Thursday 17 October 2024: Velocity Frequent Flyer has today unveiled a series of program changes to be introduced over the next 12 months.

The changes – which follow member feedback and extensive research – are designed to deliver on what is most valued by Velocity members: Domestic redemptions and being better recognised for their loyalty.   

Overview of Velocity Frequent Flyer program changes 

• Rewarding long term loyalty to Virgin Australia with the introduction of Velocity Forever Gold​ Status². 
• The recognition of loyalty beyond Platinum, with the introduction of Velocity Platinum Plus Status³. 
• Faster rewards with Virgin Australia Reward Seats now starting from an even lower base fare of just 5,900 Velocity Points for one-way Domestic economy fares (additional taxes, fees and carrier charges apply) #. Virgin Australia continues to have the lowest lead-in one-way Domestic economy Reward Seat base fare prices of any Australian airline~. 
• Changing other select Reward Seat pricing on Virgin Australia Domestic services and increasing Reward Seat pricing on Virgin Australia Short-Haul International services as well as select routes and cabins on International Partner Airlines⁴. 
• Simplifying the way members earn or maintain Status, including the removal of Eligible Sectors⁵ and awarding Status Credits based on total fare paid on eligible Virgin Australia flights⁶.   
• Reducing Status Credit earn rates on eligible International Partner Airline flights.  
• Maintaining the base earn rate of 5 Velocity Points per $1 spent on eligible Virgin Australia flights for Velocity Points earning credit card holders⁷, while reducing the current base earn rate for other members to 4 Velocity Points per $1 spent⁸. 
• Changes to Companion Platinum⁹, Companion Gold eligibility¹⁰ and Guaranteed Economy Reward Seat benefits¹¹.  
• Moving to one single Points price across Choice and Flex fares for UpgradeMe Points; increasing the minimum Points required to upgrade on an eligible fare (excluding Economy Lite fares)¹³. 

Velocity has also released one million additional Virgin Australia Domestic Reward Seats in a four-day sale, available to book here from today until Sunday 20 October 2024, for selected travel dates¹.   

Velocity Frequent Flyer CEO commentary  

Velocity Frequent Flyer CEO, Nick Rohrlach, said understanding the feedback and needs of Velocity members has been central to the program’s expansion.  

“Today’s changes to the Velocity program represent our focus and investment in areas that matter most to our members, like great value Domestic redemptions and being better recognised for loyalty,” Mr Rohrlach said.  

“For the first time since 2011, the introduction of two exclusive new tiers – Forever Gold and Platinum Plus – demonstrates our commitment to rewarding the ongoing loyalty of our most frequent flyers.  

“We are also proud to be further reducing the lead-in Velocity Points required to redeem a one-way Domestic economy Virgin Australia Reward Seat, now starting from an even lower base fare of just 5,900 Points^# – a move that enables members to get to reward flights even faster.   

“We have more ways than ever before for members to earn and redeem Velocity Points and will soon have additional opportunities to be recognised for loyalty through the new tiers and benefits announced today.

“These new changes are balanced by adjustments to other areas of the program to ensure we continue to have a sustainable, competitive and valuable proposition for members. 

“We have made it a priority to give members plenty of advance notice on the program changes, understanding how crucial it is for them to stay informed to get the most out of Velocity now and into the future. 

“I want to thank our more than 12 million members for their ongoing loyalty. We look forward to continuing to deliver exceptional value and choice for Australians alongside our wonderful partners,” he said.  

More information on Velocity Frequent Flyer program changes 

Forever Gold 

From 1 October 2025, Velocity is introducing Forever Gold Status to celebrate and recognise members’ significant loyalty to Virgin Australia and its partners over many years2. Forever Gold members will be eligible for the highly sought after Gold Status benefits for a lifetime, which include access to Virgin Australia and select partner Lounges, priority check-in and boarding, preferential seating and more12.

In Velocity’s ‘Elite Flyer’ study surveying Platinum members*, Forever Gold was ranked as the ‘most attractive’ benefit out of nine potential new benefits (58 per cent ranked it as their top choice, 82% ranked it within their top three). 

To recognise the loyalty of Velocity members over the past decade, all Status Credits earned since 1 February 2013 will be counted when calculating eligibility for Forever Gold. For more information and eligibility, visit here.  

Platinum Plus  

From 1 October 2025, Velocity will expand its Status tiers for the first time since 2011 to include Platinum Plus. In what is expected to be a highly sought after Status level, Platinum Plus is designed to recognise Velocity’s most frequent flyers who will be classified as a ‘VIP’ across all stages of their travel journey3. 

