New Partnership: Transfer Wells Fargo Rewards Points to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club and Virgin Red

Wells Fargo Rewards has added a seventh transfer option to its growing list of airline and hotel partners. Consumers can now transfer their rewards points to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club or Virgin Red in a 1:1 ratio.

There is no minimum transfer amount, so you can transfer as little as 1 Wells Fargo Rewards points to become 1 Virgin Point. However, transfers are irreversible, so make sure you find an available flight or use your points before transferring.

In September 2024 valuationTPG values ​​Virgin points at 1.4 cents each and Wells Fargo Rewards points at 1.6 cents each.

Virgin’s programmes are closely linked, with a single Virgin Points balance shared between them. So whether you switch to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club or Virgin Red, once you link your two Virgin accounts, your single Virgin Points balance will appear in both, and you can easily redeem points across either programme (with many of the same rewards available across both).

Virgin Points can be redeemed for a variety of rewards, including upgrade on Virgin Atlanticflights with Virgin or SkyTeam partners (including Air France-KLM and Delta Air Lines), Virgin Atlantic Holidays (holiday packages), concert tickets, culinary tours and duty free products.

Related: Virgin Atlantic’s new sale offers 25% off all flights, but is it worth it?

Should you transfer your Wells Fargo Rewards points to Virgin?

While redeeming points for flights operated by Virgin Atlantic is subject to airline-imposed surcharges, Flying Club uses a peak and off-peak reward chartUnlike other airline programs, flight pricing is dynamic. So while you might be charged more than $2,000 for a round-trip business class flight from the US to the UK, it’s best to double-check the cash fare against the award fare to see if it’s worth redeeming your points.

In addition, Flying Club offers network-wide discounts several times a year, this can help boost your score even further.

You can also use Virgin points to book SkyTeam partner awards, such as international flights from the U.S. to Europe on Delta. Booking a one-way Main Cabin Delta flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to London Heathrow Airport (LHR) via Virgin Atlantic Flying Club will cost 15,000 points plus about $200 in taxes and fees. While the inevitable fees may be a bit steep, Delta could charge you three times as much SkyMiles for the same flight.

Plus, if you fly Delta from the US to other European destinations outside the UK, taxes and fees will be significantly lower, although you’ll lose more Virgin points.

Again, it’s always best to compare multiple programs to see which one offers the best value. For example, if Virgin Atlantic Flying Club charges 30,000 points to fly from JFK to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) on a Delta-operated Main Cabin flight and Delta SkyMiles charges 110,000 miles for the same flight, then that’s a better deal. Book through Flying Club rather than SkyMiles.

We recommend that you check and find out availability before transferring your points or miles.

Related: Wells Fargo Rewards Program: How to Earn, Redeem, and Transfer Points

How to earn Wells Fargo rewards points

While Wells Fargo offers a variety of credit cards, including cash rewards cards, you can currently only earn Wells Fargo Rewards points with the following cards:

With the new transfer option, Wells Fargo Autograph and Journey cardholders can now transfer their points to the following programs at a 1:1 ratio:

Related: Why I Got the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Card — and How I Plan to Use the Welcome Bonus

The last line

It’s great to see the Wells Fargo Rewards transfer partner list slowly growing with the addition of Virgin Atlantic Flying Club and Virgin Red.

Hopefully, a major carrier like Air Canada Aeroplan or Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer will be the next to be added to the transfer list. The Wells Fargo card may not be at the top of your list to add to your wallet, but Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Card is a solid new contender in the transferable points space with a generous welcome bonus, impressive portfolio bonuses and an increasingly valuable list of transfer partners.