Buying Virgin Points: what it costs, and how a UK business earns them instead
Virgin Atlantic sells Virgin Points at £15 per 1,000 plus a £15 fee on every purchase, about 1.5p a point, capped at 200,000 a year. A UK business can earn airline miles instead: bills paid through RewardsPilot earn 4 RewardsPilot points per £1 of net spend, each transferable to one airline mile.
What Virgin Atlantic charges for Virgin Points
| Buying | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 points | £30 | £15 plus the £15 transaction fee |
| 5,000 points | £90 | 1.8p a point |
| 10,000 points | £165 | 1.65p a point |
| 200,000 points | £3,015 | the normal annual maximum, about 1.5p a point |
- Every purchase carries a one-off £15 transaction fee, so small purchases cost the most per point.
- Points are bought in multiples of 1,000, up to 200,000 a calendar year.
- Virgin runs bonus offers on bought points. Its current offer, to 4 October 2026, adds up to 70% and raises the limit to 400,000 before the bonus.
Sources: Virgin Atlantic, "Buy points"; Head for Points, "What is the cheapest way to get Virgin Points?". Checked 29 September 2026. Virgin Atlantic can change its prices at any time.
What the same miles cost a business that earns them
A VAT-registered UK business earns 4 RewardsPilot points for every £1 of eligible spend it puts through the programme, calculated on the net amount excluding VAT. Each point transfers to 1 airline mile with the airline programmes RewardsPilot works with. The spend is the VAT bill, the PAYE bill, the supplier invoice or the payroll the business was paying anyway.
| Virgin Points wanted | Bought from Virgin Atlantic | Business spend that earns the same points | Or sold back for cash |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20,000 | £315 | £5,000 | £150 |
| 50,000 | £765 | £12,500 | £375 |
| 100,000 | £1,515 | £25,000 | £750 |
| 200,000 | £3,015 | £50,000 | £1,500 |
How it works
- The business joins as a member. Membership is open to VAT-registered UK businesses with genuine corporate expenditure. There is no minimum monthly spend.
- It submits a bill to pay: HMRC, a supplier, rent, or payroll through CrestPay. RewardsPilot invoices the business and pays the bill on its behalf.
- When the invoice payment clears, points are credited at 4 per £1 of the net amount. They show in the member portal in real time and never expire.
- The business redeems them for flights, hotels and car hire through the portal, transfers them to an airline or hotel account within 24 hours, or sells them back for cash at 3% of the spend behind them.
Questions
Can a business buy Virgin Points from RewardsPilot?
No. RewardsPilot does not sell points or miles. A member earns 4 RewardsPilot points for every £1 of eligible business spend put through the programme, and each point transfers to 1 airline mile with the airline programmes RewardsPilot works with.
How many points does £50,000 of business spend earn?
200,000 RewardsPilot points, on the net amount excluding VAT. Virgin Atlantic would charge £3,015 for 200,000 Virgin Points.
Which bills earn points?
Any genuine business payment put through the programme: HMRC bills such as VAT, PAYE and corporation tax, supplier invoices, rent, and payroll funded through CrestPay. Points are credited when the invoice payment clears. VAT itself, refunds and reversed amounts do not earn points.
Is there a limit on how many points a business can earn?
No. There is no minimum monthly spend and no spending limit, and points never expire. Virgin Atlantic caps the Virgin Points a member can buy each year; earned points have no cap.
Can the business take cash instead of miles?
Yes. Points can be sold back to RewardsPilot at any time for 3% of the eligible spend behind them, paid within 24 hours. 200,000 points, earned on £50,000 of spend, would be bought back for £1,500.
What about the VAT on RewardsPilot's invoice?
RewardsPilot invoices its own service, Corporate Membership and Business Services Ecosystem, with VAT applied to the full taxable supply value. Under the specialist tax advice obtained for the structure, for VAT-registered businesses using the services for taxable business activities that VAT is intended to be recoverable through the normal VAT return, subject to the business's own VAT position, so it is principally a cash-flow timing consideration. This is not tax advice; RewardsPilot will speak directly with your accountant.
Programme facts on this page come from the published RewardsPilot rate and the Rewards Programme Rules. Rewards are corporate rewards earned on genuine business expenditure. See also buying Avios from British Airways.