Citi has added Virgin America as a transfer partner for their ThankYou point (TYP) program. Two Citi TYPs will normally equal one Virgin America mile and you need to transfer a minimum of 1,000 TYPs. But until October 21st, 2015 you’ll get a 25% bonus, this means that 1,000 TYPs = 625 Virgin American Miles.
How Much Are Virgin America Miles Worth?
The value of airline miles is always somewhat subjective, but Virgin America miles are worth 2.2¢ when redeeming for domestic travel. This would mean if you transferred during the promotional period you’d be getting 1.375¢ per point in value from your Citi TYP. If you transferred outside of the promotional period you’d be getting 1.1¢.
The other option is to use your Virgin America miles with their partner airlines, I find the taxes/fees (e.g fuel surcharges) to be excessive when using this option, but some find it attractive.
Why I Like This Addition
I really like this addition for two reasons:
- More transfer partners is always a good thing
- There is another transfer bonus
I think that signals two things: Citi isn’t done adding transfer partners (they’ve recently added Qantas, Virgin Atlantic AirFrance/KLM, Malayasia and they only became transferable a little over a year ago) and they will offer transfer bonuses on a somewhat consistent basis (this is the third they have offered now, with Etihad & Virgin Atlantic being previous bonuses of 25%, although the Etihad bonus changed mid promo).
Final Thoughts
Keep in mind that at the moment American Express is also offering a 25% transfer bonus with Virgin America and in addition if you transfer 80,000+ points you’ll get gold status with the airline. I don’t think Virgin America is a particularly strong transfer partner, especially at the 1:0.5 or even 1:0.65 transfer rate, but that’s up to you to decide.
What I do like is the trend for more transfer partners & bonuses, fingers crossed Citi keeps aggressively expanding because they are certainly the most interesting card issuer at the moment.
Hat tip to View From The Wing
