I'm BA GGL and have become disillusioned with BA. I debated whether to become independent (give up all loyalty and just book best option) or give Virgin a try as I live in the SE(ATL/MCO) of the USA and regularly travel to Europe/UK and Asia. Virgin to Asia via LHR is definitely the long way round, but they have some decent fares if I don't mind 1/2 a day in the clubhouse between flights

I booked a reward flight in PE from UK to USA and felt the overall level of service was better than BA (Not by a lot, but enough I noticed it). So, I reached out to VA for a status match, and as others have stated, it took 7-10 days and I was required to show a future booking with Virgin and my BA history. Virgin then granted me Gold.

I have been Virgin Gold before (a long time ago) and have fond memories of the Club House and 'wasting' 5-6 hours in there So I'm looking forward to revisiting the Club House soon.