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Virgin Atlantic: ‘We scrapped the 12 guaranteed reward seats due to member feedback’

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There is a phrase in the PR world – ‘when you’re apologising, you’re losing’.

You are more likely to know ‘when you’re in a hole, stop digging’.

These were the thoughts that sprang to mind when I read the four page A4 PDF document sent to members of the Virgin Atlantic invite-only ‘Travel Talk’ forum in defence of the changes to Virgin Flying Club.

It’s fair to say that if you thought that HfP readers were scathing about the changes, it was nothing compared to ‘Travel Talk’ members. That’s not surprising, of course, since only highly engaged members would bother to join an invite-only discussion group.

It’s unfair to post the entire document because it was meant for an invite-only audience, but I’ve repeated a few sections below. As you read it, remember that this document was written for some of the most knowledgeable and highest value customers of the airline.

Let’s start with the one I put in the headline of the article. Apparently it was YOU, the loyal Flying Club member, who wanted the removal of the 12 guaranteed reward seats per flight.

Before we go on, a quick note on editing. Some answers have been shortened – these are indicated with ‘[….]’ – but each sentence appears exactly as it is in the original. Any bolding is ours.

On the removal of the 12 guaranteed reward seats per flight:

Why have you eliminated the Reward/Saver seat minimum across all cabins and flights?

We listened to member feedback and while the minimum 12 seat guarantee was valued, the high demand for those seats showed us that we needed more flexibility. We considered including a guaranteed number of seats in the new Saver product, but feedback showed that booking 11 months in advance to secure one was unfair and impractical for many members. Instead, we’ve reinvested that value into better pricing for all. This way, you can use your points anytime.

On devaluation:

Why have points been devalued, and why weren’t existing customer balances adjusted accordingly?

Virgin Points have not been devalued; in fact, we’re adding more value for members. Higher price points reflect access to newly available more valuable inventory, while the introduction of Saver reward seats offers our lowest ever prices. Combine that with increased points earn rates in Premium and Upper Class, and Virgin Points can now take you even further.

On credit card vouchers:

Why are companion vouchers now capped in value and tier-based?

We’ve simplified our vouchers to make them more flexible – you can now use them for a cabin upgrade or to bring a companion. The capped value ensures that the voucher is at least as valuable as previously, with the added benefit of being usable on any seat. [….]

On what people who don’t earn huge volumes of points are now meant to do:

What steps will be taken to make the program more achievable for regular and low-tier customers?

We want Flying Club to work for all members. [….] Whether you’re a frequent flyer or someone saving for a special trip, there are now more ways to get the most out of the programme.

On the background to the changes:

Why were these changes made and what are the core benefits of the new system to the customer?

Very simply in order to make Flying Club more rewarding and easier to use for everyone! [….]

On those who say they may switch:

I don’t feel valued, why should I stay loyal to Flying Club rather than switch to a competitor programme?

Flying Club offers the most rewarding travel programme and our unique benefits set us apart from our competitors. [….] Combined with our excellent onboard service and people and outstanding products, Flying Club truly delivers exceptional value. [….]

We understand that changes to programmes can take time to adjust to, and some members may explore alternatives. However, we’re confident that our programme offers great value. We hope you’ll take a closer look at all we offer and feel reassured of the benefits of staying with Flying Club and Virgin Atlantic.

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

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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):

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

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

Category

Virgin Atlantic and Flying Club

Comments (245)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Martin Lewis says:
    10 Dec10 December 06:49

    I have just had the worst experience in my 11 years of using and burning Virgin reward points. My wife and I fly each year to California for a 5 weeks visiting our family. Although our travel dates are flexible we need to secure our flights well in advance of flying so we can reserve the same holiday rental home that we have used for 10 years.

    In the past I’ve booked the LHR to SFO tickets as soon as they became available. Then I booked the return dates as they became available. I guess I must be one of those horribly bad people mentioned in VA’s briefing note who have the ‘luxury’ of booking in advance.

    When I booked my outbound flights I explained to the customer service rep that I would book the return leg once they became available. So yesterday I called the Swansea call centre to book my return leg. Up until now the sweet spot for return legs have been Tues and Weds flights. Lo and behold flights in October on those dates which were being offered at around 70K reward points have jacked up in the 1st week of Nov to 350K.

    So for the first time ever in booking with VA I couldn’t get the dates I wanted because it would burn more points than I have. So I had to accept a shorter stay in order to have enough points to travel.

    Given that in past return UC seats on this route would come out at about 135K pp, the latest figure is 240K pp. The booking process with Swansea proved inordinately complex. The rep kept putting me on hold whilst he checked on ‘something’. Eventually he came back and told me that as I was amending my booking I’d be charged £70.00. I pointed out that a) this was not mentioned when I made the outbound booking even though I explained my reasoning and 2} I do not consider adding a flight an amendment to a booking as I could have simply made a separate booking.

