Update: Since the Virgin Atlantic award-chart changes in late October 2024, the Companion Fare 50% discount does not seem to exist anymore.

I have a confession to make: I didn’t know until recently that Virgin Atlantic offered discounted award seats when you fly with a companion.

My family has flown on Virgin Atlantic more than once and we never even knew this option existed. And it could have saved us thousands of miles! 🤦🏻‍♀️

Here’s what I’ve learned, so you don’t miss out, too.

What is the companion award seat discount?

If you book an award seat on Virgin Atlantic and are traveling with a companion, you can book an award seat for the companion at a 50% discounted award rate. Virgin Atlantic has differing rates depending on whether you’re traveling on standard dates or peak dates, but it’s a deal either way.

Here’s an example:

Let’s say you’re looking for a flight from Seattle to London on Monday, June 10. A one-way award ticket would be 15,000 points + $153 in taxes/fees.

If you wanted to book a companion award seat for someone who’s flying with you, you could book it for half of the 15,000 points you paid for the first seat! (This chart I pulled from lists the companion award prices as round-trips, not one-ways, but you can definitely book a companion award seat as a one-way.)

You’d still need to pay the same taxes/fees as with the first award ticket, but being able to get two people to London for 22,500 points + $306 in taxes/fees is still an absolutely amazing deal, and one worth looking into! The only hassle point with this is that you have to call Virgin Atlantic to book; companion award seats aren’t bookable online.

The next time we need to book economy flights to or from London, I’m going to try this out and will report back with anything I learn.

Does this work for premium economy or business class?

Yes, but I’d advise against booking those cabins using Virgin Atlantic’s own miles program. They charge an arm and a leg in fees, and you can sometimes find premium-cabin seats on Virgin Atlantic planes if you book through Air France instead—and Air France charges way lower fees! Same experience but saving more money out of pocket. (Of course, you couldn’t get the companion award discount if you don’t actually book through Virgin Atlantic, so that’s something you’d need to figure out. Do you value saving points or saving dollars more?)

How can I get my hands on Virgin Atlantic miles?

The great news is that all four major banks’ transferable-points currencies transfer to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, so you can turn points into miles very easily. Check out my best-offers page and Filter By Category > Travel Rewards and then check off American Express, Capital One, Chase, and Citi under Filter By Bank. All the cards from those banks earn transferable points you can use to book flights on Virgin Atlantic (and Air France, if you’re looking at a premium cabin).