Velocity Frequent Flyer: Ultimate guide to Virgin’s points program

With over 12 million members, Virgin Australia's Velocity Frequent Flyer program is one of Australia's largest airline programs. You can earn Velocity when flying with Virgin Australia or its partners and when making eligible purchases, including those made with a Velocity rewards credit card. You can then redeem those points for flights or upgrades, or use them for shopping or hotels.

How do you become a Velocity Frequent Flyer member?

You can become a member for free through the Velocity website in just a few minutes. You'll need to provide a few personal details, but no credit card details.

There are no age restrictions on who can join, but if you're younger than 18, you'll need a legal guardian's consent to join.

How you can earn Velocity Frequent Flyer points

Flights

Earn Velocity Points on eligible flights with both Virgin Australia and its airline partners, including:

• Air Canada
• Alitalia
• All Nippon Airways (ANA)
• Capital Airlines
• Delta Air Lines
• Etihad Airways
• Hainan Airlines
• Hong Kong Airlines
• Silk Air
• Singapore Airlines
• South African Airways
• Tianjin Airlines
• Virgin Atlantic

Earn rates will vary depending on the airline, class of ticket and your Velocity status.

Velocity Frequent Flyer credit cards

You can collect Velocity Points with per dollar spent or get bonus points if offered by your card's provider and you meet the required criteria. The criteria changes depending on the card, but may include a minimum spend in the first few months of getting the card.

There are two main card types to consider:

• Velocity co-branded credit cards. Earn Velocity Points directly from your credit card purchases. Currently, Virgin Money, American Express, Westpac and NAB are the only providers in Australia who offer direct-earn Velocity cards. Earn bonus Velocity points with a credit card.
• Indirect earn credit cards. If you don't have a Velocity co-branded credit card, you may be able to transfer your credit card rewards points to Velocity points.

Credit card transfer rates for Velocity

Bank	Points earned
American Express	If you don't have a Velocity American Express card, you can still earn Velocity Points on purchases. Ascent or Ascent Premium members can earn 1 Velocity Point per Membership Reward. If you're a Business Ascent member, you'll earn 3 Membership Reward points per 2 Velocity Points. You can also transfer 3 Membership Reward points for 2 Velocity Points.
ANZ Business Rewards	ANZ Business Rewards members can transfer 2 points for 1 Velocity Point.
Card Services	Card Services Gold and Platinum customers can exchange 2.5 Card Services Rewards points for 1 Velocity Point.
Bank of Queensland	Platinum credit card holders can transfer 3 Q Rewards points for 1 Velocity Point.
Westpac	You'll get 1 Velocity Point for 2 Altitude points if you're a Westpac customer.
Commonwealth Bank	If you're a CommBank Awards credit card customer, you can transfer 2.5 CommBank Award points for 1 Velocity Point. CommBank Platinum Awards and Diamond Awards customers will also receive 1 Velocity Point per 2 CommBank Award points.
St. George	You'll receive 1 Velocity Point per 2 Amplify Points you transfer from your St. George rewards account to your Velocity account.
Suncorp Bank	You can transfer 2.5 Suncorp Bank Rewards points for 1 Velocity Point.
BankSA	2 Amplify Points will get BankSA cardholders 1 Velocity Point.
Bank of Melbourne	BoM customers can transfer 2 Amplify Points for 1 Velocity Point.
American Express New Zealand	You can transfer 2 Membership Reward points for 1 Velocity Point.
ANZ	You can transfer 2 ANZ Reward points for 1 Velocity Point.
HSBC	Premier or Platinum credit card customers can exchange 2 HSBC Rewards Points for 1 Velocity Point.

Cars

Whether driving, parking, filling up or servicing a car, you can collect Velocity Points - as long as you know where to go.

• Fuel: You can earn 1-2 Velocity Points per litre of fuel and 2 points per $1 on eligible in-store spending at 7-Eleven. All you have to do is download the My 7-Eleven app, link your Velocity Frequent Flyer account and scan your Velocity membership card before you pay. You can even scan it from the My 7-Eleven app by going to "My Cards", or use your plastic or digital Velocity card instead.
• Car hire: Book with Hertz, Europcar or Thrifty and you can earn Velocity Points on eligible rentals, with earn rates and any caps varying by partner, location and booking type. You can also earn bonus points if you're a Silver, Gold or Platinum member.
• Car servicing: Book an appointment with Midas and you can earn up to 2 points per $1 spent on essential, extensive and logbook services at over 85 Midas Auto Service Expert centres across Australia.
• Parking: Earn 5 Velocity Points per $1 with Wilson Parking. Just visit the its website, enter your desired car park location and booking details, select Velocity under "Award Program" and enter your Velocity frequent flyer number.

