New VS Credit Card Details

[RichardMannion]

The new VS credit card will be annouced very shortly. There will be a white and a black version.

All existing VS mileage earning cards will cease to earn miles as of 31st Dec 2006.

White Version -Fee Free

If you convert from the existing card, you will get 3000 bonus miles on first retail purchase (5000 if done before 15/9/06)
Existing spend level will be carried over for companion, so if you have already spent £11k it will be carried over towards hitting the £15k companion threshold.

New £10k threshhold level (done per CY) for an upgrade reward, you need to be booked in a qualifying fare class obviously.

Until end of July 2007, the first £10k of spend will earn the following enhanced rates:
3 points per £ for direct spend with VH/VS
2 points per £ for retail spend.

Black Card - Annual Fee of £115 per year.

If you convert from the existing card, you will get 6000 bonus miles on first retail purchase (10000 if done before 15/9/06)
Companion spend level threshold reduced to £7.5k, Existing spend level will be carried over for companion, so if you have already spent over £7.5k then you will have already reached companion threshold.
New £5k threshold level (done per CY) for an upgrade reward, you need to be booked in a qualifying fare class obviously.
Until end of July 2007, the first £20k of spend will earn the following enhanced rates:
6 per £ points for direct spend with VH/VS
4 per £ on retail

After that rates drop back to standard rates of:
2 per £ on retail
4 per £ for direct spend with VH and VS

Thanks,
Richard

[RichardMannion]

Issuer is MBNA, but it is technically an AmEx, so will be accepted by merchants that take AmEx.

Thanks,
Richard

Hi Richard,

A few questions if you know the answers.

1. Do you know if the Upgrade reward and Companion reward are both awarded or is the redemtion of one an automatic rejection of the other.

2. Can you convert from the fee free to the fee paying (at least for the interim period

3. In a couple of places you mention points - are these 1:1 with miles?

Thanks

Phil

Originally posted by RichardMannion
After that rates drop back to std rates of:
2 on retail
4 for direct spend with VH and VS

Implying no upper limit to mileage earning, the same as the present (master)card? Phew!

[RichardMannion]

Update:

It is upgrade reward per spend, up to maximum of two per year. Upgrade is only for Economy to Premium. So for example Black version, spend 5k, get one upgrade, spend another 5k get second and final upgrade for that year (year is calculated from date you got the card, so is a true roilling year and not CY as first indicated). The upgrade triggers do not clash with the companion trigger, so on Black, at 5k you get one upgrade, 7.5k you get the companion, then at 10k its second upgrade award.

Annual fee for Black is £115 per year.

Points do mean miles, ratio is 1:1

Thanks,
Richard

Well this is very good news indeed!

I'll certainly be keeping with VS with this new card, and the double-miles for spend directly with VS is very very welcome ( wonder who they got that idea from? )

I wish the companion award was more generous for Upper Class ( i.e. not having to buy a J ) , but you can't have it all...

David.

Hi Richard
Quick question if you don't mind.

At present I have the none fee card, if I opted for the fee paying card this time around, would I qualify for the higher miles associate with this card, as I don't currently have the 2 miles per £ fee paying card.

Hope you understand what I mean!

Cheers

Trev

[RichardMannion]

I believe there will be an upgrade option to take people from the non-fee card to the new Black card.

Thanks,
Richard

[mitchja]

Thanks Richard [y]

Though I'm guessing you wont be able to balance transfer from the Virgin FC M/Card to either version of the Amex card as the Amex card is also issued by MBNA [:?]

You arn't allowed to transfer balances between cards issued from the same card company are you.

Regards

[mcmbenjamin]

The MBNA MasterCard. MBNA will continue to be the issuing bank. The transaction will be carried on the American Express network if it were.

I assume your current AmEx card is a Gold card that earns FC miles or a AmEx card that earns MR point which you transfer to FC. This has no effect on your current AmEx.

[mcmbenjamin]

Originally posted by mitchja
Thanks Richard [y]

Though I'm guessing you wont be able to balance transfer from the Virgin FC M/Card to either version of the Amex card as the Amex card is also issued by MBNA [:?]

You arn't allowed to transfer balances between cards issued from the same card company are you.

Regards

Normally you cannot 'transfer' balances within the same bank, noramlly. I would think MBNA would offer some program as they are ending the current card program. Call and ask maybe [:?]

