Capital One Adds Virgin Red as 17th Transfer Partner

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Capital One miles might be gaining a little more value, now that the program just added Virgin Red as its 17th transfer partner. This partner addition was teased a couple of weeks ago but transfers were just launched today.

Virgin Red is the loyalty program for all of the Virgin brands, and there are some unique booking opportunities for partner awards. Here's a look at what we can expect from this new transfer partner.

What is Virgin Red?

Virgin Red is the loyalty program for all of the Virgin brands. This means you not only earn miles from flights with Virgin Atlantic but also points from shopping, vacations, stays at Virgin hotels, and more. Redemption options in this program include much more than just Virgin hotels and Virgin Atlantic flights.

You can set up a creative date night, take classes on various topics, or even sign up for Blue Apron meal delivery kits.

Related: Stack the Savings to Earn up to 3,900 AA Miles, Save up to $145 on Blue Apron Purchase of Just $50

In short, you can earn and redeem Virgin Points in a lot of different ways. Some will provide much more value than others. At the top of the value list is redeeming for flights.

Syncing with Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Since Virgin Red is meant to be the main hub for all things Virgin, that means you can sync it with your Virgin Atlantic Flying Club account. Miles you earn from flying will be synced automatically with points you earn from other activities, and all of this is available together in Virgin Red.

First, you will need to sign up for Virgin Red here. Once you are enrolled, navigate to your account page.

You will see the option to “link account” on the left side. Follow the steps to link your Virgin Atlantic Flying Club account by entering your account number or email and then the password.

The process is instant. As soon as I signed up for Virgin Red and linked my accounts, I saw a balance in my Virgin Red account. This matches my Flying Club account. Notice that I have points available, even though I have no activity. This is because of the points available in my Virgin Atlantic Flying Club account.

Now that the accounts are synced, any activity with a Virgin partner will add to your Virgin Points, and all of these will be available in Virgin Red.

Capital One Adds Virgin Red as Transfer Partner

Transfers are live from Capital One to Virgin Red. Transfers are at a 1:1 ratio, with a minimum transfer of 1,000 miles. Most Capital One transfers occur in less than 24 hours, with many of them happening immediately. See here for our resource on points transfer times.

How to Transfer

To transfer, you will need to use your Virgin Red ID — not your Flying Club account number. So how do you find this ID? Within your Virgin Red account, navigate to your personal details section. Scroll down, and you will see your Virgin Red ID.

The ID is composed of several words. You will use this for points transfers from Capital One to Virgin Red. Once logged into your Capital One account, look for the button that says “redeem” next to your rewards balance. This will take you to the redemptions page, and you should choose “convert rewards”.

Scroll down until you see Virgin Red. On the right-hand side, click on “Transfer Miles”. You will fill out your Virgin Red information and confirm how many miles you want to transfer.

Best Uses of Virgin Atlantic Flying Club / Virgin Red Redemptions

Adding Virgin Red as the 17th transfer partner of Capital One provides access to several unique sweet spots. For example, you can use your Virgin Points to book ANA first class for 55,000 points each way from the U.S. West Coast.

Here are some of our favorite uses of Virgin Points:

• 48,500 Virgin Points for Air France / KLM business class flights between Western Europe and the U.S. East Coast
• 55k-60k Virgin Points for ANA first class between the U.S. and Japan
• 62,500 Virgin Points for Air New Zealand business class between New Zealand and North America
• 95,000 Virgin Points for Virgin Atlantic Upper Class round-trip between the U.K. and the eastern half of the U.S.
• 100,000 Virgin Points for Delta One business class round-trip between the U.S. and Europe

How to Earn More Virgin Points

Along with the shopping and travel options outlined above, there are additional ways to boost your Virgin Points stash:

• Transfers from American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Citi ThankYou Rewards to Virgin Atlantic. These are all immediate and at 1:1 ratios.
• Transfers from Marriott Bonvoy to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club at a 3:1 ratio (with a bonus of 5,000 points for each 20,000 Virgin Points received. These transfers take 1-2 days to complete.
• Apply for the Virgin Atlantic^® World Elite MasterCard^®. Aside from a welcome offer, you can continue earning Virgin Points through daily spend–plus the ability to spend your way to elite status.

How to Earn More Capital One Miles

Now that can transfer Capital One Miles to Virgin Red, you might want to build your Capital One stash. Some great opportunities include these cards:

• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card – Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 Miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening.
• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card – Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• Capital One Spark Cash Plus – Earn a one-time cash bonus of $1,200 once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months.

Related: How to Convert Capital One Cash Back to Transferrable Miles

Bottom Line

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