Virgin Atlantic Reward: Points, Switching and Charges

The Virgin Atlantic Reward credit card is a rewards card that earns Virgin Points on what you spend, with no annual fee. Points are added to your Virgin Atlantic Flying Club account every month within five days of your credit card statement date, and you need to be a Flying Club member with your membership number linked to the card to use them¹.

There is a monthly cap on the points you can earn equal to your credit limit, which resets each month on your statement date; bonus points sit outside that cap³.

The card is issued in the UK and its provider changed on 2 April 2026, when Virgin Money's business transferred to Nationwide. The card provider is now Nationwide, not Virgin Money, and the provider's own site carries today's figures for the annual fee, interest rate and any promotional offers⁴.

How Virgin Points are earned and credited

Points are earned on card purchases. The Reward+ card pays 3 Virgin Points for every £1 spent directly with Virgin Atlantic or Virgin Holidays, again excluding purchases of Virgin Points⁶.

Nothing is earned on cash advances, balance transfers, money transfers, interest or fees³. That matters if you plan to move a balance onto the card: the transfer will not generate points, and the terms also exclude transfers from another Nationwide or Virgin Money credit card, from non-UK financial organisations, or from store cards without a Visa or Mastercard logo³.

Points are credited automatically. They are added to your Flying Club account every month within five days of your credit card statement date, and bonus points arrive in the month after they are earned³. You need to be a Flying Club member and link your membership number to the card to benefit from the points you earn⁸.

There is a monthly cap on the points you can earn, set at the level of your credit limit and reset each month on your statement date. Bonus points are not counted towards the cap³. In practice the cap is unlikely to bite for most cardholders, because it is tied to the size of the limit rather than a fixed number of points.

The Flying Club reward voucher: how it is earned and used

The reward voucher is the card's headline benefit and it works differently from the points. You can only earn one voucher every 12 months².

The voucher is added to your Flying Club account automatically within 30 days of earning it². It can be spent for up to 24 months from the date it is issued, and the flights must be booked and the outbound flight taken within those 24 months, though the return journey can fall afterwards².

What the voucher is worth depends on your Flying Club tier at the point you redeem it, not the tier you held when you earned it². For Silver or Gold tier members at redemption, the voucher can be used for an upgrade or a companion seat up to the value of 150,000 Virgin Points. For Red tier members at redemption, the figure is 75,000 Virgin Points³.

Redemption is narrower than the earning. Vouchers can only be used on bookings for Virgin Atlantic operated flights, either as a Round Trip Companion Reward Seat or a Round Trip Cabin Upgrade. Taxes, fees and surcharges are still payable, and upgrades cannot be applied to Economy Light bookings³. To book, you ring the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club contact centre on 0344 209 2722⁸.

Fees and charges: annual fee, interest and spending abroad

The Reward card has no annual fee¹. The Reward+ card carries an annual fee, and the provider's site has today's figure¹. Which?

Interest works on the standard credit card model. No interest is charged on card purchases and related fees as long as you pay the balance shown on your statement, excluding instalment plans and transfers on a promotional rate, by the payment date⁹. If you do not clear the balance, interest applies at the rate set out in your agreement, which the provider's site carries.

Two charges are worth knowing about before you travel. A Non-Sterling Transaction Fee is added for foreign currency transactions, and a Cash Advance Transaction Fee is added for a cash advance made in a foreign currency, both as set out in the Tariff⁹. The Tariff is the provider's list of current charges, and it is the document to check rather than any figure quoted elsewhere.

There is also a default charge regime. If a default charge is applied, interest is charged on it at the Annual Interest Rate for Card Purchases from the 29th day after the notice is provided until it is paid in full⁹.

Who can apply and how to open the card

Credit is available, subject to status, only to UK residents aged 18 or over³. Before applying you complete the card checker tool, which gives an initial eligibility check and, the provider states, will not impact your credit score⁸.

Some promotional offers are restricted. The terms state that an offer applies if you have a personal Virgin Money current account or credit card, and will not apply if you already have a Virgin Atlantic credit card³. Where a welcome bonus is offered, you need to make a purchase with your card within the first 90 days from account opening to qualify, and there is no minimum spend requirement⁸. The provider's site carries the current welcome offer and its value.

Applications are made through the link in the email, the current account app or the credit card app, after completing the card checker³. Once open, the card can be added to mobile wallets; the provider lists Apple Pay among its supported payment methods¹¹.

A credit limit is set based on your circumstances and reviewed periodically. If the provider offers you an increase, it gives at least 30 days' notice and tells you how to accept or decline⁹. The agreement has no fixed term and you can ask to end it at any time by calling or writing⁹.

Switching between Reward and Reward+

You can move between the two Virgin Atlantic cards without a new application. The switch is requested using the provider's online form, and you are told within 7 working days whether it can be applied and, if so, when¹².

The conditions are specific. You can only make the switch once per year, it cannot be applied during the final statement month before your anniversary, and you cannot switch if you are behind on your credit card payments or over your credit limit. You also cannot switch onto a product you already hold¹². The switch is permanent¹².

