Who Should Skip the Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Credit Card

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The Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Credit Card has become a favorite among dedicated Virgin Atlantic flyers in the UK, thanks to its generous Virgin Points earning rate and the potential for valuable upgrade or companion vouchers. But the card also carries a relatively steep annual fee and a high representative APR, which means it is far from a one-size-fits-all solution. For many travelers, other options will be cheaper, simpler, or more flexible. This guide explores exactly who should consider skipping the Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Card and which alternatives might make more sense instead.

What the Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Credit Card Actually Offers

Before deciding whether to skip the Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Credit Card, it helps to understand what you would be turning down. Issued by Virgin Money in the UK, the Reward+ Card currently charges an annual fee of around £160 and comes with a representative APR close to 69.7% variable when the fee is factored in. The underlying purchase rate is in the mid-20s percent variable, so carrying a balance is expensive compared with many mainstream cards.

On the earning side, the card collects 1.5 Virgin Points per £1 on most everyday purchases and 3 Virgin Points per £1 when you spend directly with Virgin Atlantic or Virgin Holidays. New applicants can usually earn a welcome bonus of up to roughly 18,000 Virgin Points after making a first purchase within 90 days, although the exact offer can vary over time. That combination of a strong earning rate and an upfront bonus is what attracts frequent Virgin Atlantic travelers.

There is also a powerful annual perk. If you spend at least £10,000 on the card in a 12‑month period from your account opening anniversary, you qualify for a Virgin Atlantic credit card reward such as a companion ticket or an upgrade to Premium on a reward flight. For a couple booking London to New York in economy using points, that companion voucher can easily save several hundred pounds in airfare.

In other words, the Reward+ Card is built for people who spend significantly on a credit card, clear their balance each month, and travel with Virgin Atlantic often enough to squeeze full value from Virgin Points and vouchers. If that does not sound like you, this may not be your ideal travel card.

Why Occasional or Price-Driven Travelers Should Think Twice

If you only fly once a year, or you usually book with the cheapest airline on Skyscanner rather than sticking to Virgin Atlantic, the Reward+ Card’s annual fee can be hard to justify. Imagine a family who takes a single holiday each summer, flying London to Malaga on a low-cost carrier because it is the best price. Over a year, they spend around £800 a month on the card, but almost never with Virgin-branded companies. They might collect roughly 14,400 Virgin Points from that spending, yet they are not loyal enough to Virgin to redeem those points for long-haul flights.

In practice, that family might find it easier to earn straightforward cashback or more flexible points with a no-fee card. For example, a free cashback card paying 0.5% would return around £48 a year on £800 monthly spend without locking them into any one airline. By contrast, the Reward+ Card would cost £160 a year before they see any benefit. If they seldom redeem points for long-haul Premium or Upper Class flights, the Virgin Points may feel abstract and underwhelming.

Another real-world example is the city-break traveler who mixes airlines. Perhaps you fly London to Rome with easyJet in spring, then Manchester to Lisbon with Ryanair in autumn, and take the Eurostar to Paris for a winter weekend. You might not fly Virgin Atlantic at all in a typical year. In that case, stockpiling Virgin Points from a fee-based card is unlikely to beat earning flexible Amex Membership Rewards points or free Avios from a no-fee Barclaycard Avios Mastercard, which can be used across several airlines and routes.

If your travel pattern is “wherever is cheapest” rather than “where Virgin Atlantic flies,” it is usually safer to skip the Reward+ Card and look at general travel or cashback cards that will reward you regardless of airline choice.

Cardholders Who Carry a Balance: The High APR Problem

The Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Credit Card is designed for people who pay off their statement in full each month. Its representative APR, which accounts for the £160 annual fee, is far higher than the UK average for mainstream credit cards. That means using it to finance a purchase over several months can quickly eat up any value you earn from Virgin Points or vouchers.

Consider a traveler who spends £1,200 on a new laptop and decides to spread the cost over a year on the Reward+ Card. With an interest rate in the mid‑20s percent and the annual fee on top, they could easily pay several hundred pounds in interest and fees over twelve months. Even if they earn a welcome bonus and a few thousand points from that purchase, the effective cost of borrowing massively outweighs the rewards.

By comparison, the same traveler might instead use a 0% purchase credit card for the laptop and then rely on a separate no-fee rewards card for everyday spending. Many UK issuers regularly promote 0% purchase periods of 18 to 24 months on mainstream cards. In this setup, the traveler would pay no interest while slowly clearing the laptop balance, and could earn points or cashback on routine expenses with a lower-APR, no-fee rewards card.

If you know there is any chance you might not fully clear your balance each month, prioritising a lower interest rate or a long 0% purchase period is usually much more sensible than chasing airline miles. In such circumstances, the Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Card should generally be avoided until your borrowing is fully under control.

Low Spenders Who Will Struggle to Hit the £10,000 Threshold

One of the headline attractions of the Reward+ Card is the annual credit card reward that triggers at £10,000 of eligible spending per year. However, many people overestimate how easily they will hit this threshold. If your monthly card spend averages £600 across groceries, petrol, bills and dining out, your annual total is only £7,200. That leaves you well short of the target to unlock the voucher.

