Velocity Frequent Flyer Points: A Beginners Guide to earning, using & more [2021]

Last updated: January 2021

With over 7 million members, Virgin Australia’s Velocity Frequent Flyer program it is one of Australia’s largest frequent flyer programs and one of the three main airline alliances within the Australasia region. The program allows members to earn and spend Velocity Points on flights, upgrades, and through their programs and their twelve partners airline. It also rewards frequent travellers with status and perks like lounge access.

With a wide range of partners both in the air and on the ground, you don’t need to regularly fly with Virgin Australia to earn and spend Velocity Points. Savvy shoppers and point earners can still earn on their everyday purchases, including with FlyBuys.

Keep reading to discover how you can join the Velocity frequent flyer program and begin earning today!

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What is Velocity Frequent Flyer?

Velocity Frequent Flyer program is the loyalty program affiliated with Virgin Australia, and one of the most awarded loyalty programs in the world. It allows Velocity members to earn points on flights, hotels, car hire, credit card spend and more, in countries around the world.

Velocity is not part of a global alliance like Qantas, but they do have a network of 12 airline partners globally. This alliance allows travellers to earn additional bonus points and redeem Velocity Points for flights throughout the network.

How to join Velocity Frequent Flyer

Velocity Frequent Flyer is free to join, but you must reside in an eligible country. These are:

There is no yearly or on-going fee to maintain your membership.

Where and how can I earn Velocity Frequent Flyer points?

Even if you don’t regularly fly with Virgin Australia or their partners, you can earn Velocity Points around the globe, both in the air and on the ground.

When you are on the Velocity site, look out for the markers pictured above. These indicate your earn rate. Many partners offer increased earnings for those holding Silver or higher status within the Velocity Frequent Flyer program.

Earn Velocity Frequent Flyer points on flights

The number of Velocity Points you earn with each airline is based on fare class and the number of points you are travelling. This means that higher fare types, such as Premium Cabins or Flexible Economy tickets, will earn you more points.

Go to the Velocity website to learn more about the earn rate which each partner airline.

Earn Velocity Frequent Flyer points on hotels

There are two ways to earn Velocity Points when booking accommodation – booking directly with Velocity’s hotel partners or transferring hotel loyalty points into Velocity Points.

Earn points directly with partner hotels:

When you book directly with Velocity Hotel Partners, you can earn up to 3 Velocity Points per $1 spent. These hotel partners include:

To earn Velocity points, add your membership number at the time of booking or advise the team upon check-in to ensure you are correctly credited the points.

Through hotel loyalty programs:

Another way to earn Velocity Points on hotel stays is through hotel loyalty programs. These hotel loyalty program points can be converted into Velocity Points from Accor Live Limitless (ALL), Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honours, IHG Rewards Club, Choice Privileges Rewards, and (Shangri-La’s) Golden Circle, at varying rates.

When checking into the hotel, be sure to verbally confirm you wish to earn Velocity Points for your stay.

Among may other hotel partners, hotel loyalty program points can also be converted into Velocity Points from Accor Live Limitless, Hilton Honors, IHG Rewards Club, Marriott Bonvoy, Radisson Rewards, Shangri-La Golden Circle and more, at varying rates.

To find out more on the earn rate for hotel stays, check the Velocity Frequent Flyer website.

Earn Velocity Frequent Flyer points on car hire, ground transport and parking

Car rental

Velocity members can earn Velocity Points with Europcar, Hertz, and Thrifty on eligible car rentals worldwide.

On average, you can earn up to 4 points per $1 spent on the base rate within Australia and New Zealand and flat point rates for International car rental. For those with status within the Velocity program, you can earn bonus points.

For example, when renting with Europcar within Australia and New Zealand, Velocity Red members will earn 4 points per $1 spent, while Velocity Platinum members will earn 6 points per $1 spent.
For international rentals, Velocity Red members will earn a flat rate of 800 Velocity Points, while Velocity Platinum members will earn a flat rate of 1,600 Velocity Points.

There are regular special offers on car rental which gives members the chance to earn extra Velocity Points, so check the Velocity Frequent Flyer website before booking.

Ola

Ola is one of the newer rideshares in Australia, similar to Uber and Lyft. Recently they have given riders the opportunity to earn Velocity Points on each ride. Unlike Qantas’ partnership with Uber, all Ola rides can earn you Velocity Points.

Earn 2 points per $1 spent on eligible rides to and from selected airports, and earn 1 point per $1 spent on all other Ola Rides. Those holding a higher Velocity status can earn as many as 4 points per $1 spent making Ola’s partnership a great way to rack up points if you use rideshares regularly.

