If you download the new Virgin Red rewards app, you can access a number of offers, including 20% off Virgin Trains East Coast advance tickets (plus free Wi-Fi for your journey) and 2for1 at Caffe Nero.
Officially, Virgin has released this app to reward people for being more ‘Virgin’. It says the more you interact with the offers and activities, the more offers you can unlock. However, you don’t need to be a Virgin customer to get these deals – anyone can download the free app and sign up.
We’ve picked out some of the top deals that anyone can get via the app right now.
20% off Virgin Trains East Coast advance tickets – one journey
Select this offer in the app (under ‘Editor’s Pick’), and you’ll be given a unique code for 20% off Virgin Trains East Coast advance tickets, and free Wi-Fi on your journey. It’s worth noting you can’t use the code with a railcard.
To get the discount, you’ll need to book your tickets on the Virgin Red app (not via the Virgin Trains East Coast website). The code is only valid on journeys on the Virgin Trains East Coast route (eg, London to Leeds/York/Edinburgh), so check your journey is eligible for the discount before you book.
You can only use the code on one journey, so if you’re planning more than one, make sure you use it on the most expensive one to max out the discount. You need to use the code by 31 Dec 2016, for travel 12 weeks ahead. A few dates are excluded: 26-29 Aug, 21-30 Oct and 17-31 Dec.
We compared prices for a number of journeys and couldn’t find tickets cheaper elsewhere, even before the discount. But always do your own checks before you buy. The free Wi-Fi will be added to your account once you’ve bought your ticket. To use it, you’ll need to log in to your Virgin Trains East Coast account on your journey.
MSE Update Wed 29 Jun, 4.31pm: We’ve heard reports that the Virgin Trains East Coast offer isn’t showing for people who had already downloaded the app before today. We’ve asked Virgin to confirm why this is, but it hasn’t got back to us yet. We’ll update you here when we know more.
The offer should be available for all new app users, but please let us know in the comments below if you have any other issues.
2for1 drinks at Caffe Nero
There are currently two Caffe Nero offers on the app. Select the ‘free hot drink for a friend’ offer, and you’ll get a discount code to show in Caffe Nero that gets you 2for1 on any-size flat white, caffe latte, cappuccino, espresso, macchiato, americano, hot chocolate or tea.
If you fancy something cold, select the ‘buy one get one free iced drink’ offer, which gets you 2for1 on any-size iced drink. These include Iced Coffee (classic frappe latte, mocha frappe latte), Iced Refreshment (mango and passionfruit), and Iced Indulgence (tiramisu, coffee and caramel, banana and caramel).
Virgin says you can use this offer as many times as you like. It doesn’t currently have an end date, and will be renewed on the app every two weeks (you’ll see a countdown at the bottom of the screen, but Virgin has assured us the offer will be re-added to the app each time it expires).
What else can I get via the app?
You can earn points for answering questions and submitting photos on the app. Once you’ve earned a certain number of points, you’ll be entered into competitions to win prizes such as 75,000 Virgin Flying Club Miles, cinema tickets, signed books and cases of wine.
There are other offers on the app, but not all of them are the best deals around. For example, you can get a 12-bottle case of wine for £60 via the app, but our blagged Virgin Wines deal gets you a 12-bottle case for £56. Always check whether you can get a better discount before you buy.
These are the deals currently available:
- Free brownie at Jamie’s Italian when you buy any main course
- 10% off Virgin Money home insurance
- 15% off a tour of Wimbledon for two people with Virgin Experience Days
- 15% off a three-course meal and champagne package for two at Gordon Ramsay’s Maze Grill with Virgin Experience Days
- 57% off a 12-bottle case of Virgin Wines (£59.88 was £140.88)
- 20% off Tens sunglasses
- 16% off everything at Ro Co
New offers will be added regularly, so keep an eye on the app and let us know in the comments below, or via Twitter, if you spot anything worth shouting about.
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