Barclaycard Virgin America Visa Signature (old product discontinued)
Last updated October 30, 2013. Please see the updated Virgin America Visa Signature by Comenity Capital here.
The Facts
The Math
If you are redeeming on Virgin America, for general spending, the card returns 1.6%~2.1% depending on how you redeem. If used wisely you will be on par with Fidelity Amex's 2% cash back, and if you fly Virgin America it will be even more rewarding.
However, the change we like the most is the ability to redeem on partner airlines which not only provides flexibility but even more value to the program and the card. You may beat 2.1% return if you use the points wisely.
The Conclusion
The non-fee version is already pretty good, but you should go for the $49 version if you can use of $150 companion discount code. The ability to redeem on partner airlines make this card even more competitive.
The Facts
- Annual Fee: $49
- Signup Bonus: 10,000 points + up to 5,000 points for balance transfer
- Rewards: 3x Virgin America and 1x everywhere else.
- Best Use of Elevate points: Elevate is the frequent flyer program of Virgin America. The overhaul of the program in 2012 made it more flexible and competitive. If you redeem the points on Virgin America flights, the points have fixed value: 1.6 cents on Friday/Sunday flights and 2.1 cents on other flights. In this regard, the card is very similar to Chase Southwest Airlines Visa. However, in the 2012 overhaul of the program and later, Virgin America added several partners for redemption - Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Australia, Hawaiian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, and Emirates . In this way, Elevate points work more like traditional airline miles and may generate more value. One thing to note is that except for Hawaiian, partner redemption comes with big fuel surcharge but many scenarios still prove to be worthy. Another thing to note is that Singapore Airlines does not release any of its business class or first class seats on its new longhaul products to any of its partners (including Star Alliance).
- Other Benefits: You receive $150 off a companion ticket each year, in form of a discount code. If you can make use of this feature, you more than get your annual fee back. You also get 10,000 Elevate status points after spending $25,000 per year. This feature is also new after the 2012 overhaul.
- Other Facts: there is a non-fee version which offers 2,500 points at signup, doesn't have 3x category bonus on Virgin America while still returning 1x everywhere, and gives 5,000 status points after $25,000 spending. It is not a bad card to start with due to the 1.6-2.1% return rate, but if you can make use of the companion discount code, you'd better just go for the $49 annual fee version.
The Math
If you are redeeming on Virgin America, for general spending, the card returns 1.6%~2.1% depending on how you redeem. If used wisely you will be on par with Fidelity Amex's 2% cash back, and if you fly Virgin America it will be even more rewarding.
However, the change we like the most is the ability to redeem on partner airlines which not only provides flexibility but even more value to the program and the card. You may beat 2.1% return if you use the points wisely.
The Conclusion
The non-fee version is already pretty good, but you should go for the $49 version if you can use of $150 companion discount code. The ability to redeem on partner airlines make this card even more competitive.