Car Share

Car sharing is becoming increasingly popular in large cities in Australia, and now you can earn 2 Velocity Points per $1 spent when you book a Flexicar, with bonus points for those who hold a higher Velocity status.

New Flexicar members can also earn an additional 500 Bonus Points when signing up through the Velocity Frequent Flyer program.

Parking

If you prefer to drive to the airport pre-flight, be sure to consider Looking4Parking to find the best airport parking deals in Australia and New Zealand.

You can earn 3 points per $1 spent as a Velocity Red member, with bonus points awarded for those holding a higher Velocity status.

Looking4Parking also connects you to Airport Transfers around the world, though it is not clear if you earn Velocity Points on these products as well.

Earn Velocity Frequent Flyer points on credit cards

Earn Velocity Points on everyday purchases when you spend on an approved Velocity Frequent Flyer credit card. There is a range of banks offering cards from issuers, including Virgin Money, American Express, Visa, Diners, Suncorp, and more.

When choosing the best credit card for earning Velocity Frequent Flyer Points, it’s important to consider the following factors:

• How points are earned:
  Direct earning cards automatically earn Velocity Points as you spend, depositing them into your account usually at the end of each statement period.
  Some cards allow you to opt-in to earn Velocity Points instead of credit card reward points and may require a yearly fee to opt-in to earning Velocity Frequent Flyer points with this type of credit card.
• Number of points $1 spent:
  The earn rate is how many points you will earn when you make eligible purchases.
• Interest rate:
  Frequent Flyer credit cards can have some of the highest interest rates on the market, so please do your due diligence in researching interest rates before signing up. The high-interest rate can outweigh the value of your earned frequent flyer points. As such, Frequent Flyer credit cards are best suited to people who regularly pay their balance in full each month to avoid interest.
• Annual fee:
  While some Velocity cards charge $0 annual fee, the cards with the most competitive bonus point offer and added features such as lounge access usually have higher annual fees. Make sure the benefits outweigh the annual fee or speak to the bank about obtaining a fee waiver.
• Points capping:
  Some Velocity Frequent Flyer credit cards limit how many points cardholders can earn $1 spent. For example, some cards may allow you to earn a maximum of 50,000 Velocity Points in a year or 2 Velocity Points per $1 spent up to 6,000 Velocity Points per month (and 1 point $1 for the rest of the month.)

Check the Velocity site for all Credit Card Partner options.

Earn Velocity Frequent Flyer points on shopping

Earn Velocity Points when shopping online by starting your purchase journey through the Velocity eStore. While the Velocity eStore is set-up for Australian shoppers, many brands do ship internationally which allows you to earn Velocity Points.

How many Velocity Frequent Flyer points can I earn?

The number of Velocity Points you can earn will depend on how you’re earning them.

In the air, for example, Velocity Points are typically calculated based on the distance of your flight, the type of fare you’ve purchased, and the cabin flown on each flight.

Expect to earn a higher number of points on flights booked in Business class or First class, on flexible airfares (including Economy Flexible tickets) and on longer routes, versus shorter journeys booked in the lowest-priced economy fares, on which you’ll earn fewer points.

On the ground, the number of Velocity Points you’ll collect is more closely linked to the number of dollars spent, such as with hotel partners, on car hire, or on eligible credit cards.

From my understanding, Velocity doesn’t limit the number of points you can earn in total across all categories and methods, although some partners may apply individual caps or limits on Velocity Points earn – such as credit card points capping or tiering, or car hire providers setting a limit on how many points can be earned from a single rental. 

What are Velocity Status Credits?

In the Velocity Frequent Flyer program, members can earn both ‘Velocity Points’ and ‘Status Credits’.

Velocity Points are the points you earn from all kinds of activities that can later be spent on a variety of rewards, such as flight bookings, upgrades, Points + Pay, or through the Velocity eStore portal.

Status Credits determine your eligibility for an elite rank in the Velocity Frequent Flyer program: such as Silver, Gold, or Platinum membership. They are usually earned by flying VA-numbered flights with Virgin Australia and partner airlines.

What are the Velocity Frequent Flyer member tiers?

Velocity has four elite tier levels – the basic level Red, and earned levels Silver, Gold and Platinum.

Velocity also has an invitation-only tier, ‘The Club’, for which the qualification criteria are not published. However, these memberships are typically extended to Virgin Australia’s most frequent premium flyers, company CEOs and A-List celebrities.

