Virgin Red Launches Up to 70% Bonus on Bought Points — Under 0.9p Each

Virgin Red has just launched a new Buy Points offer giving members up to a 70% bonus when purchasing Virgin Points. Running from 25 February to 31 March 2026, this is one of the strongest offers we've seen — and with the increased annual purchase limit of 300,000 points (up from the usual 200,000), there's a real opportunity to stock up at under 0.9p per point.

Whether you're planning a transatlantic Upper Class trip, topping up for a summer escape, or just want a healthy points balance for when the right redemption pops up, this offer is worth a close look. Let's break it down.

The bonus is tiered based on how many points you buy in a single transaction:

Points are priced at £15 per 1,000 points (or $25 for US-based accounts), plus a one-off £15 transaction fee per purchase. You can buy in increments of 1,000.

Here's where it gets interesting. The UK pricing makes this particularly attractive when you crunch the numbers. I've included the £15 transaction fee in these calculations:

Buy 300,000 points (max): You'll receive 510,000 points for £4,515. That's 0.885p per point.

Buy 125,000 points: You'll receive 212,500 points for £1,890. That's 0.889p per point.

Buy 70,000 points: You'll receive 112,000 points for £1,065. That's 0.951p per point.

Buy 25,000 points: You'll receive 35,000 points for £390. That's 1.11p per point.

The sweet spot is clearly the 70% tier. If you can stretch to buying at least 125,000 points, the cost per point drops to sub-0.9p, which is outstanding value for Virgin Points.

One detail worth highlighting: Virgin Red has extended the increased annual purchase limit of 300,000 points that was first introduced in December 2025. Normally, members can only buy up to 200,000 points per year. This extended limit gives you more room to load up, especially if you have a big redemption in mind.

If you max it out at 300,000 points with the 70% bonus, you'll walk away with 510,000 Virgin Points for £4,515 total. That's a serious stash of points.

Virgin Atlantic's shift to dynamic pricing for reward flights means prices fluctuate based on demand — but the floor has dropped dramatically since the change. Here are some of the best Saver reward seat prices from London (subject to availability):

London to New York (Economy Saver): From 6,000 points one-way → just ~£53 in purchased points at 0.885p each.

London to New York (Upper Class Saver): From 29,000 points one-way → ~£257 in purchased points. Cash prices for Upper Class typically start at £2,000+.

London to New York (Upper Class return): From 58,000 points return → ~£513 in purchased points (plus taxes/fees of around £742). Even including the taxes, you're looking at roughly £1,255 total for a return Upper Class ticket that would cost £4,000-6,000+ in cash.

London to Orlando (Economy Saver): From around 7,500 points one-way → ~£66 in purchased points. Great for families planning Florida trips.

You can check the latest Saver reward seat availability using Virgin Atlantic's Reward Seat Checker, or through our own Virgin Atlantic Reward Seat Finder. Look for the red 'Saver' label — those are the lowest-priced seats.

Virgin Points aren't just for flights. Through Virgin Red, you can also redeem for:

That said, flights generally offer the best pence-per-point value, especially when you can snag Saver availability on transatlantic routes.

There are a few practical details to be aware of:

14-day refund window: If you change your mind, you can request a full refund within 14 days — provided you haven't redeemed any of the purchased points. After 14 days (or after any redemption), the purchase is non-refundable.

Points never expire: Unlike Avios (which expire after 36 months of inactivity), Virgin Points never expire. This makes speculative buying less risky — you won't lose them if you don't use them immediately.

Link your accounts: Make sure your Virgin Red and Flying Club accounts are linked (add your Flying Club number in the 'Link accounts' section of your Virgin Red account). This ensures your purchased points can be used for reward flights.

New account quirk: If you've never earned or redeemed a single point, you may not be able to buy points straight away. A quick fix is to make a small transfer from Amex Membership Rewards or another transfer partner first, which activates the account.

As a Flying Club Gold member, I use Virgin Points regularly, and I think this offer is genuinely strong. At under 0.9p per point, the maths work out well for Upper Class redemptions in particular — you're effectively paying a fraction of the cash fare, even after taxes and fees.

My advice:

✅ Buy if you have a specific redemption in mind — especially a transatlantic Upper Class or Premium trip where Saver seats are available. The value is excellent.

✅ Buy to top up — if you're a few thousand points short of a booking, buying the difference at this rate is almost always cheaper than paying the cash fare.

⚠️ Think carefully about speculative buying — while Virgin Points don't expire (a huge plus), dynamic pricing means there's no guarantee Saver seats will be available when you want to fly. That said, if you're a regular transatlantic flyer, you'll likely find good use for them.

❌ Don't buy if you have Amex Membership Rewards to transfer — transferring from Amex to Virgin is free at a 1:1 ratio, and transfer bonuses of 20-30% pop up periodically. If you have Amex points sitting idle, those are 'free' Virgin Points.

Before you reach for your wallet, it's worth considering whether you can earn Virgin Points for free instead:

American Express transfer: If you hold the Amex Gold or Amex Platinum, you can transfer Membership Rewards points to Virgin at 1:1. Wait for a transfer bonus for even better value. Check our best Amex card recommendations if you're not yet in the Amex ecosystem.

Virgin Atlantic credit cards: Check our guide to Virgin Atlantic credit cards for cards that earn Virgin Points on everyday spending.

Tesco Clubcard: Don't forget about the Tesco Clubcard to Virgin Points auto-exchange, which gives you double value (400 Clubcard points = 800 Virgin Points). There's currently a 5,000 bonus points offer for new auto-exchange sign-ups running until 10 May 2026.

Virgin Atlantic's High Five scheme: If you fly regularly, the new High Five loyalty reward can earn you up to 12,000 extra Virgin Points each year. Every little helps.

At under 0.9p per point with the 70% bonus, this is one of the best Virgin Points purchase offers available. The increased 300,000 purchase limit and the fact that Virgin Points never expire make it a relatively low-risk proposition — especially if you have flights in mind.

With Virgin Atlantic Saver reward seats to New York starting from just 6,000 points in economy and 29,000 points in Upper Class, the potential value here is enormous. A return Upper Class ticket to New York that might cost £5,000+ in cash could be yours for around £1,255 (points cost + taxes) — that's roughly 75% off.

The offer runs until 31 March 2026, so you've got just over a month to decide. I'd recommend checking Saver seat availability first, finding a flight that works, and then buying the points you need.

Happy flying,

Jack