Yes, AMEX is gold that earns FC miles. Looking forward to the mastercard replacement now.. Thanks for the heads up

[Nottingham Nick]

Originally posted by GreboDB
Yes, AMEX is gold that earns FC miles.

Grebo, forgive me if this sounds pedantic, [:I] but don't you currently have an Amex card that earns Amex Membership Reward points, you then convert these 1:1 to Flying Club Points?

If I read it correctly, this new card will earn Flying Club points directly, i.e. they will be posted into your FC account within a day or so of the bill being issued ... much as the points from the Mastercard are now.

Nick

but don't you currently have an Amex card that earns Amex Membership Reward points, you then convert these 1:1 to Flying Club Points?

Of course you are right Nick, my mistake. Sounds like an improvement in the Mastercard miles and bonuses earning ability which is a pleasant surprise, I was sure they were going to reduce what you could earn.[^]


{Edited by Bazz to make opening quote work, was missing closing square bracket}

Watch this space. Should be able to apply for the new card from the 3rd July 2006

I've seen the pics, and its very nice.... photo of the wing of a VS aircraft and a view through an 'aircraft window' on glossy black or glossy white.

(it will go with your i-pods......)

Watch this space. Should be able to apply for the new card from the 3rd July 2006

As holders of the current miles earning MBNA card, will it be just a case of signing a form to change cards or will we have to a complete brand new application for the replacement card?

well, it certainly is a good deal.... but again my problem is that it's AMEX!! Im going to have a problem using it in NI... but I'll still sign up for the points.

Its not just in NI. Our company card was changed to Amex a few years ago and its not until you come to use it that you discover how many places did not want to accept it.

OK. can anyone answer this simple question (i,m over 50). Am I right in assuming that Amex is not as widely accepted as Visa and Mastercard within the UK. Currently I am paying for almost everything with my Virgin mc. Will I have to get a second card from another provider so that I don't have to use cash or cheques.
Help[:?]

Originally posted by Tony T
OK. can anyone answer this simple question (i,m over 50). Am I right in assuming that Amex is not as widely accepted as Visa and Mastercard within the UK. Currently I am paying for almost everything with my Virgin mc. Will I have to get a second card from another provider so that I don't have to use cash or cheques.
Help[:?]

In the days when I used to use Amex I remember quite frequently coming across small retailers that did not take Amex. If I'm not mistaken John Lewis still does not accept it and you may have trouble using it for online bill payments such as council tax and utilities etc.. So whilst the initial mileage rates are higher (until next July) the earning opportunities will be reduced. You will also have the hassle of carrying a back up card for those times when Amex is not accepted.

[Nottingham Nick]

Originally posted by Tony T
Am I right in assuming that Amex is not as widely accepted as Visa and Mastercard within the UK.

That is the big debate, Tony. True, Amex isn't as widely accepted as Visa or Mastercard, but it does seem to be accepted at most of the big multinationals.. be it supermarkets, garages, hotels or High Street retailers.

I currently have a Marriott Visa as a back up to my Mastercard. Another possibility is the BAA Visa card, which is issued by RBS and I understand can earn FC points by converting them from BAA Worldpoints on a 1:1 basis.

Nick

Wood07.
Thanks for that. I am picking up around 60,000 miles a year currently with the MBNA card, be interesting to see what this drops to with Amex. I wonder if mastercard will approach us direct with another card choice.
Tony

Nick.
Thanks for comments. You know I expect you to research this to the hilt so that when we meet in July you can give me the diffinative answers. You know I'm your disciple.:D
Tony

Looks very good to me.

Any chance that an upgrade reward could be applied to the companion ticket? (Unlikey I know, but I'd hate to see the upgrade rewards go to waste for those of us who only fly VS once a year!)

Sorry, just to clarify, is this a charge card or credit card?
Cheers

No chance of using the up grade on a companion. You will need an upgradable revenue fare as per LRoM's original post.

A thought that occures to me is that if you have a fee charging master card currently, and you apply for the new card, will your annual period stay the same. Or is there an optimal moment to change over (like when you current annual agreement is about to end). Also if you had a little haggle with MBNA a little while back (well it would be rude not to) and got your fee waved, I wonder if they will honour that on the initial period on the new card until the end of your annual agreement. And I wonder if, being an amex and given the willingness of amex to waive fees, there is any scope for negotiation on the new card.

But most importantly, which one will you be going for LRoM? Black or White[:?][:?]