No new credit affordability checks are needed if you choose to switch¹². If you move from Reward to Reward+, you start earning Virgin Points at the Reward+ rate from the date the switch is completed, and the points you already earned on card purchases that year are increased retrospectively as though you had held Reward+ from the beginning of that year¹².

The annual fee follows the switch. It is added to your statement the month after you switch, and each year on your anniversary month if you remain on Reward+. Depending on your anniversary date, the fee may be due in less than 12 months, and you only pay the full annual fee once per year¹³. Moving back from Reward+ to Reward does not entitle you to a refund of the annual fee already charged for that year, unless you have never used your Reward+ card in the year you switch, in which case the fee is refunded automatically¹².

Two limits apply. You can only earn one reward voucher per year, and switching does not allow you to earn two¹². Limited-time extra bonus point offers do not apply to existing customers switching¹².

What the move to Nationwide changes for cardholders

The card's provider changed on 2 April 2026. Virgin Money's business, including Virgin Atlantic Credit Cards, transferred to Nationwide, and the card provider is now Nationwide, not Virgin Money⁴. The transfer followed Court approval of the scheme on 23 February 2026⁴.

For cardholders, the practical position is that nothing about the terms changed. There are no changes to your terms as a result of the transfer, including your limit, minimum payment and interest rate⁵. You continue to earn Virgin Points and cashback in the same way you did before the transfer⁴.

One thing did change. Balance transfers between Virgin Money and Nationwide credit cards are no longer possible, following the combination of the two businesses at 23:59 on 2 April 2026. Transfers from other UK banks or building societies are still allowed⁵. The card terms also exclude transfers from another Nationwide or Virgin Money credit card, from non-UK financial organisations, or from store cards without a Visa or Mastercard logo³.

If you hold other Virgin Money accounts, the same pattern applies: no changes to sort codes, account numbers or account features including the interest rate, with terms updated only to reflect Nationwide as the account provider⁵. Becoming a Nationwide member depends on the kind of Virgin Money accounts held when the transfer happened, together with personal circumstances and status; a member is a Nationwide customer with a mortgage, current account or savings account¹⁴.

Repayments, missed payments and protection when things go wrong

Missing a payment has consequences set out in the terms. The provider applies the late payment default charge set out in the Tariff, tells Credit Reference Agencies, and may apply for a court order, an inhibition order if you are based in Scotland, or sell the debt⁹. Missing a minimum payment on a promotional rate also withdraws that rate from the start of the statement period³.

If you are struggling, the provider offers support: time to create a repayment plan, payment plans to clear overdue balances, reducing interest if you cannot keep up with current payments, and referrals for independent debt advice¹⁵. There is separate guidance for customers having difficulty meeting monthly payments, including budget help and contact options¹⁶. Free, impartial help is also available from MoneyHelper and from debt advice charities.

The account can fall into persistent debt, which the terms define as having paid more towards interest, fees and charges than the amount borrowed over the past 18 months⁹. If the provider changes the way the minimum payment is calculated because of persistent debt, it tells you at least 30 days before the change⁹.

On fraud, the position is clear in both directions. You will not be liable for a fraudulent transaction carried out by someone using your card, card details, passwords or security information without your permission⁹. But if your card, card details, passwords or security information are misused by someone who has them with your permission, or an additional cardholder's permission, you will have to pay for all transactions⁹. Cardholders who are innocent victims of fraud are fully covered¹⁷.

If a transfer, cash advance or payment is not carried out correctly, you must tell the provider within 13 months to get a refund⁹. If you are asked to make a payment you did not expect, you must ask for the refund within eight weeks of the payment⁹.

The card cannot be used for an illegal purpose, for gambling unless you are buying a National Lottery or society lottery ticket or making the transaction in person at a retail store, or to trade in cryptocurrencies⁹.

Complaints and where to get help

Complaints go to the provider first. You can call 0800 085 3210, write to The Customer Relations Team, Virgin Atlantic Credit Cards, PO Box 5294, Worthing BN11 9TN, or email customerrelations@virginmoney.com⁹. If your complaint is not resolved, you have the right to refer it to the Financial Ombudsman Service, which provides independent assessment of complaints⁹.

If your card is lost or stolen, call 0800 085 3210, or +44 191 284 9064 from abroad. The line is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and you must tell the provider straightaway¹⁰.

You have 14 days from the day after you receive your card to withdraw from the agreement, by calling 0800 085 3210 or writing to Virgin Atlantic Credit Cards, PO Box 5294, Worthing BN11 9TN⁹. Beyond that, the agreement has no fixed term and you can ask to end it at any time by calling or writing⁹. If the provider ends the agreement other than on the immediate grounds listed in the terms, it gives at least 90 days' notice⁹.

The terms also set out notice periods for changes that work against you. You get 30 days' notice when the provider makes a change to your disadvantage, and for an interest rate change you have another 30 days to stop using the card and repay at the existing rate⁹.

The agreement is governed by English law and the courts of England and Wales, or by Scots law and the Scottish courts if your address is in Scotland, or by Northern Ireland law and the Northern Irish courts if your address is in Northern Ireland⁹.