Hotels and holidays

You can book just about every element of your travels to earn Velocity Points. Other than cars and flights, you can also earn points on your accommodation.

• Book with Velocity hotels: Book accommodation with eligible Velocity hotel partners to earn points, with the earn rate and availability varying by partner, property and offer. Plus, save up to 40% off hotels worldwide.
• Transfer points from other programs: Members of the Starwood Preferred Guest, Le Club AccorHotels, Choice Privileges, Hilton Honors, IHG Rewards and the Golden Circle hotel rewards programs can transfer their rewards to Velocity Points.
• Book a Virgin Australia Holiday: Book and create a holiday package with Virgin Australia Holidays and you can earn 3 points per $1 spent on flights, accommodation, tours and activities across Australia, New Zealand, Asia, the Pacific and North America.

How much are Velocity points worth?

The value of Velocity Points depends on how you redeem them. Flight redemptions can be worth 1.5 cents or more per point, while shopping is generally only worth 0.5 cents. We update our guide to the current value of Velocity Points every month to show current values.

How many Velocity points do I need for a free flight?

You can get a free Virgin Australia flight with as little as 5,900 points, plus applicable taxes. This is the starting fare for Tier 1 short-haul flights between cities Sydney and Gold Coast or Melbourne and Adelaide.

Redemption flights are calculated by distance in miles, so the longer your flight, the more points you'll need to redeem.

Can you use Velocity Frequent Flyer points to upgrade to business class?

Platinum status members receive a complimentary upgrade on up to 4 flights per year.

Don't fret; there is good news for those who haven't reached that stage yet. You can use your points to pay for the upgrade or bid for one.

• UpgradeMe Points: You can upgrade from economy to business class on most domestic routes from 10,000 Velocity Points (the points required varies by route and fare type).
• UpgradeMe Premium Bid: If your flight is eligible, you can nominate an amount you're willing to pay for an upgrade. You'll be notified as late as 3 hours before your flight if you've received the upgrade.

Can you buy extra Velocity points?

Yes. You can purchase extra Velocity Frequent Flyer points from $36 per 1,000 points.

You'll need to buy them in increments of 1,000 and can buy up to 250,000 per year. The more points you buy, the lower the per-point price will be.

Read our in-depth guide to buying Velocity points.

How do Velocity's status credits and status tiers work?

Velocity Frequent Flyer status tiers determine the benefits that come with your membership. You earn more points for flights and other activities as you reach a higher status. You'll also gain access to benefits with Virgin Australia and other Velocity partners, like lounge invitations. There are four membership tiers: Red, Silver, Gold and Platinum.

Unlike some other frequent flyer programs, this includes the ability to use points to upgrade international long-haul flights, which you can only do as a Gold or Platinum Velocity member.

Membership status is determined by the number of eligible sectors you fly in, the status credits you earn from flights and your spending at Flybuys partners. Some frequent flyer credit cards have sign-up offers that also give bonus status credits if you meet certain criteria.

To maintain a higher status, you need to earn a set number of status credits and fly in a set number of eligible sectors within a 12-month period.

Red Velocity status

You'll get the following benefits with your Red status:

• Seating preferences. Store your seating preferences for allocation on eligible flights.
• Advance seating. Select a seat at the time of your booking, after booking or at check-in.
• Use your points to upgrade on domestic and international short-haul flights. Available on domestic or international short-haul flights with Virgin Australia and Virgin Samoa.
• Access to Premium Valet service. Brisbane and Melbourne airports offer Velocity members Premium Valet services for a fee.
• Family pooling. You can choose to pool points and status credits with family members in 1 account to redeem rewards or reach a higher membership level faster.
• Member-only promotions. Access exclusive deals and sales with Virgin Australia and other program partners.

