Tenille

Hi

I recently came back from NYC and from that trip I have managed to buy booster miles which now allows me to upgrade to UC on a NYC trip in May. It means I will have just 500 miles left!

I have also booked Hong Kong in November and with the May NYC and Hong Kong trio it means I can purchase up to 36,000miles....23k for HK and 13k for NYC. I would like to upgrade to UC on bothe outgoing and incoming to HK, what are my options of obtaining another 24k? For HK, it is 30k each way.

Hope I have explained this well.

Thanks
Kelly

Thanks

craigthemif

First of all, occasionally Flying Club run 20% bonus promotions on buying miles, which also applies to Booster. I'm pretty sure that Booster can be done retrospectively for up to 6 months after the actual flight. If you can hold off on doing Booster until a promo rolls around, you will get additional miles that way.

http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/gb/en...s-booster.html

Many other things are country-dependent. If in the UK you have Tesco, MBNA credit cards, etc. You can also shop via the Virgin Atlantic shopping portal and earn miles that way.

You can also transfer Starwood Preferred Guest points. 20k = 25k miles.

stuart_f

The problem with miles booster on the Hong Kong trip in Nov is that the miles will post when you fly, not before. This means you cannot use them for the upgrade. You'll have to earn those miles another way.

You will have your 13K from the May NYC in your account but you'll still be 47K short.

For that sort of amount you are probably looking at something like Amex Plat and transfer.

Tenille

Thank you both!
I think you can boost the miles before the flight too. When I booked my May trip I was offered at that time to boost the miles to get the 13k.
I will wait for a promotion and continue to use my MBNA card.

pol

You can boost before your flight but although the money is taken straight away you don't actually get the miles until after your flight. If there is a bonus on, say 20% extra, you get the extra 20% immediately but not the rest.

Your best bet is probably getting a referral for either a platinum or gold Amex. The Plat comes with 35,000 miles if referred, but costs £450, you can cancel for a pro rata refund once your points hit. The gold card comes with 22,000 miles if referred but is free for a year. (There is a minimum spend on both cards for the points).

Tesco have 4000 bonus points on pet insurance at the moment (12,000 miles) the t&c's' say you have to keep the policy for 30 days to get the points but with policies at about £5 a month for an indoor, neutered cat that's a small price to pay for miles.

If you're not already a member Topcashback can get you 12,500 miles through Clubcard conversion. Buying car/home insurance or switching energy supplier are great Topcashback earners.

Keep an eye out for other Tesco promotions, try shops away, Virgin money isa, e-rewards, Virgin wine, the hotel booking sites Rocketmiles or Points hound, if you have any upcoming stays.

Concerto

Yes, it's really British based, which applies a lot less to me these days. If I was here all the time I would do all these things.

I presume the cards mentioned above are AMEX ones which yield Membership Rewards points, not directly miles, which can then be converted to miles? Virgin have been hounding me by phone for quite a few months, quite annoyingly and pushily, to get me to take out their MBNA credit card. I told them to stop calling, but actually the mileage earning is plausibly quite good. There are 2 versions, a free one yielding 3,000 miles and a £140 yielding 18,500 miles. I believe these bonuses can be increased if you get someone to refer you (for example over at headforpoints).

pol

Yes, I was referring to the Amex cards that earn MR points or be convert to Virgin (or any of the partner airlines).

You are correct that the black MBNA card has a much better earning rate, But OP mentioned they already had that card. I put most of my spending through the MBNA card due to the higher earning rate, I also find it useful to have a visa attached too.

I think it's an extra 3000 miles if you're referred. You also get the miles on your first spend, not when spending x amount, which is great if you want miles fairly quickly (they post at the same time as your statement). I'm happy to refer for this card but MBNA usually run frequent bonus sign ups, which don't count if you're referred (although there hasn't been one this January as there usually is). So I usually advise people to hang on if they're not in a rush.

Do you not have a UK address if you're eligible for an MBNA? In which case you could certainly take advantage of the Tesco insurance offers.

Tenille

I have the White MBNA card so I received 3000 air miles at that time.
I will check out Tescos pet insurance and other ideas mentioned on here.

Thanks

Tenille

I didn't realise the points got awarded after the flight that would take my needed air miles up by a lot as it sounds like I would not be able you use the 23k booster miles for Hong Kong as I will not get it until after I arrive back in the UK. Is that correct?

pol

Yes, that's correct. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
You can hold both the white and black MBNA cards at the same time though and receive the bonus for both, if that helps any!
Also holding the MBNA cards has not bearing on getting the Amex plat or Gold.

Concerto

I didn't know that there was no minimum spend in order to receive the miles with the MBNA card. I will bear that in mind.

pol

Yes, the 18,500 and 3000 referral bonus are posted on first spend. If you sign up when there is a bonus on, the extra miles above this are usually subject to a minimum spend of £3000.

From the t&c's
1. 18,500 bonus miles will be credited to your Flying Club account after your first card purchase, providing you use either of your cards within 90 days of your account opening and supply your Flying Club membership number to MBNA. Please allow six to eight weeks for bonus miles to be added to your account. Bonus miles are not awarded on balance transfers, money transfers or cash advances.

Tenille

Thanks for the tips, I did not even have a Tesco club card, but I have now applied for one, then I used the club card account number to apply for Tesco pet insurance and I have also been accepted for the black MBNA card so thanks very much!

stuart_f

You might also keep an eye on http://www.shopperpoints.co.uk/ for bonus point opportunities at Tesco.

the_etk

and don't forget Shops Away, virgins online shopping portal. There are some great deals on there at the moment - 8-10 miles per pound spent at some retailers.