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Flying Club tiers · Tier points per flight

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club elite status explained

Flying Club has two status tiers above the free Red level: Silver at 400 Tier Points and Gold at 1,000 Tier Points, earned within your own 12-month membership year. Tier Points are a fixed amount per flight set by cabin and booking class, from 25 in Economy to 200 in Upper Class, so what you pay matters less than where you sit.

One return trip in Upper Class at the top rate earns 400 Tier Points and reaches Silver on its own. Tier Points also come from SkyTeam partner flights, reward seats booked with points, Virgin Atlantic Holidays packages and, in the US, the Virgin Red Rewards Mastercard.

Silver is recognised as SkyTeam Elite and Gold as SkyTeam Elite Plus across Delta, Air France, KLM and the rest of SkyTeam.

Written and reviewed by the Points Plug team. Last reviewed .

Redeemable points versus Tier Points

What you spend

Points

The balance that books award flights, upgrades and other rewards. See how to earn them and what they are worth.

What counts toward status

Tier Points

A separate counter that decides your tier. You cannot spend it on flights or rewards.

Virgin Points and Tier Points are separate balances. Virgin Points are the currency you spend on reward seats, upgrades and partner rewards, and they never expire. Tier Points cannot be spent; they only decide whether you are Red, Silver or Gold and reset at the start of each membership year.

The two do not always travel together. A paid Virgin Atlantic ticket earns both. A reward seat booked with Virgin Points earns Tier Points but no Virgin Points (terms clause 4.2.5). A Points Plus Money booking earns both (clause 4.3.6). A paid upgrade bought at the airport or through the upgrade bidding service earns neither extra Virgin Points nor extra Tier Points; you keep earning on the original booking class (clause 3.1.6).

Worked example: a Silver member flies London Heathrow to New York and back in Upper Class on a fare that earns the top rate of 200 Tier Points each way. The trip adds 400 Tier Points, enough to requalify for Silver in one go, and earns the fare's Virgin Points with Silver's 30% bonus on top. Book the same trip as an Upper Class reward seat instead and it still earns Tier Points (Virgin Atlantic counts five return Upper Class reward seats as enough for Gold, so 100 each way) but zero Virgin Points.

Virgin Atlantic sells no Tier Point top-ups. Your tier raises the rate at which you earn Virgin Points, while Tier Points are set by the cabin and booking class you fly.

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club tiers and what each one takes

TierTo qualifyBonus pointsAlliance tier
Silver400 Tier Points+30% Virgin Points on Virgin Atlantic and SkyTeam partner flightsSkyTeam Elite
Gold1,000 Tier Points+60% Virgin Points on Virgin Atlantic and SkyTeam partner flightsSkyTeam Elite Plus

Flying Club uses a personal membership year rather than the calendar. When you reach Silver or Gold, your new membership year starts the next day and runs to the end of that month plus 12 months. When you renew, status runs for 12 full months from the first day of the following month.

Benefits of each Virgin Atlantic Flying Club tier

Silver

Earn 400 Tier Points in your membership year from Virgin Atlantic, SkyTeam and partner flights, reward seats, Virgin Atlantic Holidays or US card spend. One return Upper Class flight at 200 Tier Points each way does it.

  • One extra checked bag of up to 23kg on Virgin Atlantic and SkyTeam partners (10kg extra on weight-based carriers), with priority baggage handling on Virgin Atlantic, Delta, Air France and KLM.
  • Premium check-in and priority boarding for everyone on the booking.
  • Free Economy seat selection from 7 days before travel for everyone on the booking on Virgin Atlantic and Delta (lead booker only on Air France and KLM).
  • SkyTeam Elite priority check-in and boarding on partner airlines.
  • Complimentary room upgrades at Virgin Hotels.

Gold

Earn 1,000 Tier Points in your membership year. Two return Upper Class flights or five return Premium flights at the top booking-class rate reach it.