Platinum Plus members will have access to the current range of Platinum benefits plus new exclusive benefits, including access to an Australian-based VIP phone service13, the highest priority recognition when booking and flying, the ability to gift a Companion Platinum Membership (now exclusive to Platinum Plus)9, four complimentary Business Class Upgrades that can be used on both Flex and Choice fares14 (compared to use on Flex fares only for Platinum members) and access to Fly Later15.  

Additional benefits will be announced prior to launch next year. For more information and eligibility, visit here. 

Getting to Reward Seats faster  

From today, Velocity is further reducing the lead-in Velocity Points base fare prices required to redeem a one-way Domestic economy Virgin Australia Reward Seat, starting from just 5,900 Points (additional taxes, fees and carrier charges apply), enabling members to get to reward flights even faster#. Virgin Australia continues to have the lowest lead-in one-way Domestic economy Reward Seat base fare prices of any Australian airline ~. 

From 21 January 2025, the range of Domestic one-way economy Virgin Australia Reward Seat Points prices, as well as the Points price for one-way Short-Haul International Virgin Australia Reward Seats, will be expanded and increased. For more information, visit here. 

A simpler way to earn and maintain Status  

Earning Status Credits on eligible Virgin Australia flights   

From 2 April 2025, Status Credits earned on eligible Virgin Australia marketed and operated flights will no longer be calculated based on route and fare type6. Instead, members will earn Status Credits based on fare type and the total fare price. For Choice, Flex and Business Class fares, members will earn 1 Status Credit per $12 spent, and for Lite Fares, members will earn 1 Status Credit per $24 spent6. For more information, visit here.  

Removing Eligible Sectors  

From 1 October 2025, the number of Status Credits required to upgrade or maintain Status membership will stay the same, however Eligible Sectors will no longer be used5. Instead, to upgrade or maintain to Silver, Gold, and Platinum Status, members will be required to earn at least 50 per cent of their Status Credits on Virgin Australia marketed flights.  

The move aims to streamline upgrading or maintaining Status, with Velocity’s monthly member feedback survey recently revealing that less than half of members agree that they ‘mostly’ or ‘fully’ understand the Eligible Sector requirements^. For more information, visit here. 

Changes to redeeming Points and earning Status Credits with Velocity’s Airline Partners 

From 21 January 2025, the number of Velocity Points required to redeem Airline Partner Reward Seats will increase on a select number of cabins and routes¹⁶. The update represents the first material change in eight years to Velocity Points required to redeem Airline Partner Reward Seats. For more information, visit here. 

From 1 October 2025, the number of Status Credits earned when flying with Velocity’s Airline Partners will reduce. For more information, visit here. 

Earning Velocity Points on Virgin Australia  

For bookings made from 2 April 2025, members will earn 4 Velocity Points per $1 spent on eligible Virgin Australia flights⁸. Any eligible Virgin Australia flights booked prior to 2 April 2025 will continue to earn 5 Points per $1 spent.   

For bookings made from 2 April 2025, members who hold an eligible Velocity Points earning Credit Card and have earned Velocity Points on that card within 12 months of their travel date, will continue to earn 5 Velocity Points per $1 spent on eligible Virgin Australia flights^7. For more information, visit here. 

Changes to the current Status membership benefits  

From 1 October 2025, the Guaranteed Economy Reward Seat benefit – which was used by less than 100 eligible members in the 12 months to June 2024** – will no longer be available to members with Gold Status. 

From 1 October 2025, Companion Platinum Status will be transitioned from Platinum to be an exclusive benefit for Platinum Plus, which will see a number of Platinum members who qualify for the new tier continue to receive this benefit⁹.  

From 1 October 2025, for a Platinum member to earn Companion Gold, 650 Status Credits of the current 1,300 Status Credit threshold earned in their 12-month Benefit Period, will need to be earned on Virgin Australia marketed flights flown by the member¹⁰. 

For more information and eligibility on gifting Companion Gold for Platinum members, visit here. 

Changes to UpgradeMe 

From 18 November 2024, the different pricing for Choice and Flex fares using UpgradeMe Points will transition to a single Points price ¹⁷. The minimum Points required to upgrade on an eligible fare (excluding Economy Lite fares) will increase; upgrade requests will now start from 10,000 Velocity Points for Virgin Australia Domestic routes and 8,000 Velocity Points for Virgin Australia Trans-Tasman and Short-Haul International routes. For more information, visit here.  

