Transferring Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Miles to Hilton HHonors Points

Posted by on Dec 6, 2012 in American Express, Hilton Honors, Membership Rewards, Transfer Bonuses, Uncategorized, Virgin Atlantic | 8 comments

Last week, American Express announced a 35% bonus when you transferred Membership Rewards to Virgin Atlantic. Ehh. 

Many people were excited about this opportunity (not so much me), because you can transfer Virgin Atlantic miles to Hilton HHonors at a 1:2 ratio.

I personally tend to use my Membership Rewards differently, or during transfer promos with other loyalty programs. There are just too many other easy ways to accumulate Hilton HHonors points.

Hilton has a handful of co-branded rewards cards that earn HHonors points, such as: the Citi Hilton Reserve, basic Citi Hilton, Amex Surpass, and the basic Amex Hilton.

Plus, the BOA Hawaiian, Hawaiian Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic are all cards that earn miles that can be transferred into Hilton HHonors at a 1:2 ratio.

I applied for the Virgin Atlantic card a couple of app parties ago, and I’m just now getting around to transferring my Virgin Atlantic miles to Hilton HHonors. I know – I’ve procrastinated. Quit judging.

For all those people who are sitting on Virgin Atlantic miles that need to be transferred to Hilton HHonors – search no more. The *How To* is below. Eat it up.

 

Transferring Virgin Atlantic Miles to Hilton HHonors

  • You can only transfer Virgin Atlantic Miles in increments of 5,000. I had 48,800 Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles, so I ended up taking advantage of the 35% transfer bonus with American Express. Ok, I guess there is a purpose for that promo. I transferred 1,000 Membership Rewards points (1,350 with the bonus), giving me over 50,000 Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles. By taking advantage of the transfer bonus, I didn’t have to leave 3,800 orphan Flying Club miles in my account. Boooyah!
  • Once I had my 50,000 Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles in my account – I called Virgin Atlantic at 1-800-821-5438.
  • The phone conversation took only 4 minutes. I could’ve talked to the agent longer, because she had a very nice English accent. I got lost in it. I had my AwardWallet app pulled up on my phone, so I had easy access to my Virgin Atlantic & Hilton HHonors membership numbers.
  • The agent told me it would take 30 days for the transaction to be complete. Wth?! Luke also just recently transferred over his Virgin Atlantic miles to Hilton HHonors, and it only took a week. So, I’m crossing my fingers.

 

After my 50,000 Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles transfer over to my Hilton account, I’ll be 100,000 HHonors points richer. Richie rich. Now I have to find a destination for me to take advantage of an AXON award. Maybe Hawaii?

Learn to love it.

— Noob Master

  • InACents

    The real answer I’ve been trying to track down is how to get Virgin American miles into Virgin Atlantic miles, and thus Hilton HHonors.

    • http://www.NoobTraveler.com/ Noob Traveler

      Hmmm, that would be killer. Let me know if you find one.

    • raj

      What is Virgin American miles

      • InACents

        Virgin America = Elevate miles; Virgin Atlantic = Flying Club miles.

  • Gerry

    Do you advise moving VA (and/or Hawaiian) miles to HHonors only when you know you have a redemption in mind, or would you bank them for flexibility (even if you originally planned on moving them to HHonors)? VERY happy to know it can take up to a month to xfer … I thought it was immediate.

    • http://www.NoobTraveler.com/ Noob Traveler

      @Gerry I wouldn’t hesitate on transferring VA miles to HHonors, because I will never use VA miles to fly (high surcharges). Hawaiian miles can be good for intra Hawaiian island flights, so as long as you’re not going to Hawaii – then transfer them over to HHonors anytime, especially since these transfers take time.

      • Gerry

        @Noob THANK YOU for the tip. I was short a few to transfer 55K miles, just passed the threshold and it took me under 5 minutes yesterday to transfer. Miles withdrawn today, and will wait for the deposit. VERY glad to know it takes so long so I can prepare. Thank you again and Happy Holidays!

  • Janani

    Great tips. Just transferred all my membership rewards to hilton!

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