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In 2026, Virgin Atlantic will launch “High Five,” a new way for eligible Flying Club members to earn bonus points for their continued loyalty. Members who take a Virgin Atlantic flight in five separate years can earn 12,000 bonus points. That can be enough points for a round-trip transatlantic flight in economy. Here’s how it works and who qualifies.
Virgin Atlantic Announces Loyalty “High Five”
On November 13, Virgin Atlantic announced a new loyalty benefit called High Five, which is set to launch in January 2026. This program will award 12,000 bonus points to Flying Club members who fly with Virgin Atlantic in five separate years.
As Anthony Woodman, Vice President of Flying Club and CRM at Virgin Atlantic, said:
“High Five is our newest way of saying thank you to those customers who choose us whenever they can, no matter how frequently. For our leisure travellers in particular, we know that this will ensure that they feel the love from Virgin Atlantic. After all, loyalty flies many different ways – and at Flying Club we believe it should be for everyone.”
Once the program launches, flights will count retroactively from January 1, 2021. Only one flight per calendar year will count. If a member has an outbound flight on December 31 and a return flight on January 1, that counts as two years.
Furthermore, the five years do not need to be consecutive. Completing one qualifying flight (we assume award or paid, since the terms don't specify) in any five years between 2021 and 2026 and beyond will earn the bonus points. Only flights operated by Virgin Atlantic with a “VS” airline code are eligible.
In other words, you might already qualify for this bonus. And if you do, you can expect to see your bonus points deposited into your account sometime in January 2026.
Lastly, if you can’t recall how many flights you’ve taken with Virgin Atlantic over the past several years or when, Virgin will make it easy by launching a progress tracker in its app in early 2026.
Earn 10% bonus points on future flights
But wait, there’s more. If you’re a Flying Club Red tier member who unlocks this bonus, you’ll earn 10% Virgin points on all future flights.
The terms around this — such as how long you’ll get to enjoy the bonus — are nonexistent. Still, though, it’s a neat way to reward any future flying you do with the airline, and you don’t need to earn your way to elite status to unlock it.
Related: From Short-Haul Deals to ANA First Class: Best Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Sweet Spots
Plan Ahead and Earn More Virgin Points
There are plenty of great ways to use Virgin points, so we can’t blame you if you’re already planning how to redeem the ones you’ll earn from the airline’s High Five benefit. But if you’d rather not wait until January or beyond to build your balance, there are still plenty of ways to earn a lot of Virgin points right now.
Outside of buying Virgin points during a bonus or discount, or applying for the Virgin Red Rewards Mastercard®, you can transfer the following points and miles to Flying Club:
This means you can earn Capital One miles, Citi ThankYou® Rewards Points, Amex Membership Rewards points, and more, then transfer them to Flying Club to book award flights.
- 10X miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on purchases through Capital One Entertainment (through 12/31/2025)
- 5X miles per $1 on flights when booking via Capital One Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on vacation rentals booked via Capital One Travel
- 2X miles per $1 on all other eligible purchases
- 12X – Earn 12 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on cititravel.com.
- 6X – Earn 6 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel booked on cititravel.com.
- 6X – Earn 6 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants including Restaurant Delivery Services on CitiNights℠ purchases, every Friday and Saturday from 6 PM to 6 AM ET. Earn 3 Points per $1 spent any other time.
- 1.5X – Earn 1.5 Points per $1 spent on All Other Purchases.
(Terms apply)
- 4X Membership Rewards® Points at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S. (on up to $50,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
- 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels and other eligible travel booked on amextravel.com
- 1X on other eligible purchases
Our Take
Virgin Atlantic’s new High Five loyalty benefit is a great way to reward loyal customers with extra points. After five consecutive or nonconsecutive years of flying with Virgin Atlantic, members can earn enough points for a round-trip transatlantic flight in economy, or almost enough for premium economy. Unfortunately, the airline won't waive the steep taxes and fees when you book with the points you've earned from this promotion.
You can also use your 12,000 points at Virgin Hotels, on Virgin cruises, or elsewhere. How far those points go will depend on how you value them. Redeeming points for flights is usually the best option, but remember to factor in taxes, fees, and surcharges. These can add up, especially for Upper Class awards.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (Rates & Fees), and American Express® Gold Card (Rates & Fees)
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