You Can Now Redeem Virgin Points for Eurostar Vouchers, But You Shouldn’t. Here’s Why.

Virgin Red — the joint loyalty program of all Virgin brands, such as Virgin Atlantic — rolled out a new partnership with Eurostar. And with the partnership comes a new way to redeem your Virgin points.

However, just because you can redeem Virgin points for Eurostar train vouchers doesn't mean you should. In fact, you should steer clear. Here's why.

You Can Now Redeem Virgin Points for Eurostar Vouchers

It didn't take long to determine whether redeeming Virgin points for Eurostar train vouchers (which you can do here) was a bad idea. As you'll shortly see, the value you'll get from your points is abysmal.

Credit: Virgin Red

But first, a bit of context for those unaware of what Eurostar is. In short, it's a European high-speed rail service that connects Western Europe, Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Like many other high-speed rail options, tickets can be expensive at times, so it's reasonable that this new redemption opportunity might be intriguing for some looking to save a bit of cash on a pricey ticket.

And while saving money is a noble goal, nine (dare we say 10?) times out of 10, you'll get more from your Virgin points by putting them towards other things, such as Virgin Atlantic flights.

Related: From Movie Tickets to Secret Concerts: Other Ways To Redeem Your Virgin Points

Here's the math

Presently, you can redeem Virgin points for one of four different Eurostar vouchers:

• $10 voucher: 2,000 points
• $25 voucher: 5,000 points
• $50 voucher: 10,000 points
• $100 voucher: 20,000 points

Right off the top, the value for your points looks ominous at best. And to prove it, here's the actual cents per point you'll get on these redemptions:

• $10 voucher: 0.5 cents per point
• $25 voucher: 0.5 cents per point
• $50 voucher: 0.5 cents per point
• $100 voucher: 0.5 cents per point

It's comically bad. By comparison, AwardWallet users, on average, redeem Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points for 3.64¢ apiece. At that average redemption rate, you'd get almost 10 times the value out of your Virgin points by redeeming them for flights instead of Eurostar train vouchers.

So, if you're looking for somewhere to put some Virgin points — even a small sum — consider booking an award flight. It's an immensely better deal. For example, you could spend 8,000 Virgin points and fly from New York (JFK) to London (LHR). Even better, you'll still get more than 4¢ per point on this economy redemption, despite the high taxes and fees.

Credit: Virgin Atlantic

Even better, redeem just 50,000 Virgin points plus just $5.60 in taxes and fees to fly Delta One business class between the U.S. and mainland Europe:

Credit: Virgin Atlantic

Related: Do Virgin Atlantic Points Expire?

Final Thoughts

Just because you can do something with your points doesn't mean you should. While redeeming Virgin points for Eurostar vouchers might be captivating for those trying to save a few dollars on a train ticket, it's mathematically a poor use of points. In virtually every instance, your points will go further elsewhere — especially on Virgin Atlantic flights.

AwardWallet Tip of The Day

Did you know that you have a personal referral link in your AwardWallet profile? If you invite people to AwardWallet using your referral link, you will receive an AwardWallet upgrade coupon for every five members you invite. Also, if these users upgrade to AwardWallet Plus, we will credit your AwardWallet account with AwardWallet Bonus points, which can be redeemed for points and miles in your program of choice. We spend roughly 50% of the revenue we receive from those referrals to purchase those miles for you. All of this can be tracked via the Invite to AwardWallet widget in the left navigation bar on your Accounts page.
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