Virgin Atlantic White Credit Card Review

Who Is the Virgin Atlantic White Card Good For?

Virgin Atlantic offers two credit cards to loyal flyers in the United States: the White Card and the Black Card. The White Card is good for those who are collecting Virgin Atlantic miles but don’t want to pay a big annual fee. The Black Card comes with a few more benefits, but also a higher annual fee and more conditions.

You’ll earn the same three miles per dollar on Virgin Atlantic purchases with both the White and Black Cards. With the White Card, you’ll also get an anniversary bonus and a 50 percent off companion award ticket if you charge $25,000 in a year.

The White Card is a premium World Elite MasterCard, which means that you’ll also get an excellent suite of benefits from MasterCard.

Virgin Atlantic is a transfer partner with Hilton Hotels and Resorts. You can transfer your miles to Hilton HHonors at a 1:1.5 ratio.

Sign-Up Bonus:

You get a 12,500-mile sign-up bonus after your first purchase. You can also get 2,500 miles when you add an authorized user, and 7,500 miles annually after charging $15,000 in a year.

Miles Earned:

• Three miles per dollar spent on Virgin Atlantic purchases
• One mile on everything else

The Virgin Atlantic White Card is one of the few airline credit cards offering three miles per dollar on flights. Most other co-branded credit cards offer 1.5 or 2 miles.

What Do Your Miles Get You?

Besides innovative service, mood lighting and fashionable flight attendant uniforms, Virgin Atlantic has a very versatile frequent flyer program called Flying Club.

The airline has the following partners:

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

While the sign-up bonus won’t get you too far, it can be used for short domestic flights in many countries. There are many options; for example, 15,000 miles or less can get you:

• Two round-trip flights within the U.K.
• One round-trip ticket between Los Angeles and Seattle or Portland
• Anywhere within New Zealand and back on Air New Zealand
• A roundtrip between Tokyo and most other Japanese cities on ANA
• A 620-mile or less flight in India on Jet Airways

Usage Perks:

• No minimum spend for the sign-up bonus
• Good earning potential on Virgin Atlantic purchases
• Several airline booking partners
• Miles transfer to Hilton HHonors at 1:1.5
• Half off a companion award ticket after spending $25,000 a year
• Miles don’t expire for three years

Usage Quirks:

• Low sign-up bonus
• Fuel surcharges on Virgin Atlantic and most partners
• Some booking restrictions on partners
• High spending requirement for the 7,500-mile annual bonus

How Far Do Your Miles Go?

If you fly on Virgin Atlantic several times a year, the Virgin Atlantic White Card would be a great option thanks to the generous triple miles earned on Virgin Atlantic purchases. The 15,000-mile sign-up bonus can only take you so far, but if you’re interested in domestic travel in the U.S. and some other countries, the $49 annual fee might be a worthwhile investment.

Additional Cardholder Benefits:

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