20% Virgin Atlantic Bonus For Tesco Clubcard Transfers

Virgin Atlantic Tesco Clubcard Conversion Bonus

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Virgin Atlantic has confirmed that there will be an extra 20% bonus given to anyone who converts Tesco Clubcard points to the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club between 1 August and 16 September 2016. Those who don’t auto-convert their Clubcard points to Flying Club miles can earn a further 1,000 mile bonus by setting their accounts to auto-convert during the promotional period.

Clubcard statements have been landing on doorsteps over the past few days and we’ve been hearing rumors that people converting their Clubcard points to Virgin Atlantic Flying miles have been seeing an unexpected 20% bonus being added to their accounts – well now it’s official.

How Many Miles Will You Get

With regular transfers you would earn 625 Flying Club Miles per £2.50 of Clubcard vouchers that you convert.

Once you take the bonus into consideration you will earn 750 Flying Club Miles per £2.50 of Clubcard vouchers that you convert.

a man in a suit talking to a woman

Should You Convert?

Clearly this will be very dependent on your individual position but there are definitely reasons why you may want to consider this offer:

  • There’s no sign of a bonus for Clubcard conversions to British Airways
  • The only offer from Avios.com is a game in which you may win some bonus Avios if you convert your Clubcard points to them.
  • Virgin Atlantic awards can be cheaper than British Airways awards so, if you’re not in the middle of saving up for a British Airways redemption (and if Virgin Atlantic fly to where you want to go), this may be something for you to consider.

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Awards

Unlike British Airways, Virgin Atlantic doesn’t have peak and off-peak award pricing – it’s a one-price-fits-all scenario – and this leads to situations where the cheaper airline option will depend on the time of year you want to fly (at least for Economy and Premium Economy bookings).

As far as Business Class flights go (Upper Class and Club World), you generally need fewer Flying Club miles than you do Avios and that can make Virgin and attractive proposition.

Virgin Atlantic Upper Class FaresVirgin Atlantic Clubhouse at Heathrow

Here are two example routes:

London – New York (RT)

Virgin Atlantic – 35,000/55,000/80,000 Flying Cub Miles (economy/premium economy/business)

British Airways – 26,000/52,000/100,000 Avios (off-peak) & 40,000/80,000/120,000 Avios (peak)

London Los Angeles (RT)

Virgin Atlantic – 42,500/70,000/100,000 Flying Cub Miles

British Airways – 32,500/65,000/125,000 Avios (off-peak) & 50,000/100,000/150,000 Avios (peak)

Virgin Atlantic is probably a better bet for families with kids in school as British Airways peak pricing usually coincides with school holidays and, during those periods, Virgin Atlantic is cheaper for both Economy and Premium Economy fares. Virgin also charges lower surcharges than BA on Economy Class tickets.

Virgin is also best (redemption-wise) for Business Class redemptions regardless of the time of year you travel.

British Airways is better for those traveling in Economy or Premium Economy during off-peak periods but will charge higher surcharges on Economy Class redemptions.

Virgin Atlantic Upper Class FaresVirgin Atlantic Upper Class “Dream Suite”

Other Pros & Cons

Another positive for Virgin is that the airline offers flights out of Manchester Airport while BA doesn’t offer long-haul flights out of anywhere other than it’s London homes. That can make Virgin Atlantic lot more convenient for those living in the Midlands, North West and surrounding areas.

It’s not all positive however and it’s always worth mentioning the fact that Virgin Atlantic flys its own aircraft to a lot fewer destinations than British Airways and, although it has built up a group of partners on which you can spend Flying Club Miles….

virgin-atlantic-partners….the network and frequencies don’t compare to what British Airways and its oneworld alliance partners can offer.

Lastly, there’s always the risk that Virgin Atlantic chooses to devalue its rewards program before you get a chance to use your miles…..but that’s a risk that’s around with most reward programs (except those which have just devalued).

Bottom Line

Not losing focus is a pretty key element to making sure you earn enough miles/points for whatever awards you’re aiming for so, if you’re in the process of accumulating Avios for a British Airways redemption, you should probably carry on down that path and not split your earnings.

If, on the other hand, you’re just starting to plan your next trip then this should give you pause for thought. The questions to ask would be:

  • Does Virgin Atlantic (or one of its partners) fly where you want to fly?
  • Which airline offers the cheaper award redemptions for your chose cabin and the time of year you want to fly?
  • What surcharges are Virgin and BA charging?
  • What does award availability look like for the route(s) I’m interested in?

When you have answers to all those you’ll be in a good position to know if it’s worth considering Virgin Atlantic for your next trip and therefore if you should convert your Clubcard points to Flying Club or not.

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