Virgin has officially opened up its fledgling Virgin Red rewards club to new members, following its initial invitation-only launch last year.
It means that Virgin Atlantic Flying Club members can now join Virgin Red and link their accounts together, expanding earn and burn opportunities.
Both schemes use the same currency, following the rebranding of Flying Club miles as Virgin Points in September last year.
So once members have linked their accounts they will effectively see just one bank of points when accessing either via the Flying Club or the Virgin Red app, which can be redeemed through either programme.
To celebrate the launch all new Virgin Red members will receive 500 bonus Virgin Points when they complete their first “earn” through the app, “as long as the points earned are credited before July 31, 2021”.
Existing Flying Club members will be contacted “over the next couple of weeks” with more information about Virgin Red, and any new members joining the Flying Club going forward will automatically be enrolled into Virgin Red “once they have linked and activated their account”.
The Virgin Red app can be downloaded from the Apple App and Google Play stores.
Virgin said that the Virgin Red scheme would add 21 new partners for Flying Club members, and with flying opportunities currently limited due to the UK’s latest lockdown, it is highlighting some of the “on-the-ground” earn and burn options, including points for switching to Octopus Energy, or the ability to redeem points at Gregg’s.
Members can now also use points to support charitable causes, or to purchase products through the Virgin StartUp programme.
More details on the five categories of rewards available through Virgin red can be seen at virginred.com.
Commenting on the news Siobhan Fitzpatrick, chief digital and marketing officer at Virgin Atlantic, said:
“We’re committed to rewarding those who choose to fly with Virgin Atlantic and we know how important Flying Club is to members old and new, so I’m thrilled to launch such an exciting proposition by adding extra benefits through Virgin Red for our loyal members.
“If you’re a frequent flyer or simply looking to join Flying Club, Virgin Red makes it easier to spend on the everyday, whether that’s using points from a family holiday for your daily Greggs coffee or collecting points by switching your energy account towards that lucrative cabin upgrade, our new partnership provides even more opportunities for our members to enjoy their hard earned rewards.”
