The annoying surcharge of Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is back in the news, not very good.
After introducing dynamic reward pricing in late 2024, the program cuts the prices and fees for some reward tickets. This has resulted in a commercial-grade fare in Europe as low as 29,000 points, with a fee of about $250. In fact, a TPG employee and Loyal Virgin Atlantic Flyer think most changes are getting better.
But these transactions are short-lived, as the cost of aircraft carriers has now reached an increase. Here is everything you need to know about Virgin Atlantic’s latest depreciation.
Depreciation details
As Virgin Atlantic turns to dynamic pricing, the reward fee varies by route, date and fare class. You can expect to pay about $250 on business-grade flights in Europe on low demand dates, a steal, while the past $1,000-plus prices are commonplace.
Virgin Atlantic will now charge up to $586 one-way fees to the UK, including Heathrow Airports (LHR) and Manchester Airports (MAN) to make those fees overturned. The frugal traveler broke the news first.
Similarly, the one-way fee from the United States to the United Kingdom increased from $75 to $111 for redemption, and the premium economic redemption fee increased from about $106 to $240. This doesn’t seem unreasonable, but remember that you have to pay for the return trip, too.
These return fees have not changed yet, but they are already steep, especially if you consider the current exchange rate. For example, the business-grade fee is £672, which is currently $924. Yes.
A bright side? Even after the recent peak, Virgin Atlantic’s transatlantic fees are still well below their dynamic pricing days. As for whether they will maintain this state or continue to rise, only time can explain.
For now, we will look closely at this space to see if the Flying Club has implemented further changes.
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Bottom line
Despite this negative change, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club still offers some huge deals, especially if you can travel on off-peak dates. (The transatlantic flight can’t actually really beat 6,000 points.)
And, it’s very easy to make money with most of the partners with major reward programs with transferable currencies, including American Express membership rewards, Bilt Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi Thankyou Rewards, and Wells Fargo Rewards.
However, it is always important to check taxes and fees before you book an award ticket through any airline program, as these tickets can quickly eat your travel budget.