You'll earn Velocity points at the standard rate for flights and partner activity at the entry-level Red status. To maintain this status you'll need:

• Number of status credits required: None
• Number of eligible sectors to fly: None

Silver Velocity status

You'll get the following perks as a Silver member, in addition to all the benefits of Red members:

• Bonus points. Earn 50% more points with Virgin Australia, select partner airlines and other partners like Hertz, Europcar and Thrifty.
• Priority phone service. Skip the queue when you make an inquiry or manage your bookings by phone.
• Priority waitlist. Get priority over Red members if you're waitlisted for a flight.
• Priority international check-in. Access priority check-in for international flights with Virgin Australia.
• Virgin Australia lounge passes. Get 2 single-entry passes to the Virgin Australia lounge, plus discounted annual membership.
• Extra baggage allowance. Receive additional checked baggage allowance with Virgin Australia and selected international airline partners.
• Status benefits with airline partners. Enjoy similar status benefits with select international partners, including Delta, Etihad Airways and Singapore Airlines.
• Membership pause for parental leave. Pause your membership and expiry for 6 months when you're expecting a new baby or adopting a child.
• Personalised baggage tags. Receive a personalised Silver status bag tag.

You'll earn 50% more Velocity points than the standard rate for flights and select partner activity with your Silver status. To maintain this status you'll need:

• Number of status credits required: 250
• Number of eligible sectors to fly: None

Gold Velocity status

You'll get the following perks as a Gold member, in addition to all the benefits of Red and Silver members:

• Point bonus. You earn 75% more points than a Red member.
• International long-haul flight upgrades with points. Use your points for upgrades on Virgin Australia flights to Los Angeles and Abu Dhabi.
• Priority boarding. Board Virgin Australia flights at any time using the priority or business class lane.
• Premium lounge entry. Access premium entry services at select airports if you're travelling carry-on only.
• Premium Sydney valet. Access to a premium valet in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
• Melbourne lounge premium exit. Use a dedicated security service and get fast-track access to gates 1-10 if you're in the lounge.
• Priority screening. Access separate security screening lanes for domestic flights at select airports.
• Fly ahead: Access earlier flights to your destination on select domestic fares.
• Priority baggage. Your checked baggage will be prioritised on arrival carousels.
• Complimentary hotel partner membership. Get the equivalent membership level with either IHG Rewards Club or Hilton Honors.
• Complimentary car hire partner membership. Get the equivalent membership level with Europcar Privilege Program or Hertz Gold Plus Rewards.
• Global lounges. Access more than 150 partner airline lounges worldwide.
• Guaranteed economy reward seat. Redeemable for families of up to 4 when travelling on a domestic Virgin Australia flight.

You'll earn 75% more Velocity points than the standard rate for flights and select partner activity with your Gold status. To maintain this status you'll need:

• Number of status credits required: 500
• Number of eligible sectors to fly: 4

Platinum Velocity status

You'll get the following perks as a Platinum member, in addition to all the benefits of Red, Silver and Gold members:

• Point bonus. Earn double the points compared to the base rates.
• Complimentary upgrades. Get 4 upgrades per year on select domestic and short-haul flights.
• Priority economy seat purchase. Buy up to 2 "sold out" economy seats (full "Y" fare) on Virgin flights.
• Companion Gold or Platinum membership. Get a companion Gold membership if you earn 500 extra status credits, or Platinum if you earn an extra 1,000.

You'll earn double the Velocity points compared to the standard rate for flights and select partner activity with your Platinum status. To maintain this status you'll need:

• Number of status credits required: 1,000
• Number of eligible sectors to fly: 8

Can you transfer Velocity Frequent Flyer points?

Yes! You can transfer some credit card, hotel and supermarket points to your Velocity account.

