Velocity Frequent Flyer is Virgin Australia’s official loyalty program which has over 10 million members.
The Velocity Frequent Flyer program allows you to easily earn points through many avenues, including credit cards, flights, insurance, fuel, accommodation, shopping and more.
The loyalty program also offers bonus point promotions which are useful for those who live in Australia and fly on Virgin Australia and its partner airlines. Similar to other programs, once you’ve earned enough points, these can be redeemed for reward flights, merchandise and travel perks.
This guide is ground zero for those who are just starting off with the Velocity Frequent Flyer program. Read on for how to join, earn as many points as you can, and use them for maximum value.
How do I join Velocity Frequent Flyer?
Signing up to Velocity is free and only takes a couple of minutes — just follow this link.
- Enter your email address and password
- Fill in your personal details including name (according to passport), date of birth, address (home or business) and preferred contact number
- Select and answer a security question as well as a four-digit pin
- Look out for a welcome email with your Velocity membership number
Congratulations, you are now a Velocity Frequent Flyer member!
How do I earn Velocity Points?
The two quickest ways to earn Velocity Points are by:
- signing up for a credit card with a large sign-up bonus
- using a high-Velocity Points-earning credit card on an ongoing basis
There are a number of other ways to earn bonus Velocity Points, and we’ve highlighted some popular examples below.
Earning Velocity Points with flights
Velocity Points and Status Credits can be earned on eligible paid fares for flights operated by Virgin Australia and other partners, such as Etihad, Delta and Singapore Airlines. Factors affecting your earn include airline, route, cabin class, frequent flyer status tier and bonus deals for flights.
Click on the airline partner to see what the earn rates are. For example, Virgin Australia domestic and short-haul international fares earn a base 5 Velocity Points per $1 spent.
Virgin Australia long-haul international flights and most other airline partners offer between 0.25 to 4 Velocity Points per mile flown. See the earn rates for Etihad, Delta and Singapore Airlines. Use this mileage calculator to see the distance between eligible city pairs.
Found a better price? Read our guide on making a Fare Promise claim to get the difference back, while retaining the flexibility that comes with booking directly with Virgin Australia.
Earning Velocity Points with accommodation, car hire and activities
Book your hotel through Virgin Australia Hotels to earn at least 3 Velocity Points per dollar spent, or alternatively go through Flybuys Travel to earn Flybuys points, which you can later transfer to Velocity.
If you’re darting about the city, consider using Ola as your rideshare to earn Velocity Points, instead of Uber and Ingogo. For hire cars, Thrifty offers points for hires within Australia and New Zealand, while Europcar and Hertz allow Velocity Points to be earned worldwide.
Earning Velocity Points with credit cards and financial products
As we mentioned previously, holding a Velocity Points-earning credit card is universally regarded as one of the best ways to quickly accumulate points. But you can also transfer some other bank reward points to Velocity, often with a neat bonus on top.
Earning Velocity Points with shopping and purchases
Where Velocity Frequent Flyer shines is with its array of retail partners. One of its biggest links is to Flybuys, which in turn has the biggest retail loyalty program across all of Australia.
Flybuys points can be converted to Velocity Points, and there are regular 15% transfer bonuses. On that note, don’t forget to swipe your Flybuys card at Coles and other retailers for the potential to earn lots of Velocity Points down the track.
The Velocity e-Store partners with hundreds of retailers to offer Velocity Points on purchases. With some promotions, you could be pocketing in excess of 10 Velocity Points per dollar spent, so there are some good opportunities out there.
Just to cherry-pick a few more options, you could sign up for a phone plan with Optus, purchase some wine through Virgin Wines for some tidy bonuses, or even get your house quarantine-ready with Freedom.
Transferring Velocity Points from other sources
Just short for a redemption? You may want to consider pooling your Velocity Points with your family members to get closer to your travel goals. This is a rare program feature that allows you to pool Velocity Points and Status Credits to a family member beneficiary living with you.
