Virgin America Ups Credit Card Bonus Through August 31

Among credit card issuers and their partners, there are leaders and laggards when it comes to the bonuses offered to attract new cardholders.

Among the most generous are Chase (which issues cards for United, British Airways, Marriott, Hyatt, as well as its own Sapphire cards), American Express (Starwood, Delta, Hilton, and its own cards) and Capital One (its own Venture card).

If not on an ongoing basis then at least periodically, these cards tend to feature hefty sign-up bonuses.

At the other end of the generosity spectrum are Bank of America (Alaska, Hawaiian, Spirit), Citi (American, Hilton), and Barclays (Frontier, US Airways, Virgin America, Best Western, Choice).

While this new offer for a Virgin America Visa card issued by Barclays doesn’t do much to alter that landscape, it at least sweetens the pot for one card, for just over one week.

Offer Details

Through August 31, new customers for the Virgin America Visa Signature credit card will receive 20,000 bonus points after the first charge. That’s twice the normal 10,000-point bonus for this card.

Card Details

• Annual fee: $49
• Balance transfer: up to 5,000 bonus points for transfers in the first 30 days
• Earn three points per $1 spent on Virgin America, one point per $1 on everything else
• 10,000 status points when you spend $25,000 annually
• 300 bonus points for every $5,000 in net purchases up to 1,200 points annually
• $150 off a companion ticket each year

Deal or No Deal

Elevate points are worth around 2.25 cents apiece. So a 20,000-point bonus amounts to about $450 in Virgin America tickets.

If you’re an active member of Virgin America’s Elevate program and don’t already have the card, this would be a good time to sign up. Based on the card’s history, the bonus isn’t likely to get any better.

Other Posts of Interest

• Who’s in Favor of a US Airways-American Merger?
• Is the Credit Card Rewards Bubble Set to Burst?
• Flights to Hong Kong for 4 Frequent Flyer Miles? C’mon!
• Are Taxable Frequent Flyer Miles in Your Future?
• Which Airline Programs Are the Most (and Least) Generous?

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