ENDS 

NOTES TO EDITOR 

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Terms and Conditions 

*Velocity Frequent Flyer’s Elite Flyer Platinum Member Survey carried out in July 2022 whereby 784 Platinum Velocity members were surveyed by Velocity Frequent Flyer.  

^Velocity Frequent Flyer Monthly Member Pulse Survey, August 2024. 

**Based on data provided by Virgin Australia relating to Virgin Australia Guaranteed Economy Reward Seat Redemptions for the period of July 2023 to June 2024.  

# From 17 October 2024, Velocity is reducing all lead-in base fare Reward Seat prices for new one-way domestic economy class Reward Seat bookings on Virgin Australia. In addition to the Velocity Points price, taxes, fees, and carrier charges are payable. For more information on the pricing, see website for details. The quoted domestic redemption fare is the lowest base fare Reward Seat pricing available from 17 October 2024 onwards. Points value for the quoted domestic redemption fares is based on Sydney to Melbourne domestic one-way Economy Reward Seat fare with Virgin Australia and must be booked on the Virgin Australia website and selecting “Use Points”. Taxes, fees and carrier charges are payable in addition to Velocity Points redeemed. Carrier charges apply for Reward Seat bookings on flights operated by Virgin Australia. Price may vary until ticketed. Reward Seats and associated charges are not eligible for Points earn. Seats are limited and may not be available at peak times or on all flights. Payment surcharge may apply. You can change or get a refund for your booking by paying a fee and any fare difference, at least 24 hours before scheduled departure. You may also request a refund for other reasons, including under the Australian Consumer Law. View the Velocity Reward Seat fare rules for more information. Some flights may be operated by a partner airline. Different baggage allowances and conditions may apply to these flights. Full terms and conditions at velocityfrequentflyer.com. 

~Comparison is based on lowest or lead-in non-sale one-way domestic economy base fare Reward Seat points prices (excluding any taxes, fees and carrier charges payable in addition to the relevant points prices) sourced from publicly available information on other active Australian airlines on 31 July 2024 and on 17 October 2024.  

1. Between 6:00am AEST 17 October 2024 and 11:59pm AEST 20 October 2024 (unless sold out prior), Velocity will make available one million additional Virgin Australia Economy Domestic Reward Seats for redemption at Velocity’s new and existing Points pricing and for travel between 17 October 2024 and 30 June 2025 (Sale Offer). For the most up to date pricing, please visit www.velocityfrequentflyer.com for details.  The Sale Offer is subject to availability and does not include Business Class, international travel, or codeshare services marketed or operated by partner airlines. There is no limit on the number of times this Sale Offer can be redeemed. All bookings must be made through the Virgin Australia website and are subject to the Reward Seats terms and conditions. Visit the Velocity Reward Seat fare rules for more information. Velocity Membership terms and conditions apply. Full terms and conditions at www.virginaustralia.com.  

2. From 1 October 2025, Forever Gold will be introduced as Velocity’s new Status to recognise long-term loyalty. To be eligible for Forever Gold Status, Velocity members must earn a total of 12,000 Status Credits, with at least 9,000 earned on Virgin Australia marketed flights flown by the member. Status Credits earned through Partner Airline marketed flights, Family Pooling, Flybuys and eligible Velocity Points earning credit cards will not count towards the minimum requirement of Status Credits which must be earned on Virgin Australia marketed flights. Status Credits calculated towards Forever Gold will be counted from 1 February 2013 onwards. Forever Gold members will be entitled to Gold membership benefits in each Benefit Period, unless their Status level is Platinum or Platinum Plus (in which case you will receive the member benefits for your Platinum or Platinum Plus Status level (as applicable) in the relevant Benefit Period).  Forever Gold members are not eligible for Membership Pause. Complimentary Partner memberships are only available once for all Gold members as per Velocity membership terms and conditions. Velocity may change Gold membership benefits at their discretion.  Forever Gold is not transferrable to any other member. Forever Gold members will not downgrade below Gold Status. Forever Gold Status will terminate when Velocity membership is terminated by the member or Velocity, including when Velocity becomes aware the member has passed away.  

