Virgin Atlantic Black Credit Card Review
 Great Virgin travel reward program
Free insurance policies when travelling
Complimentary companion flights and flight upgrades
IF you're an international jetsetter then the Virgin Atlantic Black credit card is the card for you! For every £1 you spend on it you'll be rewarded with two Virgin Flying Club air miles. What's more, you'll get a hefty 6000 bonus miles when you sign up and start using your card. Putting it simply - that's a whole lot of miles you'll be notching up.
The Virgin Atlantic Black credit card will also reward you if you buy directly from Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Holidays - in fact, they'll double your miles. And once you're ready to blow those Flying Club miles that you’ve saved up, you can use them on hundreds of rewards - including flights, car hire and hotel rooms.
If you're going to spend on a credit card anyway, and you're a frequent flyer with Virgin, you may as well make it this one because the rewards will really mount up.
| Interest Rates and Fees |
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Notes.. |
| Typical APR |
31.7% APR (variable) |
The typical APR is the rate most people are offered.
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| Balance Transfers |
0% for 6 months |
Also includes credit card cheques. payments are applied towards balance transfers first. |
| Balance Transfer Fee |
2%
(£3 minimum, £50 maximum) |
When you transfer a balance to this card you will be charged a 'handling fee', this fee also applies to credit card cheques. |
| Cash Withdrawal Rate |
20.9% p.a. (variable) |
This is the rate you are charged on balances resulting from using a cash machine, getting cash back at the supermarket or buying foreign money. |
| Cash Withdrawal Fee |
2%
(£2.5 minimum) |
When you use your credit card to get cash you will be charged a 'handling fee' for doing so. |
| Annual Fee |
£115 |
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| Foreign Transaction Fee |
2.75% |
This is fee you will be charged for credit card transactions made abroad.
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| Rewards |
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Notes.. |
| Virgin Flying Club Miles |
Earn 2 Flying Club miles for every £1 spent and earn 4 Flying Club miles for every £1 spent with Virgin Atlantic or Virgin Holidays |
Flying Club miles can be redeemed for a range of airline flights, hotel stays, holidays, car rental, and more.
Flying Club miles remain valid as long as you continue to earn or redeem them. Expiry of Flying Club miles will only occur if you do not earn or redeem any Flying Club miles for a consecutive period of 3 years - after which all Flying Club miles accrued to that point will expire. |
| Virgin Flying Club Bonus Miles |
6,000 bonus Flying Club miles |
Awarded with your first card purchase. Must be made within 90 days of account opening and you will need to provide MBNA with a valid Flying Club membership number. |
| Complimentary Companion Reward Flight |
Spend £7,500 or more a year on purchases with the Virgin Atlantic Black credit card and you'll qualify for one complimentary round trip companion reward flight the next time you book a qualifying flight with Virgin Atlantic |
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| Premium Economy Reward Upgrade |
Spend £5,000 or more a year on your Virgin Atlantic Black credit card and you'll qualify for a free upgrade from Economy to Premium Economy the next time you use your miles to book a qualifying reward flight in Economy, plus spend another £5,000 in the same year and you'll get another one. |
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| Cardholder Services & Extras |
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Notes.. |
| Online Account Management |
Yes |
You can log in to a website and manage your Virgin Atlantic credit card account online. |
| Online Fraud Guarantee |
Yes |
There is no liability or excess to pay for theft, loss or fraudulent use, whether on the Internet or not, as long as you notify MBNA as soon as your card cannot be found or you notice any unsual transactions on your account. |
| Travel Accident Insurance |
Up to £250,000 |
When you use this card to buy travel tickets you and your family will be covered against death or serious injury whilst abroad. |
| Lost Luggage Insurance |
Up to £1,500 |
Covers lost luggage up to £1,500. |
| Travel Inconvenience Insurance |
Up to £250 |
For food and accommodation charged to the Virgin Atlantic Black credit card if your travel is delayed for 8 hours, and more if you are delayed for longer. |
| Other Extras |
24 hour customer service |
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| Optional Extras |
Payment protection |
These are extras that you can choose, but you will have to pay for them. |
| Payments & Payment Details |
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Notes.. |
| Credit Limit |
£50000 maximum |
Credit limit may vary from person to person and is subject to status. |
| Interest Free Period |
Up to 46 days |
On card purchases only, if you pay your statement balance in full and on time every month. there is no interest free period on balance transfer or cash withdrawals. |
| Minimum Monthly Payment |
2.25%
(£5 minimum) |
The minimum monthly payment is the smallest amount you must pay each month (unless your credit card balance is zero). |
| Allocation of Payments |
Items at lower rates will be repaid before items at higher rates |
When you make a payment to this card, payments will be applied first to low interest rate balances, and then to higher interest rate balances.
