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If most of your trips are short breaks in Europe, family holidays, or flights from Heathrow and Gatwick on British Airways or its partners, Avios usually work harder. BA flies more routes from the UK, publishes a guaranteed minimum of reward seats per flight, lets a household pool its Avios, and the BA Amex cards earn a Companion Voucher. If you mainly fly long-haul to the US or Caribbean, especially in Upper Class, or want Delta or ANA rewards, Virgin Points may suit you better, and Virgin says they "never expire". If you collect Amex Membership Rewards, you don't have to choose now: Amex UK transfers to both at 1:1, instantly.
What we'd do first: list the last three trips you took and the next three you're planning. For each, note the airport, destination, cabin and how many people. That list decides it, not the headline price.
The rules side by side
| Avios (British Airways Club) | Virgin Points (Flying Club) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who you fly with | British Airways, Iberia, American Airlines, oneworld airlines and other partners (BA Reward Flights page) | Virgin Atlantic, plus partners including Delta and ANA (Virgin airline partners page) |
| Seats | At least 8 economy, 2 premium economy and 4 business reward seats per BA flight at Heathrow and Gatwick | "Use your Virgin Points for every seat onboard"; prices vary with demand |
| Charges on the airline's own flights | Fixed cash amount on Reward Flights; variable on partners | Published per route and date on Virgin's pages; vary by cabin and departure airport |
| Expiry | After 36 months without collecting, spending, buying or transferring (clause 14.5) | "Virgin Points never expire" (Virgin partners page) |
| Pooling | Household account for up to seven people | Not covered here |
| Change fee | £35 per person; cancellation £35 per person with Avios returned (avios.com) | £70 per person for UK-originating flights (Virgin reward seats page) |
| Booking window | Up to 355 days (clause 15.11) | Around 331 days (independent sources only; not on Virgin's pages we read) |
| Amex UK transfers | 1:1, instant | 1:1, instant |
Sources: British Airways Club Terms and Conditions, BA: Reward Flights, avios.com: Flights help, Virgin Atlantic: airline partners, Virgin Atlantic: reward seats, all checked 13 Nov 2026.
How you collect them
- Amex Membership Rewards (Gold, Platinum and others) transfer to both BA and Virgin at 1:1, "instantly", but only to an account in your own name, and "once your points have been transferred, they cannot be transferred back". Keep points in Amex until you've found a seat. See Amex Membership Rewards UK transfer partners.
- BA Amex cards earn Avios directly: 1 Avios per £1 on the free card and 1.25 on Premium Plus. Spending £15,000 a year earns a Companion Voucher, which saves one person's Avios on a reward booking. See is the BA Premium Plus card worth it?.
- Virgin Atlantic credit cards also earn Virgin Points. We haven't verified their current earn rates or fees for this guide, so check the issuer's page.
- Flying with each airline and its partners earns the matching currency. Virgin says reward flights with partner airlines "do not earn Virgin Points or Tier Points".
Where each one takes you
Avios cover the widest choice from the UK: BA's network from Heathrow, Gatwick and London City, plus Iberia, Aer Lingus, American Airlines and other oneworld partners. BA's Reward Flights page says, as examples "correct as of May 2026", that Reward Flights start "from 10,000 Avios + £2.50 each-way" to Europe and "from just 55,000 Avios + £150 return" further afield. Those are generic starting points, not prices for any route. Read our Avios pricing guide for how prices change with date and route.
Virgin Points are used on Virgin Atlantic's own flights and on partner flights. Virgin's Saver page publishes dated starting prices on its own flights: for example, Upper Class London–New York "From 29,000 points plus £720.49" one way per person ("Prices correct as of 15th October 2026"), a published starting price, not a quote for your dates. Virgin's partner pages publish charts for some partners: for example, its Delta page lists 15,000 points one way off-peak in Main Cabin from the UK to the US East Coast, "excluding passenger taxes, duties, fee, charges and surcharges". Its ANA page lists 60,000 points one way in business between Japan and Europe, booked by phone. Some partners can be booked online; others need a call, according to Virgin's partners page. Our Virgin Points Upper Class guide covers Virgin's own flights from Heathrow and Manchester.
How to compare the two for one trip: the maths
You can't compare a reward price on its own, because each programme mixes points and cash differently. Put both on the same basis: the same route, dates, cabin and number of passengers, then turn each into one number.
