Velocity Frequent Flyer is the loyalty program of the Australian airline Virgin Australia. Launched in 2005 as Velocity Rewards, it is now one of the leading airline loyalty programs in Australia, alongside Qantas’s. Free, open to everyone, and boasting a wide range of partners, it allows you to accumulate points on flights as well as in everyday life, and redeem them for tickets, upgrades, car rentals, hotel stays, and other products.
Unlike many competing programs, Virgin Australia does not belong to any major global airline alliance such as Star Alliance or Oneworld. However, the program has forged strong partnerships with several renowned international airlines, including Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, United Airlines, Air New Zealand, Delta Air Lines, and Virgin Atlantic.
Beyond air travel, Velocity functions as a true ecosystem of everyday rewards. The program boasts several dozen direct partners (banks, insurance companies, energy companies, car rental companies, cinemas, hotels) and several hundred additional partners via its online store (e-Store), which allows points to be accumulated far beyond just airline tickets.
Two currencies coexist within the program:
– Velocity Points, the currency used to earn rewards.
– Status Credits, which determine progress through the program levels and are not used to earn rewards directly.
How to join the Velocity Frequent Flyer program?
Joining the Velocity Frequent Flyer loyalty program is free. Visit the official website velocityfrequentflyer.com or use the Virgin Australia mobile app.
To create your account, you will be asked for:
- Your first and last name, as well as your contact information
- Your date of birth
- An email address, which you will use to create a password
- Your postal address (not always required).
Once registration is complete, you will be assigned a unique Velocity membership number—keep it safe, as you will need it for every flight booking or purchase with a program partner. You start at the Red level, allowing you to immediately begin accumulating points and status credits.
It is also possible to link your account to family members using features such as Family Pooling (pooling points and status credits within the household) or transferring points between family members.
Program Levels (Status):
The Velocity program operates on a multi-tiered system, based on the accumulation of Status Credits over a 12-month period. Only the number of Status Credits counts towards the awarding and maintenance of status.
The program currently includes six tiers:
|
|
Number of points required to obtain the status | Number of points required to maintain the status |
Benefits |
|
Red (Entry Level) |
/ | / |
Accumulate points on flights and with partners, and redeem them for rewards (including at least 125 credits earned on flights marketed and/or operated by Virgin Australia.) |
|
Silver |
250 Status Credits within 365 days | 200 Status Credits per Benefit Period (including at least 100 on Virgin Australia flights.) |
Bonus points, priority check-in and boarding, additional baggage allowance. |
|
Gold |
500 Status Credits (including at least 250 on Virgin Australia flights.( | 400 Status Credits (including at least 200 on Virgin Australia flights.) |
Access to Virgin Australia lounges and select partner lounges, enhanced points bonus, and priority airport access. |
|
Platinum |
1,000 Status Credits (including at least 500 on Virgin Australia flights.) | 800 Status Credits (including at least 400 on Virgin Australia flights.) |
Easier upgrades, access to lounges with guests, maximum baggage allowance, and a dedicated customer service line. |
|
Platinum Plus |
2,000 Status Credits in the last 365 days, including at least 1,500 on Virgin Australia flights. | / |
This is a status reserved for frequent flyers, offering the highest level of priority in the program (boarding, upgrades, assistance). |
| Forever Gold (Lifetime Status) | 12,000 Status Credits (including at least 9,000 on Virgin Australia flights.) | / |
A permanent status that does not need to be renewed annually. It offers the benefits of the Gold level permanently. |
Also note: Some Gold and Platinum members can gift equivalent status to a friend or family member (“Companion Membership”) by accumulating more Status Credits than required for their own renewal.
How to earn velocity points?
The program offers hundreds of ways to earn points. Here are the main categories:
By flying with Jetstar:
This is the traditional source of points. The rate at which you earn Status Credits is directly linked to the price of your Jetstar ticket, not just the distance traveled:
- 1 Status Credit for approximately AU$12 spent on Economy Choice, Economy Flex, and Business fares.
- 1 Status Credit for approximately AU$24 spent on Economy Lite fares.
