The Amex Membership Rewards program has just introduced its latest transfer bonus, valid through the end of the year. In the past I would have taken advantage of this in a heartbeat, but with Japan continuing to be closed to visitors, this isn’t quite as valuable at the moment, in my opinion.
In this post:
Transfer Amex points with a 30% bonus
The American Express Membership Rewards program in the United States is offering a 30% bonus on points transfers to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. This promotion is valid for points transfers through Friday, December 31, 2021.
Ordinarily points transfer at a 1:1 ratio (in 1,000 point increments), while through this promotion you’d get 1,300 Flying Club points for every 1,000 Membership Rewards points transferred.
For context, Amex seems to offer a 30% transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club once or twice a year. We previously saw a transfer bonus in September, so this is the second bonus of 2021.
- 4x points at restaurants
- 4x points at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases annually
- 3x points on flights booked directly with airlines or through amextravel.com
- $250
- Earn 4x Membership Rewards points on airfare purchased directly from airlines
- Access to Amex Offers
- Redeem Amex Points Towards Airfare
- $295
- Earn 5x points on flights purchased directly from airlines or through Amex Travel (up to $500k/year)
- $200 Annual Uber Credit
- Amex Centurion Lounge Access
- $695
- Earn 1.5x on purchases of $5,000 or more in a single transaction on up to $2MM per calendar year
- Redeem Points For Over 1.5 Cents Each Towards Airfare
- Amex Centurion Lounge Access
- $695
- 2x points on purchases up to $50k then 1x
- Access to Amex Offers
- No annual fee
Redeeming Virgin Atlantic points On Virgin Atlantic
If you want to redeem Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points for travel on Virgin Atlantic, here’s what you can expect to pay in terms of roundtrip award costs to & from London:
Route to/from UK | Economy | Premium Economy | Upper Class |
|---|---|---|---|
Israel | Standard: 18,000 Peak: 22,000 | Standard: 32,000 Peak: 40,000 | Standard: 56,000 Peak: 66,000 |
India | Standard: 20,000 Peak: 40,000 | Standard: 35,000 Peak: 55,000 | Standard: 75,000 Peak: 95,000 |
USA – Northeast (Boston, Newark, New York JFK, Washington DC) | Standard: 20,000 Peak: 40,000 | Standard: 35,000 Peak: 55,000 | Standard: 95,000 Peak: 115,000 |
Caribbean | Standard: 20,000 Peak: 40,000 | Standard: 35,000 Peak: 55,000 | Standard: 115,000 Peak: 135,000 |
USA – Midwest & South (Atlanta, Miami, Orlando) | Standard: 25,000 Peak: 45,000 | Standard: 45,000 Peak: 65,000 | Standard: 95,000 Peak: 115,000 |
Nigeria, China & Hong Kong | Standard: 25,000 Peak: 45,000 | Standard: 45,000 Peak: 65,000 | Standard: 115,000 Peak: 135,000 |
South Africa | Standard: 25,000 Peak: 45,000 | Standard: 50,000 Peak: 85,000 | Standard: 115,000 Peak: 135,000 |
USA – West (Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle) | Standard: 30,000 Peak: 50,000 | Standard: 55,000 Peak: 75,000 | Standard: 135,000 Peak: 155,000 |
Generally Virgin Atlantic’s redemption rates are on the high side, at least for Upper Class. On top of that, there are significant carrier imposed surcharges (plus the UK Air Passenger Duty), especially for travel in Upper Class. You can expect that a roundtrip itinerary from the US to UK will run you about $1,000, in addition to all the points.
Redeeming Virgin Atlantic points on ANA
Virgin Atlantic has several airline partners, some of which are more lucrative than others. Probably the best use of Flying Club points is for travel in ANA first & business class. Here are the redemption rates:
Paying 95,000 and 120,000 points for business and first class between the US and Japan respectively is a phenomenal value to start with. Then when you consider the 30% transfer bonus, that means you’re just paying 74,000 and 93,000 Amex points, respectively. All Nippon Airways’ new first & business class are amazing products as well. The major catch is that Japan’s borders continue to remain closed to tourists, and it’s anyone’s guess when they’ll reopen.
Bottom line
At the moment Amex is offering a 30% bonus when you transfer points to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. This is definitely more of a niche program, but with a specific use in mind, there’s a lot of value to be had.
With the 30% bonus, some might find it worthwhile to book on Virgin Atlantic for the convenience. Virgin Atlantic is good about releasing business class transatlantic award availability, so if you value the convenience of a nonstop and don’t mind paying the carrier imposed surcharges, there’s value to be had.
However, the real value here is booking with partners. The single best value is for travel on All Nippon Airways, as you could fly ANA first class roundtrip to Japan for 93,000 Amex points. The issue is that this redemption isn’t all that valuable right now, with Japan’s borders continuing to remain closed.
Do you plan on taking advantage of this Amex transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club?
I just booked three Delta One seats using 50,000 Virgin Atlantic points per seat, one way from SEA to CDG. This is just as good as the Japanese product, that means my one way business class /first class seat to Paris was only 37,500 miles each
I love Japan but seriously transferring points into another program like this at this time seems like a poor idea. Japan will likely be near the end of the list when it comes to countries opening up unrestricted travel again and when it does who knows what premium service will look like, there might be a limit in flights, award space will be difficult to come by for redemptions and that is assuming there isn't...
I love Japan but seriously transferring points into another program like this at this time seems like a poor idea. Japan will likely be near the end of the list when it comes to countries opening up unrestricted travel again and when it does who knows what premium service will look like, there might be a limit in flights, award space will be difficult to come by for redemptions and that is assuming there isn't a devaluation before then. The way things are going I question whether Japan will open up to tourism in 2022.
Is this for gold amex US only? I don’t see for my UK gold amex. Thanks
Using VS miles for KLM shorthaul flights (up to 600mi) on peak travel days can also be a good deal: 4,000-4,500 miles for economy and 8,000-9,000 miles for business (one way), with no fuel surcharges. I have noticed business class redemptions are typically available even if cash fares go through the roof.
Earlier in the year, I transferred Amex points to Virgin and booked ANA biz class to Japan. Those flights were cancelled weeks ago. Virgin refunded my $192 in taxes but not my 90K Virgin points. I’ve tried multiple contact methods without success. I’m unable to wait on hold for 1.5+ hours for a representative. Not really happy with Virgin Atlantic right now.
Hmm, I need to do MEL-VIE Next year and have a bunch of Amex points. This could be very useful for an ANA redemption. Thanks.
Ben, do Virgin points expire? And if I book an ANA award and cannot travel (if closures continue) can I get refund of points+taxes? Do you know how hard this is?
Ben, there is a new Virgin Atlantic reward point promotion that launched today with upto 60% bonus details here; https://flywith.virginatlantic.com/gb/en/flying-club/earn-points/buy-points.html
When Japan opens in 2024, I'll bite. ANA first class baby. Hopefully the product won't be dated by then.
Any other transfer partners with a play that would make sense. I know years ago there was a three way transfer that was very lucrative. In other words transfer MR to VA to ?????
I JUST transferred mine a week ago to purchase 2 Premium Economy ATL ➡️ LHR in June 2022! Bummed