Credit Card News
Virgin Red to Partner with Synchrony for New Rewards Credit Card
Virgin Red is readying a new co-branded credit card in partnership with Synchrony.
About the partnership and new card program:
This week, Virgin and Synchrony revealed plans to launch the Virgin Red Rewards World Elite Mastercard. The new card is currently expected to debut during the second half of this year.
While details of the card were not fully announced, the companies note that the Virgin Red Rewards card will allow cardholders to earn Virgin Points on Virgin hotel stays, flights, cruises, experiences, and more — including the ability to earn rewards on purchases from non-Virgin companies. These Virgin Points will then be redeemable for movie tickets, charity donations, hotel stays, flights, and more.
Although this is the first time the Virgin Red program has had its own credit card, previously, Bank of America issued Virgin Atlantic credit cards in the United States. With Virgin Red, members can link their Virgin Atlantic Flying Club account. In doing so, customers will be able to pool their Red and Flying Club Virgin Points.
What they’re saying:
Announcing the new card, Virgin Red’s Chief Loyalty Officer and Managing Director Andrea Burchett said, “Whether flying, cruising, staying in a hotel or enjoying one of our many exciting experiences, we want our members to be rewarded when they travel with Virgin. Our new credit card with Synchrony and Mastercard will upgrade customers’ reward opportunities so they can earn Virgin Points on travel with Virgin companies, as well as on everyday purchases.”
Meanwhile, Synchrony’s EVP and CEO of Digital Bart Schaller stated, “Synchrony is working hand-in-hand with Virgin Red to create the ultimate rewards credit card program for its members. This new program will offer an unparalleled experience for Virgin’s most loyal customers from application to purchase to rewards redemption.”
My thoughts:
Before I get to the upcoming card itself, I’d like to share an observation. In the promo image that features Sir Richard Branson and various execs, the oversized card they’re holding has a grey notch in the bottom, right corner. This notch happens to match that of Mastercard’s Touch Card, with this shape representing a credit card whereas as a debit card has a more rounded cutout. I’ve looked to see if Synchrony currently offers Touch Card for any of its products and was unable to confirm. It’s also unclear whether this will actually be a feature of the Virgin Red card when it launches since it’s not mentioned in the press release. Either way, it’s interesting to see this detail included in the promotion.
Climbing out of that rabbit hole, depending on the rewards categories, the Virgin Red Rewards card could be an interesting pick for travelers. That’s because not only can Virgin Points be useful for booking seats on Virgin Atlantic but can also be used toward flights on partner airlines, such as Delta. Therefore, I’ll be keeping an eye on this card when it launches later this year.
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