Where there are two balances at the same promotional rate, the balance with the longer promotional period will be repaid first. |
| Default Charges |
£12 |
This is how much you will be charged for late payments, returned payments and if you go over your credit limit. |
| Card Details |
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Notes.. |
| Online Application |
Yes |
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| Card Type |
Classic |
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| Payment Company |
American Express |
The company who provides the payment technology and infrastructure to allow you to use this credit card.
Retailers and ATM machines displaying the 'American Express' logo will accept this credit card. |
| Card Issuer |
MBNA |
The bank who issues this credit card. |
| Card Advertiser |
Virgin Atlantic
MBNA |
The company who advertises and promotes this credit card. |
Virgin Atlantic Black Credit Card User Reviews
What do you think? Add your review of the Virgin Atlantic Black credit card.
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At a Glance
Virgin Atlantic Black Credit Card
| Typical APR: |
31.7% APR |
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| Purchases: |
 18.9% p.a. |
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| Balance Transfers: |
 0% for 6 months |
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2% transfer fee - £3 min, £50 max |
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| Rewards: |
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Miles |
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| Interest Free Period: |
Up to 46 days |
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| Annual Fee: |
£115 |
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| This card includes: |
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 Online Account Management |
| Fraud Security |
| Travel Accident Insurance |
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| You should only apply if you are: |
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| • Aged 18 or over |
| • UK resident |
Review Continued...
The Virgin Atlantic Black credit card can also get your friend a free flight too - albeit after you've spent £7,500 on the credit card! Basically, after you've used your card to the tidy sum of £7,500 when you buy a flight your companion can travel for free (only one free companion flight can be rewarded each year). But it's quite a nice way of Virgin saying 'thank you'.
Virgin will also give you a little knees-up to Premium Economy when you spend over £5,000 on your card - and they'll do this twice each year. So, buy a flight in Economy and, after you’ve spent £5,000, you'll find yourself mingling with the Premium Economy classes. (No tracksuit bottoms and fake designer labels here!)
How to notch up those Flying Club miles
Here's a simple way to see how spending on your Virgin Atlantic Black credit card can turn into Flying Club miles.
A £100 spend on petrol for example converts into 200 miles, dinner at a restaurant costing £52.50 will earn you 104 miles.
Whilst that sort of 'normal' everyday spending will definitely add up, the big rewards come when you spend with Virgin.
For example, spend £490 on two Economy flights to Boston and you'll be rewarded with 1960 Flying Club miles plus 3268 miles earned just for flying to Boston! As Del Boy would say, 'Lovely jubbly'.
Facts and Figures
The Virgin Atlantic Black credit card has an annual fee of £115, but if you fly a lot you'll soon recoup this in the Virgin Flying Club miles.
There's an introductory rate of 0% for six months on balance transfers, after that it's 18.9% (variable) on card purchases with a typical rate of 31.9% APR (variable).
Other benefits
All that flying means you'll be spending a lot of time abroad, so the Virgin Atlantic Black credit card makes sure it's still ticking the right boxes even when you're as far as can be from dear old Blighty.
You'll get:
- Travel accident insurance up to £250,000
- Lost luggage insurance up to £1500
- Travel inconvenience insurance up to £250 towards meals and accommodation for a delay of 8 hours (if you're delayed longer, you could be covered for more)
Final word
If you already spend a lot of time flying with Virgin and holidaying through them, then this card will really clock up the Flying Club miles. Even if you don't, you'll still be rewarded with 2 Flying Club miles for every £1 you spend - so it's a bit of a win-win situation either way.
With an annual fee of £115 though - make sure you will be recouping that amount in the Flying Club miles you notch up.
This is definitely a card for frequent flyers... but if you're not sure about the annual fee - check out the Virgin Atlantic White credit card where you'll be rewarded without having to fork out on an annual fee.
Apply Online for Virgin Atlantic Black credit card 
MBNA Europe Bank Limited
Stansfield House
Chester Business Park
Chester
CH4 9QQ
www.virginmoney.com
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