Thread by @VoyageBliss

Continuing our series on choosing the best loyalty programs — after hotels, it’s time for frequent flyer programs (FFPs).

Since FFPs can get complicated, we’ll take it slow — one at a time.
And we’re starting with one of my personal favourites: Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (VS).

Why Virgin?
Because it offers insanely low mileage redemptions, great partner network access, and flexible earning/redemption options — especially relevant for Indian travelers.

Virgin joined the SkyTeam alliance in March 2023, becoming the only UK-based airline in the group. But even before that, Flying Club stood out for its excellent redemption value, especially for India-based travelers.

Here are some of the best redemptions on Virgin-operated flights:

India to London (from Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore):

Economy: 6,000 miles + £59

Premium Economy: 10,500 miles + £84

Business (Upper Class): 23,000 miles + £158

London to US East Coast (e.g. JFK, BOS):

Economy: 6,000 miles + £215

Premium Economy: 10,500 miles + £370

Business: 29,000 miles + £497

India to US (via London):

Economy: 12,000 miles + approx. £275

These are some of the lowest mileage requirements among all FFPs for these routes.

A Few Important Notes:

Virgin now uses a dynamic award, so these rates are for saver-level availability only. Booking early is key.

Taxes for inbound flights to India are much higher due to UK’s Air Passenger Duty — return economy redemptions can cost ~£193 just in taxes.

Mumbai often shows better award availability (especially in business) compared to Delhi and Bangalore.

Virgin flies A350-1000 and B787-9 on India routes — the A350 has a better business class product.

VS regularly releases up to 9 saver award seats per cabin on many flights — great for families.

Use Virgin’s Reward Seat Finder tool to explore month-wise availability easily.

So we’ve seen how good Virgin’s own redemptions are — now let’s talk about what makes Flying Club truly shine: its partner sweet spots.

VS has strong redemption opportunities not just within SkyTeam, but even beyond. These are especially valuable for Indian flyers, and many routes are underpriced compared to other FFPs 👇

Air France / KLM
You can fly from India to Europe at:

Economy – 15,000 miles + ~£103

Business – 61,000 miles + ~£312
✅ Availability is solid, often 9 seats per flight
✅ Easy access to rest of EU, US, and South America via CDG/AMS

Bonus:
Use Flying Club for intra-Europe hops on AF/KLM:

Economy – 7,500 to 12,000 miles

Business – 15,000 miles
💡 Useful when cash fares are high within Europe

Kenya Airways
Fly BOM–Nairobi at:

Economy – 15,500 miles + ~£85

Business – 40,000 miles + ~£103
Note: Operated by a 737 MAX 8 — business class isn’t great.
➡️ Consider booking Economy Max instead (better legroom + blocked middle seat)

Vietnam Airlines
Great for East Asia redemptions:

India–Vietnam – 15,500 miles + ~£88

India–Japan – 31,000 miles

India–South Korea – 23,000 miles
All via Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City. Solid value options.

Korean Air

Economy – 15,500 miles + ₹1,300

Business – 40,000 miles

⚠️ Booking KE via Virgin is difficult recently
Flights don’t show online, and even call center agents can’t always see space.
💡 Tip: Use Alaska Airlines to search KE space, then call/email VS with exact details. Sometimes works, still worth trying.

ITA Airways

Delhi to Rome – 20,500 miles + ~£17

Europe via Rome – 27,500 miles + ~£33
✅ One of the cheapest ways to Europe using miles
✅ Better economy availability closer to travel date
✅ Taxes are much lower than AF/KLM

Saudia Airlines

India to Riyadh (Business) – 35,000 miles + ~£19
EU flights via Saudia rarely show up on Virgin’s site — but you can still book by calling/emailing with exact flight details.
🔍 Use Alfursan (Saudia’s own program) to search award space

Bonus: SAS (Scandinavian Airlines)
Starting June 2026, SAS begins direct flights from Mumbai to Copenhagen, and you can redeem Virgin miles for these too:

Economy – 20,500 miles

Business – 60,000 miles
A great new addition for Nordic access with excellent value in business class.

So far we’ve covered Virgin-operated flights and SkyTeam redemptions — now it’s time to look at where Flying Club really flexes:
✅ Premium cabins
✅ Non-SkyTeam partners
✅ Unbeatable value per mile

Let’s start with the star of the show 👇

ANA – All Nippon Airways (Star Alliance)
Yes, you can redeem Virgin miles for ANA — including First Class, something even most Star Alliance partners don’t allow.

Here are some of the best-value options:

India to Japan (Business) – 37,500 miles + ~₹12,000

India to Japan (Economy) – 22,500 miles + ~₹9,000

US to Tokyo (The Suite – First) – 72,500 miles + ~₹21,000

Japan to Hawaii (First Class A380) – 57,500 miles + ~₹17,000
🛫 I personally flew ANA’s Flying Honu A380 First — one of the best redemptions out there.

