NEWS: More details on Virgin’s new Clubhouse, new Amex offers and decent BA UK First fares

More details on Virgin’s new Clubhouse

I previously wrote about the rumored new Los Angeles Clubhouse for Virgin Atlantic. This has now been confirmed and the airline has announced that it will open its Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at Los Angeles International Airport early next year. The lounge, located in the Tom Bradley International Terminal, will be just minutes away from the Virgin Atlantic gates so you don’t have to leave the lounge too early. I’m a big fan of the Clubhouses, to me there are some of the best business class lounges in the world.

The Clubhouse will feature Virgin Atlantic’s normal spaces, including an expansive bar and social area with table service dining options, exclusive spaces – including a VIP Booth dubbed ‘The Royal Box’ – and flexible seating areas where you can work or eat. There will, of course, be a great selection of cocktails including the signature “Red head”. 

Mood lighting will mimic the California sunset and the space is designed to optimize customers’ circadian rhythm. There will even be wireless charging, which I have not really seen in lounges, Bluetooth connectivity, and plenty of power outlets throughout, including at the bar and in private pods where you can take calls or work somewhere quiet.

Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse will offer showers and changing facilities, which is always handy for a night flight when you may have been kicked out of your hotel at 12 p.m. 

The Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse will be open daily. 

Here are the access rules:

New Amex offers – Virgin up to 100% back, 20% off dining and 10% on days out

10% off days out

American Express is offering Cardmembers ‘Amex Days Out’ which gives you 10% back every time you book at a range of  attractions across the UK – ranging from theme parks to cultural sites and beyond.

This Offer is valid at over 25 participating UK attractions, including Alton Towers, The Dungeons, London Eye, Eden Project, Silverstone Museum, Sea Life, Shrek’s Adventure, Thorpe Park, Titanic Belfast and Warwick Castle. The offer is also valid at Viator for UK-based experiences. A full list of participating locations can be found here.

The Offer applies to payments made for online ticketing or in person at selected locations, and there is no limit on the number of times the Offer can be used. You need to book by 17 November 2024, but you don’t need to actually visit the attraction by this date.

To get the saving, Cardmembers simply need to save the offer to their Card via the Amex^® App or online at americanexpress.com. The offer should be available on all personal Amex cards.

20% off dining

There is also a new dining offer, which has a wide range of restaurants, from Krisy Kreme and chain restaurants to Michelin-starred fine dining establishments. The offer gives you 20% off and again you will need to save it to your card. The offer is available on Amex Gold Preferred Rewards and Platinum cards until the end of December 2024. I had saved it to my card and forgot about it until I went to one of the restaurants and saw the credit on my account. That was a nice surprise!

You can see which restaurants are participating here.

Up to 100% cashback on Virgin Atlantic

There is also a new Virgin Atlantic offer that is a little ambiguous in what you can use it for. Hopefully the exclusions listed are all of them and you can use it for any other transaction with Virgin Atlantic. It appeared on my Platinum card but it is worth checking your Gold card as well. 

You get 100% cashback up to a maximum of £100. The reason they have done this is obviously because you can’t buy any cash flights for £100 on Virgin Atlantic. However, could you use the cashback for a redemption? Quite possibly since there is no mention of excluding rewards flights.

You will need to register for the offer as usual, and the flight must depart from the UK. You have until 16 December to use the offer.

The two exclusions are:

• Buying Virgin Points

• Virgin Atlantic Holidays

Decent BA UK First fares

The sale is now on for British Airways flights until 1 October so I thought it was worth a look at what is available at a decent price in First class. Often some of the prices are pretty similar to what you would pay for business class, so it is always worth a look. You can find all our reviews of BA First class here.

London return per person to:

• New York £2560 until early March 25
• Chicago £2448
• Cincinnati £2553
• Orlando (indirect via Miami) £2594

Dublin return per person to:

• Miami £2580
• Boston £2544
• Washington £2524
• Chicago £2460
• Seattle £2649
• Las Vegas £2698 (via Seattle)

You can check prices and availability here.