Cookie policy
We use cookies and similar technologies, such as tags, web beacons, pixels and for mobile apps - software development kits which are known as SDK's to improve your experience on the Website and mobile app, and to recommend content that may be of interest to you. When we talk about cookies in this policy, we are referring to all of these technologies. You can find out more below about what cookies are, the cookies we use and how to switch them off. You can decide which cookies to accept in accordance with this policy and how you can go about deciding which cookies you're happy to accept by adjusting the options on the banner that appears on Virgin.com or by clicking here, then clicking ‘Save and close’.
To change your choices in the app please visit the settings page
We will only deploy strictly necessary cookies until you have made your choices in relation to which cookies you choose to allow.
What are cookies?
A cookie is a text file containing a unique identifier which is downloaded to your device when you access a website or mobile app. The text file is then sent back to our server each time your browser requests a page from the server. This enables us to operate the Website or mobile app more effectively so that it reflects your personal preferences, based on your previous browsing on the Website or mobile app as well as keywords we may be able to gather from URLs of other webpages or apps from which you accessed the Website or mobile app. Cookies can also allow us to do various other things, as explained below.
Cookies can be used for the duration of your visit or they can be set to last longer so we can measure how you interact with us over time.
Cookies help us to provide you with important features and functionality, and to ensure you get great customer service. We also use cookies to keep our business secure by detecting fraudulent activity and to help prevent security breaches What cookies do we use?
When you visit the Website or mobile app and consent to cookies, the following types of cookies may be downloaded to your device:
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These are cookies that are required for the administration and operation of the Website or mobile app. Some cookies that we use are necessary for the Website or mobile app to function properly and to enable you to move around the Website or mobile app and use its features.
Functional Cookies (Useful Features)
We may use functional cookies that allow us to remember choices you have made on the Website or mobile app so as to provide you with a more enhanced user experience by delivering content specific to your interests. We may also use cookies to embed certain social posts on the Website or mobile app.
Analytical and Performance Cookies (Visit Tracking)
We may use analytics service providers for website traffic analysis and reporting. Analytics service providers generate statistical and other information about the use of the Website or mobile app by using cookies. They allow us to recognise and count the number of visitors and to see how often visitors return to the Website or mobile app, how long they stay and how visitors move around the Website when they are using it. This helps us to improve the way the Website or mobile app works, for example, it helps users to find what they are looking for easily. The information generated relating to the Website or mobile app may be used to create reports about the use of the site and the analytics service provider will store this information.
Third party and Advertising Cookies
These cookies record your visit to the Website or mobile app, the pages you have visited and the links you have followed to other sites or apps. We will use this information to try and make the Website and mobile app (and other sites or apps that you visit) more relevant to your interests. We may also share this information with others, such as other Virgin entities and carefully selected third parties, for this purpose. We work with technology partners to support the Website and mobile app and to provide you with relevant information about the products and services of other Virgin entities and partners associated with Virgin Red both on the Website or mobile app and on affiliated sites an apps or sites and apps within the advertising networks we work with. We may use cookies on the Website to help us to place relevant advertising on third party websites when you visit those sites. Placing advertising on third party sites helps us to fund the best offers for the Virgin Red programme. If you are not happy for us to do this, please see the section of this policy titled “How do I turn cookies off?” below.
Do we use any third-party cookies?
Because the Virgin Group and Richard Branson have a strong presence on various social networks, we try to make it as easy as possible to share content and to see what content is popular on those networks. We add buttons to allow people to easily share to those networks. When we include these social 'plugins', it gives those sites the flexibility to use their own cookies. They can't read any cookies we set from the Website, and we can't read any cookies they set, but it lets them do the same kind of traffic measuring that we do on the rest of the Website (and it also lets them know whether you're logged into their site).
Other sites and services (including, for example, advertising networks, providers of external services like web traffic analysis services and content recommendation engines) may also use cookies, over which we have no control. These cookies are likely to be analytical and performance cookies or advertising and targeting cookies and we use these to improve your experience on the Website.
The following third parties may use cookies:
Facebook
LinkedIn
Twitter
YouTube
Google
Instagram
Spotify
How do I turn cookies off?
If you do not wish us to download cookies or you don’t agree with how we use these cookies, you can change the settings on the Website by adjusting the options on the banner that appears on the Website or by clicking here, then clicking ‘Save and close’. You can also change the settings on your internet browser to reject cookies.
If you wish to turn cookies off on the mobile app you can do so by visiting the settings page on the mobile app. You can also change the settings on your mobile device
For more information, please consult the ‘Help’ section of your browser or visit aboutcookies.org/managing-cookies or, allaboutcookies.org which will also provide guidance or how to remove cookies that have already been deployed to your browser. Please note that if you do set your browser to reject all cookies (including strictly necessary cookies), you may not be able to use all of the features on our site.
You can find more information about the individual cookies we use and the purposes for which we use them in the tables below:
Website Cookies
Google Analytics Cookies: Analytical and Performance Cookies
Used for serving and recording clicks for certain links on the website.
YouTube Cookies: Functional Cookies
Used for embedding videos onto the website.
Facebook: Marketing & Advertising Cookies, Strictly Necessary Cookies
We use Facebook to embed content such as video and posts onto the website. We also use Facebook to advertise to you based on your website history.
Instagram Cookies: Marketing & Advertising Cookies, Strictly Necessary Cookies
We use Instagram to embed content such as video and posts onto the website. We also use Instagram to advertise to you based on your website history.
LinkedIn Cookies: Marketing & Advertising Cookies, Strictly Necessary Cookies
We use LinkedIn to embed content such as video and posts onto the website. We also use Linkedin to advertise to you based on your website history.
Twitter Cookies: Marketing & Advertising Cookies, Strictly Necessary Cookies
We use Twitter to embed content such as video and posts onto the website. We also use Twitter to advertise to you based on your website history.
Spotify Cookies: Strictly Necessary Cookies
We use Spotify to embed content onto the website.
Affiliate Reporting Cookies: Analytics and Performance Cookies
We use these cookies to help us report on the success of our affiliate marketing campaigns.
Virgin.com: Strictly Necessary Cookies, Functional Cookies
These cookies are used to make the site function properly and store your cookie preferences.
Virgin Red App Cookies
If you are a member of Virgin Red, please see the Virgin Red Privacy Policy for further details about how the Virgin Red app uses cookies