Otherwise, you can also transfer Velocity Points from family members, buy Velocity Points or transfer points over from Marriott Rewards. Be sure to also read out guide on how to earn even more Velocity Points.
How do I redeem Velocity Points?
Using Velocity Points for flights
In our opinion, the best value of your Velocity Points comes from redeeming them for flights on Virgin Australia and its partners, such as Singapore Airlines and Etihad.
Unfortunately with Virgin Australia falling into voluntary administration in early 2020, we probably won’t see lie-flat Business Class return on domestic flights. Below is the standard Boeing 737 recliner you can expect on most Virgin Australia domestic Business Class flights.
Virgin Australia recently announced that they will be retiring their wide-body fleet of A330 and 777 jets following voluntary administration, so the opportunity to redeem your points for lie-flat seats called ‘the business’ and shown below, will not be available for the foreseeable future.
However, when long-haul does resume with more modern aircraft, rumoured to be the Boeing 787, then a similar ‘the business’ seat will likely be offered in Business Class and able to be redeemed using Velocity Points.
International flight redemptions on partner airlines are also currently off-limits, however, when they do come back online, some of the best value redemptions using your Velocity Points include Singapore Airlines’ excellent Business Class on many routes (below left), or indulge in an Etihad First Apartment (right) which even has a hot shower!
Sometimes, Velocity Points can also be good value for Economy Class on certain routes, particularly one like Perth-Broome. Read more about when it makes sense to use points for flights in Economy.
Lost as to how to start your search for an reward seat? Check out our post on where to start searching for reward seats.
Using Velocity Points for upgrades
Please note that only Domestic upgrades are currently able to be booked at present.
Many people aim to play the upgrade lottery, but if you don’t have elite Velocity Frequent Flyer status, your chances of securing a Virgin Australia Business Class seat can be lower.
Upgrades are very limited and tend to be allocated in the days before a flight, in order of status and fare purchased. However, anyone can instantly confirm an upgrade for a Domestic or short-haul International flight with points if there is Business Class reward seat availability.
For Virgin Australia long-range International flights to Tokyo and Los Angeles, only Velocity Gold and Platinum members can request points upgrades, and only from an Economy Freedom fare or higher. It’s also possible to upgrade some Delta flights with Velocity Points.
Have more questions? Read our comprehensive guide to how Velocity UpgradeMe Points works for more information.
Other uses of Velocity Points
The other main use of Velocity Points is for shopping through the Rewards Store; particularly for gift cards, merchandise and other goods. Unfortunately, the value per point tends to be quite low through this method.
If you have some points that are expiring or have no use for, you also have the option to donate your Velocity Points through the Velocity Rewards Store. If you are looking for more inspiration, check out our best uses of points series.
What is Velocity elite status?
Holding Velocity Gold or Platinum status is the key to unlocking a raft of premium perks with Virgin Australia and its partners, such as complimentary upgrades, lounge access, and priority check-in and boarding — no matter what cabin class you fly.
COVID-19: Velocity is extending most frequent flyer status memberships by one year, plus giving out bonus status credits to affected individuals.
Status Credits (SCs) dictate what level of membership you currently attain with Virgin Australia. There are four standard membership tiers with Velocity, from lowest to highest:
- Red (entry-level)
- Silver
- Gold
- Platinum
(There’s also an invite-only ‘The Club’ membership, but those details aren’t relevant to this guide). Here is a quick summary of the Velocity Frequent Flyer elite status tiers.
Velocity Red membership
To achieve: 0 SCs
To maintain: 0 SCs
There are no substantial benefits to this entry status level. It just means you are a member of the Velocity Frequent Flyer program and can earn or redeem Velocity Points and Status Credits.
