Virgin Atlantic and China Eastern codeshare announced

Virgin Atlantic’s only flight to the Far East is now its daily service to Shanghai, which restarted last year.

The airline has now announced a small codeshare agreement with its SkyTeam partner China Eastern, the home carrier in Shanghai, which opens six more connections

Virgin Atlantic has also moved into Terminal 1 at Shanghai Pudong Airport, where it can use the China Eastern lounges and facilities.

The codeshare covers flights to Chengdu, Changsha, Qingdao, Shenzhen, Wuhan and Xi’an, and will allow Virgin Atlantic passengers to seamlessly connect to these destinations in Shanghai.

In return, Virgin Atlantic will offer China Eastern customers the option to connect to Caribbean and African destinations, subject to government approval.

Bizarrely, China Eastern is still the only SkyTeam partner which cannot be booked with Virgin Points. This has remained ‘in progress’ since Virgin Atlantic joined SkyTeam last Spring and Virgin says it is “expected to follow shortly”.

However, all other SkyTeam benefits apply. I was able to use the China Eastern lounges and SkyTeam Priority services in Shanghai on my trip last year.

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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.