Transferring credit card points to Velocity points

Bank	Points earned
American Express	Ascent or Ascent Premium members can earn 1 Velocity Point per 2 Membership Rewards. If you're a Business Ascent member, you'll earn 3 Membership Reward points per 2 Velocity Points. You can also transfer 3 Membership Reward points for 2 Velocity Points. You'll need a minimum of 2,000 points per transfer.
ANZ Business Rewards	ANZ Business Rewards members can transfer 2 points for 1 Velocity Point.
Card Services	Card Services Gold and Platinum customers can exchange 2.5 Card Services Rewards points for 1 Velocity Point.
Bank of Queensland	Platinum credit card holders can transfer 3 Q Rewards points for 1 Velocity Point.
Westpac	You'll get 1 Velocity Point for 3 Altitude points if you're a Westpac customer. You'll need a minimum transfer of 3,000 points with additional increments in multiples of 500 Altitude Points.
Commonwealth Bank	If you're a CommBank Awards credit card customer, you can transfer 2 CommBank Award points for 1 Velocity Point.
St. George	You'll receive 1 Velocity Point per 2 Amplify Points you transfer from your St. George rewards account to your Velocity account.
Suncorp Bank	You can transfer 2 Suncorp Credit Card Rewards Points for 1 Velocity Point.
Bank SA	2 Amplify Points will get BankSA cardholders 1 Velocity Point.
Bank of Melbourne	BoM customers can transfer 2 Amplify Points for 1 Velocity Point.
American Express New Zealand	You can transfer 2 Membership Reward points for 1 Velocity Point.
ANZ	You can transfer 2 ANZ Reward points for 1 Velocity Point.
HSBC	Premier or Platinum credit card customers can exchange 2 HSBC Rewards Points for 1 Velocity Point.

Transferring hotel points to Velocity points

Hotel loyalty program	Exchange rate	Transfer limits
ALL - Accor Live Limitless	1 ALL Point = 1 Velocity Point	A minimum of 4,000 ALL Reward points is required to convert to Velocity.
Marriott Bonvoy	3 Marriott Bonvoy Points = 1 Velocity Point	A minimum transfer of 4,000 Le Club AccorHotels Points per transaction.
Choice Privileges	2,000 Choice Privilegs Points = 800 Velocity Points	The minimum transfer amount is 2,000 Choice Privileges points per conversion.
Hilton Honors	10,000 Honors = 1,500 Velocity Points	A minimum of 10,000 Hilton Honors points is required to convert to Velocity.
IHG Rewards club	10,000 IHG Rewards Club = 2,000 Velocity Points	A minimum of 10,000 IHG Rewards Club points applies.
Shangri-La Golden Circle	1 Golden Circle Award = 1 Velocity Point	A minimum transfer amount of 2,500 GC Award Points, with subsequent 500 point increments.

Transferring supermarket points to Velocity points

Velocity members can transfer Flybuys points at a rate of 2 Flybuys points for every 1 Velocity Point.

Issues to watch for when earning Velocity Points

Airline loyalty vs lowest prices. You'll need to fly almost exclusively with Virgin or its partners to get the most out of your membership, which can mean paying more compared to other airlines for your fares.

Points expire. Earn or redeem points within a 24-month period to prevent your points from disappearing.

Get the most value from your redemptions. Some rewards, such as international flights, may offer higher value for money than others, so shop around.

Wait for a sale before booking. Virgin regularly offers flight sales with deals for bonus points or status credits. This can help you get to the next status tier or your next redemption quicker.

Look for credit card sign-up bonuses. Points-earning cards often come with a sign-up bonus if you meet a minimum-spend condition. If you're looking for a quick way to earn points and are in need of a new card, consider one with a higher bonus.

• Do Velocity points expire?

  Yes. Your points will expire after 24 months without earning or redeeming points. If it's getting close to that point, consider booking a flight or redeeming some points on a small purchase to extend their life.

• Does Velocity offer family points pooling?

  Yes. You can pool points together into 1 account for up to 6 people. You can have a maximum of 2 adults and 4 children under 18 living at the same address in 1 account.

  There does need to be a nominated "beneficiary" who can then redeem the rewards for flights or higher membership levels.

  If you're a Gold or Platinum member set up with family pooling, you can also take advantage of these benefits:

  • Gold: Guaranteed economy reward seats for an annual family trip and family-friendly lounge access
  • Platinum: Companion memberships for another person once you've reached the status credits threshold

• How can I claim missing Velocity Frequent Flyer points?

  If you didn't add your Velocity membership number to your flight booking, you can manage your booking online to include it. If you're travelling with an airline partner, you'll need to call that airline directly and ask to add your Velocity membership number to your booking.

  Allow 14 days for your points to hit your account after travelling. If they haven't appeared, you can submit a missing points claim in your Velocity account.

  If you're claiming points after the flight, you can claim them online within 6 months of travel. These claims can take 7 days to process for Virgin Australia flights or 4 to 6 weeks for partner airlines.