A worked example (hypothetical). These figures are made up to show the method; they are not BA or Virgin prices. Two people, London to New York, business, return. Avios and Virgin Points are both valued at an assumed 1p each.
| Option (two people, return, business) | Points | Cash (taxes, fees and charges) | One number at 1p |
|---|---|---|---|
| Option A: Avios (HYPOTHETICAL) | 2 × 170,000 = 340,000 | 2 × £500 = £1,000 | £3,400 + £1,000 = £4,400 |
| Option B: Virgin Points (HYPOTHETICAL) | 2 × 120,000 = 240,000 | 2 × £1,400 = £2,800 | £2,400 + £2,800 = £5,200 |
Three things the example teaches:
- Fewer points isn't automatically cheaper. Option B uses 100,000 fewer points but £1,800 more cash.
- Your value per point decides it. The two options cost the same when 100,000 points are worth £1,800, which is 1.8p per point. If you'd value your points above 1.8p, Option B comes out ahead; below it, Option A does. Our when cash beats Avios guide shows how to pick a value.
- A Companion Voucher changes the sum. On BA, a voucher saves one person's Avios but not their charges. In Option A, that would remove 170,000 Avios but keep the £1,000.
On your own dates, the result could go either way. For one specific route, see London to New York in business class on points.
Where to check your own totals
Credit Club guidance: the price that matters is the one shown just before you pay, for everyone travelling.
- Use the same trip on both sites: route, dates, cabin and number of passengers, return or one way.
- BA: search Reward Flights on ba.com while logged in. On the price and payment pages, note the Avios and the taxes, fees and charges for the whole party, and which payment option is selected (Reward Flight or an Avios & Money mix).
- Virgin Atlantic: search reward seats on virginatlantic.com while logged in (the reward seat checker shows prices by month). On the summary before payment, note the points and the taxes, fees and carrier charges for the whole party.
- Write both down with the date and time, and turn each into one number at your own value per point.
- Only then transfer Amex points, and book straight away.
Other things that decide it
- Your home airport. BA's reward seat guarantee applies to Heathrow and Gatwick (and London City for short-haul). If you live near Manchester, check which airline flies direct from there; see long-haul from regional UK airports.
- Your party size. BA's minimums are per cabin per flight, and a household account lets up to seven people pool Avios. For a family, those two rules often matter more than the price.
- How often you fly. Avios expire after 36 months without activity (any collecting, spending, buying or transferring resets it). Virgin says its points never expire. If you're a light collector, that's a real difference.
- Flexibility. Both charge to change or cancel. BA's fee is £35 per person, with Avios returned if you cancel more than 24 hours before. Virgin's change fee is £70 per person on UK-originating flights.
Busy dates: how each one prices them
Avios: BA prices Reward Flights by "date, destination and class of travel", and your date decides whether you pay a peak or off-peak Avios amount. You can mix peak and off-peak dates on one booking. The cash part on BA's own Reward Flights is fixed for that price option. Partners' charges vary.
Virgin Points: Virgin says reward prices vary with demand. Its Saver page says "The number of flights with Saver reward seats at these price points will vary by route and cabin", and higher prices show once Saver seats are gone. So on a busy date, you may still find a Virgin seat, but at a higher points price.
In practice, the school holidays are where these differences show most. A family that can only travel in August needs four seats on the same flight. BA publishes how many it guarantees; Virgin sells every seat but at a changing price. Search both for the full party before deciding.
If you already have some of both
You don't need to pick one and abandon the other. A small Virgin balance can sit until you need it, because Virgin says its points don't expire. Avios need some activity at least every 36 months, but almost anything counts, including collecting a few Avios from a partner. What to avoid is moving Amex points to top up whichever balance is closer to a reward before you've found a seat. Find the seat first, then top up only what that booking needs.
How to choose, step by step
- List your next three trips: airport, destination, cabin and party size.
- Mostly Europe or a family? Lean towards Avios.
- Mostly transatlantic, Upper Class, or Delta or ANA? Lean towards Virgin Points.
- Collecting Amex points? Keep them in Amex and decide trip by trip.
- Before transferring, price the trip on both sites for the whole party, and compare the full cost using when cash beats Avios.
- Book straight after transferring. Seats aren't guaranteed on any date in either programme.
Avios vs Virgin Points: FAQs
Can I convert Avios to Virgin Points?
We couldn't find a conversion between them on either airline's pages. Choose before you transfer from Amex.
Which is better for Flying Blue routes?
Neither. Air France and KLM use Flying Blue; see Flying Blue for UK travellers.
Can I find reward seats more easily with one?
Neither guarantees a seat on a date. For Avios, see how to find BA reward seats.