  • Virgin Atlantic Clubhouses and shared lounges with one guest, the Revivals arrivals lounge at Heathrow, and SkyTeam lounges with a guest when flying partners.
  • A reward voucher at every renewal and two more at 2,000 Tier Points, each usable as a cabin upgrade or a companion seat.
  • One extra 23kg checked bag plus an extra 10kg piece of hand luggage (20kg extra on weight-based partners).
  • Upper Class check-in, with a guest at Heathrow, priority boarding and SkyPriority across SkyTeam.
  • Free Economy seat selection at any time for everyone on the booking, plus free Economy exit row and Premium preferred seats on Virgin Atlantic for yourself.
  • No change fee on reward seat bookings for you and everyone on the same booking (terms clause 2.22).
  • A guaranteed Economy seat on a sold-out flight when you buy a fully flexible fare more than three days before departure.
  • A Supplementary Silver membership for one family member or friend.
  • Two Clubhouse invitations on reaching 1,500 Tier Points in the year.
  • Virgin Hotels room upgrades plus breakfast.

How flights earn Tier Points

  • Every Virgin Atlantic flight earns a fixed number of Tier Points set by cabin and booking class, not by distance or price: 25 to 50 in Economy, 50 to 100 in Premium and 100 to 200 in Upper Class, each way.
  • SkyTeam and other partner airlines earn Tier Points when you fly in a booking class that earns Virgin Points (terms clause 3.2.4). An Upper Class equivalent on Delta, Air France or KLM counts toward Silver and Gold the same way as Virgin Atlantic Upper Class.
  • Reward seats earn Tier Points too. Virgin Atlantic's own examples: four return Premium reward seats reach Silver and five return Upper Class reward seats reach Gold.
  • Since 13 March 2025 Virgin Atlantic Holidays packages of three nights or more costing £4,000 or more earn double Tier Points on their Virgin Atlantic flights, with extra bonus Tier Points during promotional windows.

How many points each tier earns

  • Silver members earn 30% and Gold members 60% more Virgin Points than the base on Virgin Atlantic and SkyTeam partner flights.
  • Red members earn a 10% bonus on Virgin Atlantic flights once they complete their first High Five, meaning flights in five different calendar years.
  • Reward seats earn no Virgin Points, and paid upgrades earn no extra Virgin Points; you earn on the original booking class. Points Plus Money bookings earn Virgin Points as normal.

Upgrades for Virgin Atlantic Flying Club elites

  • Virgin Atlantic has no complimentary space-available upgrades for any tier. Gold members get reward vouchers instead: one at each renewal and two more at 2,000 Tier Points. Each is valid for 24 months and works as a one-cabin upgrade (Economy to Premium, Premium to Upper) or Economy to Upper, or as a companion seat on a reward booking worth up to 150,000 Virgin Points. Vouchers are booked by phone at least 24 hours before departure and cannot be used on partner airlines.
  • Any member can upgrade with Virgin Points on Virgin Atlantic operated flights: Economy Classic to Delight, Premium or Upper; Economy Delight to Premium or Upper; and Premium to Upper. You pay the points difference plus any extra taxes, fees and carrier charges in cash. Upgrades are booked by calling the Customer Centre, or at the Heathrow Ticketing Desk within 24 hours of departure, and everyone on the booking must upgrade together.
  • Cash fares, Points Plus Money bookings, reward seats including Saver, and Virgin Atlantic Holidays flights can all be upgraded with points. Group bookings (10 or more in Economy, 8 or more in Premium or Upper) cannot. Points upgrades are confirmed immediately; there is no waitlist.
  • Paid upgrades sold at the airport or through upgrade bidding earn no extra Virgin Points or Tier Points.

Credit cards that help with Virgin Atlantic Flying Club status

  • In the US, the Virgin Red Rewards Mastercard earns 25 Tier Points for every US$2,500 of qualifying spend in a month, capped at 50 Tier Points a month. Virgin Atlantic's own example: spending US$5,000 a month for eight months earns 400 Tier Points, enough for Silver.
  • The same US card offers Personal Perks to choose at US$15,000 and US$30,000 of spend.
  • The UK Virgin Atlantic credit cards earn reward vouchers rather than Tier Points, so UK card spend does not count toward status.

