How We Earned 770 Points in One Evening, and saved ourselves £200: A Reward-Lovers Night at the Theatre
- Helena
- Jun 14
- 4 min read
Hello. My name is Sister Helena, and I would like to share with you the most amazing story... to paraphrase The Book of Mormon lyrics, which we went to see last week.
Whilst we try hard here at Points Well Made not to use click-baity titles, this one is genuinely true.
In just one evening, we racked up 626 Virgin Red Points and 144 American Express Membership Rewards Points, all while enjoying dinner and a show in London’s West End.
Let’s walk through how we turned a simple night out into a points-packed adventure.
Scoring Theatre Tickets for a Fraction of the Price
It’s not every week that Sam and I treat ourselves to the theatre, but when he spotted two tickets to The Book of Mormon for just £25 each (down from the usual £70), we jumped on it. Seats at that price for a West End show? We'll take them!
Booking Travel the Rewarding Way
Our trip started with a train booking through the Virgin Trains Ticketing App, which earned us 402 Virgin Red Points right off the bat due to their double points offer. We paid with the Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Credit Card, which gives 1.5 points per £1 spent, netting us an additional 100 points just for booking the journey.
A quick grab of Coke Zeros for the train we also did some plane spotting around Clapham Junction as it's under one of the Heathrow Flight Paths.
Maximising the American Express Platinum Dining Credit
Dinner before the show? Of course. We headed to Covent Garden, one of my favourite parts of London, and used our American Express Platinum Dining Credit at SushiSamba, a stylish restaurant blending Japanese, Brazilian, and Peruvian cuisine.
Here’s how the Amex Dining Credit works:
If you hold an Amex Platinum card, you receive £400 annual dining credit—spliting the year in half into two £200 credits.
One £200 credit can be used between 1st January and 30th June, £100 at UK-based restaurants and £100 abroad, and the other £200 can be used between 1st July and 31st December.
Use it or lose it, so once the window closes, any unused credit disappears.
Having already used the international portion of my dining credit in New York back in May, this was a great opportunity to redeem the UK half. There is a fantastic portal listing all the participating restaurants (click here) and there are some really good ones out there.
SushiSamba was fantastic. The menus were extensive, boarding on overwhelming, but it was all utterly delicious.
When it comes to paying when using the Dining Credit all you have to do is pay with the main account holders Platinum Card and anything up to £100 is credited back to you. We spent £144, so £100 was covered by Amex, and we got 144 points because we paid with it.
Drinks, Laughs, and More Points at the Theatre
We made our way to the Prince of Wales Theatre for The Book of Mormon, where the tickets remained a steal at £25 each. We also enjoyed drinks before and during the show and since we paid for everything with our Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Credit Card, we earned 111 points.
One Last Journey, One Last Boost
After laughing the whole way through The Book of Mormon it was time to head home. We hopped on the Tube back to Waterloo, which, believe it or not, earned us 9 more Virgin Points. It may sound like a tiny number, but every point counts.
Is Earning 770 Points In One Evening Worth It?
I know what you are thinking. Is earning 770 points in one evening actually worth it? It’s easy to think that earning just a few points here and there isn’t worth the effort. But the truth is, they add up. Especially when you're strategic about how you earn them.
From a night that included travel, fine dining, a show, and a couple of drinks, we walked away with:
626 Virgin Red Points
144 Amex Membership Rewards Points
A fantastic memory of an incredible show
And a lovely dinner, largely covered by a credit we already had
All in all we saved £200 on the whole experience, plus had a brilliant time.
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re new to the world of points or a seasoned miles collector, it’s these everyday opportunities that make a difference. With a little planning and the right cards in your wallet, you can turn a regular evening into a rewarding experience, quite literally.
If you're looking to maximise your Virgin Points, make the most of your Amex benefits, or just want smarter ways to earn while living your best life, stay tuned. There's more where this came from.
Helena
Points Well Made is a passion project of Sam and Helena with a loyal following. If you like what we do, and wish to help us continue to create the content you love, please consider buying us a Kofi, or subscribing monthly. Your help is greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Comments