Velocity Silver membership
To achieve: 250 SCs + 2 eligible sectors
To maintain: 200 SCs + 2 eligible sectors
As the first step with Velocity Frequent Flyer status, you’ll gain two single-entry lounge passes and free baggage tags. Other perks include:
- 50% more Velocity Points on eligible flights
- Better choice of seating options onboard
- Membership pause for parental leave
- Extra baggage allowance with Virgin Australia
- Increased upgrade priority over Bronze
- International priority check-in for Virgin Australia
- Various extra benefits with international airline partners
Velocity Gold membership
To achieve: 500 SCs + 4 eligible sectors
To maintain: 400 SCs + 4 eligible sectors
This is considered the ‘sweet spot’ for status as unlimited Business Class lounge access is now provided before most Virgin Australia and partner airline flights, where available. Other benefits above Silver include:
- Fly Ahead to an earlier flight that day
- Up to 75% more Velocity Points on eligible flights
- Increased upgrade priority over Silver
- Priority check-in, boarding and baggage on Virgin Australia and most partner airlines
- Access to Virgin Australia Lounges and Premium Entry/Exit domestically, plus on-arrival access subject to space
- Global Business Class lounge access with partner airlines
- Up to four guaranteed economy reward seats to any Virgin Australia domestic destination, if booked at least six months beforehand (includes peak periods)
- Complimentary one-off Gold status with Hilton or IHG
- Complimentary once-off Privilege/Five Star status with Europcar or Hertz
- Ability to upgrade flights to Tokyo and Los Angeles with an Economy Freedom fare or higher
Velocity Platinum membership
To achieve: 1,000 SCs + 8 eligible sectors
To maintain: 800 SCs + 8 eligible sectors
For the very frequent flyer, Velocity Platinum gives premium service and many extra perks, as below:
- Four complimentary upgrades a year from Freedom fare to Business Class on domestic and short-haul international flights
- Complimentary Economy X seating on domestic and short-haul international flights, including for other guests on the same booking as you
- 100% more Velocity Points on eligible flights
- Increased upgrade priority over Gold, clearing from up to 5 days before departure
- Up to four guaranteed Economy reward seats to any Virgin Australia or codeshare international destination, if booked at least six months beforehand (includes peak periods)
- Access to better international partner lounges, e.g. Etihad First Class Lounge Abu Dhabi
- Guaranteed on-arrival access to domestic lounges and the ability to bring up to three guests at all Virgin Australia lounges
- Complimentary once-off Platinum/Diamond status with IHG or Hilton
- Complimentary once-off Privilege Elite/President’s Circle with Europcar or Hertz
- Gift companion Gold/Platinum status when you maintain Platinum and then earn another 500/1,000 SCs respectively
Looking for more advanced tips? Here are the best routes to do a status run on and the quickest ways to earn Velocity Gold status in one trip.
Is there a Velocity app?
Yes, there are actually separate apps for Virgin Australia and Velocity Frequent Flyer. Although there is some overlap, both apps do serve different purposes.
The Virgin Australia app is targeted more at flights and bookings — see upcoming itineraries, get boarding passes and real-time flight notifications.
Meanwhile, the Velocity Frequent Flyer app is more about points-earning opportunities on the ground as well. Within the app, you can:
- Check your Velocity Points balance and activity history
- Use the Explore function to see where your points can take you
- Track your progress to the next status tier
- Show your digital membership card for lounge access
- Add your Velocity number to existing bookings
- Book reward flights
How do I contact Velocity Frequent Flyer?
To get in touch with Velocity Frequent Flyer about a membership enquiry or flight redemption, try one of the numbers below:
- Australia: 13 18 75
- New Zealand: 0800 230 875
- Overseas: +61 2 8667 5924
Summing up
If you live in Australia and fly or are interested in flying Virgin Australia, then the Velocity Frequent Flyer program is one worth signing up for.
Velocity Points can be used both on Virgin Australia and its partner airlines and are most quickly earned by signing up for one of these credit cards.
Do you know someone who might get some use out of the Velocity program but needs a little help? Share this guide using the social media buttons below!
