Posting this as its own topic as I think it'll get lost in the main Flying Club Changes topic. I'll also update my Ultimate Upgrade Guide for 2025 when I get a moment too.
Since the FC changes Virgin so drastically introduced recently, it became very opaque as to what the upgrade price would be once online check in opened, when using points.
Previously, upgrades (either before check-in opened or after) were a fixed amount. That is no longer the case.
Prior to check-in opening, this is the formula (from the VS website):
Effectively, you're paying the difference between the highest saver price and the current dynamic price in points, plus taxes. I think this is more complicated than it needs to be, but it is what it is.
For reward flights its simpler, you're just paying the difference, same as it used to be.
Once check-in opens, things change a little.
If you read my Ultimate Upgrade thread, you'll notice I talk about the notion of an "upsell". This is the cash price you see in the VS app. For example, if you're flying Premium and look at the Upper Class seat map AND there are upsells available, you'll see a price in the top left corner of the seat map. You can then select a seat and pay for the upgrade in the app. These upsells are available in the app, on the phone and to the airport staff.
With the new system, cash upsells are unchanged from what I can see.
Whats new, is the cost to upgrade with points is now more closely pegged to the cost of the upsell than it was before.
Previously, it cost 40,000 points to go from Premium to Upper when flying LHR - LAX, as an example. That cost is now 114,000 + taxes. The points cost is FIXED. This may be the only fixed amount left in VS's new system.
Classic > Premium - 19,000 + £176 taxes
Classic > Upper - 139,000 + £406 taxes
Delight > Premium - 15,000 + £176 taxes
Delight > Upper - 119,000 + £406 taxes
Premium > Upper - 114,000 + £230 taxes
VS staff have a little app that calculates this stuff, hence why I can't share every route here.
My immediate thought when I saw this was - oh, they'll use the groupings they used to use for the routes. I.e. US West, US East etc. But no. SFO was the same as LAX but when we looked at JFK and IAD, IAD was way more than JFK even though they're US East in the old grouping.
My guestimate is that the new prices are based on a combination of theoretical load factors & total seats available on a route.
The way this is implemented, it's also easy for VS to changes these values more regularly than the old way.
To summarise, fixed upgrade prices on the day are possible, depending on demand. But by the looks of it, its at least 2-3x the cost in points that it used to be. I did a cash upgrade today for £749 because I deemed that to be the best value. VS are giving you a really bad exchange rate on fixed point upgrades on the day vs the cash values IMHO.
Now off to board VS23 shortly...
Ohh, bonus content, LHR Clubhouse to be refurbished starting sometime in 2025...
Since the FC changes Virgin so drastically introduced recently, it became very opaque as to what the upgrade price would be once online check in opened, when using points.
Previously, upgrades (either before check-in opened or after) were a fixed amount. That is no longer the case.
Prior to check-in opening, this is the formula (from the VS website):
If your original booking was paid for fully in money or using Points Plus Money, you’ll pay:
The price in points of your new upgraded seat less the maximum Saver reward seat price for the cabin you’re upgrading from.
Effectively, you're paying the difference between the highest saver price and the current dynamic price in points, plus taxes. I think this is more complicated than it needs to be, but it is what it is.
For reward flights its simpler, you're just paying the difference, same as it used to be.
Once check-in opens, things change a little.
If you read my Ultimate Upgrade thread, you'll notice I talk about the notion of an "upsell". This is the cash price you see in the VS app. For example, if you're flying Premium and look at the Upper Class seat map AND there are upsells available, you'll see a price in the top left corner of the seat map. You can then select a seat and pay for the upgrade in the app. These upsells are available in the app, on the phone and to the airport staff.
With the new system, cash upsells are unchanged from what I can see.
Whats new, is the cost to upgrade with points is now more closely pegged to the cost of the upsell than it was before.
Previously, it cost 40,000 points to go from Premium to Upper when flying LHR - LAX, as an example. That cost is now 114,000 + taxes. The points cost is FIXED. This may be the only fixed amount left in VS's new system.
Classic > Premium - 19,000 + £176 taxes
Classic > Upper - 139,000 + £406 taxes
Delight > Premium - 15,000 + £176 taxes
Delight > Upper - 119,000 + £406 taxes
Premium > Upper - 114,000 + £230 taxes
VS staff have a little app that calculates this stuff, hence why I can't share every route here.
My immediate thought when I saw this was - oh, they'll use the groupings they used to use for the routes. I.e. US West, US East etc. But no. SFO was the same as LAX but when we looked at JFK and IAD, IAD was way more than JFK even though they're US East in the old grouping.
My guestimate is that the new prices are based on a combination of theoretical load factors & total seats available on a route.
The way this is implemented, it's also easy for VS to changes these values more regularly than the old way.
To summarise, fixed upgrade prices on the day are possible, depending on demand. But by the looks of it, its at least 2-3x the cost in points that it used to be. I did a cash upgrade today for £749 because I deemed that to be the best value. VS are giving you a really bad exchange rate on fixed point upgrades on the day vs the cash values IMHO.
Now off to board VS23 shortly...
Ohh, bonus content, LHR Clubhouse to be refurbished starting sometime in 2025...
Fly's a little too much.
