The Least Talked About Chase Ultimate Rewards Transfer Partner Is a Hidden Gem

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Virgin Atlantic may not be one of the most popular airline frequent flyer programs – in fact, it might just be one of the least talked about!  So you might have overlooked a number of great redemptions that you can take advantage of with Virgin Atlantic miles, like cheap flights to Asia, Europe, Hawaii, and the South Pacific.

And because Virgin Atlantic is a Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partner, you can easily earn points for award flights from cards like:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
• Ink Business Preferred Credit Card
• Chase Sapphire Reserve

You might have dismissed Virgin Atlantic as an option because they have a reputation for adding steep fuel surcharges to award flights, and that’s true in many cases.  But I’ll show you a few sweet spots where you can get a big bang for your points without spending a ton on extra fees.

Here are 5 smart ways to make the most of Virgin Atlantic miles you might not have considered.

5 Reasons to Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards Points to Virgin Atlantic

1.   Great First and Business Class Redemptions on ANA to Japan

One of the absolute best value ways to use your Virgin Atlantic miles is to redeem them for Business and First Class awards to Japan on ANA.  ANA is an award-winning airline and is a partner of Virgin Atlantic.  And the award prices are an absolute steal!

Prices depend on where in the US you are flying from, with the lowest prices being for flights from the West Coast.  From the West Coast, you’ll pay the following round-trip prices:

• 90,000 Virgin Atlantic miles in Business Class
• 110,000 Virgin Atlantic miles in First Class

If you’re flying from the Midwest or East Coast, you’ll pay the following round-trip prices:

• 95,000 Virgin Atlantic miles in Business Class
• 120,000 Virgin Atlantic miles in First Class

Better yet, taxes, fees, and fuel surcharges are relatively low on these routes!

If you want to book an ANA flight with Virgin Atlantic miles, you’ll want to search for available award seats on the United Airlines website, then call Virgin Atlantic at 800-365-9500 with the flight information to book your tickets.

The only slight downside to redeeming Virgin Atlantic miles for ANA flights is you won’t be able to connect onward to other destinations in Asia without booking a separate ticket.  Luckily, you can do so pretty easily using British Airways Avios points (also a Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partner) to fly on Japan Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and Malaysia Airlines.

2.   Flights to Hawaii on Delta or Hawaiian Airlines (And Inter-Island Flights!)

There are a couple of different ways you can use your Virgin Atlantic miles to fly to and around Hawaii.

For many destinations, if you want to redeem Virgin Atlantic miles for flights on Delta, you will pay around the same number of miles that Delta would charge for the exact same flights.  But, on flights to Hawaii, you can actually save by booking with Virgin Atlantic miles instead of Delta miles!

Delta charges 45,000 (or more) miles to fly between the US and Hawaii in coach, but Virgin Atlantic charges only 40,000 miles for the same flights!

You can also redeem Virgin Atlantic miles to fly on Hawaiian Airlines between the US and Hawaii, but it only makes sense if you’re flying from the West Coast.  That’s because round-trip flights from the West Coast cost:

• 40,000 Virgin Atlantic miles in coach
• 80,000 Virgin Atlantic miles round trip in Business Class

But round-trip flights from the East Coast cost:

• 80,000 Virgin Atlantic miles in coach
• 130,000 Virgin Atlantic miles in Business Class

If you’re flying from the East Coast, you’re much better off flying Delta or considering another way to get to Hawaii because these prices are not a good deal! 

For flights to Hawaii, you don’t have to worry about paying any additional taxes, fees, or fuel surcharges when you redeem Virgin Atlantic miles.

Once you’re in Hawaii, you may also want to visit more than one island!  Virgin Atlantic gives you a solid option for those flights, too.

3.   Fly Delta Business Class to Europe (But Not the UK!)

Virgin Atlantic charges 50,000 miles one-way to fly Delta in Business Class from the US to Europe.  That’s a solid price, and if you’re not flying to the UK, you’ll only have to pay ~$6 in taxes.

You don’t want to use your Virgin Atlantic miles for flights to the UK, however, because Delta and Virgin Atlantic have aligned their prices on those routes.  You’d have to pay between 47,500 and 77,500 Virgin Atlantic miles, plus a whopping ~$500 fuel surcharge!  That’s not something we want to see happen.

Unfortunately, flights on the way home will also cost you a bit more due to fuel surcharges, so you may want to book your flight to Europe with Virgin Atlantic miles and book your flights home with a different mileage currency.

