Virgin Atlantic Doubles Fees on Biz Class Awards, Raises Others

Virgin Atlantic ushered in one of the best points deals to get to Europe in business class when it revamped its Flying Club program last year, cutting award award rates down as low as 29,000 miles while slashing the previous $1,000 in taxes and fees by nearly three-quarters. Turns out it was a short-lived victory. 

After raising surcharges on award tickets, we’re now seeing Virgin tack on a flat $586 in taxes and fees on all business class awards from the U.S. to London-Heathrow (LHR) and even Manchester (MAN) – up from the previous low of just $250 or so each way. That’s right: Your cash cost for a Virgin Atlantic Upper Class ride to London more than doubled overnight.

Award rates themselves remain untouched … for now. And so far, we haven’t see Virgin increase the (already nasty) surcharges on return flights from the U.K. back to the U.S.: Those remain roughly $650 each way. We’re unsure how taxes and fees might have changed for flights that connect through London.

So while you could previously book this one-way flight from Boston (BOS) to London for 29,000 and $255 (give or take an extra $5 or so) …

That exact same redemption will now cost you at least 29,000 points … but $586 in taxes and fees. Ouch.

Fees are up considerably for economy and premium economy awards with Virgin, too:

• A one-way in economy from the U.S. to London increased from roughly $75 to $111
• Premium economy one-ways to the U.K. increased from the previous rate of $106 to $240 – more than doubling, just like business class

If there’s one silver lining here, it’s that the fees still are nowhere near as steep as they were a year ago, when Virgin charged close to $1,000 or more for a one-way business class award. Still, a more than 100% increase in award surcharges overnight is hardly worth celebrating. 

Virgin Atlantic points couldn’t possibly be easier to earn, as the airline is a transfer partner with all the major banks. That means you could send points from a *chase sapphire preferred*, *venture x*, *amex gold*, or even the Bilt Mastercard® to Virgin and book an Upper Class flight.

Thanks to Virgin’s new dynamic award pricing rolled out last fall, award rates for these bookings vary. It starts as low as 29,000 points each way for a business class seat from East Coast cities like Boston (BOS), New York City (JFK), Washington, D.C.-Dulles (IAD), or Atlanta (ATL) – or slightly more for longer flights from Miami (MIA), Las Vegas (LAS), or Los Angeles (LAX). 

But dynamic pricing also means you may see higher pricing in the summer, starting at 35,000 miles each way … if not closer to 100,000 points, 200,000 points, or more. 

Originally, Virgin used that same dynamic pricing system for its fees – an oddity in the world of award travel. So while the cheapest business class redemptions would incur an extra $255, pricier awards would get hit with fees closer to $500. 

But no more. Whether you redeem just 29,000 points or 100,000 points or more, the airline is now charging a flat, $586 total for one-way business class redemptions to London. Surcharges on return flights from the U.K. are standardized now, too.

Bottom Line

Without a word of warning, Virgin Atlantic just doubled the taxes and fees you’ll pay for a one-way business class redemption over to London. 

Business class redemptions that previously got hit with as low as just $255 or so in taxes and fees will now cost you a flat $586 each way. Taxes and fees for Premium Economy redemptions also doubled, while the cash cost to book economy only went up slightly. 

The airline’s overhaul of its Flying Club program less than a year ago was a surprising win for travelers. This change hurts … bad.