Virgin Red, the loyalty program that includes Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Voyages, and Virgin Hotels, has revealed new details about its US credit card. Launching this fall in partnership with Synchrony, the MasterCard will provide earning opportunities and perks, including free upgrades and companion vouchers.

A cross-program card

The Virgin Red Rewards Mastercard is the latest development in the Virgin Group's push to incorporate more of its companies into a single loyalty program. The card comes with an annual fee of $99 and earns bonus points on spending with Virgin brands, as outlined below:

• 3x Virgin Points for every $1 spent with Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Hotels, and Virgin Voyages.
• 2x Virgin Points for every $1 spent on dining, groceries, select streaming services, and EV charging.
• 1x Virgin Point for every $1 spent everywhere else.

The most significant perk for aviation enthusiasts is the ability to earn 25 Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Tier Points for every $2,500 in eligible purchases (up to 50 Tier Points per month). It takes 400 Tier Points to earn Silver status (which corresponds to SkyTeam Elite) and 1000 Tier Points to reach Gold (SkyTeam Elite Plus). Therefore, it would take a new member eight months to earn Silver status with no other qualifying activity. Attaining Gold status would still require an additional 400 Tier Points, equal to one Upper Class round trip flight or 16 flights in the cheapest economy seats.

As a special bonus to celebrate the launch, Virgin Red is offering a special "Boarding bonus" of 40,000 Virgin Points to new cardholders who spend $3,000 within the first 90 days. According to the airline, that equals enough Virgin Points for two round-trip flights across the pond. Shai Weiss, Chief Executive Officer of Virgin Atlantic, commented on how the points can be used across a broad selection of redemption opportunities:

“The Virgin Red Rewards Card will allow US cardholders to enjoy our brilliantly different customer experience across every part of their journey. They can now earn and burn Virgin Points, putting them towards their next adventure to the UK on Virgin Atlantic, staying at the brand new Virgin Hotels London-Shoreditch, before setting sail on a Virgin Voyage from ports across Europe.

"We can’t wait for more people to experience our award-winning Clubhouses and experience on board, delivered by our amazing people.”

The card is open to US residents of 18 or older who can sign up for the waitlist on the official page.

What are the perks?

The card earns Virgin Points at the rates above. The points can be redeemed on a wide variety of rewards across Virgin Red and the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. In addition to redemptions on award flights, members can use points for cruises, hotel stays, and everyday experiences like movie tickets.

The card charges an annual fee of $99 but no additional foreign transaction fees. Cardholders each receive an anniversary bonus of 5,000 Virgin Points each year upon renewal and a third night free after booking two nights at a participating Virgin Hotels property once a year. Adding a supplementary cardholder also provides 2,500 Virgin Points bonus points, up to four times.

In addition to its points-earning, the card offers exclusive Virgin perks twice a year for its big spenders. Cardholders who spend $15,000 in a cardholder year choose one, while those who spend $30,000 or more get to select a total of two. The same perk can be used both times.

• Flying Club reward voucher for a companion seat or a cabin upgrade on Virgin Atlantic.
• One free night stay at a participating Virgin Hotels property.
• One suite upgrade at a participating Virgin Hotels property.
• Up to $300 bar tab with Virgin Voyages.
• Blue Extras Perk Package with Virgin Voyages, including laundry service, an exclusive cocktail party, and daily coffee credits.

Cardholders are also eligible for the World Elite Mastercard rewards, which include savings with a wide selection of partners, ID Theft Protection, Zero Liability Protection, and Global Services for emergency assistance. Andrea Burchett, Chief Loyalty Officer and Managing Director for Virgin Red commented on the new opportunities provided by the card for US travelers:

“We’re thrilled to partner with Virgin’s brilliant travel companies to offer our US members the chance to turn the dollars they spend every day into Virgin Points.

"The Virgin Red Rewards Card will be the first of its kind in the industry to span flights, cruises, and hotels – it's your passport to more flights across the Atlantic, more voyaging around Caribbean hotspots, and more Bellinis at The Pool Club."

For anyone who wants to obtain elite status without a credit card, Virgin Atlantic's Flying Club offers one of the industry's most generous status matches in the industry.