Virgin Atlantic Black Credit Card Review

Who Is the Virgin Atlantic Black Card Good For?

The Virgin Atlantic Black Card is a great source of miles for anyone who flies on Virgin Atlantic. While Virgin Atlantic’s White Card has a lower annual fee, the Black Card has more benefits.

Just like the White Card, this card offers excellent earning on Virgin Atlantic purchases, and 50 percent off a companion ticket if you charge $25,000 a year. But this is where the similarities end.

With the Black Card, you’ll get a higher sign-up bonus, a higher anniversary bonus, more miles for adding users, an extra half-mile per dollar on non-Virgin Atlantic purchases and the ability to earn tier points without flying. You’ll get a lot more miles with this card.

Sign-Up Bonus:

The card comes with a one-time 20,000-mile sign-up bonus with your first purchase. You’ll also get 7,500 miles every year you spend $15,000, plus another 7,500 miles if you spend $25,000. If you hit the $25,000 mark, you’ll also get a companion ticket for half the miles. Adding two authorized users nets another 5,000 miles. That’s 40,000 miles in the first year if you meet all of the requirements.

During special sign-up promotions, you can can get an additional 50,000 miles with the Black Card after charging $12,000 in the first six months. If you can wait for this offer, you’ll earn a total of 90,000 bonus miles when you meet all the requirements.Spending $25,000 a year may seem like a lot, but if you put all of your everyday expenses on the card, it can add up fast.

Miles Earned:

• 3 miles per dollar on Virgin Atlantic purchases
• 1.5 miles per dollar on all other purchases

What Do Your Miles Get You?

If you make no Virgin Atlantic purchases and only earn 1.5 miles per dollar, you’ll get another 37,500 miles when reaching the $25,000 minimum spend. That totals 77,500 miles in the first year with the standard sign-up offer. You’ll also earn 20 tier points, which is enough to qualify for Silver status.

If you sign up during a special promotion, you’ll get a whopping 127,500 miles. Whichever offer you end up with, you’ll have plenty of miles to get you an award flight to almost anywhere.

Virgin Atlantic’s loyalty program, Flying Club, has several airline partners that you can redeem with:

• Air China
• Air New Zealand
• ANA
• Delta
• Hawaiian Airlines
• Jet Airways
• Malaysia Airlines
• Singapore Airlines
• South African Airways
• Virgin America
• Virgin Australia

In addition, Virgin Atlantic is a transfer partner with Hilton. You can transfer your miles to HHonors at a 1:1.5 ratio.

Usage Perks:

• No spending requirement for the sign-up bonus
• Excellent earning potential on Virgin Atlantic purchases
• Several airline partners to redeem miles with
• Ability to achieve Silver status without flying
• Companion ticket for half the miles
• Miles don’t expire for three years

Usage Quirks:

• High spending requirements for most bonuses and the companion ticket
• Fuel surcharges on Virgin Atlantic and most partners
• Some booking restrictions on partners

How Far Do Your Miles Go?

If you meet all the spending requirements and get the total bonus miles, you’ll have a lot of options. There are many good redemptions on Virgin Atlantic and its partner airlines. Here are some round-trip award deals:

• U.S. to London on Virgin Atlantic for 35,000 miles
• Transcontinental flights on Virgin America for 25,000 miles
• Flights to Tokyo on ANA for 40,000 miles
• New York to Senegal on Air South Africa for 40,000 miles
• Flights to South America on Delta for 45,000 miles
• New York for Frankfurt on Singapore Airlines for 50,000 miles
• Flights to New Zealand on Air New Zealand for 80,000 miles
• Los Angeles to Australia on Virgin Australia for 94,000 miles

Additional Cardholder Benefits:

• EMV security chip
• Zero liability
• Retail protection
• Extended warranty
• Personal concierge service
• Travel assistance
• Identity theft recovery
• Worldwide travel accident insurance
• Lost baggage protection
• Auto rental collision damage waiver
• Emergency roadside assistance