3. From 1 October 2025, Platinum Plus will be Velocity Frequent Flyer’s highest published Status level. To be eligible to upgrade into Platinum Plus Status, Velocity members must earn a total of 2,000 Status Credits during the previous 365 days, with at least 1,500 earned on Virgin Australia marketed flights flown by the member. Status Credits earned through Partner Airline marketed flights, Family Pooling, Flybuys and eligible Velocity Points earning credit cards will not count towards the minimum requirement of Status Credits to be earned on Virgin Australia marketed flights. Platinum Plus members will be entitled to Platinum membership benefits (excluding Companion Gold) in each Benefit Period and: Highest level of priority and service

throughout the travel journey; ability to gift Companion Platinum membership; Utilisation of Complimentary Business Class Upgrades on Virgin Australia Flex and Choice fares; Access to Fly Later; Total Baggage allowance of 5x 32kg per Virgin Australia flight (excluding Lite fares); Access to an Australian based Priority phone service; and access to exclusive events and offers throughout the year, subject to availability. 

4. From 21 January 2025, the base fare Reward Seat prices for Domestic and Short-Haul Information available on new domestic economy class Reward Seat bookings on Virgin Australia is changing. In addition to the Velocity Points price, taxes, fees and carrier charges are payable. For more information on the pricing, see website for details. View the Velocity Reward Seat fare rules for more information. 

5. From 1 October 2025, Eligible Sectors will no longer be required to upgrade or maintain your Status level. To be eligible to upgrade into Silver, Gold, and Platinum Status, Velocity members must earn the required Status Credits during the previous 365 days, with at least 50% earned on Virgin Australia marketed flights flown by the member. To be eligible to maintain Silver, Gold, and Platinum Status, Velocity members must earn the required Status Credits during their Benefit Period, with at least 50% earned on Virgin Australia marketed flights flown by the member. Status Credits earned through Partner Airline marketed flights, Family Pooling, Flybuys or an eligible Velocity Points earning credit card will not count towards the minimum requirement of Status Credits to be earned on Virgin Australia marketed flights flown by the member. For more information on how many Status Credits are required for Silver, Gold, Forever Gold, Platinum and Platinum Plus membership levels, click here.  Your Status Credit balance may go up or down on a daily basis as credits are earned or expire. To view your up to date balance visit My Velocity. 

6. From 2 April 2025, Velocity members will earn Status Credits on eligible Virgin Australia flights based on fare type and the ‘All Inclusive Fare’. Eligible Virgin Australia flights are any Virgin Australia marketed and operated flight, or any Virgin Australia marketed and Link Airways operated flight. Velocity members will earn 1 Status Credit per $12 spent on Virgin Australia

Choice, Flex and Business ‘All Inclusive Fares’. Velocity members will earn 1 Status Credit per $24 spent on Virgin Australia Lite ‘All Inclusive fares’. The ‘All Inclusive Fare’ includes base fare, taxes (including GST), fees and carrier charges and excludes seat selection purchase and other extras, such as Economy X, Preferred Seating, Baggage Allowance or Carbon Offset. Status Credits will be rounded up to the nearest Status Credit. Status Credits cannot be earned on Velocity Reward Seat bookings. Velocity membership and Status Credit earn are subject to the Member Terms and Conditions, as amended from time to time. Your Status Credit balance may go up or down on a daily basis as credits are earned or expire. To view your up to date balance visit My Velocity. 

7. From 2 April 2025, Velocity members that have earned Points from spending with an eligible Velocity Points earning credit card within the 12 months prior to flying with Virgin Australia or Link Airways will earn 5 Base Points per $1 spent on the All-Inclusive Fare when flying on a Virgin Australia operated flight with a VA flight number, or a Link Airways operated flight with a VA flight number (VA). As at 17 October 2024, the Velocity Credit Cards that are eligible to earn 5 Base Points per $1 spent on the All-Inclusive Fare earn include: American Express Velocity Gold Card, American Express Velocity Escape Card, American Express Velocity Platinum Card, American Express Velocity Business Card, Bank of Queensland Signature Velocity Card, Bank of Queensland Specialist Platinum Velocity Card, Westpac Altitude Mastercard Platinum, Westpac Altitude Mastercard Black, Virgin Money Virgin Australia Velocity Flyer Card and, Virgin Money Virgin Australia Velocity High Flyer Card. This list is subject to change at Velocity’s discretion. 

8. ‘Base Points’ refers to the minimum number of Points that can be earned by a Red member when flying with Virgin Australia. If the flight is booked as a Virgin Australia Itinerary, then the Base Points earn amount will be calculated using the 'Points per dollar spent on the All-Inclusive Fare' method at a rate of 5 Base Points per dollar spent for bookings made before 2 April 2025 and at a rate of 4 Points per dollar spent for bookings made on or after 2 April 2025. The ‘All Inclusive Fare’ includes base fare, taxes (including GST), fees and carrier charges and excludes seat selection purchase and other extras, such as Economy X, Preferred Seating, Baggage Allowance or Carbon Offset. If the Virgin Australia flight is booked in conjunction with another flight (or flights) on any other airline on a joint itinerary, then the Base Points amount will be calculated using the 'fare type originally purchased, and the miles flown as part of the Virgin Australia flight' method at the rates outlined on the table on the Virgin Australia partner page on the Velocity Frequent Flyer website. 

