Rating: 4 Stars
Bottom Line:
For Travelers Who Fly Virgin Atlantic or its Airline Partners
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Card Details
| Regular APR: | 16.74 – 24.74% (Variable) |
| Intro APR (Purchases): | None |
| Intro APR (Balance transfers): | None |
| Rewards Rate: | Earn 3 miles per dollar on Virgin Atlantic purchases 1.5 miles per dollar on all other purchases |
| Credit Needed: | (670 – 850) Good/Excellent |
| Annual Fee: | $90 |
| Card Brand: | Mastercard |
*See online credit card application for details on the terms and conditions.
Offer Highlights
- Click APPLY NOW to apply online
- Earn up to 50,000 Flying Club miles total
- Earn 30,000 Flying Club bonus miles after spending at least $1,000 within 90 days of your account being open
- Earn 3 miles per dollar on Virgin Atlantic purchases, and 1.5 miles per dollar on all other purchases
- Earn a Premium upgrade or a companion ticket after qualifying purchases
- Earn 7,500 anniversary bonus miles if you spend at least $15,000 and another 7,500 anniversary bonus miles if you spend at least $25,000 in net purchases using your card annually
- If you spend $25,000 in net purchases annually, the primary cardholder will also qualify for either one cabin upgrade from Economy Classic to Premium when flying on an a Rewards Flight or one matching Companion Fare in the same cabin class on a Rewards Flight
- Receive 2,5000 miles for each of the first two authorized users added to your card
- Up to 5,000 bonus miles for adding two additional cardholders
- In addition to earning miles, you?ll also earn tier points. You earn 25 tier points per $2,500 in purchases (maximum of 50 per month) and additional tier points when you fly Virgin Atlantic or our airline partners. Residents of the US and its territories only. See full disclosure for details.
Is Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard worth it?
Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard is a great card for people who fly Virgin or Its Airline Partners. Cardholders earn 3 miles per dollar on Virgin Atlantic purchases, and 1.5 miles per dollar on all other purchases.
To find the value of Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles, we looked at a roundtrip Premium cabin flight from New York to London. The fare for a holiday flight is priced at $1621 or 55,000 miles + $792.45. The $792 includes $450 of carrier imposed surcharges and $340 of taxes, fees and charges. That is a large amount of fees, but even with the fees this works out to about one and a half cents per point.
With this moderately high point value in mind, Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard? cardholders are getting 4.5% on Virgin Atlantic purchases, the same rate you get with Chase Sapphire Reserve, the $450 annual fee premium travel card which earns 3 points per dollar on travel and dining. One advantage these premium travel cards like Chase Sapphire Reserve and American Express Platinum have is they allow you to earn points on purchases from all airlines, not just one. That said, you can both earn and spend miles on Virgin Atlantic’s transfer partners, which include Air France, Delta, Hawaiian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, and more than 5 more.
Just like Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, and Capital One Venture miles, with Virgin Atlantic Flying Cub miles you do earn miles while actually flying, with the number of miles you earn depending on the fare class you selected, ranging from about 75% of the miles you fly to 400%.
If you fly international often this is a great way to accumulate miles automatically. Otherwise, it won?t be worth it to get your miles from flying – for example, flying across the US 3000 miles might earn you just $30 in travel – and you will want to focus on earning your miles by using the lower 1.5 miles per dollar rewards rate that can be earned on all purchases unless you travel often.
There are a lot of travel cards available, but if you fly Virgin Atlantic or any of its travel partners regularly, Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard is a great card for you.
Pros
- If you spend $25,000 in net purchases annually, the primary cardholder will also qualify for either one cabin upgrade from Economy Classic to Premium when flying on an a Rewards Flight or one matching Companion Fare in the same cabin class on a Rewards Flight
- No annual fee
- Earn 3 miles per dollar on Virgin Atlantic purchases
- 1.5 miles per dollar on all other purchases
Cons
- $90 annual fee
- Other travel cards have more flexible travel redemption
Why 4 Stars?
Regular APR
4 Stars
Intro APR
4 Stars
Fees
4 Stars
Perks
5 Stars
Overall
4 Stars
Fees
| Foreign Transaction Fee | None |
| Balance Transfer Fee | Either $10 or 3% of the amount of each transaction, whichever is greater |
| Cash Advance Fee | See Terms (has exception) |
| Penalty APR | Up to 29.99% |
Benefits
| $0 Fraud Liability |
| Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver |
| Concierge Service |
| Extended Warranty Program |
| Lost Luggage Reimbursement |
| Purchase Protection |
| Trip Cancellation and Interruption Coverage |
| Travel Accident Insurance |
| Travel Assistance |
Editorial Note: This content is not provided by the issuer. Any opinion, analyses, reviews, or recommendations expressed on this page are those of the author?s alone, and may not have been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the issuer.
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