Every so often, an airline does something genuinely positive and unexpected for its frequent flyers. In an era where “loyalty” programmes often feel anything but loyal to it’s members, this was a refreshing surprise..
Last weekend, while checking the expiry date of a Virgin Rewards voucher, I noticed something odd in my Flying Club account: a 12,000-point credit I didn’t recognise.
It wasn’t from a credit card, a refund, or any recent activity I could remember. A few hours later, the mystery was solved when an email landed in my inbox:
“You’ve earned a High Five.”
Virgin High Five Reward
Virgin Atlantic has quietly launched a new High Five reward, designed to genuinely recognise long-term loyalty – something that’s increasingly rare.
How the High Five works
The concept is surprisingly generous:
You earn one “Stamp” per year when you fly with Virgin Atlantic
The years do not need to be consecutive
After five stamps, you receive a bonus points reward, currently 12,000 Points
Once awarded, the next five-year cycle immediately begins
A few important and generous details:
Only your first Virgin flight of the year needs to be taken to earn the stamp
Reward flights count, as long as they’re operated by Virgin Atlantic
One-way flights count (I can personally confirm this, in 2022 I flew one-way to New York and cancelled the return, and that year still stamped)
In short: this is one of the fairest “long-term loyalty” mechanics we’ve seen from a major airline in years.
Bonus for Virgin Red members
The good news doesn’t stop there. Virgin Red members — often newer flyers or economy travellers — are also receiving:
10% bonus Virgin Points on paid Virgin Atlantic flights
It’s a smart way to keep newer customers engaged while still rewarding long-standing Flying Club members.
BA launches a record Avios Boost — up to 500%
While Virgin was quietly rewarding loyalty, British Airways went out with one of the biggest Avios promotions ever…
What’s different this time?
British Airways’ Avios Boost programme has been around for years. Normally, it allows you to:
Boost Avios earned in the last 30 days
Multiply them by 2x or 3x
Buy additional Avios at a discounted effective rate
This time, BA has gone much further.
The headline offer
You can now boost Avios by up to 5x (500%)
Eligible Avios include all unboosted earnings since January 2025
That means:
50,000 unboosted Avios → buy up to 250,000 Avios
Effective cost: ~109 Avios per £
Is it worth it?
This can be a very effective strategy if:
You’re planning a big redemption soon
You’re booking as family or a partner and thus need high amounts of Avios
You know the Avios will be used within the next year
However, a word of caution:
I would never recommend buying airline points speculatively. Devaluations can — and do — happen without warning.
⏰ Act fast
This offer expires on 6 February, so if it fits your plans, this is one worth moving on quickly.
✈️ Final thoughts
Between Virgin Atlantic’s unexpectedly generous High Five and British Airways’ record-breaking Avios Boost, this week delivered something rare: airlines can actually reward loyalty in meaningful ways.
It doesn’t fix everything, especially with Virgin’s move to dynamic pricing, which is making award travel to some destinations such as the Caribbean nigh on impossible, but it’s a reminder that sometimes, loyalty does still pay.
Faze, founder of Wander Up Front and Elevate Your Stay, is a London-based travel specialist with a deep passion for aviation. With over 2 million miles flown, he has spent the last 7 years focusing on First and Business class experiences.
Faze provides straightforward, no-frills insights into premium airline products and services, sharing what matters to help travellers make informed choices.
Follow him on his adventures and behind the scene stories on Instagram !
