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The Virgin Atlantic credit card programme, managed by Virgin Money, offers two rewards cards on the Mastercard network: the Virgin Atlantic Reward Credit Card (no annual fee) and the Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Credit Card (£160 annual fee).

Both allow cardholders to earn Virgin Points on everyday spending, which can be redeemed through Virgin Atlantic's Flying Club programme for flights, upgrades and other rewards. The paid card earns Flying Club miles at 2X the rate of the free card, earning the Premium upgrade or Companion ticket (or lounge access) is achieved with half the spending on the paid card.

Representative examples

If you borrow £1,200 at a purchase rate of 26.9% p.a. (variable), the representative APR is 26.9% variable.

If you borrow £1,200 at a purchase rate of 26.9% p.a. (variable) with a £160 annual fee, the representative APR is 69.7% variable.

These representative examples are provided to help you compare products. They reflect the rate offered to at least 51% of successful applicants. The APR you are offered may differ depending on your individual circumstances.

Simplicity and Accepted Everywhere

The programme is managed by Virgin Money and could offer more flexibility than some competing Amex airline cards because it uses the widely accepted Mastercard network.

How points are earned

The Reward+ card earns 1.5 Virgin Points per £1 on everyday purchases and 3 Virgin Points per £1 spent directly with Virgin Atlantic or Virgin Holidays. The free Reward card earns at half that rate: 0.75 points per £1 on general spending and 1.5 points per £1 on Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Holidays purchases.

The value of Virgin Points depends on how they are redeemed. Using a baseline of 1p per point, the rewards rate on general spending would be approximately 0.75% on the free card and 1.5% on the paid card. Higher values may be achievable through flight upgrades or reward flights; lower values may apply for some redemptions

Points earned each month are capped based on your credit limit — for example, with a £5,000 credit limit you would earn points on the first £5,000 of purchases each month. The cap does not apply to bonus points earned on Virgin Atlantic or Virgin Holidays spending.

Drawbacks to the Virgin Atlantic Rewards Scheme

The biggest drawback to the new cards is the higher annual fee on the paid card, which has risen from £140 per year to £160 per year. Despite this, big spenders will still find more potential value on the Virgin Atlantic Rewards+ card than practically any other rewards card in the UK.

Annual voucher

Cardholders who spend £10,000 in a card year on the Reward+ card, or £20,000 on the free Reward card, earn an annual voucher that can be used for a flight upgrade, a companion ticket, or lounge access.

• a flight upgrade

• a companion ticket

• lounge access

The voucher is valid for 24 months from the date it is issued.

For more information on the newly re-launched cards, please see our Virgin Atlantic Reward Credit Cards Review.