Hey {{first name | reader}},
Happy Wednesday! Halfway through the week. Today's post is a proper "three things worth knowing" edition: two point-buy promos (with the right way to think about them), a fun Etihad A380 update, and a notable Chase transfer partner add.
Here's what's inside today's post:
Two "buy points" promos: Virgin Atlantic + Virgin Velocity (Australia)
Etihad's A380 is coming to Bangkok (and yes, Tokyo too)
Chase added a new transfer partner: Wyndham Rewards
Two "buy points" promos: Virgin Atlantic + Virgin Velocity (Australia)
Today we have 2 points sales worth checking out.
A) Virgin Atlantic Flying Club: up to 70% bonus (ends March 31, 2026)
Virgin Atlantic is currently selling points with a tiered bonus up to 70% (running Feb 25 → Mar 31, 2026).
The bonus tiers:
Buy 5k–24k → 20% bonus
Buy 25k–69k → 40% bonus
Buy 70k–124k → 60% bonus
Buy 125k–300k → 70% bonus
The promo prices points at roughly ~$12.00–$14.80 USD per 1,000 points depending on how many you buy.
What a nice livery!
Two "don't get burned" notes:
Virgin Atlantic also adds a one-off transaction fee per purchase (£15 / $22, depending on market), so micro-purchases are almost never worth it.
Virgin points are very valuable when you're buying to book something you've already found space for. Buying "just to have them" is usually how people get stuck with points they can't use well, but this specific point currency can be very useful if you usually fly some routes you can book with them for cheap, like USA to Europe. If you fly this route regularly, you might be able to snatch good prices every now and then, so not bad to have some points in your account.
What are Virgin Atlantic points actually good for?
Besides some specific Virgin redemptions, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is one of those programs where there is a lot of value on partners, and the pricing varies by partner (it's not one universal chart).
1) ANA premium cabins (the classic "this is why people hoard Virgin points")
If you can find ANA award space, Virgin can price ANA awards very competitively compared to many other programs (and this is still one of the most talked-about sweet spots). The catch is that space can be hard, and you have to call to ticket.
2) Delta One (US domestic + some international routes)
Virgin points can be excellent for Delta-operated flights, especially when you find saver-level space.
3) Air France / KLM partner awards (SkyTeam access)
Virgin can be useful for booking Air France / KLM because points price can be attractive for a route you actually need. The key is that partner pricing can be more predictable than Virgin's own dynamic pricing.
B) Virgin Velocity (Australia): 40% bonus via Points Booster (ends March 3, 2026)
Velocity is running a Points Booster promo where you get 40% bonus points when you buy 70,000–250,000 points during the promo period (Feb 24 → Mar 3, 2026 AEDT).
What matters is the effective cost per point.
From Velocity's published price table:
250,000 points costs AUD 5,850.
With the promo, buying 250k gets +40% = 100,000 bonus, so you receive 350,000 total.
So the rough math:
AUD 5,850 / 350,000 ≈ 0.0167 AUD per point
That's about $12 USD per 1,000 points.
Best uses of Virgin Velocity points (Australia)
Velocity has a wide partner set (including Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways, United, ANA and more). In practice, the best value usually comes from partner reward seats, not "Any Seat" style redemptions.
1) Singapore Airlines premium cabins (when available)
Velocity can be a strong way to book Singapore Airlines — including business class on routes where cash prices are painful.
Why it's great: SQ premium cabins are genuinely high quality, and some routes price reasonably for the experience.
The catch: award space can be limited, and partner availability changes fast.
2) Qatar Airways (especially for Europe/Middle East connectivity)
Velocity partners with Qatar Airways, and this is often one of the most practical "premium trip" uses for Australians because Doha is such a powerful hub.
3) Domestic Australia "Velocity Reward Seats" (high certainty, easy value)
Not glamorous, but often the most "real-life useful" redemption: Virgin Australia domestic reward seats, especially when last-minute cash fares spike.
Etihad's A380 is coming to Bangkok
If you've been waiting for a more exciting way to get to Thailand (or to build a fun routing via Abu Dhabi), this is a cool development:
Etihad A380
Etihad A380 → Bangkok
Etihad has announced it will fly the Airbus A380 on its Abu Dhabi (AUH) – Bangkok (BKK) route starting October 25, 2026, marking the A380's Thailand debut.
The flight is scheduled as an evening departure from Abu Dhabi and a morning arrival into Bangkok, which is a very "sleep-friendly" pattern for many travelers.
The headline feature, of course: The Residence — Etihad markets it as the world's only three-room suite in the sky (living room + bedroom + ensuite). Let us not forget about SWISS First Grand Suite, do you think it even compares? I personally don't…
Even if you're not booking The Residence (because what mortal can pay for that? Hahaha), the A380 is still the "fun" Etihad experience: more space, that iconic upper-deck vibe, and generally a more flagship feel than their smaller aircraft.
Etihad The Residence’s bedroom
And Etihad's A380 is also headed to Tokyo (Narita)
If you remember one of my previous posts, Etihad already confirmed the A380 is scheduled to operate Abu Dhabi (AUH) – Tokyo Narita (NRT) starting June 16, 2026. I'm traveling to Japan later this year, and I genuinely wish I'd known this earlier — it would've been a very fun way to fly into Tokyo (and a great excuse to route via Abu Dhabi).
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Chase added a new transfer partner: Wyndham Rewards
This one is real and newly announced: Chase Ultimate Rewards → Wyndham Rewards.
The transfer ratio is 1:1, consistent with Chase's other partners.
Is this actually useful?
For most of you: probably not as your "main" plan (Wyndham tends to be a niche play), but it can be valuable in the right scenario:
If you're looking at a destination where Wyndham has strong coverage and cash rates are ugly, a 1:1 transfer can be a solid "break glass in case of emergency" option.
It's also just strategically interesting because Chase has been slow to add partners — so even if you never transfer to Wyndham, it's a signal that Chase is still building the ecosystem.
My advice: don't rush to move points just because a new button exists. But if you have a specific Wyndham redemption where the cents-per-point math is strong, it's now another tool in the kit. I personally don't like using credit card points for hotels, but I might do it once in a while if it is super necessary.
That's it for today. More deals and strategies coming your way on Friday.
Catch you in the clouds,
Tomi