Fees, sign-up bonuses and every other benefit are compared in the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club credit cards guide.

Other ways to get Virgin Atlantic Flying Club status

Status match

Members with status at British Airways, Air Canada, Air India, American, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Etihad, Iberia, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways, South African Airways or United can apply for a match. Silver needs a booked Virgin Atlantic flight in any cabin and Gold a Premium or Upper Class booking. The match lasts 12 months, after which you must earn 400 or 1,000 Tier Points to keep it. You cannot match if you were matched in the previous five years or hold status with a SkyTeam partner.

Lifetime Gold

Hold Gold for 10 consecutive years and earn at least 7,500 Tier Points on Virgin Atlantic flights during those years (terms clause 2.24). Codeshares, manually added points, bonus offers and complimentary Gold do not count toward it.

Supplementary Silver from a Gold member

Each Gold member can nominate one existing Flying Club member for a Supplementary Silver account, which carries Silver benefits for as long as the Gold member keeps Gold. The nominee can be changed once a year at renewal (terms clause 2.20).

Virgin Atlantic Holidays

Qualifying packages (three nights or more, £4,000 or more) earn double Tier Points on their Virgin Atlantic flights, and promotional windows add bonus Tier Points.

Parental leave extension

Silver and Gold members on maternity, paternity or adoption leave can have their status extended for 12 months at no cost.

Keeping Virgin Atlantic Flying Club status

  • To keep Silver or Gold you earn 400 or 1,000 Tier Points again within your membership year. Tier Points reset at the start of each year and do not roll over.
  • If you fall short, you drop one tier rather than straight to Red: Gold becomes Silver, and Silver becomes Red.
  • Status cannot be extended with points or cash. The only published extension is the free 12-month extension for members on parental leave.

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club status: FAQ

How many Tier Points do I need for Virgin Atlantic Gold?
Gold needs 1,000 Tier Points in your membership year and Silver needs 400. Two return Upper Class flights at the top booking-class rate (200 Tier Points each way) or five return Premium flights get you to Gold.
Do Virgin Atlantic reward flights earn Tier Points?
Yes. Reward seats booked with Virgin Points earn Tier Points, although they earn no Virgin Points. Virgin Atlantic says four return Premium reward seats are enough for Silver and five return Upper Class reward seats for Gold.
Does Virgin Atlantic Silver get lounge access?
No. Lounge access starts at Gold, which includes Virgin Atlantic Clubhouses and SkyTeam lounges with one guest. Silver gets an extra bag, Premium check-in, priority boarding and early free seat selection instead.
Can a credit card earn Virgin Atlantic Tier Points?
Only in the US. The Virgin Red Rewards Mastercard earns 25 Tier Points per US$2,500 of monthly spend, up to 50 a month, so US$5,000 a month for eight months reaches Silver. UK cards earn reward vouchers rather than Tier Points.
Does Virgin Atlantic offer a status match?
Yes, from British Airways, American, United, Lufthansa, Emirates, Qatar Airways and several other airlines. You need a Virgin Atlantic booking to apply, the match lasts 12 months, and you cannot use it if you already hold SkyTeam partner status or were matched in the last five years.
Do Delta and Air France KLM flights count toward Virgin Atlantic status?
Yes. SkyTeam and partner flights earn Tier Points when booked in a class that earns Virgin Points, and an Upper Class equivalent on Delta, Air France or KLM counts toward Silver and Gold.
How do I get lifetime Gold with Virgin Atlantic?
Hold Gold for 10 consecutive years and earn at least 7,500 Tier Points on Virgin Atlantic flights over that time. Codeshares, bonus Tier Points and complimentary Gold do not count.

Sources

More on Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Status in other SkyTeam programs