DELTA (UK) aka Virgin Atlantic

[TCAS FAN]

After being loyal to the brand for 20 years and watching what has been happening to VS over the past few years I am now convinced that time has come to bid them goodbye. Under Delta stewardship I've watch customer service and loyalty benefits steadily decline.

Loyalty benefits gained through UK Flying Club membership, which have steadily declined, culminating in today's severing of connection to MBNA Credit Cards. I am now offered a "Virgin Atlantic Rewards+" card which would cost me £160 per year, £20 more than my previous VS Amex card, with a cut back my air miles entitlement from 2 per £ to 1.75 per £. If I sign up I'll also get a 15000 miles bonus.

The final straw is that if I lived in the USA I could apply for a "Virgin Atlantic Black Card" which would cost me $90 per year and give me 1.5 miles per $ spend. Sign up for this and its a 20000 mile bonus, up to 15000 annual bonus scheme and an ability to accrue Tier Points through qualifying purchases. Together with this, unlike the VS UK card, there are no foreign currency transaction fees.

Enjoyed what was VS for most of the years that I've flown them, time for me to now "Fly the Flag".

[22/04]

Remember MBNA has changed hands too so they may have corporate goals which differ form those of their former owner (Bank of America sold it to Lloyds Bank)

Of course through Delta Virgin will have more access to US customers and buying power. It's part of the World we live in- increasing global players are important. I have just been reading about China's investment in Ethiopian, where they are essentially building them a hangar and terminal at Addis, but I doubt they feel that they are Chinese.

I hope you find BA service as good as VS's - especially if flying in the premium classes.

[whitelighter]

The reason the us card benefits are better is they have no cap on credit card charges to merchants.

MBNA have dropped all their airline cards, not just virgin. It’s becayse the EU have capped card transaction charges to 0.3% so now the money isn’t there to pay you your loyalty benefits. As new cards go the new virgin money card is pretty good. Not as good as it used to be but considering the money from transaction fees have been reduced by 90% it’s not bad.

you want to ‘blame’ someone, blame EU consumer law.

[PAXboy]

As a VS customer since 1986 I agree, however with regards to the credit card. As stated, MBNA were bought out last year (by Lloyds) and they have cancelled all such agreements. A friend who has a LH Miles&More card with MBNA is now waiting to see who LH team up with.

VS are oferring two cards via Virgin Money: The Reward Card and the Reward+ Card. The second does indeed have a UK fee of £160 but the first is free - with comensurably lower rewards. It is all detailed on the VS web site. I dare say that the first advert to you would be to promote the higher paying (for them) card!

There is not a loyalty scheme in the world that does not start Very Good and then, over the decades, reduce to OK. For example, LH have changed the way they award points from Miles Travelled to Moeny Spent. I did a trip with them in March and the outward trip was before the changover date so I could see the exact difference in points between what I earnt on each side of the change.

I had the VS 'free' no annual payment card with MBNA now cancelled and taken out the free card with Virgin Money. This on the basis that something is better than nothing, particularly when you book a VS flight. I know which card will pay the best benefits and, mostly, I use my AmEx card where I can export the accrued points to several different schemes, depending on what I am doing that year.

[tigertanaka]

Google is your friend:

Search for "why has mbna reduced the virgin miles on my credit card" and the first 10 articles explain the situation.

[AirportPlanner1]

Also Delta or no Delta to compete the benefits are going to have to be slashed I’m afraid

[TCAS FAN]

Thank you one and all for the input. Could Brexit cause a change? Albeit haven't seen many restore benefits after they've been reduced/taken away.

[Flightrider]

For all those addicted to credit card deals, you've been paying for all of your "rewards" through those credit card surcharges added to your every online purchase for years. Now those are outlawed for personal credit cards, the rewards are stopping and this is the same across every industry. If you wanted that choice, the EU has taken it away. Personally I won't miss what I've never chosen to have.