    I get the feeling that the algorithm VA is using was designed my the same team at Fujitsu that produced the Post Office Horizon system. Dynamic pricing is a joke. It makes no sense when literally between yesterday and this morning the rewards points required for SFO to LHR on the date I really wanted but could not afford have now fallen back by 250K points.

    Also I’m going to be paying over £2K in additional taxes and operator imposed surcharges. I’ve just checked the VA website and I can get the dates i really wanted for a smidge over £5K in total. I would rather pay the cash price than have the absolute mess that VA have made to what was one the best reward flight program.

    • david says:
      10 Dec10 December 07:07

      According to Virgin, you are a happy customer.

    • 1958 says:
      10 Dec10 December 07:17

      For that travel pattern, I would examine travelling BA, starting in Dublin. Great prices if booked over six months in advance.
      Of course, you must start in Dublin.

    • John G says:
      10 Dec10 December 08:31

      The tail is wagging the dog here. Book the dates you want and fly another airline if necessary. Loyalty should never go that far. Save the points for another time when hopefully the pricing works out better for you. Or if you must fly VS, look at connecting through New York buying a separate onward ticket. Points prices to/from JFK can actually be a bargain.

  • Andrew says:
    10 Dec10 December 07:00

    You can get whatever answer you want with the right question.

    “Would you rather have 12 guaranteed reward seats per flight or would you rather all seats were available for miles?”

  • Terence Bartlett says:
    10 Dec10 December 07:07

    Dynamic pricing has killed Virgin Atlantic reward scheme following in the footsteps of the Delta Reward scheme. Delta owns 49% of Virgin and its influence is far reaching and having a negative impact on Virgin Reward Scheme and its points are now not worth a lot.?Especially Delta SkyMiles‘ dynamic prices have made the “sky pesos” become a pretty worthless currency, with long-haul business prices of over 300,000 miles per direction being common. The US Department of transport are looking in to reward schemes, including Delta as they believe they are acting against the interest of the consumer by breaking past promises through a programe called DEVALUATION

  • babyg_wc says:
    10 Dec10 December 07:16

    virgin are not looking to capture people from hFP who churn, burn, pay off their cards and look for good value redemptions happily planning and booking 1 year in advance. Instead they are after people who spend 3 years buying overpriced shopping on their Virgin CC to earn enough points for a “free” once in a lifetime holiday to the Maldives flying economy.. for them this is where the money is at…

    • david says:
      10 Dec10 December 08:12

      You make a great point but you do not have to be a hfp scholar to scorn at 300k points for a redemption in PE.

  • JDB says:
    10 Dec10 December 07:27

    VS probably is right in saying that “feedback showed that booking 11 months in advance to secure one was unfair and impractical for many members” (and the same would apply to BA T-355) but the solution devised to resolve this is the problem.

  • DaveP says:
    10 Dec10 December 07:28

    I will definitely not be renewing my £160/yr Virgin card in February. I only have 20k Virgin miles after redeeming for a flight to Shanghai (pre-dynamic pricing), which is now with China Eastern. All of my spend with cards will be on those awarding Avios.

    • AJA says:
      10 Dec10 December 08:18

      What will you do when BA inevitably introduces dynamic pricing as well? Restrict yourself to flying IB, Finnair and Qatar? And when they also move to dynamic pricing? Admittedly that’s more scope but Delta is controlling Virgin and Qatar is doing the same with BA.

      • DaveP says:
        10 Dec10 December 08:48

        When that day comes I’ll decide what to do then, but until then I know where I will focus my spend.

      • George says:
        10 Dec10 December 09:19

        It’s possible to fly based on the best available airline for each trip without being swayed by loyalty points etc

  • Elemy says:
    10 Dec10 December 07:31

    After spending half an hour on hold yesterday to try and get through to ask about redeeming a reward voucher, and then being faced by the reality of the lack of any value of my reward voucher following changes, I can see no reason to remain loyal to Virgin.

    I was led to give them a try last year when they had the status match – they’ve proven that it wasn’t worth doing. What a very strange way to run a loyalty program – and it certainly seems that this program has been redesigned to work with the American markets, and their slush of additional points from credit cards.

  • David Wright says:
    10 Dec10 December 07:39

    Their PR people sound just like the Government’s PR people! Diabolical.

    • Rob says:
      10 Dec10 December 08:21

      For the record, Virgin’s PR people are absolutely lovely.

      • Mikeact says:
        10 Dec10 December 11:33

        They may be absolutely lovely people, but did they have any, positive input to this Travel Talk forum ? I think not, from what you’ve shared.

    • JDB says:
      10 Dec10 December 09:49

      And the government has over 8,000 communications officers!

      • CamFlyer says:
        10 Dec10 December 12:35

        As they say, enough monkeys pounding away on keyboards will eventually produce Hamlet by random chance….

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

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