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Virgin Red, they Loyalty App for all the Virgin brands, brings out somewhat of a mixed reaction amongst points-savvy and frequent travellers. Some love it! Others just don’t get it. Those in the latter camp may be missing something, especially with the competition running this month for a luxury holiday to Richard Branson’s place in Morocco! But more on that in our second post over here…

For now, for those who aren’t yet hooked but travel a bit, what do you need to know about Virgin Red, and how can you make the most of it?

Virgin Red is somewhat unusual amongst both Apps and Loyalty Programs, as it isn’t for just one company. Instead, it’s for all the Virgin group of Companies, from large to small, and also including quite a number of startups where Virgin and/or Richard Branson have taken a stake. That’s a lot of companies to have one loyalty app!

Second, somewhat confusingly – what’s this whole loyalty app about? The idea is to expose you, the willing consumer, to more about the various Virgin companies. But why would you want to? Because they give you discounts and free stuff in return? Really – yes! I can personally confirm I’ve got loads of free stuff from Virgin Red, as have various family members I’ve talked into using the app too

How does it work then? Well, first you need to download the Virgin Red App for Android or Apple iOS. Next, setup an account, and tell it about the various Virgin group companies you already use / spend money with / are a customer of / like / etc. Then, every day, take about a minute to fire up the app.

When you log in, you’ll see a number of offers at the bottom from Virgin group companies. This might be free wifi on Virgin Trains, or might be a discount on their trains. It might be a competition to win a book, or an album, or tickets to one of their events. Scroll through, and claim any that help.

With that done, turn your attention to the bigger upper section. You’ll earn points (more on them later) from doing various quick activities each day. There’s always a This or That, a quick 3 questions, which might be a fun quiz, or might be speedy market research from one of the Virgin companies. Most weeks, there’s a photo or short writing challenge. A few times a week, there’s a quick quiz (3-4 questions) on something fun or one of their companies, normally takes a minute to find the answers.

All in all, you probably only need to dedicate 1-2 minutes most days to complete the various bits and get your points.

But what about these points? Well, as the saying goes, Points Mean Prizes!

Huh? Well, personally, I’ve ended up with a few books, several bottles of wine, some ice cream, lots of discounted coffee, a few free coffees, and more importantly… some Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles

Every month, you earn points with the app. You get 250 points for each of the Virgin companies you’re confirmed with, such as Virgin Atlantic or Virgin Trains. Then, as you do the quizes and enter competitions, you earn more points. These unlock Vaults, which sometimes win you free stuff straight away (eg 2-for-1 Caffe Nero coffee), or more commonly enter you into competitions to win stuff.

As the month progresses, you get more points, so unlock more vaults. That means more prizes you can enter to win, and sometimes more things you can get for free outright if you’re quick enough, eg their “first 100 / 500 / 1000 people to unlock this” offers. You don’t have to be very dedicated or organised to get these, which is good news!

Beyond the 2-for-1 coffee, downloading and installing the Virgin Red app on your phone or tablet won’t automatically get you anything. But, with a few minutes most days, you stand a good chance of getting some traveller-useful free stuff from it!

Oh, and if you do sign up, the code WQ7XYD will get us both some bonus points the month you join.

Otherwise, head over to this point for a points + traveller take on the July special Virgin Red “Keys to the Kasbah” promotion