You can search for and book Delta award flights at virginatlantic.com.

4.   Fly to New Zealand in Air New Zealand Business Class

Air New Zealand is well known for having a solid Business Class product.  And you can book it with Virgin Atlantic miles!  You can book a round-trip flight on Air New Zealand from the US for:

• 80,000 Virgin Atlantic miles in coach
• 125,000 Virgin Atlantic miles in Business Class

For comparison, United Airlines would charge you 80,000 miles and 180,000 miles, respectively, to book the same flights.  That means that booking Air New Zealand Business Class with Virgin Atlantic miles is a great deal.

You can search for Air New Zealand award availability on United.com, but note that Business Class award seats can be difficult to find.

5.   Fly Onward from Hawaii to Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific on Hawaiian Airlines

In case you want to use your Virgin Atlantic miles to fly to Hawaii and connect onward (or if you happen to be lucky enough to already live there!), you should know that you can redeem your Virgin Atlantic miles to fly from Hawaii to Asia, Australia, and New Zealand for pretty reasonable prices on Hawaiian Airlines.

Round-trip Hawaiian Airlines flights between Hawaii and Asia, Australia, and New Zealand cost:

• 80,000 Virgin Atlantic miles in coach
• 130,000 Virgin Atlantic miles in Business Class

You can also use your Virgin Atlantic miles to fly between Hawaii and Pago Pago, American Samoa, and Papeete, Tahiti at the following prices:

• 55,000 Virgin Atlantic miles in coach
• 95,000 Virgin Atlantic miles in Business Class

If you used Hawaiian Airlines miles to book the same flights, you would pay the same prices, but for many people, Virgin Atlantic miles are easier to earn.  Better yet, Hawaiian Airlines does not add fuel surcharges, so that’s not something you’ll have to think about before booking any of these flights!

When It’s Not Worth It to Use Virgin Atlantic Miles

While there are a number of great uses of Virgin Atlantic miles, they definitely aren’t always the best choice!

For example, Virgin Atlantic adds on significant fuel surcharges to their own flights.  That means for coach tickets, you’re looking at paying around $500 round-trip in addition to your miles!  Fees are even higher for Business Class and First Class – around $800 and $1,100, respectively.

With the number of sales we have seen to Europe in recent years in coach and the other great mileage programs you have access to with your Chase Ultimate Rewards points, we can’t recommend that you use your Virgin Atlantic miles for any high-surcharge flights.

Other partners like Singapore Airlines will also have fuel surcharges.  It’s always best to consider the number of miles you would be saving compared to the extra cash you need to spend when booking awards with high fuel surcharges.

Other Great Benefits With Virgin Atlantic Miles

1.   Generous Expiration Policy

Having your miles expire is the worst!  Luckily, with Virgin Atlantic, you have 36 months from the date you earn or transfer miles to either use miles or earn more.

For example, if you transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Virgin Atlantic in February 2019, those miles won’t expire until February 2022! Anytime you earn or redeem miles, you extend the expiration date of your miles by a further 36 months, giving you more time to visit more places.

2.   Virgin Atlantic Miles Are Easy to Earn

There are so many ways you can earn Virgin Atlantic miles!  Of course, you can always fly with Virgin Atlantic and their partners, but you can also earn Virgin Atlantic miles through their shopping portal.

Virgin Atlantic is also an American Express Membership Rewards and Marriott transfer partner.

3.   Transfer Bonuses

You can’t always count on a transfer bonus, but historically there have been a few for Virgin Atlantic with American Express Membership Rewards.  Chase doesn’t offer transfer bonuses, but if you have both Ultimate Rewards points and Membership Rewards points, you have multiple ways to get your hands on Virgin Atlantic miles and the opportunity to take advantage of transfer bonuses when they arise!

Bottom Line

You’ve may have been ignoring Virgin Atlantic all these years, but you shouldn’t any longer!

There are a number of great award redemption opportunities available with your Virgin Atlantic miles that won’t incur huge fuel surcharges, like:

• Business and First Class on ANA to Japan
• Flights to Hawaii on Delta or Hawaiian Airlines
• Delta award flights to Europe (except the UK)
• Air New Zealand Business Class flights from the US
• Award flights from Hawaii to Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific on Hawaiian Airlines

As a Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partner, Virgin Atlantic miles are very easy to earn, from cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Ink Business Preferred, and Chase Sapphire Reserve.

Have you gotten a good deal redeeming Virgin Atlantic miles for award flights?  Let us know in the comments!