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Virgin Points 70% buy bonus
If you want to top up your points balance Virgin Red and Flying Club are offering a bonus of up to 70% for members buying or gifting points between 8 October and 6 November 2024. You can spend Virgin points on a wide variety of options from concerts at the O2 to cruises and flights.
The bonuses are staggered depending on how many you buy:
- 5,000 – 24,000 points: 20% Bonus
- 25,000 – 69,000 points: 40% Bonus
- 70,000 – 99,000 points: 60% Bonus
- 100,000 – 200,000 points: 70% Bonus
The points purchase cap has been raised during this offer period to 200,000 points (normally 100,000). If purchasing 200,000 points, with the bonus you’d receive 340,000 Virgin Points – enough for a stay at Sir Richard Branson’s luxury safari camp, Mahali Mzuri.
The bonus points will be credited at the point of purchase and will appear on your account within 24 hours.
Points cost £15 for every 1,000 points plus every transaction comes with a one-off £15 transaction fee. So, if you buy 1,000 points you will pay £30, if you buy 5,000 points you will pay £90 and if you buy 10,000 points you will pay £165.
You can find more information here.
Virgin’s new Upper Class food and Clubhouse improvements
Virgin Atlantic has a brand-new menu across all cabins, focused on modern British cuisine, seasonality and comfort. Personally, I have always enjoyed the food on Virgin and like that they have some lighter options and some that are more comforting. Some of the brunch options below sound great too!
Upper Class meals
The Upper Class options include mains such as chicken and mushroom pie with a hint of truffle, pan-roasted cod, or pumpkin girasoli. Virgin Atlantic’s pre-select service will also give Upper Class customers access to exclusive mains such as roasted duck breast with potato gratin. Brunch is also available on select flights departing the UK and includes choices between smashed avocado with a poached egg on sourdough, a red velvet pancake stack with coconut cream, berry compote, and white chocolate granola, or a chicken and treacle beer bacon club sandwich.
The airline has also introduced a range of feel-good drinks that are non-alcoholic in the Upper Class and promote and support rest. First up on the menu is Three Spirit Nightcap which can be enjoyed neat over ice or topped with ginger ale. There is also Lo Bros Kombucha Raspberry & Lemon and TRIP Elderflower Mint Mindful Blend which combines a unique mix of magnesium, lion’s mane, ashwagandha and L-theanine. Lastly, Perfect Ted Juicy Peach is an immune-boosting blend with by matcha green tea, for those wanting to feel their best self post-flight.
I previously wrote about Virgin’s wine selection process in this article as I was invited to help select their new wines (it’s a tough job sometimes….) Virgin Atlantic has now announced its refreshed Upper Class wine selection. Whites include a 2022 Grillo Viognier Bio S.Tresa Rina Ianca, followed by a 2023 Diermersdal Cape Town Sauvignon Blanc South Africa. The red options are a 2022 Violet Hill Pinot Noir Oregon USA and 2023 Primitivo di Manduria Corti Salentine DOC Italy, whilst the rosé is a B corp certified and carbon neutral 2023 Aubert et Mathieu, Palooza Rosé Pays d’Oc.
Premium economy dining
Premium options include honey and mustard chicken with potato gratin, green beans and peas, Cumberland sausage with parsley mashed potatoes, root vegetables and madeira sauce, or Thai vegetable curry with chilli broccolini and vegetable dumplings. Sweet and savory Mile High Tea options are available in Premium as well as Brunch, with options including buttermilk-coated chicken with waffles, hot honey, and pumpkin seeds, baked egg with shakshuka, and polenta chips. The Uncommon English bubbly rose wine is also a new addition.
Heathrow Clubhouse improvements
Virgin Atlantic’s flagship London Heathrow Clubhouse is arguably one of the best business-class lounges in the world, with table service, a large range of cocktails, a deli, and a restaurant alongside a rooftop terrace.
The lounge will now stock essential oil Roller Balls by Aromatherapy Associates. Customers can choose from two Roller Balls to take away with them; the Deep Relax Roller Ball helps you to unwind and feel relaxed whilst you are on the go, the De-Stress Mind Roller Ball creates calm and focus. Both are small enough to fit into your handbag. A small card with a QR code will also be available for customers to take away, directing them to guided breathwork exercises to achieve optimum relaxation.
During Covid, Virgin removed the spa and replaced it with some Peloton bikes. Virgin Atlantic has now partnered with Peloton to introduce a Yoga Retreat where customers can do their daily routines, meditate, or work up a sweat using strength and balance equipment.
Corneel Koster, Chief Customer and Operating Officer commented, “It’s always exciting when we unveil a brand-new menu, in our mouth-watering culinary style. By combining seasonality and comfort with premium ingredients, we’re offering our customers an elevated in-flight dining experience to enjoy and indulge, while also recognizing the importance of relaxation during travel. Feeling well-rested and cared for can make all the difference for our customers, whether it’s a once-in-a-lifetime holiday or a business-as-usual trip.”
BA Flash Club World sale from £1499 return
To mark 100 years of flying to India, British Airways is running a flash offer on Club World (business class) flights to all its Indian gateways from today until 10 October from just £1499. With savings of up to £1000, the offer is valid for travel from 15 January to 16 May 2025 and includes flights to Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Mumbai from London Heathrow.
2 comments
I wish virgin would put the spa back in… having a “gym” located inside a restaurant is just weird IMHO (and what do people do with their stink gym clothes)- yes i know there is some people who like the option, but the spa was always fully booked whilst the bikes are often idle.
In August when I was in VS lounge I noted that the Peloton bikes were gone and tables, chairs were placed in that space increasing seating capacity.
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