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Our story so far

Below are the key milestones, year by year, in the history of Virgin Money. We've started at the top with the big events so far this year, but if you'd rather begin at the beginning, simply scroll down to 1995 - the year Virgin launched into financial services.


2006

JuneSir Richard Branson launches the Virgin Money Credit Card in South Africa
JanuaryBig V cancer cover characterVirgin Life Cover reinvented
We relaunch Virgin Life Cover with terminal illness cover included and our lowest premiums ever.

1st in the UK with Virgin Cancer Cover
We take on the big ‘C’ with the ground-breaking big ‘V’ – Virgin Cancer Cover – teaming up with our charity partners Everyman.

Click here to watch the big V cancer cover advert

2005

December
'Say Yes' credit card advert still shot
New TV ad for the Virgin Credit Card
A national campaign starring Nick Jones as a man whose life gets more interesting when he says ‘yes’.


Click here to watch the credit card say yes advert

AugustGuaranteed Equity Bond launched
A stonking offer of 130% of any growth in the FTSE 100 or your money back.
MarchOur 10th birthday
Virgin Money celebrates 10 years of knocking the stuffing out of the big boys in financial services.
January
Still shot from the general insurance television advert
TV campaign launched for Car and Home Insurance
'Don't punish yourself' is the theme as Virgin Money don't charge customers extra for paying monthly.


Click here to watch the general insurance bandit advert



Click here to watch the general insurance lobster advert

2004

NovemberVirgin Money wins the Interactive Marketing and Advertising award for Best Finance Advertising
MayVirgin launches Car, Home, Travel and Pet insurancePromotional picture of Richard and ladies sitting on the bonnet of a car for the launch of Virgin Car insurance
"There's nothing we love more at Virgin than improving the customer's lot. With our new insurance products, not only will they save money on their premiums, but they won't get charged for paying monthly either", says Richard Branson.
AprilRichard Branson takes 100% ownership of Virgin Money
As a signal of our ambition and Richard's belief in the company, he invests £90 million to buy out our other 50% shareholder, bringing full ownership of Virgin Money into the Virgin fold.

2003

SeptemberVirgin Money welcome our millionth customer worldwide!
MayVirgin Money goes global
The Virgin Money Australia credit cardsLaunch of the Virgin Credit Card in Australia begins our plans to roll out our successful UK model around the world. The ‘Oz’ card with its radical new clipped corner, bright colour range, low interest rates and ‘mates’ rewards, is a big hit with Oz customers who’ve been getting a raw credit card deal from their banks for years.
January

200,000 credit card customers reached
The Virgin Credit Card becomes one of the fastest growing cards in the UK.


2002

JulyVirgin Money grabs more awards
Virgin win 'Best Pension Provider' at both The Guardian and Your Money Awards. 
JuneThe Virgin Credit Card becomes an industry 'Best Buy'
"The Virgin Card is a regular feature in the best buy tables". Moneyfacts
MayVirgin launches personal loan
FebruaryVirgin Direct and virginmoney.com merge to become Virgin Money
JanuaryLaunch of the Virgin Credit CardRichard Branson with the Virgin Credit Cards fanned out between his fingers
"UK customers have long been made to feel grateful just to be offered a credit card by their bank and it's high time people were given a better deal." Richard Branson

2001

June

virginlifeinsurance.com launched
Customers can now get cover online in just 10 minutes without all the paperwork.

Virgin shines at the Guardian Consumer Finance awards
We scoop Best Pension and Overall Best Customer Service.

AprilStakeholder pension launched
Virgin is the only company in the UK to get the green light to automatically turn our existing pension into a Stakeholder, because it already meets all the standards. 

2000

June

virginmoney.com launched
One of the pioneer online supermarkets letting customers shop around for great value on financial products like ISAs, unit trusts, mortgages and life insurance.

Virgin judged Call Centre of the Year for third year running

MayVirgin enters the workplace
Our Group Personal Pension is the blueprint for the Government's Stakeholder launch in 2001.
AprilMore gongs at the Your Money Direct awards
Your Money Direct voted us 'Best direct ISA and pension provider', as well as 'Best Internet life insurance provider'.
MarchOn our fifth birthday we reach 1/3 million customers, insuring peoples lives to the tume of £2 billion.
JanuaryVirgin calls on FSA to beef up risk wordings in the small print
Two years later the Government sponsored 'Sandler Review of long-term saving' is released, reaching the same conclusion.

1999

SeptemberService excellence recognisedUnisys logo
Virgin wins prestigious Management Today/Unisys Service Excellence Award. 
AprilVirgin launches a range of ISAs championing CAT standards
JanuaryBranson's guide to PEPs, TESSAs and ISAs
To help consumers through the ISA minefield. Virgin launches 'Branson's guide to PEPs, TESSAs and ISAs'.

1998

DecemberVirgin leads the way on pensions
We welcome government plans to 'benchmark' pensions, paving the way for Stakeholder.
NovemberVirgin launches deposit account
SeptemberVirgin fights for standards
Virgin (and 10,000 of our customers) lobby parliament to get high standards 'kitemarked'.
JuneCall Centre of the YearBPS Teleperformance logo
Awarded by BPS Teleperformance. Based on 54,000 mystery shop calls to 2,000 companies;

1997

OctoberVirgin launches the revolutionary One account
AugustVirgin hits £1 billion funds under management and 200,000 investors
MayPlain Language AwardVirgin's pension pack wins top award from the Plain Language Commission
FebruaryVirgin lobbies Government
Virgin is the first company to pledge not to ask life insurance applicants for the results of any genetic tests. After a four year campaign by Virgin the Government force other companies to do likewise.

1996

NovemberRichard puts a rocket up the pension industry
The Virgin Personal Pension is launched, years ahead of its time, challenging the cost and complexity of the average pension, which has five or more different charges.
MayVirgin launches life insurance
"People ask me why we're getting into the murky world of life insurance. Everyone hates it, all the salesmen seem too unscrupulous, barging into your home and taking a secret commission. It's a terrible industry. Exactly. That's why Virgin can make a difference." Richard Branson
FebruaryVirgin Direct's first TV advert
The opening scene shows a mystery man getting out of his car clutching a bundle of papers. In true Roger Cook fashion, the voice-over explains how last year this man convinced 30,000 people to part with their cash, promising to help them avoid the taxman while taking no commission himself. In the final frame the camera reveals that the culprit is in fact... Richard Branson.

1995

NovemberVirgin slams banks and building societies
We launch a major advertising campaign to 'name and shame' banks and building societies that dupe savers over interest rates. They try to silence us by threatening court action.
OctoberIncome PEP launched
Virgin launches the cheapest income PEP on the market and challenges everyone to match our high standards.
April£42m invested in first month 
MarchDiscovery House - Virgin Money head officeVirgin Direct opens for business
Virgin pioneers index tracking by launching the best value PEP in the market. Over 4,000 calls received on opening day.