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Earlier in the month we reported that Capital One was adding another partner to their growing list, Virgin Red. Those transfer are now live.
Virgin Red added as a Capital One transfer partner
Virgin Red is added as a transfer partner. What’s Virgin Red? It’s the parent of all the Virgin brands – hotels, airlines, etc. So if you transfer into Virgin Red, you’ll not only be able to redeem on Virgin Atlantic, but also a litany of other experiences.
You can link your current Virgin Atlantic Flying Club account here:
As soon as you do so, your Virgin Atlantic balance will populate your Virgin Red account.
This is the new look at Capital One’s Transfer Partner list:
- The following partners are now 1:1
- Aeromexico Club Premier
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- Avianca LifeMiles
- Air France Flying Blue
- British Airways Executive Club
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Choice Privileges
- Etihad Guest
- Emirates
- Finnair Plus
- Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Singapore Airlines
- TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go
- Turkish Airlines Miles and Smiles
- Virgin Red
- Wyndham Rewards
- Accor transfer 2:1
- EVA transfers 2:1.5
Some great uses of Virgin Red?
Personally I think the best is always on premium air travel, but if you’ve dreamt of a Safari and you’re sitting on a heap of points, you could do Ulusaba ( Richard Branson’s safari ). 600k points gets you 3 nights for 2 people, all inclusive, including 2 daily game drives. Rates are around $1000+ per person which isn’t really the best option since you could use the travel eraser a 1 penny and not have to worry about transferring, but should there be a transfer bonus of you’d opt to shore up the account from other credit card programs it could be an interesting redemption.
ANA redemptions.
- Business Class from the US to Japan ranges 90k to 95k ROUNDTRIP
- These are also bookable at 50% that price for a one way flight
- First Class from US to Japan ranges 110k to 120k
- This is bookable at 50% off one way as well
ANA stunned the world with their new 777-3ooER “The Room” Business Class and The Suite.
Virgin Atlantic can be a great way to fly on Air France
The Virgin Atlantic redemption rates for flights on Air France are broken into zones that are priced at off-peak and peak rates, which you can read about here. There are a lot of great redemptions, but a couple that I’d like to feature.
- East Coast to Europe, off-peak, is just 48,500 miles.
- Personal faves: JFK, BOS, or IAD.
- The second is into Israel.
- East Coast US to Israel for just 66,500
There are many Air France products but I’ve reviewed:
- Air France business class CDG to IAD on the 77W
- Air France business class ATL to CDG on A350
Redeem on Delta for 50k each way to/from Europe
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- taxes and fees to London are quite low, but coming back would be a few hundred
Use Virgin Red to fly Virgin Atlantic Upper Class
Want the best Virgin Atlantic has to offer? Fly out of London longhaul and make use of their wonderful club at London Heathrow. You’ll experience expedited checkin, security, and a throwback 60s style lounge complete with a waitstaff to tend to your dining desires.
You can often find rates from the East coast of the USA for under 50k each way.
- Redeem on Virgin Atlantic roundtrip US to Europe starting at 47.5k
- Keep an eye on taxes and fees – will run you $500+ each way
Go here to check out our 50 best uses of Capital One miles
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Welcome Offer
60k Points after $4k spend in 3 months
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 60k points after $4k spend in 3 months
- Worth $750 in Chase Travel℠ and way more if you maximize transfer partners
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
- The begins immediately for new cardmembers and after your account anniversary for existing cardmembers
- 2x on all other travel
- 10% Anniversary Bonus
- Every year you keep the card, your total spend will yield a 10% points bonus. If you spend $10k in a year, you’ll get 1k bonus points
- Chase Sapphire Preferred continues to redeem at 1.25c in the Chase Travel℠ and the slew of other benefits remain in tact including Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver ( primary ), purchase protections, etc.
- Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
- Redeem in Chase Travel℠ for 1.25 cents per point
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024
- $95 Annual Fee
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is exceptional starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.
If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex℠and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Ink Business Cash® , Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee is quite low at $95 a year + you get a 10% anniversary bonus on points + $50 hotel credit in Chase travel.
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