With two more days left of Velocity’s solid 30% off Reward Seats promotion, I thought it would be useful to showcase some ways to get the most value out of the Velocity points you’ve been building up.
1. Fly Virgin Australia A330 Business Class between Sydney/Melbourne and Perth for 24,800 points one-way (usually 35,500)
This is an excellent redemption that enjoys quite good award availability. You’ll get a lie-flat seat with direct aisle access for the 4-5 hour journey across the continent.
Plus, you’ll enjoy access to the Virgin Australia lounges in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, which we’ve given all a four-star rating.
You may see 28,300 as the bigger number above but that is if you use points to cover the taxes and fees, which does not represent good value—it’s best to pay the taxes and fees in cash unless you’re really points-rich and just want to get rid of your points.
2. Fly Virgin Australia 777 Premium Economy between the East Coast and LA for 50,100 points one-way (usually 71,700)
I really enjoyed my flight from Sydney to LA in this cabin.
It’s really hard to find Business Class award seats on direct Australia-US flights and Economy can be gruelling for the 13-15 hour flight across The Pacific, so I think Premium Economy is a good balance.
You’ll get superb food and a comfortable seat but the service and inflight entertainment screens are a step down from Business Class.
3. Fly Delta First Class within North America
Delta generally has the best reputation of the three major US airlines (the others being American Airlines and United).
Per capita, US travellers don’t enjoy the same amount of airline options as Europeans or Australians do, meaning that domestic travel can be surprisingly expensive.
However, for 24,800 Velocity points (usually 35,500), you could fly between LA and New Orleans, or New York and Las Vegas, in a recliner seat similar to what we have here in Australia on Qantas and Virgin Australia’s 737s.
Taxes on US domestic flights are really low, at just $5.60 USD per segment. That goes for all airlines.
Just note you won’t get access to Delta’s Sky Club lounges unless you hold Velocity elite status—just being a First Class passenger doesn’t cut it.
Note: ‘First Class’ on US domestic flights is really the equivalent of Business Class in Australia.
4. Fly between North America and Europe with Virgin Atlantic, Delta or Alitalia
For just 34,560 Velocity points (down from 49,500), you can fly between New York or Boston and London in a lie-flat seat.
Most flights from the US to Europe are red-eyes, so you may choose to maximise sleep onboard by dining beforehand in the excellent Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at New York JFK, San Francisco, Boston or LA.
You can also access the arrivals lounge in London Heathrow for a hot shower and full English breakfast.
Just note that the taxes departing London are higher than if you depart from elsewhere in Europe, so you may want to fly into London and leave from another airport like Rome or Barcelona. Flying into London isn’t any more expensive, though.
5. Book short Virgin Australia domestic flights for 5,460 points in Economy (usually 7,800)
If you wanted to fly a family of four from Sydney to Brisbane, Melbourne to Hobart, or Canberra to the Gold Coast, you’d usually be forking out 62,400 Velocity points for the return trip.
With this promotion, you’ll save almost 20,000 Velocity points, which can be put towards your next family trip!
Plus, the good thing about flying a full-service carrier like Virgin Australia or Qantas over a low-cost airline like Jetstar or Tiger is that you won’t have to pay checked baggage fees, which can really add up for families.
You’ll get a checked baggage allowance included on your Virgin Australia flight
Summing up
With a number of credit card transfer partners, it isn’t too difficult to build up your Velocity points balance to take advantage of one of these great redemptions.
Supplementary images courtesy respective airlines.
Looking for more inspiration for how to spend your hard-earned frequent flyer points?
Here is a comprehensive list of all of our Best Uses of Points guides. There may be some overlap but each guide has its own twist.
Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Best uses of Qantas Points
- ‘Ultimate’ uses of Qantas Points
- Best uses of 60,000 Qantas Points
- Best uses of 75,000 Qantas Points
- Best uses of 100,000 Qantas Points
- Best uses of 150,000 Qantas Points
- When it makes sense to use your Qantas Points for domestic travel in Economy (and when it doesn’t)
- Best uses of Qantas Points from the East Coast
- Best uses of Qantas Points from Perth
- Reader responses: what is the best use of Qantas Points?
- Seven of the cheapest Qantas Points redemptions for luxurious Emirates flights
- The cheapest ways to fly Cathay Pacific First Class with Qantas Points
Velocity Frequent Flyer
- Best uses of Velocity Points
- Best uses of 40,000 Velocity Points
- Best uses of 80,000 Velocity Points
- Best uses of 100,000 Velocity Points
- Five flight redemptions that maximise your Velocity points balance
American Express Membership Rewards
Cathay
KrisFlyer
Etihad Guest
- Best uses of Etihad Guest miles
- Etihad Guest vs Velocity for Virgin Australia flights comparison guide
I have never seen one.