Virgin Flyer or High Flyer Credit Card - 2 for 1 fare booking class?

[smit0847]

For future reference, Virgin 2-for-1 offer Business Class tickets book into "J" Class.

The $200 Happy Hour Business fares I booked last Friday show the fare class as 'Business***' on my itinerary. I would be most interested to know if I could have booked these using the 2-4-1 deal. I assume not as sale fares are usually not available.

 

[Rallo]

I am currently a supplementary card holder on Virgin Flyer card, does anyone know if I am deemed to be a new applicant if I apply for my own card and still receive points bonus ?
Points aren't a deal breaker as the 2 for 1 fares are the real win with a family of four.
Thanks

 

[burmans]

I am currently a supplementary card holder on Virgin Flyer card, does anyone know if I am deemed to be a new applicant if I apply for my own card and still receive points bonus ?
Points aren't a deal breaker as the 2 for 1 fares are the real win with a family of four.
Thanks

Velocity Points offer is provided to new approved Virgin Flyer Credit Card account holders who apply by 30 November 2012 and make a Retail Purchase with the card within 3 months of card approval date. My understanding is that the account holder is the person who has the responsibility of paying, that's not the holder of a supplementary card.

 

[Rallo]

Thanks Burmans You are correct, I will be treated as a new customer , 7500 points though is not a great sign on bonus ,I might hang on for a bigger points bonus

 

[adamonline]

Virgin Money has raised the annual fee for the Flyer card to $129 (it's still $99 for the first year if you get in before 1st November). Not sure if this indicates they are pleased with their product offering and the number of card holders and feel they can milk a little bit more or if they are struggling to make money with this card and are trying to keep it profitable. Not sure how that might play in to a better sign on bonus offer?

I attempted to close my card account with them last month to see what the offer might be and the retention team called me back in a few days with a $50 reduction in annual fee. Not as good as the waiving of the fee they offered the year before but I hadn't been using the card for the previous 6 months (and only below the $1500 per month decent point earn limit before that). I took the offer as the free flights are more than worth it when used correctly.

 

[bcworld]

Virgin Money has raised the annual fee for the Flyer card to $129 (it's still $99 for the first year if you get in before 1st November). Not sure if this indicates they are pleased with their product offering and the number of card holders and feel they can milk a little bit more or if they are struggling to make money with this card and are trying to keep it profitable. Not sure how that might play in to a better sign on bonus offer?

I attempted to close my card account with them last month to see what the offer might be and the retention team called me back in a few days with a $50 reduction in annual fee. Not as good as the waiving of the fee they offered the year before but I hadn't been using the card for the previous 6 months (and only below the $1500 per month decent point earn limit before that). I took the offer as the free flights are more than worth it when used correctly.

I will continue to bite their hand off at $129 as the value of the complimentary flights, based on this years redemptions, I'd put at something like $700. Will consider playing annual fee chicken with them but if they won't budge I'll end up keeping the card anyway and eating humble pie!

 

[pangwen]

Hmm... well after almost a year with the card, I've calculated that the future $129 annual fee is only just covered for me for economy (I go BNE-SYD several times a year) - e.g. currently, the sale fare is currently $85, and the non-sale fare is $129. If I didn't have the card, I would pay using Poli and pay $170. But with the card, I need to pay $129 + $4.50*2 = $138. The difference is approximately $32.

Multiply by four, and that gives me a $128 saving (just under). If I take into account the extra points I earn (1 point per $ compared to 0.5 points per $ for my NAB Velocity card that I get free on my home loan package), then it will end up just worth it. I would need to use it to buy Flexi (unlikely) or Business (more likely) fares to make it worth it. I'll definitely try cancelling the card when my card year ends, but if they can't do anything for me, I might just cancel it.

 

[Rallo]

I found this deal on creditcard finder if anyone is thinking about the 2 for 1 deal , no points issued for sign on though.
Virgin Flyer – Half Annual Fee Offer | Credit Card Finder

 

[Plutonus]

Assuming you're booking business class, and the fare conditions remain the same, could you not at a later date change the passenger names to not have the main card holder as a passenger?

 

[thehound]

Can you book two flexi Y fares and then upgrade them both to J with points coming from the primary cardholder's Velocity account?

 

[bcworld]

Can you book two flexi Y fares and then upgrade them both to J with points coming from the primary cardholder's Velocity account?

Yes you can.

 

[paultiffen]

This is my plan too

I bought a flex economy Syd - Per return for $610, used this 2 for 1 offer, and my 4 expiring DJ Plat upgrades, and paid another $18 credit card surcharges for 2, and ended up with 2 business Syd-Per return tickets on the Virgin A330 for $628

 

[DeKa]

This is my plan too

And what a good plan it is, except base flexis tend to be around $429 now, so it's really an $850 rather than $630 exercise.

I did it when flexis were $305 or something!

 

[Toddkurnski]

This is my plan too

What are people getting in terms of SC when they upgrade from Flexi to Business?

 

[DeKa]

What are people getting in terms of SC when they upgrade from Flexi to Business?

Full Y is what it's supposed to be... If you're getting anything different be happy but don't mention it again

 

[Toddkurnski]

I know nothing!

 

[thehound]

Well I've had a great win today using the Virgin Flyer card and an old Amex Platinum Reserve free flight, despite a complicated scenario. I had made a couple of bookings for my wife, one PER-MEL using the free flight with the Amex card, and then MEL-HBA with a paid saver fare. I wanted to cancel these flights, put them into a credit shell, and then book a two-for-one for both of us from PER-DRW later this year. I firstly thought we wouldn't be able to have the Amex flight in the same credit shell since it was booked through Amex, and secondly thought that there'd be no way I could use any credit shell in my wife's name along with the Virgin card to get a 2 for 1.

I spoke to someone in the 'migration team' since apparently one booking was made prior to the change in booking systems, and he was superb. He cancelled both flights and put them into a credit shell under my wife's name, and then proceeded to check whether I could then use that shell toward booking a 2 for 1 fare with the remaining amount paid by the Virgin Flyer card (which is in my name). He had to check with a colleague, but came back saying no problem. So the two cancelled flights gave her a shell of $476, and the cost of the Darwin flights was about $22 more in total which I paid with the Flyer card. Amazing result

I've also posted this on the Amex free flight thread since recently others have said that the credit shell is held by Amex, not Virgin.

 

[scwappy]

Just purchased a Syd-Cns return and upgraded with complimentary upgrades both ways, cost less than $350 return.

It will be a shame when the ability to book flexis on this card goes.

 

[DeKa]

Completed the last of many 2-for-1 Flexi->Business upgraded flights on the weekend. My wife is disappointed we won't be flying in Business as much anymore.
Must cancel the card now.

 

[thehound]

Has anyone else noticed that this card offer has been completely devalued?

I've called a couple of times in the last week to book 2 for 1 flights, one PER-BNE return and the other PER-ADL. The Brisbane flights were ~$800 all up if paid outright (for 2 pax), and I was quoted a little around $650 for them. Same with the Adelaide flight, which is $310 for two tix online, and I was quoted $277.14. Hardly half price! So I enquired as to what's going on - the Virgin reps told me that the 2 for 1 is now only calculated on the base fare, and not on any other taxes or fees. So now passengers each pay full freight on the taxes and fees, which often make up a hefty portion of the total.

This card paid for itself easily before this change - now not so much.