Here’s how you can earn status with Velocity and how you can retain it –

TIER	HOW TO EARN	HOW TO RETAIN
Red	–	–
Silver	250 Status Credits 2 Eligible Flight Sectors	250 Status Credits 2 Eligible Flight Sectors
Gold	500 Status Credits 4 Eligible Flight Sectors	400 Status Credits 4 Eligible Flight Sectors
Platinum	1,000 Status Credits 8 Eligible Flight Sectors	800 Status Credits 8 Eligible Flight Sectors
The Club	By invitation only	By invitation only

Velocity uses a 365-day rolling window to assess retaining your tier. This means that so long as you have met the minimum number of status credits and flight sectors, your membership will be upgraded or renewed. Status credits, therefore, expire yearly.

However, once you achieve a Silver status or above you are locked into a fixed 365-day window. If you do not meet the 250 Status Credit minimum and fly two eligible flight sectors, you will be demoted to Red level on the 366th day.

You can level up tiers at any time so long as you have earned the required number of status credits and achieved the eligible flight sectors, so the earlier in your fixed 12-month window you move up to a higher status, the longer you will have access to the benefits the higher status brings.

What are the benefits of Velocity Frequent Flyer status?

Velocity offers elite members some generous benefits, with even Silver-level members enjoying some complimentary lounge access and bonus points when flying.

Here are just some of the benefits you can look forward to:

• Silver: 50% Points bonus when flying, International Priority Check-In and Boarding, 2x Single entry lounge passes to access the Virgin Australia Domestic Lounge, personalised baggage tags, and more.
• Gold: all the benefits of silver, and 75% Points bonus when flying, Domestic Priority Check-in and Priority Boarding, access to Premium Lounges in Australia and with airline partners,
• Platinum: all the benefits of gold and 100% Points bonus when flying, 4 complimentary upgrades to Business Class on eligible domestic flights, complimentary Economy X seat selection, and more.

For the full list of benefits, head to the Velocity website.

Do Velocity Points expire?

Yes, Velocity Points do expire. Your Velocity Points expire 24 months after you last earn a point – that can be a single point in or a single point out.

That is to say if the last time you earned a Velocity Point was 01 October 2020, that means you have to earn or use at least one Velocity Point before 01 October 2022 or your balance will expire.

Velocity’s Family Pool transfers do not count as account activity and will not aid you in maintaining your points balance.

How do I spend and redeem Velocity Points?

Many of the ways that you earn Velocity Points are also ways that you can spend them: such as on flights with Virgin Australia and their broader web of partner airlines.

Upgrades using Velocity Points are also possible on Virgin Australia flights, subject to availability.

Your upgrade options will vary depending on the type of fare originally purchased, and the cabins offered on your flight.

Upgrades from economy straight to first class are not possible. You also can’t complete a ‘double upgrade’, such as by trading an economy class seat for business class and then upgrading again from business class to first class.

You can also redeem Velocity Points in the Velocity Rewards Store. Here you’ll find a curated range of products, including Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones, Dyson Dryers, and Adidas gear you can redeem your points to purchase.

What’s the best way to spend Velocity Points?

Velocity Points offer great value when used towards things like flight bookings, but only average value towards other uses such as for activities on the ground or purchasing items through the Velocity Rewards Store.

Some of the best ways to spend Velocity Points are generally considered to include business class and first class travel, on both Virgin Australia and their network of partner airlines.

Do I need a Velocity Frequent Flyer card?

Velocity Frequent Flyer program does send membership packs with a membership card, though increasingly they are promoting the use of the digital membership card available through the Velocity app.

Silver, Gold, and Platinum members also receive complimentary Velocity Bag Tags with their membership.

While a membership card is nice to have, all you really need to access your benefits is your Velocity membership number. Link this to your booking and your Velocity status will be reflected on your boarding pass, making things like lounge access and priority boarding easy.

Frequently asked questions

Can you use Velocity Points to upgrade on other airlines?

No, at this time this is not possible.

Can you convert credit card points into Velocity Points?

Absolutely, provided that Velocity is an eligible transfer partner of your credit card reward program, and your card is a type eligible for such transfers.

As different card issuers may adopt different conversion rates, minimum conversion amounts and other rules and limitations, contact your credit card issuer to verify your eligibility and the latest rules and rates as apply to your account.

Will I lose all my points if Virgin Australia goes bankrupt?

Yes and no.

While the Velocity Frequent Flyer program is affiliated with Virgin Australia, it is actually owned by a separate company. This means that, technically, the Velocity program could live on in a Virgin Australia-less world.

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Learn more about the Velocity Frequent Flyer Program:

How to earn lots of Velocity Points when online shopping
[Coming soon!]

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