Virgin Atlantic Flying Club - Virgin upper class -best deal? - how to maximise points

Dear forum,

We have just had our first baby and money is tight haha however i am looking to propose to my girlfriend in New York and travel across in style virgin upper class. I have about 50k flying club miles ( i expect to have 80k by after the summer) and my girlfriend has about 20k miles

I am looking for the best possible price/deal I am totally flexible on dates

What is the best way to use my points? - I already have been offered a free premium upgrade.

Would you? Either and if possible give me a indication of the money cost and any extra perk advantages of the three options? Ie more miles for the future?

A) use our miles and then buy another upper class ticket ( at the moment best price 2400 pounds)
B) use our miles for two premium flights ( may need to use my virgin Amex card abut more to get extra miles) then pay up grade to upper class ......
C) just buy to two economy tickets and use my miles to upgrade?


do you have any advice when a good time to buy the ticket. Ie after Easter they usually offer good deals?

Also When do you think the best (best value) time to go is? - I was thinking 1st week in December? As its normally cheap then, staying a way from thanks giving.

When actually buying the flights any advantage buying it on the phone? Ie is it negotiable?

Many thanks Paul

Really your best bet is to call VS and patiently ask to be walked through the options and pricing (make sure you call the UC line), for example you say currently you're seeing UC at around £2,400, here's a rough guide and not a quote:

- UC £2,400 for one plus 80,000 miles for the other plus another £500 in taxes and fees.
- PE, note you need to book in S fare class to upgrade with miles, could be around £900-£1,300 each plus 20,000 miles each to upgrade plus a small additional fuel surcharge.
- Economy, note you need to book at least L fare class to upgrade with miles, could be £600-£800-ish each plus 40,000 miles each and about £250 additional taxes and fees each.

Note also that:

- Any booked trip also earns miles.
- If you have PE upgrade voucher (from Amex?) you cannot then upgrade again on that to UC.
- It's unlikely you'll see deals now until after Summer, trade picks up from Easter and the airlines don't need to offer any sales until it falls back again.
- December is not cheap in New York, as things move from Thanksgiving into the Christmas season, hotel prices can reach astronomical heights!

"Negotiable", now you're laughing :p.

A) use our miles and then buy another upper class ticket ( at the moment best price 2400 pounds)
B) use our miles for two premium flights ( may need to use my virgin Amex card abut more to get extra miles) then pay up grade to upper class ......
C) just buy to two economy tickets and use my miles to upgrade?

Hi and congratulations,

A) Will cost you 1 UC fare + 80k miles + £456. It will earn one of you 10 tier points and 10,374 miles (assuming you have no status). An UC fare in a sale might be, say, £1,500 if you are lucky. So this will cost you in total at least £2,000 and all of your miles.

B) I don't think you can normally pay cash to upgrade a reward flight. (You can upgrade again with miles, but you might as well just buy an UC reward to start with if you want to do this.) Two PE rewards would cost you 110k miles + c. £700. You would earn no tier points or miles.

C) You will need to buy L-class economy returns and upgrade. They will cost you about £700 per person, plus some extra taxes, and then 40k miles each. So in total I expect this would cost you c. £1,700 + 40k miles. It will earn you both 6,916 miles and 6 tier points each.

It really depends on what your priority is. If you want to minimise cash expenditure and to hell with the miles, then B) would wipe out both your accumulated miles (and then some!) and would get you a comfortable flight. C) is, I think, the easiest way to get to Upper Class and a good balance between cash/miles outlay and miles/TPs earned. You will need to phone to book this. A) I wouldn't really recommend unless you desperately need the tier points, as it is expensive and it will be slightly more tricky (but not impossible) to make sure that you can get a decent sale fare and a reward seat on the same flight.

One other point -- you mention perks. It doesn't really make any difference whether you're on a reward fare or a revenue one. However, if you wanted to have the chauffeur service to the airport, bear in mind you can't do this on a cheap cash UC fare, but you can pay extra miles to do it on a reward fare (although not sure whether this applies to upgraded economy tickets...).

If you are flexible on dates, I would avoid December as I would expect it to be busier and more expensive. October or November (but not half term) might be easier.

Hope this helps.

If flexible on dates you will get uc for £1600 ish- pretty regular offering at that price

To add we went week before Christmas (back on 32rd) for £1600 each this year

If the future Mrs Pzdon (congrats and I hear that proposing on the 'Top of The Rock' can be quite romantic) only has 20k miles then for her your only option is really to buy a W or S PE fare and using 20k miles to upgrade to UC. There is no point in gifting or transferring miles between your FC accounts as this costs ££ as well.

The thing with NYC is there there is never a really cheap time to go. When flight prices are low the hotel prices are high and vice versa. But getting a reward ticket will obviously reduce the costs.

You've not mentioned if you plan on taking the Pzdon Jnr with you as there will be a cost (miles or cash) for his/her ticket too (even if they dont have a seat) or are you planning on the grandparents having some quality time with them?

I have spoken to Virgin and the best offer they can offer us is 1639 for two economy flights and then using 80k miles between us I can then upgrade to upper class........ just need to keep using my Virgin Atlantic credit card to get the miles up! ( Potentially use Tescos shopping and fuel for the next 6 months!)

Prem Economy then upgrade with 40k between us miles would be about 3000 inc taxes,

Thank you for all your support

Hi and congratulations,

A) Will cost you 1 UC fare + 80k miles + £456. It will earn one of you 10 tier points and 10,374 miles (assuming you have no status). An UC fare in a sale might be, say, £1,500 if you are lucky. So this will cost you in total at least £2,000 and all of your miles.

B) I don't think you can normally pay cash to upgrade a reward flight. (You can upgrade again with miles, but you might as well just buy an UC reward to start with if you want to do this.) Two PE rewards would cost you 110k miles + c. £700. You would earn no tier points or miles.

C) You will need to buy L-class economy returns and upgrade. They will cost you about £700 per person, plus some extra taxes, and then 40k miles each. So in total I expect this would cost you c. £1,700 + 40k miles. It will earn you both 6,916 miles and 6 tier points each.

It really depends on what your priority is. If you want to minimise cash expenditure and to hell with the miles, then B) would wipe out both your accumulated miles (and then some!) and would get you a comfortable flight. C) is, I think, the easiest way to get to Upper Class and a good balance between cash/miles outlay and miles/TPs earned. You will need to phone to book this. A) I wouldn't really recommend unless you desperately need the tier points, as it is expensive and it will be slightly more tricky (but not impossible) to make sure that you can get a decent sale fare and a reward seat on the same flight.

One other point -- you mention perks. It doesn't really make any difference whether you're on a reward fare or a revenue one. However, if you wanted to have the chauffeur service to the airport, bear in mind you can't do this on a cheap cash UC fare, but you can pay extra miles to do it on a reward fare (although not sure whether this applies to upgraded economy tickets...).

If you are flexible on dates, I would avoid December as I would expect it to be busier and more expensive. October or November (but not half term) might be easier.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for checking back, I think you've got a great price and arrangement, hope you both enjoy the flights ^.