Yonder Full Credit Card vs Virgin Atlantic Rewards card

At a glance: Virgin Atlantic vs Yonder

There are three cards in this fight:

‍Virgin Atlantic Reward Credit Card — the free one from Virgin Money. Earns Virgin Points, no annual fee, designed for casual Virgin Atlantic flyers.

‍Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Credit Card — the £160-a-year version with a bigger welcome bonus, double the earn rate, and a lower spend threshold to unlock the annual reward voucher.

Yonder Full Credit Card — our £15-a-month membership card with 5x points on everything, worldwide travel insurance, no FX fees, and points you can use on any flight with any airline.We've also tucked in our Free Credit Card for completeness, because it's the natural "no annual fee" alternative to the Virgin Atlantic Reward card.

Points per £1 spent

Starting with the points you earn per £1 spent, Yonder cardmembers with the Free Credit Card earn 1 point per £1 on all purchases, with up to 5 points per £1 on selected Experiences. As for those on Yonder’s Full Credit Card, cardmembers earn 5 points on all purchases and up to a whopping 25 points per £1 on selected Experiences.

On the other hand, Amex Gold cardholders earn 1 point per £1 spent on everyday purchases, 2 points for every £1 on purchases made with airline partners, and 3 points for every £1 spent on Amex Travel. Amex BA cardholders can also expect to earn 1 Avios — the British Airways Club point system — per £1.

Sign-up and welcome points bonuses

Spending isn’t the only way cardmembers can earn points. Amex Gold offers cardholders 20,000 Amex points for joining, but only if members spend £3,000 in the first 3 months of membership. From there, cardholders can earn 5,000 bonus Membership Rewards points on every £10,000 spent, up to 10,000 bonus points per year. Accurate as of 26 May 2026.

On the other hand, Yonder’s Full Credit card offers users up to 10,000 welcome points with a minimum spend of £1,000 (in the first 30 days).

Referring a friend

Amex Gold cardholders can expect to earn 9,000 Membership Rewards points for every friend they refer, with a maximum of 90,000 points up for grabs.

As for Yonder users, cardholders earn up to 10,000 points for every friend referred (depending on the card they choose), with no limit to the number of friends you can refer. Accurate as of 26 May 2026.

Using points to book flights

If you’ve got your sights set on the skyline, Yonder’s Full Credit card users can use their points to book any flight with any airline, as long as the transaction is made directly with the airline and not through a third party.

Amex Gold cardholders can also use their points to book flights, with one of their 12 airline transfer partners. Avios earned on the BA Amex are credited to your British Airways Club account and can also be redeemed on Avios partner airlines (Iberia, Aer Lingus, Qatar, American Airlines, etc.)

While members with Yonder’s free membership and Amex Everyday Cashback cardholders can’t use points to pay for flights, both cardholders can still earn points on every £1 spent booking their flight.

Overseas spending

If you’ve used your Yonder points to book your next holiday abroad, take your card with you — you won’t be charged for using your card abroad.

Amex cardholders, however, are charged 2.99% on every transaction made internationally.

Travel insurance

Sometimes things don’t go according to plan, but the right card can take the sting out of your setback.

Amex Gold cardholders can claim up to £250,000 in Travel Accident Insurance and up to £200 in Inconvenience Insurance, anywhere in the world. As for BA Amex cardholders, travellers can receive up to £75,000 cover on public transport tickets purchased with their American Express card, but only in selected countries.

Yonder Full Credit Card cardholders, however, are covered for almost any crisis. Powered by Lloyds, Yonder’s worldwide family travel insurance is worth up to £275 a year and covers cardholders on up to £500,000 in Personal Liability Insurance, £7,500 on cancelled flights, £1,000 on lost and stolen baggage and £1,000,000 on medical expenses, plus winter sports and car excess cover anywhere in the world.

Global acceptance

Both Amex, Visa and Mastercard are accepted in over 150 million merchant locations globally, spanning 200 countries and territories. Whilst many smaller, independent stores may still not accept American Express cards, Yonder is part of the Mastercard network, so if you can use a Mastercard to make a payment, you can use a Yonder card, too.

Dining & lifestyle rewards

If you’re an Amex Gold cardholder and fancy a cosy night in, your rewards credit card can get you £5 back on eligible Deliveroo deliveries on takeouts twice a month. Rewards for cardmembers include access to exclusive events hosted across the year. However, these events are restricted to a set time and location, meaning if you’re not in the right place at the right time, you’ll be missing out.

Yonder rewards, however, are our bread and butter. Yonder points can be used at any time on a range of experiences across the country, with cardholders able to choose from fitness classes, on stage performances, dining experiences and more depending on their location. Our online offerings are available UK-wide, with at-home experiences available for Yonder customers anywhere in the country.

Experiences as rewards is Yonder's home turf. We hand-pick 300+ partners like restaurants, bars, fitness studios, wellness brands, theatre, getaways.A few examples from the current and recent catalogue include StayÖÖD, Freddie’s Flowers, Kricket, Healf, BAO, Unplugged, Frive, Ancient + Brave, Wahaca – to name but a few. The list goes on, including Yonder Tickets and Yonder Hotels.

Membership fees

Both Yonder and Amex offer credit cards for no annual fee, but for premium members who want our Full Credit Card, Yonder’ offer of £160 a year — or £15 a month — beats out the £195 price tag that comes with an Amex Gold card.