Virgin Atlantic Flying Club vs. Virgin Red: What’s the difference?

The Virgin Group operates two loyalty programs that look different on the surface but work together behind the scenes – once they are linked, you can seamlessly transfer your Virgin Points between the two accounts.

One is more focused on flights and elite status, the other is more focused on daily income and non-flying rewards.

Read on to find out how Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Club program and Virgin Red fit together, how they significantly overlap, and how easy it is to earn Virgin Points.

Related: How to Use Virgin Points to Book Virgin Hotels

What is Virgin Atlantic Flying Club?

Flying Club is Virgin Atlantic’s loyalty program. Members can earn redeemable Virgin Points (as well as tier points toward elite status) when flying on paid Virgin Atlantic and partner flights (including flights with SkyTeam partners) simply by adding their Flying Club membership number to their booking before departure.

You can also earn Virgin Points through Flying Club in the following ways:

• hotel: You can earn Virgin Points by booking stays at Virgin Hotels, Virgin Limited Edition, Marriott, Best Western, Hilton, Kaligo, IHG, Rocketmiles and Hyatt.
• car rental partners: Virgin Atlantic partners with Avis, Alamo, Enterprise, National and Sixt.
• Virgin Trains Ticketing: Earn points when traveling by train across the UK.
• Heathrow Rewards Scheme: You can earn points for shopping or parking at London Heathrow Airport (LHR) and transfer them to Flying Club.
• Stay away from stores: Earn Virgin Points when you choose to shop at over 1,000 retailers through Virgin Atlantic’s shopping portal.

The Flying Club program also offers three levels of elite status: Red (entry), Silver and Gold, with higher levels recognized by the SkyTeam alliance.

You can search and book Virgin Atlantic award seats online through Flying Club, or redeem Virgin Points for seat upgrades on Virgin Atlantic cash fares. You can also book through Flying Club and redeem your Virgin Points for partner flights, including flights with Delta Air Lines.

Additionally, you can use Virgin Points for specific non-flight activities such as Virgin Voyage cruises, Virgin Hotels accommodation and Eurostar train vouchers.

Related: Enjoy the full range of services for fewer points: 6 perks you’ll get when you fly to London on Virgin Atlantic for 6,000 points

What is virgin red?

Virgin Red is the rewards club of the Virgin Group, offering numerous earning and redemption opportunities that extend well beyond travel, and it also utilizes Virgin Points as its loyalty currency.

There are no status levels in Virgin Red.

While some of the same earning and redemption partners available through Flight Club are also available through Virgin Red, the Virgin Red platform focuses less on flying and more on its vast network of online shopping partners, Virgin Voyages cruises, gift certificates and experiences.

You might be surprised by the number of Virgin Points you can earn and redeem with Virgin Red.

If you don’t like flying, or can’t find an available seat that matches the redemption price you want to pay, you can find many fun ways to redeem Virgin Red with Virgin Red.

Please note that for most non-travel redemptions, you will receive a redemption value of 0.67 cents per Virgin Point, down from our December 2025 valuation of 1.3 cents per Virgin Point.

Typically you’ll get better value by redeeming your Virgin Points for flights than you would by redeeming them for non-travel experiences, but it’s nice to have a variety of options.

How to link your Flying Club and Red accounts

If you don’t already have Flying Club and Red accounts, create them online (or through each program’s app) and use the same email address, name and date of birth. Then, open the Virgin Red app or website, navigate to your account details and select the option to link your accounts.

Log in using your Flying Club details (you will have a Flying Club account and red only shows your email address) and make sure your personal information matches in both profiles.

Once linked, your Virgin Points will appear as a combined balance across each program, regardless of which platform you earned them through.

There’s nothing to manage; you can earn and redeem points from a single Virgin Points balance without having to adjust points back and forth.

Virgin Points are worth the same in both Flying Club and Red, so there’s no need to choose one over the other; Flying Club will offer more flight redemption options, while Red offers more “on the ground” non-travel experiences.

How to earn Virgin Points

As a Flying Club and/or Red Partner, it’s easy to earn Virgin Points using every transferable bonus currency. You can transfer points from the following reward programs to Flying Club:

You can transfer rewards from the following programs to Virgin Red:

• Bilt Rewards (points are transferred at a 1:1 ratio)
• Capital One (transfer miles at a 1:1 ratio)
• Citi Thank You Rewards (points are transferred at a 1:1 ratio)
• Wells Fargo Rewards (points transfer at a 1:1 ratio)

Keep an eye out for regular transfer bonuses from Flying Club and Red.

Here are some of our favorite travel rewards cards with significant welcome bonuses that convert to Virgin Points:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (See Rates & Fees): Earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 in purchases within the first three months of account opening.
• Chase Sapphire Reserve® (See Rates & Fees): Earn 125,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 in purchases within the first three months of account opening.
• Chase Sapphire Business Reserve℠ (See Rates & Fees): Earn 200,000 bonus points after spending $30,000 in purchases within the first six months of account opening.
• American Express® Gold Card: Know your offer and see if you’re eligible for up to 100,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $6,000 in purchases within the first six months of membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not qualify for one.
• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 in purchases within three months of account opening.
• Capital One Venture

bottom line

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club and Virgin Red are not competing programs – they are two parts of the same Virgin Points ecosystem, with significant overlap and easy-to-earn and redeem rewards.

Flying Club is where you earn your membership and book flights using cash or points (including with SkyTeam partners), while Virgin Red is more focused on everyday earnings and non-flight rewards such as shopping, hotels and non-travel experiences.

Once your accounts are linked, you’ll see a single Virgin Points balance across both accounts, so you can earn points on the bookings you like and redeem them where your points are used most.