Ends Tomorrow! Transfer AMEX Points To Virgin Atlantic And Get A Record-High 40% Bonus: Book Bargain El Al, Delta, ANA, ITA, Air New Zealand, And More Awards!

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You can get a record-high 40% bonus when you transferAMEX Membership Rewards Points to Virgin Atlantic until 12/31. The points typically transfer instantly at a 1K:1.4K ratio with this promo.

Virgin Atlantic points never expire!

Virgin Atlantic recently switched from an award chart to dynamic pricing. Close-in pricing is expensive, and you’re better off booking Virgin flights on partner programs like Flying Blue. But there are also excellent values available in the new program.

Partner award pricing is unchanged and there are some notable sweet spots on partner airlines.

Dates changes or cancellations cost the lower of taxes paid or $100 (£70, about $90, if originating in UK).

Flying on Virgin:

A coach saver seat from JFK to London now starts at 6,000 points+$73, that’s just 4,285 points with the current 40% bonus from AMEX.

A premium economy saver seat from JFK to London is 10,500 points+$105, that’s just 7,500 points with the current 40% bonus from AMEX.

A business saver seat from JFK to London is 29,000 points+$255, that’s just 20,714 points with the current 40% bonus from AMEX.

Fees will be higher for the return flight, largely due to the UK APD fee, which rises annually.

Here is a chart comparing some of the old and new lowest saver award rates and fees that I was able to locate:

Flying on El Al:

You can redeem Virgin points to fly on El Al.

A flight between NYC and Tel Aviv costs 62K points in coach (44,285 points with a 40% bonus), 84K points in premium economy (60K points with a 40% bonus), or 150K points in business (107,142 points with a 40% bonus).

Here’s what a one-way flight to/from Tel Aviv will set you back in Virgin points, before the 40% bonus:

• Zone 1 (1-500 miles): 5.5K coach, 10K premium, 20K business.
  • Eilat, Larnaca, Paphos, Rhodes
• Zone 2 (501-1,000 miles): 11K coach, 17K premium, 28K business.
  • Athens, Bucharest, Sofia, Tbilisi, Thessaloniki
• Zone 3 (1,001-1,500 miles): 17.5K coach, 27K premium, 45K business.
  • Budapest, Chisinau, Dubai, Dubrovnik, Krakow, Rome, Tivat, Vienna
• Zone 4 (1,501-2,250 miles): 26K coach, 32K premium, 70K business.
  • Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Frankfurt, Geneva, Liege, London/LHR, London/LTN, Madrid, Marseille, Milan, Moscow, Munich, Nice, Paris, Prague, Venice, Warsaw, Zurich
• Zone 5 (2,251-3,000 miles): 31K coach, 41K premium, 80K business.
  • Casablanca, Delhi, Lisbon, Marrakech, Mumbai, Seychelles
• Zone 6 (3,001-4,000 miles): 41K coach, 54K premium, 97K business.
• Zone 7 (4,001-5,000 miles): 52K coach, 68K premium, 125K business.
  • Bangkok, Phuket
• Zone 8 (5,001-6,000 miles): 62K coach, 84K premium, 150K business.
  • Boston, JFK, Newark, Tokyo
• Zone 9 (6,001-7,000 miles): 73K coach, 97K premium, 175K business.
  • Fort Lauderdale, Miami
• Zone 10 (7,001+ miles): 91K coach, 122K premium, 220K business.
  • Los Angeles

Flying on Delta:

Virgin Atlantic points can be a bargain for flying on Delta, though after several devaluations, it’s not what it used to be.

Click here to access the Virgin Atlantic award booking page.

If you have problems typing in your desired airport you will need to click the location icon as shown below and manually search for your destination by country and state. If your destination still isn’t available you will have to call Virgin Atlantic to book award travel to that destination.

If the option to search for points isn’t available you also may need to try selecting another airport, click on pay with points, and then switch the airport. For example, NYC to LAX didn’t work for me at first, but I switched the destination to San Francisco, clicked on pay with points, and then switched back to Los Angeles.

On the search page you can select one-way or round-trip, exact dates, flexible within 1 week, or within 5 weeks by changing the word “dates” in the URL to “calendar” on the award calendar search results page. You can also change the class of service by clicking on “Show advanced options.” When you are viewing the award calendar you can toggle it to show direct flights only.

There are still some domestic bargains, though Delta often blocks partner award space within 3 weeks of a flight.