Velocity Points, on the other hand, remain linked to the amount spent and the fare type chosen, with a higher accumulation rate on the most flexible fares.
By flying with partner airlines:
Flying with Virgin Australia’s partner airlines (Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, United Airlines, Air New Zealand, Delta Air Lines, Virgin Atlantic, among others) also allows you to earn points and, depending on the agreements in place, Status Credits.
With a Velocity credit card:
Many Australian banks—such as ANZ and Commonwealth Bank—offer credit cards that allow you to earn Velocity Points on everyday spending, including through Virgin Money, American Express, and Westpac. Points earned on these cards are usually automatically credited to your Velocity account each month.
With everyday partners:
The program boasts over 70 direct partners and more than 200 additional partners through the Velocity Frequent Flyer Store (https://shop.velocityfrequentflyer.com). Participating categories include:
- Car rental (Thrifty, Europcar)
- Hotels and booking platforms (including a partnership with Hopper Hotels for over 400,000 properties)
- Fuel and gas stations (7-Eleven, AGL for energy)
- Insurance (including pet insurance with Medibank)
- Supermarkets and stores (Myer, Flybuys)
- Food and delivery (DoorDash)
- Event Cinemas and Village Cinemas also allow you to collect points on movie tickets and concessions
- Via the Shop & Earn browser extension
A Google Chrome extension – called Shop & Earn – allows members to be automatically alerted when a visited merchant site offers the opportunity to earn Velocity points, so that they never miss an online earning opportunity.
By transferring points from other programs:
It is possible to transfer points from other loyalty programs (banks, hotels, or partner airline programs such as Singapore Airlines’ KrisFlyer) to your Velocity account, according to each partner’s specific conversion rates.
By purchasing points (Booster Points):
Members eager to reach a reward goal can directly purchase additional points through the Booster Points option, up to the limits set by the program. Occasional promotions sometimes offer substantial discounts on these purchases.
Through business travel:
Virgin Australia Business Flyer is a free, complementary program for businesses that allows them to accumulate Velocity Points on business expenses (fuel with FleetCard, travel, etc.), with the option to then transfer these points to an employee’s personal account.
Thanks to bonus offers:
The program regularly offers temporary deals: double points on certain flights, bonus points when subscribing to partner insurance or memberships, discounts on car rentals combined with a points bonus, etc.
How to redeem your Velocity points?
Velocity points can be used in many ways, far beyond simply getting a free flight.
– Flight booking (Reward Seats and Any Seat)
This is generally the most advantageous use. Members can book Virgin Australia flights or flights operated by partner airlines within the network. There are usually two options: limited-availability seats at a lower points rate, and an option to book any available seat for a higher number of points, calculated based on the ticket price.
– Upgrades
Members with an Economy Choice or Economy Flex booking can use their points to upgrade to Business Class on eligible domestic or international flights, subject to availability. A partnership with Qatar Airways allows members to use points to upgrade to Qsuite on certain routes between Australia and Doha.
– Car Rental
Points can be used to pay for all or part of a car rental, with the Points + Pay option allowing you to combine points with cash payments.
– Hotel Room Booking
Through the partnership with Hopper Hotels, members can book over 400,000 hotels worldwide using their points either alone or in addition to a payment.
– Rewards Store (Velocity Rewards Store)
Points can be redeemed for a wide range of products: technology, fashion, home goods, gift cards and even a selection of wines through a partnership with an online wine merchant.
Point transfers and family pooling:
Members can pool the points of multiple household members (up to six people with a maximum of two adults and four children) into a single account to reach rewards faster. Points can also be transferred directly between family members up to four times per year with each transfer being between 5,000 and 125,000 points.
– Transfers to other loyalty programs:
Some agreements, such as the one with Singapore Airlines’ KrisFlyer, allow Velocity Points to be converted to another airline loyalty program and vice versa, at defined conversion rates.
Point and status credit expiration:
Velocity Points generally expire 24 months after the last account activity (earning, redeeming or transferring points). Any new activity extends this expiry date.
Status Credits expire 12 months after they are obtained, with the exception of credits recorded in the Forever Gold balance which are tracked separately and do not expire.