Velocity Status Credits are the key to earning Silver, Gold and Platinum status in the Velocity Frequent Flyer program. The main way to rack up these Status Credits is by flying on Virgin Australia and partner airlines.

At Gold, you start enjoying lounge access and priority airport perks with Virgin Australia and most partner airlines – certainly a useful benefit to aim for. Platinum ups the ante with free Economy X (extra legroom seats) and four Complimentary Upgrade Credits on Virgin Australia domestic and short-haul international flights.

Enjoying Virgin Australia Boeing 737-800 Business Class.

Need a reminder on how many Status Credits you need for each tier?

Here are the qualification tiers:

    • Silver: Earn 250 Status Credits (200 to renew) + 2 eligible flights.

    • Gold: Earn 500 Status Credits (400 to renew) + 4 eligible flights.

    • Platinum: Earn 1,000 Status Credits (800 to renew) + 8 eligible flights.

Sometimes, you might be able to enrol in ‘Discover Gold’, which grants you a three-month taster of Gold status. But best of all, you just need to earn 80 Velocity Status Credits within that period to keep Gold for another year.

To help you efficiently plan your future trips, here are the lowest-cost ways to earn Status Credits on Virgin Australia-operated flights – particularly when a double Status Credit offer is in play.

Want to learn more about Status Credits? Check out our video below:

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Domestic Business Class offers the best value

Virgin Australia domestic and short-haul Business Class offer a relatively high Status Credit earn rate, relative to the cost. The best deals are concentrated within the eastern states – flights to/from Perth are generally very expensive in comparison.

Tip: You’ll also earn more Status Credits if you fly indirectly, rather than non-stop. This is because you earn Status Credits for each flight you take, and in general, you’ll earn more from two connecting shorter flights than one longer one.

Virgin Australia’s Business fares start from about $349 one-way. That’s sometimes the exact same price as Economy Flex. If you see a price like that, take it! For $349, you can get 80 Status Credits one-way.

Here’s an example: flying non-stop from Melbourne to Gold Coast.

This Melbourne-Gold Coast non-stop flight offers 80 Status Credits in Business.

If you have the time and are happy to splash some more cash, flying Melbourne-Sydney-Gold Coast might be more fruitful. In Business, you’ll get 110 Status Credits instead.

The same concepts apply in Economy Class, too, it’s just you’ll earn fewer Status Credits per flight.

Here are a few of the best status run routes on Virgin Australia as of October 2023 (and based on prices through to 31 December 2023 for the October Double Status Credits offer). All prices and earn rates are in Business Class.

Note on the October 2023 Double Status Credits offer: this offer is valid for flights flown by 31 December 2023. Unfortunately, fares during this period are higher than usual. The table below has been updated to reflect the higher fares during this travel period.

Route (one-way)viaSample priceRegular SC earnDouble SC earnCost per SC (double SC)
Canberra - AdelaideSydney$521.51110220$2.37
Melbourne - CairnsBrisbane$849.48160320$2.65
Sydney - LauncestonMelbourne$639110220$2.90
Melbourne - Gold CoastSydney$639110220$2.90
Melbourne - Gold Coast(non-stop)$49980160$3.12
Sydney - Ballina(non-stop)38955110$3.54
Brisbane - MelbourneSydney$826.10110220$3.76
Melbourne - BaliAdelaide$1,564.95165330$4.44

Example costs to earn or maintain status (as of February 2023)

All of these examples are using a Double Status Credits offer and with the lowest Business fare available (as of February 2023) on each route. Where possible, I’ve mixed up the routes to show possibilities from different cities. All options can also be done in reverse (e.g. starting in Cairns, Canberra or Gold Coast rather than in Melbourne).

Note that this is theoretical – these prices may not be available for the dates you wish to book.

  • Retain Gold (400 SCs):

      • 1x Adelaide-Canberra return Business via Melbourne – 440 SCs, $833.34

      • Total cost: $833.34 for 440 SCs ($1.89 per SC)

  • Earn Gold (500 SCs):

      • 1x Sydney-Launceston return Business via Melbourne – 440 SCs, $888

      • 1x Sydney-Melbourne return (non-stop) Economy Choice – 60 SCs, $218

      • Total cost: $1,106 for 500 SCs ($2.21 per SC)

  • Retain Platinum (800 SCs):

      • 1x Melbourne-Gold Coast return Business via Sydney – 440 SCs, $974

      • 1x Melbourne-Gold Coast one-way Business via Sydney – 220 SCs, $487

      • 1x Gold Coast-Melbourne one-way Business (non-stop) – 160 SCs, $349

      • Total cost: $1,810 for 820 SCs ($2.21 per SC)

      • Or just do ‘Retain Gold’ twice: $1,666.68 for 880 SCs ($1.89 per SC)

  • Earn Platinum (1,000 SCs):

      • 1x Melbourne-Cairns return Business via Brisbane – 640 SCs, $1,513

      • 1x Melbourne-Gold Coast one-way Business via Sydney – 220 SCs, $487

      • 1x Gold Coast-Melbourne one-way Business (non-stop) – 160 SCs, $349

      • Total cost: $2,349 for 1,020 SCs ($2.30 per SC)

      • Or just do ‘Earn Gold’ twice: $2,212 for 1,000 SCs ($2.21 per SC)

Summing up

If you are looking for Velocity status and have some cash on hand, then the routes above could be good ones to research. Not only do you get to fly Business Class in all the examples, but you’ll also be pocketing Status Credits at some of the lowest rates possible.

If you need to check how many Status Credits a flight earns, check the Virgin Australia website. At least for domestic flights, the booking page will show you when you choose a flight. Otherwise, work out the distance of the flight (in miles) and cross-check it against the Status Credits earn table.

This guide focuses on Virgin Australia flights, but you can also pocket many Status Credits from partner airlines. The Velocity website explains how many Status Credits you can earn with partners such as United, Singapore Airlines, Etihad, Air Canada and Qatar Airways.

Don’t forget to check for any current double Status Credits promotions – be sure to book and travel within the promotion periods so you don’t miss out.

Do you have any better routes? Let us know in the comments, and we’ll add them to the table.

Maximize your Velocity Status Credits with these flights was last modified: December 4th, 2023 by Brandon Loo