Virgin Atlantic charges the lowest number of points to fly in Upper Class from the US to London but their taxes/fees are extremely high.
For example, Virgin Atlantic charges only 47,500 points for a JFK-LHR Upper-Class flight but the taxes/fees are ~$876.
Book the Virgin Atlantic Outbound Flight with Flying Blue Miles
Booking the same Virgin Atlantic flight on Flying Blue costs 55-67K miles (points fluctuate based on the number of saver seats available) but only $180-240 in taxes/fees.
It is important NOT to screen for the required points by looking at the scrollable horizontal calendar bar (highlighted in the image above) in the top section of the Flying Blue search results. This bar shows accurate results only for KLM/Air France flights but NOT for the partner flights (Virgin and Air Europa). I recommend readers go to each calendar day and see if the partner award flights appear for low points.
Does Flying Blue Offer Similar Tax Savings on Inbound Flights from London to US?
Virgin Atlantic charges ~$745 USD in taxes for the inbound business class flights from LHR to US cities (see the image below).
Using Flying Blue miles to book the same flight will cost ~$513 USD in taxes, which saves ~$200 compared to booking with Virgin Atlantic.
Pros of using Flying Blue Points to Book Virgin Atlantic Flights
This is my default method to book Virgin Atlantic outbound flights from the US to London and it is useful if you are short on cash but have excess in credit card points.
Cons of using Flying Blue Points to Book Virgin Atlantic Flights
Not all the saver award seats you see on the Virgin Atlantic website are bookable with Flying Blue since Virgin Atlantic flying club offers expanded saver space for their own program redemptions.
Flying Blue has dynamic point requirements for partner flights, based on the location and the number of available saver awards. You will get the lowest point redemptions from major hubs (e.g., JFK, ORD) but the point requirement can be higher from smaller travel hubs (see the example below from Orlando).
Summary
Virgin Atlantic offers a phenomenal Upper-Class cabin design and one of the most comfortable ways to travel from the US to London.