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Bonus Virgin Points with Booking.com: The Most Lucrative Way to Earn Points from Hotel Stays
Virgin has just brought back its popular Booking.com bonus. You can now earn up to 10 Virgin Points per £1 spent (up from 8) when you book via Virgin Red. The offer runs until 28th February, but you can book for any date.
Stays must be in the UK or Europe, and you need to click through via the ‘Earn’ section on the Virgin Red website or app, then complete your reservation in the same session.
This high earning rate is an excellent value. Points will be awarded to your Virgin Red account, where you can spend them on things like Virgin Voyages Cruises and Virgin Experiences. Alternatively, you can transfer them to your Virgin Atlantic Flying Club account and apply them toward your next redemption.
In many cases, the amount you spend on a hotel can be less than the amount you save by paying with points! For example, a one-way flight from Heathrow to Miami (12th March) costs 14,500 Virgin Points + £380 in taxes and charges. At 10 points per £1, earning those points would require £1,450 in eligible Booking.com spend, resulting in an effective cost of £1,830 after taxes. The same flight was priced at £2,264 in cash at the time of checking.
Virgin’s best-value redemption fares, Saver Rewards, start at 29,000 Points in Upper and 10,500 Points in Premium, plus taxes and charges.
This is a great opportunity to book a last-minute trip for the February half-term or get your next trip sorted. As far as earning bonus points from hotel bookings goes, it doesn’t get much better.
New LHR T5 Dining Option for Priority Pass Holders (But Not Via AMEX)
The Globe Pub & Kitchen has been added as a Priority Pass option at Heathrow Terminal 5.
This option is available if you have paid for a Priority Pass outright or hold it through certain financial partners, such as HSBC. It is not available to Amex cardholders, as Amex-issued Priority Pass cards continue to exclude restaurants and bars (albeit a very small list of exclusions).
If eligible, you will receive £18 credit towards food and drink. If your pass allows a guest, you can double that to £36 off the bill, which is where this really starts to look appealing
The menu leans toward British pub classics with a touch of American influence, alongside a great selection of craft beers and small-batch spirits.
While the value is not as high as visiting a lounge, T5 lounges can get very crowded (see our T5 Plaza Premium Review, for example), so the Globe could be a viable alternative. You can find a quiet corner and be served food rather than queuing at a buffet.
In my experience, you show the QR code, and the staff scans it and applies the payment to your bill.
Discover all Priority Pass options here or read our Priority Pass guide
Marriott Bonvoy Buy Points 40% Bonus
Marriott’s latest Buy Points promotion has just launched. You’ll receive a 40% bonus on points purchased or gifted until 26th March (minimum 2,000 points).
You can purchase up to 150,000 points per calendar year (bonus points not included). Since this is the first promo of the year, your limit will be reset, and if you haven’t purchased points yet, you’ll be able to opt for the maximum amount.
With the bonus, each point works out at 0.89 cents (65p) compared to the non-bonus value of 1.25 cents (0.91p) per point. Marriott pricing is dynamic, so the value you’ll get can vary widely by property and date.
As always, it’s a good idea to only buy points if you have a use for them in mind, where the cost you’ve paid for points is cheaper than paying cash, or when you need to top up your existing balance to afford a redemption. Points can be used toward room redemptions and Marriott Bonvoy Moments.
If you max out your annual purchase allowance, it’s worth noting that Marriott sometimes allows you to purchase up to 100,000 additional points during the booking process for a cash stay. You can only purchase points 30 days after signing up for Marriott (90 days if points are being sent, or 30 with activity).
For example, for a night at the hotel below, you could purchase the points required for £456.60 rather than paying £521 in cash.