[bmaviscount]

VS used to be my most desired airline but that stopped a long while back (2002ish)

their reverse herringbone coffins destroyed it for me

bizarrley I haven’t fllown with them since 2011 but have kept my flyng club open just by occasionally using their credit card

Time to call it a day

[NorthernCounties]

Jeez, that EU and their pesky EU Consumer Law preventing Credit Card Companies taking advantage of the average Joe. :*

[All names taken]

I find it hard to believe that anyone would decide to avoid an airline because of what a credit card company is offering in relation to that airline's loyalty program - or even the loyalty program itself. Do people not actually have a life to live?
I've had a LH M&M Credit Card through MBNA for years. I was recently informed that they were terminating their agreement with Lufthansa and a new card would be issued. Will this mean that I am going on to an internet forum to spit my dummy out of the pram and threaten Lufthansa that they are going to lose my 'valuable business' or slag the credit card company? Err no.

Instead I have carefully researched what is on offer and made my choice. As it happens MBNA will now be offering a replacement card, free of charge and which, crucially for me, will be dropping non-sterling transaction fees - a total bugbear of mine for years. So I don't get M&M points? But I was paying through the nose for them previously...so good riddance.

Blaming all of this on Delta UK/ Virgin is a red herring. Virgin is as good as any other TATL airline and better than average. Anyone thinking that BA is better is in for a bit of a reality check.

[TCAS FAN]

I

Blaming all of this on Delta UK/ Virgin is a red herring. Virgin is as good as any other TATL airline and better than average. Anyone thinking that BA is better is in for a bit of a reality check.

Not blaming it solely on the credit card issues, that was just the last straw. To see how Upper Class has declined over the past years while prices have steadily climbed, the move to North Terminal at LGW with a Club House a shadow of what they had in South together with a mammoth overland expedition to get to/from the boarding gate, just had it with Delta (UK).

BA isn't going to be a panacea, but I can fly Club from South Terminal without the overland expedition to/from the Gate and for a ticket price which is invariably better price.

[Heathrow Harry]

"BA isn't going to be a panacea, "

:ooh: you said it - worse seats, worse staff, worse food and I always think they're very expensive trans-Atlantic - especially in Business

Delta/Virgin aren't as good as they were but even so.....................

[RexBanner]

Travelled in both and, despite the lack of direct aisle access from the window seat, BA’s club seat is far better IMHO. Now the service, well that’s purely down to your crew on the day I reckon. Although admittedly you shouldn’t be gambling when putting down that kind of money.

[SealinkBF]

After being loyal to the brand for 20 years and watching what has been happening to VS over the past few years I am now convinced that time has come to bid them goodbye. Under Delta stewardship I've watch customer service and loyalty benefits steadily decline.

Loyalty benefits gained through UK Flying Club membership, which have steadily declined, culminating in today's severing of connection to MBNA Credit Cards. I am now offered a "Virgin Atlantic Rewards+" card which would cost me £160 per year, £20 more than my previous VS Amex card, with a cut back my air miles entitlement from 2 per £ to 1.75 per £. If I sign up I'll also get a 15000 miles bonus.

The final straw is that if I lived in the USA I could apply for a "Virgin Atlantic Black Card" which would cost me $90 per year and give me 1.5 miles per $ spend. Sign up for this and its a 20000 mile bonus, up to 15000 annual bonus scheme and an ability to accrue Tier Points through qualifying purchases. Together with this, unlike the VS UK card, there are no foreign currency transaction fees.

Enjoyed what was VS for most of the years that I've flown them, time for me to now "Fly the Flag".

The axing of MBNA has nothing to do with Delta or indeed Virgin. It is an American Express decision to stop licensing their cards to other banks. as the EU quite rightly put a stop to the insanely high credit card charges imposed by Visa, Mastercard and Amex, a nice little cartel.

The new Virgin Money card is head and shoulders better than the existing MBNA one, in terms of miles earning.

I continue to fly VS and have seen no reduction in the friendly and professional service, great inflight food and amazing lounges.

[cheesebag]

I got the free card, Paid off my holidays with then then paid the cards straight off.... Miles for nothing