Guide to Virgin Australia’s international partners

Virgin Australia isn’t a member of any global alliance. But thanks to its partnerships with major carriers like United and Qatar Airways, you can use your Velocity Points earned in Australia to soar around the globe for less.

In this guide, we cover Virgin Australia’s network of partner airlines, and your options for redeeming Velocity Points beyond Australia.

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Which airlines partner with Virgin Australia?

The following airlines are Virgin Australia partners:

From late 2024, Air New Zealand will join the list of Virgin Australia partners, with benefits on select trans-Tasman flights.

The ability to earn points and status credits differs between airlines. You can find the full list of current Virgin Australia airline partners here, which also outlines the various benefits and earn rates.

Importantly, not all airlines that partner with Virgin Australia allow the redemption of Velocity Points.

Which international partners can I use Velocity Points with?

You can burn your stash of Velocity Points with some of Virgin Australia’s global airline partners, including:

• Air Canada
• Air New Zealand (from late 2024)
• ANA
• Etihad Airways
• Hawaiian Airlines
• Qatar Airways
• Singapore Airlines
• South African Airways
• Virgin Atlantic
• United

Redeeming Velocity Points for other airlines

For the most part, redeeming Velocity Points to fly with partner airlines is a simple process. Our guide on how to book a reward seat with Velocity Points includes step-by-step instructions, plus practical tips.

You can book Virgin Australia, Singapore Airlines, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, ANA, United and Air Canada reward seats online. But you’ll need to call Velocity to use your Velocity Points to book Virgin Atlantic, Hawaiian Airlines or South African Airways.

How many Velocity Points will I need?

Velocity Frequent Flyer publishes distance-based award charts for airlines it partners with. Here’s a sample of how many Velocity Points you’ll need for certain international routes with partner airlines:

Transferring points between Velocity and KrisFlyer

Velocity Frequent Flyer members can transfer their Velocity Points to Singapore Airlines’ own program, KrisFlyer, and vice versa.

While you can certainly redeem Velocity Points for flights with Singapore Airlines, there are instances where it could make sense to convert these to KrisFlyer miles instead. Singapore Airlines opens up greater reward seat availability to members of its own frequent flyer program, including the ability to book the elusive First Class Suites. And with KrisFlyer miles, you can also access redemptions across the entire Star Alliance network, not just Singapore Airlines.

The rate is 1.55 Velocity Points = 1 KrisFlyer mile. The transfer rate in reverse is 1.55 KrisFlyer miles = 1 Velocity Point, which means there’s always a haircut when transferring points. For more details, see our guide to transferring Velocity Points into KrisFlyer miles.

Can you earn Velocity Points on other airlines?

Yes, it’s possible to earn Velocity Points on eligible flights with select airlines that partner with Virgin Australia. We recommend visiting the Virgin Australia website to explore individual airlines and their different earn rates and eligibility.

Generally, factors that influence the number of points you earn include fare class and the number of miles you’re travelling, and, on select partners, your Velocity Frequent Flyer status.

Velocity Frequent Flyer status benefits on partner airlines

If you hold status with Velocity Frequent Flyer, you may be eligible for benefits like lounge access or extra baggage allowance when flying with partner airlines.

Of course, the exact benefits depend on your status and which airline you’re flying with. Perks are generally extended to Velocity Gold and Platinum frequent flyers, while Silver members enjoy a few.

As an example, benefits on partner airlines include:

• Access to the Etihad First Class Lounge in Abu Dhabi with Velocity Platinum, or the Etihad Business Class lounge for Velocity Gold members, when flying with Etihad.
• Priority check-in when flying Qatar Airways for Velocity Silver and above, and priority boarding and lounge access for Gold and above.
• Additional baggage allowance, priority baggage, priority boarding and lounge access for Velocity Gold and above when flying Singapore Airlines.

You can view the list of status benefits with partner airlines on the Virgin Australia website.

Summing up

It’s easy enough to earn Velocity Points in Australia. So if you find yourself with a tidy sum of points, it’s great to know that your redemption options extend far beyond Virgin Australia’s network. How about having an entire plane to yourself en route to the Middle East?

And don’t forget, our experts at Point Hacks Concierge can help you maximise the value of your Velocity Points – or any other points program – to fly in the lap of luxury for less.

Also read: The best ways to use Velocity Points

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