36,000 Virgin Points for spending £3,000 in 90 days. That's the welcome bonus back on the table with the Virgin Atlantic Reward+ card - and at 1p per point, that's roughly £360 in travel value sitting above the £160 annual fee. The maths is hard to argue with.

The Virgin Atlantic Reward+ card earns how many Virgin Points per £1 spent on everyday purchases?

The answer is waiting near the bottom... keep scrolling 👇

Virgin Money has brought back its boosted welcome offer on the Virgin Atlantic Reward+ credit card, and it's the best deal you'll see on this card for the foreseeable future. The offer runs until 18th May 2026, so there's a reasonable window - but not an infinite one.

Here's how it breaks down: you get 18,000 Virgin Points after your first purchase, then a further 18,000 points once you hit £3,000 spend in your first 90 days. The annual fee is £160. At 1p per point, those 36,000 points are worth an estimated £360 in travel value - a net gain of around £200 in Year 1 before you've even spent anything beyond the minimum.

The card earns 1.5 Virgin Points per £1 on all spending, which is among the strongest earning rates of any UK travel card. For comparison, you'd need to spend 24,000 points' worth of everyday spending to match what the sign-up bonus hands you for free.

On redemptions: Saver award seats are still available on Virgin Atlantic routes. There are Upper Class seats to New York for 29,000 Virgin Points each way, for example - use the Virgin Atlantic Points Calculator to check the maths on your preferred route. The Virgin Atlantic Reward Seat Finder is also worth bookmarking for live availability checks.

There's one underrated perk worth flagging: this card charges zero FX fees on spending in Euros within the EEA, Swedish Kronor, and Romanian Lei. That 3% saving - on top of earning Virgin Points - is genuinely useful for summer Europe travel. It's the only UK travel rewards card that offers this.

Previously held the card? You can still get the bonus if you cancelled your previous Virgin Atlantic card more than six months ago. You also qualify if you're currently a supplementary cardholder on someone else's Virgin Atlantic card.

One last angle: the 36,000 points convert to 54,000 Hilton Honors points (at 2:3) or 36,000 IHG One Rewards points (at 1:1) - making it a backdoor route to hotel points from a Mastercard, which almost no other UK card offers. For all our Virgin Atlantic coverage, see the Virgin Atlantic stories page.

If you've been watching Qatar Airways nervously since the Iran War grounded much of its schedule in early 2026, here's some clarity: the airline operated 133 departing passenger flights from Doha on Tuesday alone, and has confirmed it will resume services to more than 150 destinations from 16th June 2026. That's a significant milestone.

The rebuild has been gradual - Qatar began increasing flights from 18th March, and weekly departures have climbed steadily since. The key implication for points collectors: award seat availability has been relatively uncrowded during this ramp-up period, as demand has lagged the recovery.

If you're considering a Qatar Avios redemption for late summer or autumn, now is arguably a better window to search than post-June when bookings normalise. Use the Qatar Avios Award Flight Finder to check what's available. Business Class to the Maldives, Tokyo, or Cape Town are often strong sweet spots via Doha.

Heads up: Qatar's Qsuite availability to the US has historically been tighter post-disruption, as leisure travellers tend to book earlier when schedules stabilise. Don't wait if you have a specific route in mind.

If you've been considering a Marriott Bonvoy Homes & Villas stay - the programme's answer to Airbnb, covering apartments, villas, and private homes - there's a live bonus offer worth paying attention to.

Book by Saturday 26th April, stay between 27th April and 3rd January 2027, spend at least $2,000 (roughly £1,600), and you'll earn 40,000 bonus Bonvoy points on top of your base earning. You must be a Silver status member or above to qualify, and you'll need to register first.

At Marriott's standard redemption rates, 40,000 points can cover one to two nights at a Category 4 property - not transformative, but a solid top-up if you're already booking a villa stay for a family holiday or group trip. The minimum stay is two nights.

Warning: the booking deadline is this Saturday 26th April - four days away. If this fits a trip you already have planned, it's worth checking. If you're not already a Silver member or above, you won't qualify.

There's a +100% transfer bonus running right now when you move Choice Privileges points to Air France/KLM Flying Blue - and it ends this Thursday 24th April. That means every 1,000 Choice points becomes 2,000 Flying Blue Miles. Flying Blue is one of the most versatile redemption currencies for European travel, including short-haul returns to Paris, Amsterdam, and beyond.

If you have a dormant Choice Privileges balance you've never found a use for, this is a genuinely strong way to redirect them. Flying Blue promo awards regularly offer discounted redemptions on specific routes each month. Check the Flying Blue website for current promo fares before transferring to make sure the route you want is available.

Heads up: Choice Privileges points are not widely earned by UK collectors, but if you've stayed at any Quality Inn, Comfort Hotel, or Radisson-adjacent property that participates, you may have a balance sitting idle.

Minor Hotels - which includes the NH Hotels brand - is running a Member Days sale offering up to 35% off stays between 27th April and 30th September 2026. GHA Discovery members need to book by this Saturday 26th April to lock in the discount. NH Hotels has confirmed participation; other Minor brands may vary.

NH Hotels has solid city properties across Europe - Madrid, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Berlin, and Rome among them. If you have a summer city break on the radar and haven't booked accommodation yet, this is worth a check before Saturday. The GHA Discovery membership is free to join.

Heads up: the 35% discount is the ceiling, not the floor. Actual savings will depend on property and dates. Check individual listings for confirmed pricing.

The answer is 🔵 1.5 points per £1. The Virgin Atlantic Reward+ card earns 1.5 Virgin Points on every £1 you spend - one of the highest base earning rates of any UK travel credit card. Combine that with today's 36,000-point welcome bonus and you've got a card that hits hard in Year 1.

Are you a Virgin Points collector, an Avios collector, or do you split your loyalty between both? I'm genuinely curious whether UK readers are doubling down on one programme or hedging across several. Hit reply - I read every response.

That's your Wednesday sorted - but one thing before you go: the Choice → Flying Blue +100% transfer bonus ends this Thursday. If you have Choice Privileges points gathering dust, that's two days to double them into Flying Blue miles. Don't let that one slip past.

These are the top credit card welcome bonuses we're tracking. Offers change frequently - see all cards.

1. Business Platinum Card: 120,000 points after spending £12,000 in 3 months (£650/yr)

2. Platinum Card: 75,000 points after spending £10,000 in 6 months (£650/yr)

3. Business Gold Card: 20,000 points after spending £3,000 in 3 months (£195/yr (waived first year))

4. Gold Card: 20,000 points after spending £3,000 in 3 months (£195/yr (waived first year))

Looking to redeem your points? Here's what's available right now (via Award Travel Finder):

Hotels:

Status Matches:

• Flying Blue Status Match - Air France / KLM (SkyTeam)

• Flying Blue UK (BA Status Holders) - Air France / KLM (SkyTeam)

• Flying Blue (Iberia) - Air France / KLM (SkyTeam)

See all award deals at AwardTravelFinder.com →

Before we wrap up, I wanted to share some timely opportunities I've been tracking (courtesy of our friends at AwardTravelFinder). These deals won't last long, so let's dive in.

Airline programs:

Hotel programs:

Award Travel Finder hunts down the best redemptions so you don't have to.

See all deals at AwardTravelFinder.com →