Bits: Business Traveller Christmas auction bargains, Virgin Atlantic extends leisure routes

News in brief:

Get a bargain in the Business Traveller charity auction

Business Traveller magazine is once again running its annual online charity auction. This year the cause is The Royal Hospital for Neuro-Disability in Putney.

BT has an unbeatable contact list in the industry and they have put together a huge list of items, from flights to cuddy toys.  See here for details.

It is obviously for a great cause, so do take a quick look and see if anything takes your fancy. The deadline for bids is tomorrow, December 31st.

It is limited to Business Traveller UK readers so the competition for lots is not huge, although don’t expect many giveaways.  I know at least one Head for Points reader successfully got a bargain in previous years.

As usual, Jumeirah has thrown in some very generous packages and, at the moment, those lots are looking very undervalued – possibly because not a lot of people are aware of how good their properties are.  Five nights in a Club Premier Suite at Emirates Towers in Dubai, for example, is just £869 at the time of writing – you would be paying around £2,700 for the same room in February.

There are some other Dubai hotels on the list which also seem underpriced.

There is one other lot which looks like it is slipping under the radar.  Singapore Airlines has donated five 12-month passes for two people for its Heathrow Terminal 2 business class lounge.  These are currently selling for a pitiful £26 to £36 each.

If you fly out of Terminal 2 on a regular basis then buying one of these passes would be an outstanding deal.  You can use the lounge irrespective of which carrier you are flying on (according to the terms and conditions) – all you need to remember is that the lounge is in the B satellite so you would need to walk there and back if flying from the main building.

Virgin Atlantic extends leisure routes for 2016/17

Virgin Atlantic has released details of new and increased frequencies on popular leisure routes which will kick in from next year:

Havana – an extra weekly flight added between November 2016 and March 2017

Glasgow to Orlando – season extended so the service will now continue to November 2016 and then restart a month earlier than usual, in March 2017

Manchester to Las Vegas – season extended so the service will now continue to November 2016 and then restart a month earlier than usual, in March 2017

Gatwick to Las Vegas – two additional weekly flights added in September and October 2016

Gatwick to Orlando – three additional weekly flights added in August 2016

You will also be able to earn and spend Virgin Flying Club miles on two new Delta Air Lines services from next year:

Heathrow to Salt Lake City

Edinburgh to New York JFK

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How to earn Virgin Points from UK credit cards (April 2025)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Virgin Points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

You can choose from two official Virgin Atlantic credit cards (apply here, the Reward+ card has a bonus of 18,000 Virgin Points and the free card has a bonus of 3,000 Virgin Points):

Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard

18,000 bonus points and 1.5 points for every £1 you spend Read our full review

Virgin Atlantic Reward Mastercard

3,000 bonus points, no fee and 1 point for every £1 you spend Read our full review

You can also earn Virgin Points from various American Express cards – and these have sign-up bonuses too.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is FREE for a year and comes with 20,000 Membership Rewards points, which convert into 20,000 Virgin Points.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express comes with 50,000 Membership Rewards points, which convert into 50,000 Virgin Points.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

Small business owners should consider the two American Express Business cards. Points convert at 1:1 into Virgin Points.

American Express Business Platinum

50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

American Express Business Gold

20,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year Read our full review

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Virgin Points.