Take a single professional renting a flat in Manchester, for example. Their fixed costs like rent and council tax are paid by direct debit from a current account, and only a portion of their spending can go on a credit card. Even if they are disciplined about using their card for supermarket shops and transport, they might find themselves under £700 a month in card transactions. That level of spend could still earn a healthy number of Virgin Points, but it might not justify a £160 annual fee in the absence of the annual reward.

Someone in that position might be better served with the free Virgin Atlantic Reward Credit Card, which carries no annual fee and earns 0.75 Virgin Points per £1 on everyday spending. While the earn rate is lower, there is no ongoing cost for holding the card, and over time the points can be redeemed for short-haul partner flights or upgrades when a special trip arises. Alternatively, they could look at a free Barclaycard Avios card, which earns Avios at a similar pace and opens up options on British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus.

As a rule of thumb, if your regular card spending is under about £850 a month and you are not putting large planned purchases through the card, you should carefully run the numbers before paying a fee for the Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Card. Without the annual companion or upgrade voucher, the premium fee may not pay for itself.

Travelers Who Want Maximum Flexibility, Not Airline Loyalty

Some travelers enjoy having the flexibility to redeem points with whichever airline offers the best schedule or cabin on a given route. If you fly BA to New York for work, Emirates to Dubai for a conference, and a mix of airlines for personal trips, funneling all your rewards into Virgin Points may feel restrictive. In that case, a flexible points card or a broader airline currency can be more useful.

For example, the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card in the UK earns Membership Rewards points, which can be converted into Avios, Virgin Points, Emirates Skywards and several hotel loyalty schemes at or near 1:1. A traveler who splits their trips between London and both New York and Dubai could choose to send points to Virgin Atlantic for a summer holiday to Orlando one year, then to BA or Qatar Airways the next. This strategy keeps options open while still earning at a competitive rate on everyday spending.

Alternatively, frequent British Airways flyers may prefer to keep things simple by focusing on Avios via the British Airways American Express cards or the Barclaycard Avios range. A couple who regularly visit family in Spain might find that short-haul Reward Flight Saver tickets using Avios work better than trying to reach the Virgin points needed for long-haul redemptions. In this scenario, paying an annual fee for a Virgin-specific card is unlikely to deliver better value than an Avios-oriented product.

If you travel widely across different airlines, or you like to hunt for business class sweet spots between multiple loyalty schemes, locking yourself into Virgin Points via the Reward+ Card may not be the smartest strategy. Flexibility is often worth more than a slightly higher earn rate tied to a single carrier.

UK Residents Who Rarely Fly Virgin Atlantic Routes

The geographical focus of Virgin Atlantic’s network matters. Its long-haul routes are concentrated on destinations like New York, Boston, Orlando, Los Angeles, the Caribbean and select Asian and African cities from UK hubs such as London Heathrow and Manchester. If you live in a region poorly served by Virgin or you tend to fly short-haul within Europe, you may struggle to redeem Virgin Points at attractive value.

Imagine a traveler based in Glasgow who typically flies to Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Geneva for work. They might have to take KLM, Lufthansa or easyJet rather than routing through a Virgin Atlantic hub. While Virgin does have airline partners, in day-to-day life this passenger will probably find Avios or general flexible points easier to redeem for their most common routes. Holding the Reward+ Card would mean paying £160 yearly to collect a currency they rarely use.

Another example is the family regularly visiting relatives in Warsaw or Bucharest. Many of these city pairs are dominated by low-cost carriers or non-Virgin full-service airlines. While Virgin Atlantic has some partner redemptions, availability can be patchy, and the taxes and fees on reward tickets can sometimes reduce the overall value. In these cases, cashback cards, general travel rewards cards, or Avios-based products can match the family’s real travel pattern more closely than the Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Card.

Before applying, it is worth looking realistically at where you are likely to travel in the next two or three years. If hardly any of those journeys are on Virgin Atlantic metal or attractive partner redemptions, paying for a Virgin-focused premium card is not essential.

Who Might Be Better Off With Alternatives and Which Ones to Consider

If you recognise yourself in any of the groups above, the good news is that the UK market offers several strong alternatives to the Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Credit Card. The right choice depends on whether you value simplicity, airline loyalty, or flexible rewards the most, but in many cases you will find a better fit without paying £160 a year.

For casual Virgin Atlantic flyers or those who want to keep the option open without a fee, the free Virgin Atlantic Reward Credit Card is a natural alternative. It skips the annual fee and still earns Virgin Points, albeit at a lower rate. A couple who fly Virgin to the Caribbean every three years could slowly build a points balance on the free card without worrying about getting enough value each year to outpace a fee.

Travelers who prefer British Airways or Oneworld airlines often lean towards Avios-earning cards. The free Barclaycard Avios Mastercard, for instance, allows you to earn Avios on a Visa or Mastercard that is widely accepted, making it an ideal backup to a BA American Express card. A London-based family who fly BA to Spain twice a year and occasionally to Florida might use a BA Amex to trigger a companion voucher, then keep Barclaycard Avios for places that do not accept American Express, consolidating all Avios into one account.

