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Here’s a look at whether those wishes were granted.

• A reasonable limit on dynamic pricing: I hope the most expensive peak-date fares will not be more than double previous award-chart levels. Unfortunately, rates are now as high as 350,000 points per flight, four times the previous amount. While this is undeniably a negative change, many of these high award-fare seats would never have been offered for redemption under the old capacity-controlled award system.
• Ability to pay surcharge with points: While this change is not yet implemented, the surcharge has been significantly reduced, so I consider this an improvement to the program.
• Discount on surcharge during off-peak periods and no additional surcharge during peak periods: Flying Club has implemented reduced surcharges across all dates, including dramatically lower surcharges with new saver fares. This is a major program plus in my book.
• Only upgrade points: Unfortunately, you still have to pay a surcharge on award upgrades.
• Continued network-wide discounts on award seats: I’m considering the new Saver Seats, which are available on about 75% of all Virgin Atlantic-operated flights, equivalent to previous limited-time-only network-wide discounts.

New Virgin Atlantic saver fares are a terrific deal

While I was hoping for lower redemption rates on low-demand dates, the new Saver Fares made my jaw drop, and now offer the lowest rates of any major airline loyalty program for flights to Europe in all classes.

While availability of these flights is limited (look for the red “Saver” tag when booking), prices at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Heathrow Airport (LHR) starts at 6,000 Virgin Points in Economy, 10,500 Virgin Points in Premium Economy and just 29,000 Virgin Points in Business Class.

These rates greatly improve the Flying Club program and are undeniably market-leading prices. However, since the published award chart no longer sets the pricing standard for Flying Club, being a flexible traveler is key to getting a great redemption deal as the carrier has switched to a dynamic pricing model.

Reduction in surcharges across the network

Along with the new saver fares, a real program improvement is the reduction in carrier-imposed surcharges. The surcharge is priced dynamically – an unusual concept in itself – but for the cheapest saver fares, it means the total fees, taxes and surcharges payable for a flight to London are now as low as:

• $73 in economy
• $105 in premium economy
• $254 in business class

Even on peak travel dates when you’ll pay the highest number of Virgin Points required, round-trip business-class fees, taxes and surcharges from the US West Coast to London are around $1,350 (note that this price may fluctuate, as it .dynamic pricing). Although you may still gasp at the price, this is a reduction from previous surcharges imposed by the carrier.

Also, this hefty tax is due to the UK APD tax that all airlines pass on to customers. So, just know that when you move from UK to US. When flying to, you will pay more in surcharges.

Capitalize on the Virgin Atlantic transfer bonus

For example, the following transfer bonuses are currently being offered:

If you have transferable Chase and Citi credit card points at your disposal, you can book a business-class flight to London starting at 21,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points or 23,000 ThankYou Rewards points with the lowest saver rate.

This is a surprising price because even popular programs like Air France-KLM’s Flying Blue start at 50,000 miles when booking a one-way business-class seat from the US to Europe.

Flying Club’s peak rates are super expensive

Although Flying Club has made many positive changes to its program, there are some drawbacks if you want to travel during popular periods. During your award search, you may find that many dates have priced business-class flights at 350,000 points per flight.

Equally as jaw-dropping as how low the new saver rates are, it was equally shocking to see how depressingly high the peak rates have become. While I expected prices to go up on peak dates, I didn’t expect them to be this high.

Even if you want to book an economy ticket for 150,000 points each, this is unreasonable and I wouldn’t recommend redeeming your Virgin or credit card points this way.

Virgin Flying Club Award Rate Discrepancies

With the recent program changes, I’ve noticed that the new dynamic pricing generates odd rates. For example, this one-way economy ticket from Miami to London costs 161,000 points, while a premium economy ticket costs just 43,500 points. The cost of an economy ticket is almost four times the cost of a premium seat. Is this a technical glitch?

Additionally, I have seen distorted pricing in which saver fares are offered for economy seats, while premium and upper class are priced dynamically. I think it’s unlikely that anyone would be willing to pay nearly 27 times the points to book a premium economy ticket over an economy ticket on the same aircraft.

I wouldn’t be alarmed by these award price discrepancies just yet, as I expect Virgin is still figuring out how to price its seats, and these rates will likely adjust and become more sensible over time.

Even with transfer bonuses from credit cards, I’d be shocked if many Flying Club members are willing to pay 250,000 points for a Premium Economy flight, especially when they realize it’s very much Economy Plus and not a business-class seat.

If no one is paying these exorbitant prices and the flights are not full, I would expect to see reduced rates. After all, it’s hardly attractive to potential program members if they only look at these maximum rates when deciding whether to transfer credit card points to Flying Club.

Additionally, I’m excited to see if last-minute saver fares will be introduced to fill planes with plenty of spare seats, even on peak dates. This can mean great deals for spontaneous travelers like me.

Delta’s SkyMiles program and its infamous dynamic pricing also periodically discount redemption rates.

How to earn Virgin Flying Club Points

Virgin Points are easy to earn, Flying Club is a transfer partner in every major transferable currency:

Check out these card options where you can earn reward points and miles for booking Flying Club award seats. Plus, all these cards offer great welcome bonuses:

As always, TPG recommends checking award availability Before Transferring your credit card points.