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The more you sail with Virgin Voyages, the more perks you’ll enjoy each time you step back on board its ships.
Virgin Voyages offers perks and benefits through its Sailing Club program. Note that this program is separate from the other loyalty programs affiliated with the broader Virgin Group — such as Virgin Red.
Cruise loyalty programs look a little different than the airline or hotel programs you might be familiar with, and Sailing Club is no exception. While you can still earn points and put them toward free cruises, the biggest reason to be loyal is unlocking incremental perks that make each sailing a little smoother and a little cheaper.
Here’s how to earn status with Virgin Voyages, the perks you’ll get along the way, and some of the easiest ways to earn points on your sailing to offset the cost of your next voyage.
Virgin Voyages Sailing Club Status Tiers and Benefits
The Virgin Voyages Sailing Club program has undergone a few changes since the line launched in 2021. In its current form, sailors can work their way up to three loyalty tiers: Sailing Club, Blue Extras, and Deep Blue Extras.
The only way to progress to higher tiers is by sailing with Virgin Voyages. Each voyage (that isn’t gifted, comped by a casino, or booked with points) counts toward status, so you don’t need to worry about how much you spend or how many nights you log on its four ships to unlock the next level.
To get started with Sailing Club, the first step is to create an account with Virgin Voyages (it's free).
Sailing Club
The first tier of Virgin Voyages status is aptly called “Sailing Club.” You’ll earn Sailing Club status after completing your first voyage, and the perks associated with this tier kick in on your second sailing.
Here’s what you can expect starting on your second sailing:
- Exclusive offers for booking future voyages
- First alerts for limited-time promotions
- Quarterly member newsletter
On their own, these benefits aren’t much to write home about. However, it’s worth remembering what’s already included with your Virgin Voyages fare, which is more than what many other cruise lines offer for free:
- Complimentary access to 20+ eateries, including specialty restaurants
- Free basic Wi-Fi
- Complimentary access to group workouts
- Complimentary soda and water
- Access to onboard entertainment and events
Loyalty aside, it’s worth keeping the inclusions in mind as you compare fares with other cruise lines.
Blue Extras
On your third and fourth Virgin Voyages sailings, you’ll unlock Blue Extras benefits. This is where your status delivers tangible value by saving you money on onboard purchases.
With Blue Extras, you’ll get the following perks on top of your general Sailing Club benefits:
- One specialty coffee per day (typically $4 to $7 at venues like the Grounds Club, depending on your order)
- One complimentary bag of laundry during your voyage (otherwise around $55)
- Access to an exclusive onboard cocktail event
- Personalized support before and after your voyage, plus 24/7 access to Sailor Services
Deep Blue Extras
The highest tier of Sailing Club status is Deep Blue Extras. You’ll unlock these perks starting on your fifth sailing and keep them on every voyage thereafter.
With Deep Blue Extras, you’ll enjoy all of the above, plus:
- Priority boarding at embarkation through a dedicated check-in line
- An extra specialty coffee per day (for a total of two)
- $100 Bar Tab credit per person in the cabin (usable at Loose Cannon, Dock House, On the Rocks, and more)
- Complimentary premium Wi-Fi for two devices
- Two pressed laundry items plus one specialty-cleaned item, in addition to the complimentary bag
Sea Blazer and Sea Rover
If you sailed with Virgin Voyages in 2021 on a paid fare, or sailed twice on a paid fare between 2022 and the end of 2023, you may have held Sea Blazer or Sea Rover status, respectively.
These tiers were retired when Virgin Voyages overhauled its Sailing Club program, but eligible members still receive Deep Blue Extras perks on each sailing.
Trial Sailing Club Perks With a Virgin Voyages Status Match
If you haven’t sailed with Virgin Voyages but want to fast-track your way to Sailing Club perks, the easiest option is to take advantage of a status match.
From time to time, Virgin Voyages offers a broad status match. This allows you to match elite status from dozens of programs, including other cruise lines, airlines, and hotels, to receive Blue Extras perks on your next sailing.
The most recent Sailing Club status match offer ended February 28, 2026, but feel free to bookmark this AwardWallet Learn post, which we’ll update when a new offer launches.
How to Earn Points While Sailing With Virgin Voyages
Just like when you fly Virgin Atlantic, you can earn redeemable Virgin Points when you book and sail on a Virgin Voyages cruise. And there are a few ways to do so.
Earn 100 Virgin Points per night
To earn points on the cruise itself, you’ll first need to join Virgin Red. As a member, you’ll earn 100 Virgin Points per sailor per night on eligible full-fare bookings.
The process for earning points is a little quirky. Virgin Voyages will email you a promo code that you can redeem on the Virgin Red website, which deposits the points into your account. The main caveat is that these codes expire six months from the date of issuance, so be sure to keep an eye on your email.
The points you earn from your current Virgin Voyages cruise can also go towards your next sailing. What’s unique about the Virgin Red program is that you can redeem Virgin Points for double-occupancy cabins across several sailings, often at great value.
Rates have changed over time, but recently we’ve seen sailings of 9 nights available for around 200,000 points. Taking advantage of a deal like this can be a great way to get on board without spending a lot of cash.
