Virgin Australia is an Australian-based airline that travels to 33 domestic destinations and 10 international destinations in 8 countries, with hubs in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.

See our list of the best credit card bonuses here.

Virgin Australia’s frequent flyer program, Velocity, allows members from the United States can earn points by transferring from partner loyalty programs, flying Virgin Australia or with any of its airline partners, and more. Keep reading for all the ins and outs of Velocity Points.

Velocity Quick Facts

Velocity Elite Status

Joining Velocity will automatically give you Red member status. Above Red, there are three status tiers: Silver, Gold and Platinum.

In order to move tiers, you need to collect a certain amount of Status Credits (earned on eligible flights with Virgin Australia and their partner airlines) and a certain number of Eligible Sectors (any flight that begins with a VA flight number, Reward Seats excluded) within any 12 month period:

Tier status is locked for 12 months after you unlock it. You’ll be open to the following benefits:

Once you unlock a tier, you’ll have that status for the next 12 months, and you’ll enjoy the following benefits:

The Platinum Card from American ExpressAmerican Express Gold CardBusiness Platinum Card from American ExpressAmerican Express Business Gold Card

The Platinum Card® from American Express offers 80,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. You'll earn: • 5X Membership Rewards Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year. • 5X Membership Rewards Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. • $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts(R) or The Hotel Collection bookings through American Express Travel using your Platinum Card(R). The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay. • $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required. • The American Express Global Lounge Collection can provide an escape at the airport. With complimentary access to more than 1,400 airport lounges across 140 countries and counting, you have more airport lounge options than any other credit card issuer on the market. As of 03/2023. • $155 Walmart+ Credit: Save on eligible delivery fees, shipping, and more with a Walmart+ membership. Use your Platinum Card to pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership and get up to $12.95 plus applicable taxes back on one membership (excluding Plus Ups) each month. • $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card. • $200 Uber Cash: Platinum Card Members can get out and about and explore their local area with $15 in Uber Cash for US rides each month, plus a bonus $20 in December. That can be up to $200 in annual Uber savings. Simply download the Uber app and add your Platinum Card to your Uber account to get started. Available to Basic Card Member only. Effective 11/8/2024, an Amex Card must be selected as the payment method for your Uber or Uber Eats transaction to redeem the Amex Uber Cash benefit. • $199 CLEAR Plus Credit: CLEAR Plus helps to get you to your gate faster at 50+ airports nationwide and get up to $199 back per calendar year on your Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Card. CLEARLanes are available at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues. • Receive either a $120 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card. Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost. • Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required. This card comes with a $695 annual fee.¤ (See Rates & Fees), but you cardholders can enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member and Additional Centurion Cards only. Terms Apply. Terms Apply. Click here to learn how to apply

The American Express® Gold Card offers 60,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. You'll earn: • 4X Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. • 4X Membership Rewards points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. • 3X Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. • 2X Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. • 1X Membership Rewards point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. Other benefits: • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and each month automatically get $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S., totaling up to $120 per year. Effective 11/8/2024, an Amex Card must be selected as the payment method for your Uber or Uber Eats transaction to redeem the Amex Uber Cash benefit. • $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express(R) Gold Card at Dunkin' locations. • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express(R) Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required. • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express(R) Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required. • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. Eligible charges vary by property. This card has an annual fee of $325 with no foreign transaction fees (See Rates & Fees). Terms Apply. Click here to learn how to apply

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express has a welcome offer of 150,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $20,000 in eligible purchases on the Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership. You'll earn: • 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on AmexTravel.com. • 1.5X points (that's an extra half point per dollar) on each eligible purchase at US construction material, hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers, and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more, on up to $2 million per Card Account per calendar year. Purchases eligible for multiple additional point bonuses will only receive the highest eligible bonus. • 1X points for each dollar you spend on eligible purchases • Unlock over $1,000 in statement credits on select purchases, including tech, recruiting and wireless in the first year of membership with the Business Platinum Card. Enrollment required. • $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to the Card. • $199 CLEAR Plus Credit: Use your card and get up to $199 in statement credits per calendar year on your CLEAR Plus Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use the Business Platinum Card. This card does come with a $695 annual fee. (See Rates & Fees) Terms Apply. Click here to learn how to apply

The American Express® Business Gold Card offers 100,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Gold Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.* 0% Intro APR ¤ for 6 months from the date of account opening on purchases eligible for Pay Over Time, then a 18.74% to 27.74% variable APR.* You'll earn more rewards: • 4X Membership Rewards(R) points on the top two eligible categories where your business spends the most each month from 6 eligible categories. While your top 2 categories may change, you will earn 4X points on the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these categories each calendar year (then 1X thereafter). Only the top 2 categories each billing cycle will count towards the $150,000 cap.* • 3X Membership Rewards(R) points on flights and prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com using your Business Gold Card.* • Earn up to $20 in statement credits monthly after you use the Business Gold Card for eligible U.S. purchases at FedEx, Grubhub, and Office Supply Stores. This can be an annual savings of up to $240. Enrollment required. • Get up to a $12.95** statement credit back each month after you pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) with your Business Gold Card. **Up to $12.95 plus applicable taxes on one membership fee.* This card does carry a $375 annual fee, but no foreign transaction fees. (See Rates & Fees) Terms Apply. Click here to learn how to apply

Other transfer partners include:

*With a 5,000-point bonus for every 60,000 points transferred.

Flights

Earn Velocity Points when you fly with Virgin Australia and the following airline partners:

Redeeming Velocity Points

Velocity Points can be used towards award flights with Virgin Australia and partner airlines. Velocity provides a Mileage Calculator so you can easily determine the number of Points you need for a particular redemption.

You can also redeem for:

• Flight extras, like lounge passes, extra baggage, upgrades and even carbon offset.
• Hotel stays via the Velocity Frequent Flyer hotel portal.
• Car rentals with Europcar.
• Virgin Australia gift cards.

More redemption options are available, but they’re not applicable to Americans.

Velocity Points Expiration

Your Velocity Points will expire after 24 months of inactivity. To avoid points expiration, make sure to earn or burn some at least every two years.

Velocity Important Information

Extended status: Velocity is extending most status memberships by one year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Certain individuals will also receive bonus Status Credits.

Change fees waived: Virgin Australia will waive any fees for changes you make to your award ticket for travel up to January 31, 2022. Changes must be made before the date of travel or by January 31, 2022, whichever is first.

Family Pooling: This benefit allows you to pool your family members Status Credits into one account, so you can reach the next status tier faster. You can also pool your Velocity Points to redeem sooner.

Parental Leave: This perk lets you pause your Silver, Gold or Platinum membership for six months if you’re expecting a new addition to your family.

Bottom Line

While there are more valuable frequent flyer program out there, Virgin Australias does offer an easy way to “earn” points by transferring from popular rewards programs like the ones we’ve mentioned in this post.

Alternatively, you may also want to take a look at Qantas Frequent Flyer. Qantas is another Australia-based carrier.

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