The Ultimate Guide to Velocity Frequent Flyer

Velocity Frequent Flyer is Virgin Australia’s official loyalty program which has over 12 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.

There can also be plenty of bonus points promotions to take advantage of. These are useful for those who live in Australia and fly with 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.

1. Enter your email address and password.
2. Fill in your personal details including name (according to passport), date of birth, address (home or business) and preferred contact number.
3. Select and answer a security question as well as a four-digit PIN.
4. 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, and
• 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 Qatar Airways, United Airlines and Singapore Airlines. Factors affecting your earn include airline, route, cabin class, frequent flyer status tier and any bonus deals for flights.

On the Virgin Australia website, click on the airline partner to see what the earn rates are. Use this mileage calculator to see the distance between eligible city pairs.

Earning Velocity Points with accommodation, car hire and activities

Book your hotel through Rocket Travel to earn at least three 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 Didi 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 in Australia.

Flybuys points can be converted to Velocity Points, and there are regular transfer bonuses. On that note, don’t forget to scan 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.

Transferring Velocity Points from other sources

Just short on points 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. Additionally, you can transfer points from Virgin Australia Business Flyer into your personal Velocity account. On that note, you can convert points from PayRewards to your company’s Business Flyer account (and then onwards to your personal Velocity account). 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 United Airlines. Typically, flights booked in Business Class – and where available, First Class – provide the best value per point.

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

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.

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 that you have no use for, you also have the option to donate your Velocity Points through the Velocity Rewards Store. If you’re 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. These can include complimentary upgrades on Virgin Australia (for Velocity Platinum), as well as lounge access, and priority check-in and boarding — no matter which cabin class you fly.

Status Credits (SCs) dictate which level of membership you hold with Virgin Australia. There are currently four standard membership tiers within Velocity, from lowest to highest:

• Red (entry-level)
• Silver
• Gold
• Platinum

There’s also an invite-only Virgin Australia Beyond membership, but those details aren’t relevant to this guide. A new Platinum Plus level will also launch later in 2025. But for now, here’s a quick summary of the current Velocity Frequent Flyer elite status tiers. Just note that ‘eligible sectors‘ will no longer be required from later this year.

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
From 1 October 2025: Eligible sectors not required, but at least 50% of the SC requirement must be fulfilled from Virgin Australia marketed flights flown by the member.

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.
• More seating options onboard.
• Membership pause for parental leave.
• Extra baggage allowance with Virgin Australia.
• Increased upgrade priority over Red.
• 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
From 1 October 2025: Eligible sectors not required, but at least 50% of the SC requirement must be fulfilled from Virgin Australia marketed flights flown by the member.
Lifetime status: From 1 October, earn Velocity Gold for life (‘Forever Gold’) with 12,000 cumulative Status Credits. These will be calculated from 1 February 2013. Of that total, a minimum of 9,000 Status Credits must have been earned on Virgin Australia marketed flights, flown by the member.

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 on eligible flexible fares.
• 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, plus on-arrival access subject to space.
• Global Business Class lounge access with partner airlines.
• Complimentary one-off Gold status with Hilton or IHG.
• Complimentary once-off Privilege/Five Star status with Europcar or Hertz.

Velocity Platinum membership

To achieve: 1,000 SCs + 8 eligible sectors
To maintain: 800 SCs + 8 eligible sectors
From 1 October 2025: Eligible sectors not required, but at least 50% of the SC requirement must be fulfilled from Virgin Australia marketed flights flown by the member.

For the very frequent flyer, Velocity Platinum gives premium service and many extra perks, as below:

• Four complimentary upgrades a year from Flex fares to Business Class on domestic and short-haul international flights.
• Complimentary Economy X seating on domestic and short-haul international flights, including for other passengers on the same booking.
• 100% more Velocity Points on eligible flights.
• Increased upgrade priority over Gold, clearing from up to five days before departure.
• Up to four guaranteed Economy reward seats to almost any Virgin Australia destination, if booked at least six months beforehand (includes peak periods).
• Access to better international partner lounges, e.g. Qatar Airways Platinum Lounge.
• 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.

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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 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:

1. Check your Velocity Points balance and activity history.
2. Use the Explore function to see where your points can take you.
3. Track your progress to the next status tier.
4. Show your digital membership card for lounge access.
5. Add your Velocity number to existing bookings.
6. 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:

1. Australia: 13 18 75
2. New Zealand: 0800 230 875
3. 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 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 down below!

Additional reporting by Chris Chamberlin.

Also read: Velocity’s sweeping changes – new status tiers and points reshuffles