Checked September 29, 2026, in Rove's flight search (our own screen recording), against Google Flights and Rove's help center. Award prices change constantly, so treat every number as what we saw that night.
TL;DR
- Rove's flight search showed Virgin Atlantic's New York (JFK) to London Heathrow nonstop on Thursday, January 7, 2027, for 6,000 miles plus $161.50 in taxes and fees, in economy.
- The same flight cost $295 on Google Flights that night. Rove listed it at $830.33 in cash, but $295 was the lowest fare for that exact flight, and the Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, American and Delta nonstops from JFK to Heathrow that day were all $295.
- So the 6,000 miles replace $133.50, about 2.2 cents a mile. We value Virgin Atlantic points at 1.5 cents.
- Other points work too. Rove Miles move to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club one to one, and so do Chase, Amex, Citi, Capital One, Bilt and Wells Fargo points.
- New to Rove? Signing up through our link starts you with 1,000 Rove Miles, and some Rove hotel rates earn 30 Rove Miles per $1, so one hotel night can cover the rest of this flight's miles.
- The lowest prices can be hard to pin down. Rove's Munich tile said 4,500 miles, but no date we tried came close.
What we found
Rove's "from New York" page, September 29, 2026.
The same search for January 7, 2027.
| Flight on Thursday, January 7, 2027 | Miles in Rove | Taxes and fees | Cash on Google Flights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virgin Atlantic, JFK 6:00 PM to Heathrow 6:20 AM, nonstop | 6,000 | $161.50 | $295 |
| Virgin Atlantic, JFK 8:00 AM to Heathrow 8:10 PM, nonstop | 24,000 | not shown in the list | $295 |
Same airline, same day, same route: the morning flight took four times the miles. The low price was on one flight, not every flight that day.
Is it worth using miles?
The math that works for any award you find:
(cash price of the same flight − taxes and fees) ÷ miles = what each mile is worth
Here: ($295 − $161.50) ÷ 6,000 = about 2.2 cents a mile.
For comparison:
- We value Virgin Atlantic points at 1.5 cents, so this award comes out above that.
- Rove's own help center says booking directly with Rove Miles "typically ranges from 1.25 to 1.5 cents per mile." This transfer beats that range.
- The taxes and fees are more than half of the $295 cash fare. On a date when the cash fare is lower, the miles would be worth less; when it's higher, more.
Google Flights doesn't say which fare type the $295 is. What each ticket includes, a checked bag and a seat choice especially, is part of the comparison.
How the booking works
Rove calls this a Transfer Booking. In its words: "We show you the miles needed from the partner program. You'll be directed to confirm the seat availability with the airline. Then, you can transfer your Rove Miles to the partner program and complete your booking."
Three things to know:
- The ratio is one to one. Rove's help center: "All programs on Rove transfer at a 1:1 ratio besides ALL Accor." Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is on its partner list.
- Rove sends you to the airline to confirm the seat first. Award seats depend on availability and follow the partner program's rules.
- The $161.50 is what Rove showed. The final amount is whatever Virgin Atlantic charges when you book.
Other points that transfer to Virgin Atlantic
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club takes points from most of the big bank programs, all at one to one: Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou, Capital One, Bilt and Wells Fargo. What Rove added here was the search that surfaced the flight.
Why the "from" prices can disappear
Rove's explore page shows a "from" price for each city. Some of them were hard to find on an actual date:
- Munich showed "from 4.5K miles" plus $289 in taxes and fees. On the dates we tried, the lowest Munich flight in the results was 69,500 miles.
- London held up: the 6,000-mile flight was there on January 7.
A "from" price is the lowest Rove has seen, not a promise for your date. Searching the exact date is what tells you the real number.
Getting to 6,000 Rove Miles
Start with the sign-up. Signing up through our link starts you at 1,000 Rove Miles instead of the public 500, so you'd start 5,000 short of this flight rather than 6,000. Rove's help center ties referral bonuses to the new member earning 250 Rove Miles on Rove, which a hotel booking covers.
Then one hotel booking. Some Rove hotel rates earn 30 Rove Miles per $1, so 5,000 miles takes about $167 of room rate. When we checked in late August, one night at the ARIA in Las Vegas was $188 and earned 5,644 Rove Miles at 30x. With the 1,000 from signing up, that single night would have covered all 6,000 miles for this flight. The $161.50 in taxes and fees is still paid in cash.
When the miles arrive depends on the rate you book. In Rove's words:
- Non-refundable Rove Rate bookings "allow you to earn your miles immediately."
- Rove Rate bookings with free cancellation "will have miles that post the day after checkout."
- Loyalty Eligible stays take "upwards of eight weeks after your stay has been completed," because the hotel has to confirm your checkout first.
Two things to weigh:
- A regular Rove Rate follows third-party rules: no hotel points and no elite night credits. Only rooms marked Loyalty Eligible earn those as well as Rove Miles.
- The miles are only free if the price is the same. If Rove's price for a room is higher than the hotel's own, the difference is what the miles cost you.
Our guide to how Rove Miles work covers the rest of the earning side. Rove also runs transfer bonuses now and then, like its 40% bonus to Copa in September. Rove pays us miles when you join through our link: rewardsguru.club/go/rove.
Cover photo: a Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787-9 departing Heathrow by BWard 1997, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Related articles
- How to Find Flights You Can Actually Book With Your Points
- Alaska Now Lets You Choose How You Earn Status. Which of the Three Ways Should You Pick?
- Bilt Rent Day, October 1: Three Months of Hilton Diamond for Bilt Gold and Platinum, and Is the Transfer Worth It?
- Delta's SkyMiles Flash Sale Ends September 24: Round-Trip Awards From 12,800 Miles
Do this with your own numbers
- Transfer partners — every program, ratio and live transfer bonus, checked daily
- Purchase optimizer — run your own spending through the same numbers this article used