The best ways to use Velocity Points

Velocity Frequent Flyer is Australia’s second-largest frequent flyer program. But recently, Velocity Points have gone from strength to strength with old partnerships restarting and new tie-ups in place. Written with beginners to Velocity in mind, here are some of the best ways to get the most out of the program.

This content is created in partnership with Velocity Frequent Flyer.

1. Step up to Business Class on Virgin Australia flights

With mainly Boeing 737s in its fleet, Virgin Australia’s Business Class offers eight reclining chairs. Compared to Economy, it makes a world of difference to comfort.

I recently flew between Perth and Sydney with Virgin Australia in Economy one-way and Business the other, and there’s simply no comparison. Economy is, of course, a great-value way to travel. But when you have Velocity Points to spend, Business is the real carrot that keeps you glued to earning Velocity Points.

On that return flight in Business, I reclined into a plush seat with sparkling wine before take-off, followed by a hearty chicken parmi and free-flowing drinks. That’s the life!

Why consider using Velocity Points for Business Class?

You can book a Business Class short-haul domestic redemption from 15,500 Points plus taxes, fees and charges. Note, all redemptions mentioned in this article are correct as at 23 February 2023.

Reward Seat availability can be tight with only eight seats and high demand, but Virgin Australia often releases at least two seats early on.

Plus, at selected airports, you’ll get lounge access, priority check-in and priority security screening during peak periods (such as 5:00 am to 10:00 am on weekdays in Brisbane).

You can also use Points to upgrade to Business Class, starting from 4,900 Points on shorter flights from Economy Flex. Longer routes, such as Sydney-Perth, need only 9,900 Points from Economy Flex or 30,000 Points from Economy Choice.

2. Keep your Velocity Points flowing in with a direct-earn credit card

There are many ways you can earn Velocity Points, both in the air and on the ground. Some credit cards allow you to manually convert your rewards into Velocity Points. But other ‘direct-earn’ credit cards make things even simpler.

Rather than relying on manual Points transfers, these products automatically credit all of the Points you’ve earned every month straight to your Velocity account. These card offerings can also be simpler to understand because the number of ‘Points’ earned per dollar matches exactly what’s credited to your Velocity Frequent Flyer account.

Better yet, these rewarding credit cards often come with additional travel benefits. There are cards to suit all types of needs. Check them out to see what could be right for you.

Several card issuers offer these direct-earn credit cards, including:

• American Express: Velocity Platinum Card and Velocity Business Card.
• Virgin Money: Velocity Flyer Card and Velocity High Flyer Card.
• Westpac: Altitude Velocity Platinum Credit Card and Altitude Velocity Black Credit Card.
• Bank of Queensland: Specialist Platinum Card and Specialist Signature Card.

Some other card issuers – including ANZ, on cards attached to ANZ Rewards – may similarly allow you to set up a recurring auto-conversion of Points.

3. Transfer your Points to KrisFlyer for more reward seats

A core strength of the Velocity Frequent Flyer program is the ability to send Points to Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer. Singapore Airlines usually releases the most Saver award space to its own members.

Whether you use Velocity Points or KrisFlyer miles will depend on the specific Singapore Airlines redemption you have in mind. You’ll need to compare the Points and taxes in Velocity and KrisFlyer to make the best decision for your situation.

4. Use Family Pooling when travelling with your family

Ever wondered whether you could collect all the Points and Status Credits when you fly with your family? Turns out, you can do just that with Family Pooling.

As long as you’re all living together, you can add one adult and up to four kids to your family pool. Whenever family member travels, their Points and/or Status Credits can pool to you, the beneficiary. You can earn elite Gold or Platinum status in no time at all!

With a Velocity Gold or Platinum card, enjoy perks such as lounge access before Virgin Australia and partner airline flights, priority airport processing, extra luggage and more.

5. Save up Velocity Points for International Business Class

If you’d rather play the long game and save Points for international long-range Business Class, then Velocity Points are a great tool. Here are a few examples, all correct as at 23 February 2023.

For a maximum of 139,000 Points one-way + taxes, fees and charges, you can fly in lie-flat Business Class from Australia to Europe, USA and more. This can be on carriers such as Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, Singapore Airlines and more. You can similarly get to Europe in comfort from Perth for only 121,000 Points one-way (plus taxes, fees and carrier charges) on Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways.

Even with smaller balances of around 80,000 Velocity Points, you can still travel across a wide range of destinations. In Business Class, you could fly Virgin Atlantic between London and New York for 49,500 Points one-way, or Sydney to Singapore with Singapore Airlines for 67,000 Points one-way (all plus taxes, fees and charges).

Summing up

Velocity Frequent Flyer is a strong program in Australia and it’s definitely worth including in your frequent flyer repertoire. Family Pooling and the ability to convert Points to KrisFlyer are unrivalled perks. Velocity Points are equally good for both short domestic and long international flights.

Savvy Point Hackers would do well to have a healthy stash of Velocity Points up their sleeve… of course, until it’s time to spend them!

Choose your own exclusive benefit with Velocity’s new credit card campaign

Get an extra 30,000 Velocity Points, 250 Status Credits or a $200 Coles Gift Card if you take out an eligible new Velocity Points earning credit card with an annual fee by 31 March 2023, but before you apply, select which exclusive benefit you’d prefer.

This offer comes in addition to any sign-up bonus provided directly by the credit card issuer. This means, if you qualify for bonus Velocity Points from the credit card itself, you could double dip with a second reward of your choice from Velocity.