Virgin America Visa Signature card review

If you live near a major U.S. city and frequently travel within the United States, you should have no trouble racking up points with this inexpensive airline card. When combined with Virgin America’s frequent flyer program, Elevate, the Virgin America Visa Signature card makes it possible to earn up to four times the number of points that typical airline cards offer.

Unlike most rewards cards that offer similarly high rewards rates, Virgin America doesn’t devalue the points it offers. Virgin America points are worth significantly more than the average credit card reward point, so you’ll need fewer of them to purchase a free ticket.

The California-based airline doesn’t fly out of very many U.S. cities, though, so you’ll have to check the budget airline’s route map to see if the card is worth the $49 annual fee. The only U.S. cities served by Virgin America Airlines are San Francisco; Los Angeles; San Diego; Palm Springs, California; Portland, Oregon; Seattle; Honolulu; Maui, Hawaii; Las Vegas; Denver; Dallas; Austin, Texas; New York; Boston; Chicago; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Orlando, Florida; and Washington, D.C. You can also fly Virgin America to Los Cabos or Puerto Vallarta in Mexico.

Note: Following its merger with Alaska Airlines, Virgin America will cease to exist on April 25, 2018. Comenity Capital Bank is no longer accepting applications for the Virgin America card, and will close existing accounts in early January.

Uncommonly high rewards rate

By itself, the Virgin America Visa Signature card offers just three points for every dollar spent on Virgin America airfare and one point per dollar spent on anything else. But if you join the airline’s frequent flyer program, Elevate, and use the card to pay for Virgin America airfare, you can earn up to eight points per dollar spent. The average airline card, by contrast, offers just 2 miles per dollar spent on air travel.

Virgin America’s frequent flyer program also makes it easy to rack up loyalty points on additional travel purchases by offering bonus points on selected hotel stays, car rentals and some merchandise.

Valuable rewards

Virgin America points are also worth significantly more than the average credit card reward point, making the program an even better value than it seems. Depending on the type of reward, each Virgin America rewards point is worth roughly about 2 cents each. The average card reward point, by contrast, is valued at just a penny each.

With such a high points value, you’ll need significantly fewer rewards points to purchase a rewards-funded ticket. For example, a $475 economy airfare requires just 25,000 points to redeem for a free flight. Meanwhile, a $795 premium seat needs just 30,000 points to cover the full cost, including taxes and fees.

A ton of airline partners

You can also use points for international flights on a large number of partner airlines, such as Virgin Australia, Virgin Atlantic, AeroMexico, Air China, Air New Zealand, Asiana Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, Scandinavian Airlines, TAM Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Ukraine International Airlines, Sun Country Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Icelandair and Fiji Airlines.

The extensive partnership is an especially good deal for coastal cardholders, since many of the international airlines only fly out of major U.S. cities, such as San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York. Many of the international carriers that partner with Virgin America are also budget airlines. So, depending on where you live, you may be able to get an exceptional deal on an international flight.

Modest sign-up bonus

Unlike many competitors, Virgin America doesn’t offer an outstanding sign-up bonus, so you may have to wait before you earn enough points to purchase a free ticket. Cardholders are awarded just 10,000 bonus miles – roughly worth about $200 – after they spend $1,000 in the first 90 days. However, the bonus is large enough to buy a one-way flight.

Few restrictions

Unlike many similarly generous rewards cards, Virgin America doesn’t limit the number of points you can earn. So if you’re a frequent traveler or use your card for all purchases, you can earn a number of free flights. There are no travel blackout dates on rewards-funded flights, nor does Virgin America restrict the number of awards seats that are available.

You’ll need to watch out for hefty fees, though, since booking a rewards-funded flight can be expensive. For example, booking a rewards-funded flight by phone costs an additional $20. You may also have to pay a hefty surcharge if you use points to pay for a flight on one of Virgin America’s partners.

Why get the Virgin America card?

• You live in a major city served by Virgin America Airlines and frequently fly along Virgin America’s routes.
• You want maximum value for a relatively low price.
• You want friend and family friendly rewards, such as $150 off an annual companion ticket.

How to use the Virgin America card:

• To get the most out of this airline card, use it for all Virgin America purchases.
• Watch for pricey fees. The Virgin America card is a relatively good value, but it can charge some hefty surcharges and booking fees.
• Only use the card for purchases you can fully pay off. Interest on this budget airline card is steep.

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