For example, a flight NYC to Cleveland will be 7.5K Virgin points in main cabin with wide open availability, as long as you book 3 weeks in advance:

A zone 1 JFK-Cleveland coach ticket is 7.5K Virgin points (5,357 points with a 40% bonus) or 21K points (15,000 points with a 40% bonus) in first class:

Vs 21.5K in main cabin with Delta miles or 31K in first class with Delta miles:

Before the 40% bonus:

• A zone 1 flight from Cleveland, Detroit, or Pittsburgh to NYC is 7.5K Virgin points in economy and 21K in first class.
• A zone 2 flight from Atlanta to NYC will is 11K Virgin points in economy and 41.5K in first class.
• A zone 3 flight from Miami to NYC is 16.5K Virgin points in economy and 59.5K in first class.
• A zone 4 flight from Denver to NYC is 18.5K Virgin points in economy and 66.5K in first class.
• A zone 5 flight from LA to NYC is 22K Virgin points in economy and 70K in first class.
• A zone 6 flight from NYC to Lima is 35K Virgin points in economy and 80K in first class.
• A zone 7 flight from NYC to Buenos Aires is 44K Virgin points in economy and 105K in first class.
• A zone 8 flight from NYC to Tel Aviv is 49.5K Virgin points in economy and 130K in first class.
• A zone 9 flight from NYC to Tokyo is 65.5K Virgin points in economy and 165K in first class.

Infant lap child awards on international flights are a bargain. While Delta charges 10% of the paid fare, which can be astronomical on one-way flights, Virgin charges just 1,000 points in coach or 5,000 points in business class each way:

Cancelations and changes officially cost $50, but are capped at the taxes paid, so are just $5.60 for a domestic one-way.

Flying on ITA:

Fly on ITA between the US and Rome for 75K points (53,571 points with a 40% bonus):

Flying on Air New Zealand:

You can fly on Air New Zealand between Australia or Pacific Islands and New Zealand for 15K points (10,714 with a 40% bonus) in business class, between Asia and New Zealand for 40K points (28,571 with a 40% bonus) in business class, between Hawaii and New Zealand for 45K points (32,142 with a 40% bonus) in business class, and between the US48 and New Zealand for 62.5K points (44,642 with a 40% bonus) in business class with no fuel surcharges.

Unfortunately, you do need to call Virgin Atlantic to book travel on Air New Zealand at 800-365-9500. You can search for Air New Zealand award space on United.com.

ANA flies between Tokyo Haneda or Narita from Chicago, Houston, JFK, Los Angeles, San Francisco, or Washington DC.

Search for business class saver awards on United.com to or from AKL and then call Virgin Atlantic to book:

Flying on ANA:

ANA is an incredible Japanese airline with great first class suites that have very comfortable beds and amazing service.

I reviewed them here towards the end of the 4th part of my Island Hopper adventure and flew on ANA’s new first class cabin last year from Tokyo to the US:

On long-haul flights you can enjoy divine Hibiki 21:

And on medium-haul flights you can enjoy also excellent Hibiki 17:

You only need 72.5K Virgin Atlantic points (51,785 points with a 40% bonus) to fly one-way from the west coast to Japan or 85K points (60,714 points with a 40% bonus) to fly one-way from the east coast to Japan in first class. There are fuel surcharges which are tied the price of oil from a couple months ago. Those are currently about $250 each way.

Or you can fly in business class for just 52.5K Virgin Atlantic points (37.5K points with a 40% bonus) one-way from the west coast to Japan or 60K points (42,857 points with a 40% bonus) to fly one-way from the east coast to Japan.

Unfortunately, you do need to call Virgin Atlantic to book travel on ANA at 800-365-9500. You can search for ANA award space on United.com.

ANA flies between Tokyo Haneda or Narita from Chicago, Houston, JFK, Los Angeles, San Francisco, or Washington DC.

Search for first-class saver awards on United.com to or from TYO and then call Virgin Atlantic to book:

ANA’s new first class suites and business class suites are amazing!

New ANA First, with a 43″ 4K LED, a door for privacy, windows, and more:

The middle seats have a partition for privacy that goes up and down so that companions can talk to each other:

New ANA business:

Business class is staggered with forward and rear facing seats that also have privacy doors and middle partitions and go up and down:

Want to earn Virgin Atlantic points?

• You can transfer AMEX, Chase, Capital One, Or Citi points to Virgin Atlantic at a 1:1 ratio or Marriott points at a 60K:25K ratio. 

• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is offering 75,000 bonus miles for spending $4K in 3 months, plus earn 2 miles per dollar spent on every purchase, $300 annual travel credit for bookings through Capital One Travel, 10K anniversary bonus miles, Global Entry/Pre-Check, Capital One lounge access, Priority Pass Lounge membership, Hertz President's Circle status, free lounge access and status for free additional cardholders, transfer miles to airlines and hotels, 5K MLB redemptions, and more. $395 annual fee. Read more here.
• Capital One Venture X Business is offering 150,000 bonus miles for spending $30K in 3 months, plus earn 2 miles per dollar spent on every purchase, $300 annual travel credit for bookings through Capital One Travel, 10K anniversary bonus miles, Global Entry/Pre-Check, Capital One lounge access, Enhanced Priority Pass Lounge membership, transfer miles to airlines and hotels, 5K MLB redemptions, and more. $395 annual fee. Read more here.
• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is offering 75,000 bonus miles for spending $4K in 3 months, plus 2 miles per dollar spent on every purchase, transfer points to airlines and hotels, 5K MLB redemptions, and more. $95 annual fee. Read more here. 
• Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card is offering 20,000 bonus miles for spending $500 in 3 months, transfer miles to airlines and hotels, 5K MLB redemptions, and more. No annual fee.
• Capital One Spark Miles for Business is offering 50,000 bonus miles for spending $4,500 in 3 months, 2 miles per dollar spent on every purchase, Global Entry/PreCheck, transfer miles to airlines and hotels, 5K MLB redemptions, and more. $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.
• New offer: Capital One Spark Cash Plus is offering $2,000 cash back (convertible to 200,000 miles) for spending $30,000 in 3 months, plus get another $2,000 cash back for every $500K spent in your first year, 2% back everywhere, $40 MLB redemptions, annual fee refund when you spend $150K/year, and more. $150 annual fee.

• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has a 60K signup bonus for spending $4K in 3 months, earns 2.1 points per dollar on travel after the card's 10% anniversary bonus, 3.1 points per dollar on dining, streaming, and online groceries after the card's 10% anniversary bonus, has a $50 hotel credit, can transfer all Chase points into miles, and points are worth at least 1.25 cents each for paid travel ($95 annual fee). Read more here.
• Chase Sapphire Reserve® has a 60K signup bonus for spending $4K in 3 months, earns 3 points per dollar on dining/travel, has a $300 travel credit, can transfer all Chase points into miles, and points are worth at least 1.5 cents each for paid travel ($550 annual fee with $300 travel credit). Read more here.
• Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card has a 90K signup bonus for spending $8K in 3 months, and earns 3 points per dollar on up to $150K of annual spending on shipping, advertising, and travel, can transfer all Chase points into miles, and points are worth at least 1.25 cents each for paid travel ($95 annual fee). Read more here.

• Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card has a $750 signup bonus in the form of 75K points for spending $6K in 3 months, and earns 1.5 points per dollar on business purchases ($0 annual fee). Read more here.
• Ink Business Cash® Credit Card has a $350 signup bonus in the form of 35K points for spending $3K in 3 months and another $400 signup bonus in the form of 40K bonus points for spending another $3K in 6 months for a total of 75,000 Chase Ultimate points, plus if you have a Chase business checking account open on the card's first anniversary you will get a 10% points bonus on all earnings from card spending, this card earns 5 points per dollar on the first $25,000 in combined purchases on cable, TV, telecom, cellular, and office supply stores, plus 2 points per dollar on dining and gas on up to $25,000 in purchases ($0 annual fee). Read more here.
• Chase Freedom Flex has a 20K signup bonus, plus 5 points on rotating categories, 5 points per dollar on travel purchased through Chase Travel, and 3 points per dollar on dining and drugstores ($0 annual fee). Read more here.
• Chase Freedom Unlimited® has a signup bonus that earns an extra 1.5% cash back in the form of 1.5 points per dollar everywhere on up to $20K of spending during your first year, on top of at least 1.5 points per dollar everywhere, 5 points per dollar (marketed as 5% cash back) on travel purchased through  Chase Travel℠, and 3 points per dollar on dining and drugstores ($0 annual fee). Read more here.

• The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express is offering a rare bonus to earn 15,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on the Card within your first 3 months of Card Membership and offers 2 points per dollar spent on up to $50K spending annually 1 point per dollar thereafter, plus transfer points to airlines and hotels and keep AMEX points alive. Terms apply. Read more here.
• The Business Platinum Card® from American Express is offering a 150K bonus for spending $20,000 in 3 months and offers monthly credits, lounge access, and much more. Terms apply. Read more here.
• American Express® Business Gold Card is offering a 100K bonus for spending $15,000 in 3 months, monthly business credits, Walmart+ membership, up to 4 points per dollar spent with a $150K annual spend cap, and more benefits. Terms apply. Read more here.
• The Platinum Card® from American Express is offering an 80K bonus for spending $8,000 in 6 months and offers monthly credits, lounge access, and much more. Terms apply. Read more here.
• American Express® Gold Card is offering a 60K bonus for spending $6,000 in 6 months,  monthly credits for Uber and Grubhub, and more. Terms apply. Read more here. 
• AMEX Green Consumer Card is offering a 40K bonus for spending $3,000 in 6 months and offers up to $199 in annual CLEAR Plus® credits, $100 LoungeBuddy credit, plus transfer points to airlines and hotels and keep AMEX points alive. All information about the AMEX Green Card has been collected independently by DansDeals.

Will you transfer points to Virgin Atlantic to take advantage of this bonus? What other award sweet spots do you take advantage of?

HT: Eluzer K.