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5,000 Bonus Virgin Points When You Auto-Exchange Tesco Clubcard Points
If you’ve been thinking about turning your Tesco Clubcard points into Virgin Points, now’s another chance to bag a generous bonus. Virgin Red has extended its popular 5,000-point sign-up incentive for new members who choose to auto-exchange their Clubcard points.
New Virgin Red members (or existing members who’ve never auto-exchanged Clubcard points before) can earn 5,000 bonus Virgin Points when they set up their Tesco Clubcard account to auto-exchange points into Virgin Points by Sunday 19 October 2025.
Once enrolled, your Tesco Clubcard points will automatically be converted into Virgin Points with each quarterly Clubcard statement, no extra steps needed.
How to qualify
To get the bonus:
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Join Virgin Red for free (if you haven’t already).
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Link your Tesco Clubcard account and choose to auto-exchange your points into Virgin Points.
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Make sure you have at least 250 Clubcard points in your account on 19 October 2025.
This is only available to those signing up to auto-exchange for the first time.
How much are Virgin Points worth?
Clubcard members already get double the value when converting to Virgin Points, 250 Clubcard points equals 625 Virgin Points. Adding the 5,000-point bonus is enough to unlock a variety of rewards, such as:
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A £25 Virgin Experience Days gift card.
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£25 off train travel with Virgin Trains Ticketing.
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Or, with a few more points, an Economy Reward Seat from London to New York from 6,000 Virgin Points one way (plus taxes and fees).
What can you spend Virgin Points on?
Virgin Points can be redeemed for:
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Flights with Virgin Atlantic and other airline partners.
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Hotel stays, cruises, and package holidays.
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Experiences from concerts to spa days.
You can find out more and sign up via the Virgin Red website or by downloading the Virgin Red app.
Joby Aviation Buys Blade’s Helicopter Business
Earlier this year, we told you about Virgin Atlantic teaming up with Joby Aviation to bring electric air taxis to the UK, with routes like Heathrow to Canary Wharf in under 15 minutes and Manchester to Leeds. Now Joby’s just taken a big step towards making that happen, snapping up Blade Air Mobility’s helicopter rideshare business for $125 million.
If you’ve been to New York, you might have seen Blade’s choppers whisking passengers from Manhattan to JFK and Newark in minutes. They also operate in Canada, Southern Europe and India. I’ve actually flown Blade from JFK to Manhattan myself and absolutely loved it, you book on the app, turn up at the heliport, and before you know it you’re stepping out in the city. No traffic, no stress… it really does feel like the future.
With this deal, Joby’s getting Blade’s passenger helicopter operations in the US and Europe, plus the Blade brand name. Joby’s S4 electric VTOL will carry four passengers and a pilot at speeds of up to 200 mph, with zero emissions and a much quieter ride than a helicopter. Thanks to Blade’s blueprint for quick, premium airport transfers, Joby might be able to get UK services off the ground in 2026 faster than expected.
For travellers, that could mean saying goodbye to long, expensive taxi rides and hello to quick hops straight from the airport to the city centre. If it’s anything like my Blade experience in New York, it’s going to feel like a game-changer.
Riyadh Air to Launch London Heathrow Flights This October
Saudi Arabia’s new start-up airline Riyadh Air will begin flights to London Heathrow on 26 October 2025, making the UK capital one of its first long-haul destinations.
The airline, backed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund and led by ex-Etihad CEO Tony Douglas, has secured Heathrow slots from British Airways under the little-used BMI slot remedy. Flights will operate into Terminal 4, arriving at 07:30 and departing back to Riyadh at 09:30, using brand-new Boeing 787-9s. These will feature four Business Plus suites, 24 business class seats, 39 premium economy seats and 223 economy seats.
Riyadh Air plans to launch with two routes, London and a yet-to-be-confirmed shorter regional service, before expanding towards its goal of 100 destinations by 2030. It already has partnerships in place with Virgin Atlantic, meaning Virgin Points should be redeemable on its flights.
