The Ultimate Guide To Virgin’s Velocity Reward Program!

Man lounging on the edge of an infinity pool on top of a building

2.85min read

Published 7 May 2018

Flight Centre Author

By

Vicki Fletcher

Head of Content and Social Media


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Everyone wants to win. From a flight upgrade to the pointy end of the plane to a bonus discount when you fill up the vehicle at BP with your Velocity card, there are plenty of ways to win with Virgin Australia’s Velocity frequent flyer program. Regardless of whether you’re a Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum Velocity member, there are plenty of ways you can rack up the points, and then spend them.

Here is your guide to multiplying your points, and the how to lose them on things you really want.

Velocity Points calculator: how many points can you actually earn?

Each flight you book you earn points, however not all flights are made equal. On domestic flights with Virgin Australia you’ll get 5 points for every $1 spent, while Platinum, Gold and Silver members can also earn bonus points on selected fare classes.

International flights earn different levels of points, depending on where you’re flying to and what fare class you’ve booked. Points earned per mile vary between 0.25 and 2 points per mile.

Even if you’re not travelling to rack up the points, you can earn them in plenty of other ways. Earning points on everyday purchases is the simplest way to get started, with points earned on over 40 credit and charge cards from a range of different financial institutions, so you don’t even have to move your banking if you don’t want to.

You can also earn Frequent Flyer points when you fill up your vehicle with participating BP service stations, switch to Energy Australia and get up to 20,000 Velocity Points along with energy discounts, or even turn your flybuys points into Velocity points.

 

virgin australia business class lay flat bed
Upgrade to Business Class for as little as 25,000 points. Image: Virgin Australia

Low ball: How to spend up to 20,000 Velocity Points

Even if you’re just starting to rack up the points, there are plenty of ways you can reap the rewards. From simple boosts like fuel vouchers for your vehicle ($100 voucher for BP Australia will cost you 17,000 points), to a Single Entry Lounge Pass for just 10,000 points and start the trip off in style.

To upgrade your flight from Economy to Premium Economy you also don’t need a whole heap of points. For domestic and short haul flights you can get an upgrade for 18,000 points. Or if you’re booked in Premium and want to move to Business, it’ll cost you as little as 25,000 points.

RELATED: 8 routes you can fly with less than 100,000 Velocity Points

Free Flights: where you can go with 20,000 to 50,000 Velocity Points

The Velocity program lets frequent flyers redeem their points for seats on flights, and as long as you have enough points, it won’t cost you a thing. The cheapest option is to opt for a Reward Seat, which are selected seats aboard many of Virgin’s most popular flying routes. They come with a low points price, but are limited in availability, so it’s best to book as early as possible. With 20,000 points you can secure yourself a seat on many popular domestic and international routes, including between Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Perth, as well as Sydney to Auckland.

Using your points to book a hotel room is also possible in the Velocity program. Virgin Australia partners with over 75,000 hotel brands around the world. Use your points to pay for hotel rooms in three different ways:

  • Pay the entire balance of the room with points
  • Pay a portion of your room with points
  • Redeem your pints for a gift voucher with selected hotel partners. This includes names like Crowne Plaza, Hilton Worldwide and Holiday Inn. The number of points required depends on the hotel brand and value of the card you’re after. For example, a $100 AUD card for the Hilton will run you approximately 17,000 points.
woman on hong kong street
Fly Melbourne to Hong Kong for 55,600 Velocity points.

More for your money: 50,000 to 100,000 points

We’re entering the realm of exciting destinations now. For 55,600 points you can fly return Economy from Melbourne to Hong Kong, while 89,600 points will get you to LA and back from Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane!

If you’re looking to upgrade your electronics, or want to get a present for a special someone, there are plenty of options for under 100,000 points. 

Man lounging on the edge of an infinity pool on top of a building
How about a trip to New York? That'll be 120,000 points.

High flyer: how many points does it actually take to travel halfway around the world?

If you fly and spend frequently enough to have over 100,000 velocity points, you’re already pretty good at this game. But have you figured out the best way to spend your points? If you’ve got 120,000 points in the bank, you can book a return Economy flight from Australia to New York, via LA. If Europe is more your style, for 150,000 points you can get to London and back in Economy too.

If you travel enough for work and would prefer a dose of retail therapy instead, 180,000 points can convert into a $1000 voucher that you can spend at a range of outlets including David Jones, Bunnings, Myer and Westfield. Or capture the important moments on your next adventure with a Go Pro Hero6 for 119,000 points.

Flight Centre Author

By

Vicki Fletcher

Head of Content and Social Media


Share


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