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The changes below have taken effect, and this post is no longer being updated. Here is our archive of major updates from card issuers and loyalty programs.
Since there's not much time until the changes take effect, we'll cut right to the chase: Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is updating its award chart for Delta flights, and the results aren't pretty.
Higher award prices on most Delta flights will become the new normal on December 7, 2023. We don't know the exact time they'll go live, but we do know what you'll want to book now.
Virgin Atlantic Is Raising the Prices for Many Delta Awards
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club has always been a go-to choice for booking many Delta awards, thanks to its accessibility as a transfer partner and generally friendly award pricing. There's also no need to wrangle SkyMiles when using Flying Club — a significant plus on its own.
Suffice to say, we like Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. And it's unfortunate to report that we probably won't like it as much two days from now. That's when the new pricing will apply to flights taking off on or after January 1, 2024.
As first reported by The Points Guy, Virgin Atlantic is tinkering with its award charts for Delta flights, and the changes are overwhelmingly gruesome. The vast majority of Delta awards are due to see higher pricing — with some routes commanding as much as 60% more miles.
But there's a caveat: You have until December 7, 2023 to book awards with current pricing for flights departing after January 1, 2024.
As to what you'll want to book, it'll become quite apparent after comparing the current and soon-to-be old award charts:
| Flight distance (in miles) | Economy (current price) | Economy (new price) | Increase | Delta One/first class (current price) | Delta One/first class (new price) | Increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–500 | 7,500 | 7,500 | N/A | 17,500 | 21,000 | 20% |
| 501–1,000 | 8,500 | 11,000 | 29.4% | 27,500 | 41,500 | 50.9% |
| 1,001–1,500 | 11,500 | 16,500 | 43.5% | 40,000 | 59,500 | 48.8% |
| 1,501–2,000 | 12,500 | 18,500 | 48% | 45,000 | 66,500 | 47.8% |
| 2,001–3,000 | 15,000 | 22,000 | 46.7% | 52,500 | 70,000 | 33.3% |
| 3,001–4,000 | 22,500 | 35,000 | 55.6% | 80,000 | 80,000 | N/A |
| 4,001–5,000 | 27,500 | 44,000 | 60% | 105,000 | 105,000 | N/A |
| 5,001–6,000 | 35,000 | 49,500 | 41.4% | 130,000 | 130,000 | N/A |
| 6,001 and longer | 45,000 | 65,500 | 45.6% | 165,000 | 165,000 | N/A |
Anything due to receive a price increase is what you'll want to book before December 7. We're not sure what time the new pricing goes live, so it's better to book early, rather than hoping for good luck towards the end of the day.
For some examples, Los Angeles to Mexico City in economy will jump from 12,500 to 18,500 points each way. From Atlanta to New York City? Prices will jump from 8,500 to 11,000 points each way in economy.
The silver lining
On the bright side, the prices for non-transatlantic Delta routes will escape the changes unscathed, as will long-haul business class awards greater than 3,001 miles and economy flights under 500 miles.
So, if you're looking to fly Delta One to Europe (but not the U.K.) for 50,000 Flying Club miles or from Los Angeles (LAX) to Shanghai (PVG), rest assured the current pricing for those routes will be preserved.
Thankfully, there's at least some good news amidst the chaos.
Transfer Points to Flying Club
The deadline of December 7 also leaves little time for earning a bunch of Flying Club miles via credit card welcome bonuses or spending. However, if you're working with a sum of transferable points, there's plenty of time to move points to your Flying Club account and make redemptions at the current pricing.
As a refresher, here's a complete list of the programs that transfer to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, and the time it takes for those transfers to complete:
Bottom Line
Virgin Atlantic is increasing the prices for many Delta awards on December 7, 2023 for flights taking off from day one of 2024.
There's little time to book at current pricing, so you'll want to act fast before prices go up on next year's flights.
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