Best use of Virgin Flying Club Miles?

**Forrest** · 14-05-2008, 20:59

Hi - i was hoping that some of you on here might be able to suggest how i can make best use of some flying club miles for a family trip to Orlando next year.

Basically we (myself, wife and son) were given miles due to a 24 hour delay last summer – we plan to use those for a return trip next summer and I'm not really sure of the best way to use them. For info purposes I have 47k miles (which include those for my son) and my wife has 31.5k miles.

As far as I can make out we cannot merge the miles into one account, and therefore do not have enough individually to obtain one ‘free’ flight. My options are therefore:

1) Use the miles plus money
OR
2) Get a free companion ticket with at least one fully paid up fare. However that companion deal only seems to be relevant from Premium economy (and not economy)?

I suppose at the end of the day if we were going to go anyway and we can get all three of us there and back in Premium for what we were going to pay for economy then that is ok, but just not sure if I am making best use of the opportunities.

Any advice / ideas gratefully received – thanks in advance

**SDJ** · 14-05-2008, 21:06

Either deal would be good but you will have to decide whether the upgrade is worth it, or the miles + money will benefit you financially.

Enjoy your trip anyway.

Sandra

**jillizzy** · 14-05-2008, 21:15

You cannot merge the miles but you can take 50% from one account and 50% from another, in essence booking two one-way reward flights. It is also possible to buy more miles to make up for an extra ticket.

I think my answer would depend on whether you have 47K in one account or whether that is split too.

Obviously it's too early to book for summer next year as flights are only bookable through VA until the end of April 09.

HTH
Jill

**steph_goodrum** · 14-05-2008, 21:44

Have you checked the Flying Club website at all as they sometimes have offers on.
I looked at going to Boston and then to Orlando in the summer and could have done the trip for 80,000 miles instead of 100,000. The miles are valid for 3 years so why not pay the normal economy fare for next year (depending on when you want to go) and then you and your wife will have enough miles for a free trip after that.

It depends when you want to go what is the best way of using them, if you are tied to school hols (I am assuming your son must be under 12 if you got his miles.) then to use the companion flight s quite expensive as you have get a fully paid fare in Economy (which may be why it looks like a Premium economy price, I think the ticket class has to be something lik Y,B,L possibly M.

The did have an option to "gift miles" so you could have top your wifes up with yours if you could get the flights for 40K miles but that wasnt available last time I checked a few days ago, it still shows on the website so hopefully they will reintroduce it.

**MarkJan** · 14-05-2008, 21:57

A miles plus money fare may well be cheaper than pricing a companion flight. With the companion flight, you pay the full standard fare.

**stabard** · 14-05-2008, 22:10

We have often used Miles Plus Money when we have booked our flights. Normally we are able to save around £150 per ticket this way.

**sammibabe** · 14-05-2008, 22:54

Virgin gave us some miles which we have used for our holiday in August which gave us a great saving but I can't remember exactly how much. I think we could only use 2000 each for a miles and money fare though (total 10,000). Somebody can probably confirm that one way or the other. When we were looking at fares how much you save does depend on when you go. The miles stay on the account for 3 years but remain if you use the account. My husband has just joined some website and you do surveys for them (by email)and get points which you can convert into virgin miles.

**Susan J** · 15-05-2008, 00:37

I have got well over a quarter of a million miles but I can never get a free flight - if you need to fly in school holidays you may get one in economy, but no matter if you ALWAYS travel on the same dates every year in first, you have no chance of PE or 1st