If you value maximum flexibility more than airline-specific perks, a card like American Express Preferred Rewards Gold can make sense in the first year when the fee is often waived. A frequent traveler might put their work expenses on this card, earning Membership Rewards points and transferring them later to whichever scheme offers the best redemption for an upcoming trip, whether that is Avios, Virgin Points or hotel loyalty programmes. After the first year, they can decide whether the ongoing fee still offers good value or whether to downgrade or switch.

Finally, anyone focused on debt repayment or who is unsure they will repay in full each month should prioritise a low-APR or 0% purchase card over rewards. For instance, a card offering 0% on purchases for 18 months could save hundreds of pounds in interest for someone funding home improvements, far outweighing the occasional free flight.

The Takeaway

The Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Credit Card is a powerful tool in the right hands, particularly for high-spending, debt-averse travelers who are firmly loyal to Virgin Atlantic and can reliably hit the £10,000 annual spend required for a companion or upgrade voucher. Used this way, the combination of a strong earning rate, welcome bonus and annual reward can fund premium long-haul trips that feel far more luxurious than the out-of-pocket cost suggests.

However, the same features that make the card appealing also create clear groups of people who should think twice. Occasional travelers, low spenders, those who carry a balance, and anyone who values flexible rewards over single-airline loyalty will often do better with no-fee cards, Avios products, or flexible points schemes instead. In many real-world cases, a combination of a 0% purchase card and a free rewards card for day-to-day spending offers more value and less risk than a fee-based airline card with a high representative APR.

Before applying for the Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Credit Card, take a realistic look at your annual card spend, your likelihood of clearing the balance every month, and where you actually fly. If the numbers do not support the annual fee, it is perfectly sensible to skip this card and choose an alternative that matches your travel habits and financial priorities more closely.

FAQ

Q1. Is the Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Credit Card worth it if I only fly once a year?
If you only take one flight a year and it is not usually with Virgin Atlantic, the card is rarely worth the £160 fee. You are unlikely to earn enough points or use the annual companion or upgrade voucher to offset the cost, so a no-fee cashback or flexible rewards card is usually a better option.

Q2. What annual spending do I realistically need for the Reward+ Card to make sense?
In most cases you need to be comfortable putting at least £10,000 a year on the card, paying it off in full and redeeming Virgin Points for long-haul or premium-cabin flights. Below that level, the annual fee is harder to justify, although heavy spenders who value Virgin Points can still come out ahead.

Q3. Should I get the free Virgin Atlantic Reward Card instead of Reward+?
If your spending is modest or you are unsure how often you will fly Virgin Atlantic, the free card is usually safer. It lets you collect Virgin Points without the pressure of an annual fee, and you can always upgrade later if your travel pattern or spending increases significantly.

Q4. What if I sometimes carry a balance on my credit card?
If there is any chance you will not clear your statement in full, a high-APR rewards card like the Reward+ is usually a poor fit. The interest charges can easily exceed the value of the points, so a low-rate or 0% purchase card will almost always be a better choice.

Q5. Are Avios cards better than the Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Card?
Avios cards can be better for people who primarily fly British Airways, Iberia or Aer Lingus, or who want more options in Europe. Whether they are better overall depends on your routes, cabin preferences and where you can find the best redemption availability for your travel plans.

Q6. Does the Reward+ Card work well as a backup to an Amex card?
It can work as an Amex backup because it runs on Mastercard, which is widely accepted. However, many people find a free Barclaycard Avios Mastercard or a no-fee cashback card more efficient as a backup, since these options do not add an extra annual fee on top of their primary Amex card.

Q7. How valuable is the companion or upgrade voucher in practice?
The voucher can be very valuable when used for long-haul flights in Premium or Upper Class, often saving hundreds of pounds. However, you must hit the £10,000 spend threshold, be flexible with dates, and be comfortable paying taxes and fees on the reward ticket, so not everyone will realise its full theoretical value.

Q8. What alternatives should I consider if I want flexible points instead of Virgin-only rewards?
Cards that earn flexible points, such as Amex Membership Rewards, are good options if you want the freedom to move points to multiple airlines and hotels. These cards let you wait until you have a specific trip in mind before deciding which programme to transfer your points into.

Q9. Is the Reward+ Card a good choice if I live outside London?
It depends on your local airport and routes. If you live near Manchester and regularly use Virgin Atlantic routes, the card may still work well. But if your home airport is mainly served by airlines unrelated to Virgin, you might struggle to use points and vouchers efficiently.

Q10. Can I start with the Reward+ Card and downgrade later if it does not suit me?
Many cardholders begin with the Reward+ Card to capture the welcome bonus and test whether they can reach the spending threshold. If they later decide the fee is not worthwhile, they may be able to switch to the free Virgin Atlantic Reward Card or close the account, although this can affect their credit history in the short term.