And there are tons of ways to earn Virgin Points beyond spending nights at sea.
Related: Do Virgin Points Expire?
Earn bonus Virgin Points with the Virgin Red Rewards Mastercard®
The Virgin Red Rewards Mastercard® is issued by Synchrony and is worth a look if you’re regularly engaging with multiple Virgin brands. But most importantly, if you frequently book Virgin Voyages and charge onboard purchases to your card, you can rack up bonus points quickly.
The Virgin Red Credit Card earns 3X points per $1 spent on Virgin Atlantic flights, Virgin Hotels stays, and Virgin Voyages cruises, which makes it a solid way to supplement your per-night earnings.
If you’re not already a cardholder, now could be a good time to apply. New applicants can earn 75,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 on your card in the first 90 days.
- Earn 3X Virgin Points per $1 spent on Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Hotels and Virgin Voyages.
- Earn 2X Virgin Points per $1 at grocery stores, restaurants, streaming services and EV charging.
- Earn 5,000 Virgin Points each year as an anniversary bonus.
- Unlock up to two Personal Perks each year when you meet spend thresholds.
- Earn Tier Points toward Virgin Atlantic Flying Club status through qualifying spend.
- Book two nights at Virgin Hotels and get a third night free each year.
- Add additional cardholders and earn bonus Virgin Points.
- Access Mastercard World Elite Concierge services.
- $99 annual fee.
- 3X points per $1 spent on Virgin Atlantic flights, Virgin Hotels bookings and Virgin Voyages cruises.
- 2X points per $1 spent at grocery stores and restaurants, as well as on streaming services and electric vehicle charging.
- 1 point per $1 on everything else.
Use a travel rewards card that offers transfers to Virgin Red
Another simple way to earn Virgin Points on your cruises is to pay for your cruise and onboard purchases with a travel rewards card that offers transfers to Virgin Red or Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.
Several programs offer transfers to one of these Virgin brands, so you have plenty of options to choose from.
For example, if you charge Virgin Voyages purchases to your Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (Rates & Fees), you can earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year — and that includes cruise lines.
Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club at a 1:1 ratio, and you can use these points within your Virgin Red account.
- Earn 100k bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year. Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases
- Earn 5x total points on Lyft rides through 9/30/27.
- With Zero Liability you won't be held responsible for unauthorized charges made with your card or account information.
- Redeem points for cash back, gift cards, travel and more - your points don't expire as long as your account is open
- Go further when you book with Chase Travel℠. Enjoy competitive rates, seamless booking and premium benefits.
- Purchase Protection covers your new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account.
- Receive complimentary access to DashPass by DoorDash.
- Member FDIC
- 3X points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year
- 1X point per $1 on all other purchases
Alternatively, you could use a card that rewards all types of purchases, such as the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, and charge your voyage, onboard purchases, and even expenses at ports of call to earn 2X miles per dollar without paying foreign transaction fees.
Capital One miles transfer to Virgin Red at a 1:1 ratio.
- Earn 75,000 Miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening, plus receive a $250 Capital One Travel credit in your first cardholder year
- 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 2X miles on all other purchase
- Fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✔® (up to $120)
- No foreign transaction fees
- $95 annual fee
- 5X miles per dollar on purchases through Capital One Entertainment
- 5X miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 2X miles per dollar on all other purchases
Related: Best Credit Cards for Travel Purchases
Learn More About Sailing Club and Cruise Loyalty on a Red Hot Voyage
One neat way Virgin Voyages celebrates loyalty that isn’t captured in its tier benefits is through its annual Red Hot Sailing Club Voyages.
Since launching a few years ago, Virgin Voyages has hosted a special sailing each year featuring members of its senior leadership team, who come onboard to discuss the direction of the program and the cruise line, field questions, and gather feedback from sailors.
These sailings are generally quite popular, which is why Virgin Voyages plans to offer two of them in 2027. To learn more about the upcoming Red Hot Sailing Club Voyages, click here for a full breakdown.
Beyond the loyalty angle, these sailings also include added festivities, such as appearances from Virgin founder Richard Branson, musical performances from Nile Rodgers, drawings for bonus points and unique Virgin brand experiences, and more.
Suffice it to say, they’re a good time and worth checking out, even if you’re not a Deep Blue Extras member.
Bottom Line
Virgin Voyages hasn’t been around for very long. But there are several reasons why it’s become one of the leading cruise lines in terms of repeat sailors.
The onboard experience offers a lot, from complimentary Wi-Fi to access to several specialty restaurants, and the ability to earn incremental perks through the Sailing Club loyalty program is the icing on the cake.
In our opinion, the best way to get started with Sailing Club is to take advantage of a free status match (when it returns) and then book a voyage to try the experience for yourself.
If you’ve cruised before, there’s a good chance you’ll find the onboard experience noticeably different from other lines. It’s a bit cheekier, with a vibe similar to what you’ll find onboard Virgin Atlantic or inside a Virgin Hotels property — in a good way.
Need inspiration on which voyage to book? Consider one of the Sisters at Sea sailings to take part in the four-ship meetup in February 2027, or one of the two Red Hot Sailing Club Voyages planned for 2027.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (Rates & Fees)
