A Complete Guide to The Virgin Atlantic Reward Seat Checker Tool

Virgin Atlantic is a popular choice for transatlantic travel, and its Flying Club loyalty program can offer excellent value, especially when you can find their coveted “Saver” reward seats. These Saver seats represent the lowest points prices available for a given route and cabin. The key to finding these deals quickly is by the Virgin Atlantic Reward Seat Checker tool. This guide will walk you through how to leverage this tool to find affordable award flights.

Virgin Atlantic’s Sweet Spot “Saver” Pricing (North America – UK)

One of the most exciting aspects of Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Club is the availability of “Saver” award seats at remarkably low points levels for travel between North America and the United Kingdom. While availability varies, these are the “from” prices you should look for, particularly on routes like the US East Coast to London during standard seasons:

• Economy Class: Starting from just 6,000 Virgin points one-way.
• Premium Economy Class: Starting from only 10,500 Virgin points one-way.
• Upper Class (Business Class): Starting from as low as 28,500 – 29,000 Virgin points one-way.

These represent Virgin Atlantic’s best “Saver” rates and are the target finds when using the Reward Seat Checker. It’s important to remember that these are the lowest starting points, and the actual points required can differ based on the specific route, date, and demand.

Important Note on Fees: As with most transatlantic awards, taxes and fees apply in addition to the points. These can vary significantly depending on your route, cabin class, and especially your direction of travel. Generally, flights originating in North America and heading to the UK have lower taxes and fees. Flights originating from the UK are subject to the UK’s Air Passenger Duty (APD), which can add a substantial amount to the cash portion of your ticket.

Where Can You Fly? Virgin Atlantic’s North America – UK Routes

Virgin Atlantic connects several key cities in North America directly with its UK hubs, primarily London Heathrow (LHR), but also Manchester (MAN) and seasonally to Edinburgh (EDI). Knowing these routes is helpful when planning your award travel.

Here are the primary routes Virgin Atlantic typically operates between North America and the UK:

From the USA:

• To London Heathrow (LHR) from:
  • Atlanta (ATL)
  • Boston (BOS)
  • Las Vegas (LAS)
  • Los Angeles (LAX)
  • Miami (MIA)
  • New York (JFK)
  • Orlando (MCO)
  • San Francisco (SFO)
  • Seattle (SEA)
  • Tampa (TPA) ¹   1. www.forbes.com www.forbes.com
  • Washington D.C. (IAD)
• To Manchester (MAN) from:
  • Atlanta (ATL) – Check for seasonal operation
  • New York (JFK)
  • Orlando (MCO)
• To Edinburgh (EDI) from:
  • Orlando (MCO) – Typically a seasonal route

From Canada:

• To London Heathrow (LHR) from:
  • Toronto (YYZ)

Step-by-Step: Using the Virgin Atlantic Reward Seat Checker

The Virgin Atlantic Reward Seat Checker is a user-friendly tool designed to give you a clear overview of award seat availability across an entire month. Here’s how to use it effectively:

1. Access the Tool: Navigate directly to the Reward Seat Checker webpage: https://www.virginatlantic.com/reward-flight-finder
2. Enter Your Route:
   • In the “Flying from?” field, start typing your desired departure airport (e.g., “New York JFK,” “Toronto YYZ”).
   • In the “Flying to?” field, enter your desired UK arrival airport (e.g., “London Heathrow,” “Manchester”).
3. Select Your Month: Choose the month you wish to travel from the dropdown menu.
4. Find Reward Seats: Click the button explicitly labeled “Find reward seats”.
5. View Availability Across Cabins: The tool will then display a calendar for your chosen month. It typically shows availability across all three cabins (Economy, Premium, and Upper Class) simultaneously for each day. You will see:
   • Dates with available reward seats.
   • The number of points required for the lowest available “Saver” seats on those dates for each cabin.
   • A red “Saver” tag will often highlight the best deals.

Key Things to Remember When Using the Tool:

• It primarily shows availability for Virgin Atlantic operated flights only (not partner airlines).
• You cannot book directly from the Reward Seat Checker calendar. Its purpose is to help you find dates with availability.
• Make a note of the dates and cabin class that show Saver availability. You’ll use this information in the next step to confirm and book on the main Virgin Atlantic website.

Confirming & Securing Your Flight

You’ve used the Virgin Atlantic Reward Seat Checker and found those promising dates with “Saver” award availability – well done! Now it’s time to confirm those seats on the main Virgin Atlantic website and make your booking. Here’s how:

1. Head to VirginAtlantic.com: Open the main Virgin Atlantic website.
2. Initiate an Award Search: Look for the flight booking section. Make sure you toggle the “Search For Reward Flights” option on. You will need to log in after you hit search
3. Enter Your Specific Flight Details:
   • Input the exact departure and arrival airports you found using the Reward Seat Checker.
   • Enter the specific dates that showed “Saver” availability.
   • Select the correct cabin class (Economy, Premium, or Upper Class).
4. Verify Availability and Check Taxes & Fees:
   • You are looking to see if the same “Saver” award seats appear at the points level you noted from the Virgin Atlantic Reward Seat Checker tool.
   • This is also where you will see the exact amount of taxes, fees, and carrier-imposed surcharges required for your specific itinerary. Pay close attention to this, as it can vary significantly, especially depending on your direction of travel (flights departing the UK incur higher taxes).
5. Transfer Your Points (If Necessary):
   • Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is a valuable transfer partner of many major flexible bank loyalty programs in the US and Canada (like American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, Capital One Miles, and Bilt Rewards).
   • Important: Always confirm live award seat availability on VirginAtlantic.com before transferring points from a bank program, as these transfers are irreversible. Transfer times can vary but are often quick (ranging from instant to a couple of days).
6. Complete Your Booking:
   • Once your points are in your Virgin Atlantic Flying Club account (or if you already have enough), and you’ve confirmed the flight availability and total cost, proceed to complete the booking directly on the Virgin Atlantic website. Follow the prompts to select your flights, confirm passenger details, and pay the necessary points and cash co-pay.

Congratulations! You’ve successfully used the Reward Seat Checker and the main booking engine to find and secure a great value Virgin Atlantic award flight.

Conclusion: Your Key to Affordable Virgin Atlantic Flights

Finding the best deals on award flights can often feel like searching for a needle in a haystack, but Virgin Atlantic Reward Seat Checker tool makes it significantly easier. As this guide has shown, this user-friendly feature is your direct window to uncovering their most attractively priced “Saver” seats.

With the potential to find one-way flights between North America and the UK starting from as low as 6,000 points for Economy, 10,500 for Premium, or around 28,500 for Upper Class, the value proposition is clear. These “Saver” fares, when available, make transatlantic travel in any cabin surprisingly accessible.

By utilizing the Virgin Atlantic Reward Seat Checker tool to pinpoint dates with “Saver” availability, and then confirming and booking those flights through the main Virgin Atlantic website – often by transferring points from flexible bank reward programs – you can unlock some truly fantastic travel experiences for a fraction of the usual cash cost.

So, next time you’re planning a trip across the pond, make the Virgin Atlantic Reward Seat Checker your first stop. It might just be your ticket to an incredibly affordable and stylish journey!