenada to Barbados 5,000*

 

Please note: Taxes, fees and carrier-imposed surcharges apply to all Reward Flights. 

All points shown in this table are per round trip. For one way, the points are simply half of the round trip.

^ Reward flights are subject to availability and taxes, fees and carrier-imposed surcharges apply.  Upgrades are not available from Economy Light. Companion tickets in Economy will be booked into Economy Classic.

It’s easy to redeem your points on flights ​
 

  1. Visit virginatlantic.com and select your destination and dates ​

  2. Choose ‘Show price in points’ under “Advanced search”  ​

  3. Flights will be shown in points, plus the taxes and charges in money ​

  4. Select your seats in the usual way and use your points to pay. ​
     

If the reward seats have already been snapped up for your chosen flight, you can still use your points as part payment on a normal seat. With Points Plus Money it's simple – with as little as 10,000 points you can get a discount off the cost of your flight, reducing the amount you’ll need to pay.  ​

And if you are flexible on your flights, it’s worth checking back, as more seats can be released closer to travel. 

Take me away with points

Top Tips

  • Plan ahead - availability changes quickly, so if you see it, book it! If you don’t see what you want, do keep checking back.

  • Be flexible with your dates.

  • Decide on your destination and check out the number of points you need to get there. There are two prices: Standard and Peak (as listed on this page). Then, start earning with Flying Club and Virgin Red partners to collect enough points to fly.

Ready to book?

Now you know how many points you need, you can start planning your next trip.
Just remember to select 'show price in points' when searching for your flight.

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