The Virgin Red Rewards Mastercard is now available — is it worth it?

Virgin Atlantic flyers, rejoice: The new Virgin Red Rewards Mastercard® is open for applications.

The new Synchrony-issued card earns 3 points per dollar at Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Hotels and Virgin Voyages and comes with some unique and customizable perks for a $99 annual fee.

Here’s what else to know.

The information for the Virgin Red Rewards credit card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Related: Virgin Atlantic Flying Club: How to earn and redeem points for maximum value

Virgin Red Rewards Mastercard details

With the Virgin Red Rewards Mastercard’s introductory welcome offer, new cardholders can earn 40,000 points after spending $3,000 on the card in your first 90 days and has the following earning rates:

Plus, you’ll also enjoy the following benefits:

• No foreign transaction fees
• 2,500 Virgin points when you add an authorized user (up to four users; limit of 10,000 Virgin points)
• An anniversary bonus of 5,000 Virgin points each anniversary year upon card renewal
• 25 Flying Club tier points for every $2,500 in eligible purchases (up to 50 tier points per month)
• A third night free after booking two nights at a participating Virgin Hotels property once a year

The new product also comes with a unique benefit system. Cardholders can choose from the following Virgin perks twice each account anniversary year — one can be selected after spending $15,000, and another can be selected after spending $30,000. The perks include:

• Either book a companion for no extra points or upgrade one passenger round-trip on a Virgin Atlantic flight redemption (fees, taxes and substantial carrier-imposed surcharges are payable)
• One free night at a participating Virgin Hotels property in the United States or United Kingdom
• Upgrade your room at a Virgin Hotels property in the United States or United Kingdom
• Up to $300 bar tab on Virgin Voyages cruise of 7 nights or more, or up to $150 tab on cruises of under 7 nights
• Access to Blue Extras tier on Virgin Voyages, which includes perks like a Sailing Club cocktail event, $10 daily specialty coffee credit, laundry service and Sailing Club Services Support

Related: Virgin Voyages’ Resilient Lady review: A look at Virgin’s third cruise ship

Is the new Virgin Red Rewards Mastercard worth it?

Given you can transfer all major credit card points to Virgin Flying Club and/or Virgin Red, Virgin points are easy to earn. The welcome bonus of 40,000 points is low compared to the welcome bonuses on most transferable currency cards.

However, for just a $99 annual fee, the Virgin Red Rewards Mastercard and its long list of unique perks can provide value to Virgin loyalists, especially since the Virgin brand now covers flights, hotels and cruise ships.

You can earn mid-tier Flying Club Silver status just from spending on the card. This usually requires 400 Tier Points a year, which you could earn in eight months by spending $5,000 on the card monthly. This card should be very valuable if you aim for Virgin elite status.

Although the third night free at Virgin Hotels initially looks like a generous perk, remember that it is only valid at a handful of properties and can only be used once yearly.

The twice-a-year customizable perk is where the new card gets really interesting and potentially lucrative. Choosing the companion or upgrade perk could save you thousands of dollars on your next flight to or from the United Kingdom, though remember that even if the upgrade or companion can be booked for no extra points, the full fees, taxes and surcharges are payable for that passenger.

Virgin imposes some of the highest surcharges of any airline, so for a round-trip business-class ticket from the United States to London, you must pay around $2,350 in fees, taxes and surcharges for your “free” companion to travel.

The free room night or upgrade is undoubtedly valuable, as is the bar tab on Virgin Voyages. I want to note that many of their most popular cruises are less than seven nights, so only an up to $150 tab is offered on these shorter cruises.

For those wondering, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club and Virgin Red points are essentially the same, as you can transfer them between the two programs. TPG’s September 2024 valuations place these points at 1.4 cents apiece, making them one of the more valuable airline currencies on the market.

All that said, I recommend the Virgin Red Rewards Mastercard if you’re chasing Virign status or you’re a dedicated fan of Virgin flights and cruises. Otherwise, a card that earns transferable points or miles is the better option.

Related: This concept won’t be for everyone: Virgin Hotels Chicago

Other ways to earn Virgin points

You can easily boost your Virgin points balance with the right transferable rewards currency credit card. The following cards all currently offer strong welcome bonuses that you could easily convert to Virgin’s Flying Club and Virgin Red:

• American Express® Gold Card: Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership. Plus, receive 20% back in statement credits on eligible restaurant purchases (up to $100) within the first six months of cardmembership. Terms apply. Offer ends Nov. 6.
• The Platinum Card® from American Express: Earn 80,000 bonus points after spending $8,000 on purchases within the first six months of cardmembership. You may be targeted for a higher offer through the CardMatch tool; not everyone will be targeted for the same offers and offers may change at any time.
• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
• Chase Sapphire Reserve®: Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
• Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card: Earn 90,000 bonus points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

Bottom line

The Virgin Red Rewards Mastercard offers a solid and unique value proposition if you fly or sail Virgin often and want a card to take advantage of that.

With healthy earning rates and benefits, plus a unique choose-your-own-perk system that can singlehandedly justify the card’s annual fee, it is a notable addition to the Virgin lineup of cards. Just note that if your main goal is a large welcome bonus, there are plenty of better options you can transfer to Virgin points at a 1:1 rate.