9. From 1 October 2025, Platinum Plus members will be eligible to nominate a Companion Platinum member upon attaining Platinum Plus. To nominate a Companion Platinum membership, Platinum Plus members must call the Membership Contact Centre on 13 18 75 within their Benefit Period. The nominated Companion Platinum member will be notified by email once they have been upgraded.   Platinum Plus members cannot

change the nominated Companion Platinum member once the nominated Companion Platinum member has been upgraded. Companion Platinum membership is valid for 12 months from the date of upgrade. At the nominated Companion Platinum’s Review Date, the membership level will be assessed in accordance with the Velocity membership Terms and Conditions. 

10. From 1 October 2025, to be eligible to nominate a Companion Gold member, Platinum members must earn 1,300 Status Credits within their Benefit Period, of which at least 650 Status Credits must be earned on Virgin Australia marketed flights flown by the member. To nominate a Companion Gold membership, Platinum members must call the Membership Contact Centre on 13 18 75 within 12 months of being entitled to use this benefit. The nominated Companion Gold member will be notified by email once they have been upgraded. Platinum members cannot change the nominated Companion Gold member once the nominated Companion Gold member has been upgraded. Companion Gold membership is valid for 12 months from the date of upgrade. At the nominated Companion Gold’s Review Date, the membership level will be assessed in accordance with the Velocity Membership Terms and Conditions. 

11. For more information on the Guaranteed Economy Reward Seat benefit, please refer to clause 8.2 of the Velocity membership Terms and Conditions. 

12. Priority boarding and priority check-in is available for Gold and Platinum Velocity members flying on flights operated by Virgin Australia from selected Domestic and International airports. Priority security screening is available for Gold and Platinum Velocity members flying on flights operated by Virgin Australia from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane Domestic airports. Priority boarding, check-in and security screening is subject to availability. Entry to the Virgin Australia Lounge is subject to space availability and the Lounge Terms and Conditions and Lounge Rules. 

13. From 1 October 2025, Platinum Plus members will be entitled to contact an Australian based Priority Phone Service team which will be available 7 days per week; Monday to Friday from 6am-7pm AEST, and Saturday and Sunday from 7am-6pm AEST.   

14. From 1 October 2025, Platinum Plus members will have an allocation of 4 upgrades per Benefit Period. Available when flying on Virgin Australia Economy Flex and Choice fares on Domestic, Trans-Tasman or International Short Haul flights.

Subject to seat availability. Requests must be made at check-in at least 30 mins before, or calling Velocity at least 2 hours before, scheduled departure of the earlier flight. Additional terms and conditions will apply. 

15. From 1 October 2025, Fly Later will be available to Platinum Plus members and up to 3 accompanying guests to request when flying on Domestic Virgin Australia marketed and operated flights (excluding Lite fares). Flight departure must be on the same day as the original ticketed domestic Virgin Australia marketed and operated flight purchased. Subject to seat availability. Requests must be made at least 30 mins before scheduled departure of the original ticketed domestic Virgin Australia marketed and operated flight. Additional terms and conditions will  apply. 

16. Any voluntary changes (by you) to Reward Seats ticketed up to 20 January 2025 will, from 21 January 2025 require cancellation and refund (if applicable) of the original ticket. Any new International Partner Airline Reward Seat ticketed from 21 January 2025 will be according to the new Points redemption table. 

17. From 18 November 2024, for UpgradeMe Points requests, members will be charged a single points price per each one-way miles zone, starting from 10,000 Velocity Points for Virgin Australia Domestic routes and 8,000 Velocity Points for Virgin Australia Trans-Tasman and Short-Haul International routes. For more information on the new UpgradeMe Points click here. The final Points price redeemed will reflect the published price at the time when the request was made (even if the request is waitlisted) rather than when the members upgrade request is accepted. For example, if a request is made prior to 18 November 2024, for a flight that is scheduled to be flown after 18 November 2024, the lower price will still apply. UpgradeMe Points requests are subject to Business Class availability and standard UpgradeMe Points Terms and Conditions, which are available here.