Important Notes:

ANA doesn’t allow biz class bookings within 14 days of travel via VS

You can book First Class close-in — availability is usually better

ANA flies older 787s to India — manage expectations in business

🔍 Use United.com to search business class awards

🔍 Use seats.aero to find ANA First availability

Air New Zealand
Not directly useful from India, but perfect for Oceania travel:

Intra-NZ – 7,500 miles

Australia ↔ New Zealand – 10,000 (Economy) or 15,000 (Business)
✅ Minimal taxes (no fuel surcharge)
🔍 Search award space via Aeroplan

Other Solid Non-SkyTeam Partners:

LATAM – Great for intra-South America travel

Middle East Airlines (MEA) – Useful for routes around Lebanon

Delta – Can still offer value for short-haul US redemptions, but availability varies

Flying Club isn’t just about great flight redemptions. It also offers a surprising amount of flexibility, useful perks, and even lifestyle redemptions that make it stand out — especially if you value ease of use.

Here’s what makes Flying Club a solid all-rounder 👇

1. Points Never Expire
Your VS points don’t expire — ever — as long as your account is in good standing.
No need to stress about activity every 12 or 36 months like most programs.

2. Virgin Red Integration
You can link your Flying Club account to Virgin Red (Virgin’s lifestyle rewards platform).
This allows you to redeem VS points for:

Virgin Voyages cruise for 2 – 300,000 points

Finch Hattons Kenya luxury lodge – 125,000 points per night
…and other experiences

📌 Note: Virgin Red is only available to UK and US residents

3. Cheap Points Transfers
You can transfer VS miles to another member for a flat £10 fee — no per-mile charges.
Very useful for combining balances for a redemption.

4. Household Accounts
Virgin offers a Household Account for up to 9 members.

Only catch:

Only miles earned after joining the household can be pooled

Since transfers cost just £10, many skip this and just do manual transfers when needed

5. Hotel Loyalty Program Transfers
VS miles can be transferred to:

IHG One Rewards at 1:1

Hilton Honors at 2:3

⚠️ These aren’t great conversion ratios. Flights offer much better value — use hotel transfers only if you’re topping off or closing accounts.

6. Hotel Bookings via Kaligo
Virgin lets you redeem miles for stays at 450,000+ hotels worldwide via Kaligo.
Redemptions are tiered:

20,000 miles – Standard category

30,000 miles – Premium category

40,000 miles – Luxury category

Examples:

The Whitechapel London → Standard

Plaza London → Premium

Dao by Dorsett → Luxury

💡 Value varies depending on demand and location — not always optimal but good for flexibility.

We’ve talked redemptions, flexibility, and partner value — but what about actually earning those miles?

If you're in India, earning Virgin miles might seem limited at first, but there are some great ways to stack up 👇

1. American Express Membership Rewards (MR)
This is the most effective route for Indians.

Transfer rate: 2 MR points = 1 Virgin mile

All major Indian Amex cards (Platinum, Gold, MRCC) support this

💡 If you’re on the Amex trifecta and earn 100K–120K MR points a year (very doable), that gives you:
✔️ A return Premium Economy trip to London
✔️ Plus a 1-night hotel stay via Kaligo

⚡ Have 2 trifectas in the family?
You could fly return in Business Class to London and cover:
✔️ 2 nights at standard category hotels
or
✔️ 1 night at a luxury hotel

2. Marriott Bonvoy Transfers

Transfer rate: 60,000 Marriott points = 25,000 Virgin miles (includes 5K bonus per 60K)

Effective ratio: 2 Marriott points = ~0.83 VS miles

Useful if you regularly earn Bonvoy points or take advantage of hotel promos.

3. Hyatt to Virgin Transfers

Rate: 5,000 World of Hyatt = 3,000 VS miles

Bonus: Transfer 50K WOH → get 7,500 bonus VS miles
➡️ 50K WOH = 37,500 VS miles

Good option if you don’t have plans to redeem Hyatt points.

4. Earn Miles from Hotel Stays
If you don’t want hotel points:

Marriott: 2 VS miles per USD

Hyatt: 750 VS miles per stay

IHG: 2 miles per USD + 500 extra VS miles at Venetian Macau

5. Rocketmiles
Book hotels via Rocketmiles and earn 500–10,000 Virgin miles per night depending on property and promos.
Great for topping up quickly or getting value on paid stays.

6. Flying Virgin or Partner Airlines
The traditional way — credit your paid flights to Flying Club.
Partners include:
Air France, KLM, Delta, ANA, Kenya Airways, ITA Airways, Saudia, MEA, etc.

7. Buying Virgin Miles
VS runs promos where you can buy miles at ~90p to ₹1 per mile.
Offline trades can get you better deals — 65p to 90p per mile range.

After all the sweet spots, perks, and earning hacks — the real question is:
Is Flying Club the right fit for you?

Here’s when Virgin Atlantic Flying Club makes the most sense 👇

1. You use Amex cards
If you’re deep into the Amex ecosystem in India, VS is one of the best mileage transfer options available (2:1 MR ratio).

2. You don’t mind paying higher taxes if miles required are low
Virgin often charges higher surcharges, but the mileage cost is ridiculously low.
If you’re value-focused and plan ahead — this is a win.

3. You fly with family (2–3 passengers)
VS regularly releases multiple award seats per cabin, even in business.
No playing games with 1-seat limits like other programs.

4. You want to fly premium cabins (including First Class)
Whether it’s ANA First, Virgin Upper Class, or Kenya Airways Business — Flying Club unlocks aspirational cabins without breaking the mile bank.

5. You want a no-nonsense FFP
✔️ No point expiry
✔️ Easy transfers
✔️ Solid partner network
✔️ Hotel, cruise, and lifestyle redemptions
✔️ No blackout dates on partner flights