Are those mountain of Velocity points burning a hole in your travel wallet? Fret no more, Virgin Australia have just come out with some very positive news. Velocity members are now able to redeem points for domestic flights on an expanded route network for travel effective immediately.

What’s changing

When Virgin Australia first reopened domestic flight redemptions on 15th May, Velocity members could only book reward flights for travel on or after 1st September and on a very limited number of routes. The start date has now been brought forward to 20th July and a number of destinations which were not previously eligible have been added. You can check out the full list of destinations over here.

Flexible change and cancellations

When Virgin Australia fell into administration back in March, thousands of people had their flights cancelled and it took a great deal of effort and jumping through the hoops to get a refund or the travel credit. The closure of inter-state borders made things worse, resulting in loss of confidence and made people wary of planning and booking flights.

Virgin Australia B-737 economy X seats

It appears that Virgin Australia have learnt from the experience and come out with a much improved change and cancellation policy for future flights.

• If you book a redemption seat between now and 1st September for any future travel date, Velocity will waive fees for any changes or cancellations you make by 31st August 2020.
• Points will be deposited back into your Velocity account while any cash paid to cover the fees and taxes will be refunded in full to the original form of payment.
• Any past bookings, made on or after 15th May are also eligible for the same generous change and cancellations as detailed above, provided you make them by 31st August 2020.
• You can change/cancel your bookings multiple times, you can even change the booking to a new origin or destination, in which case you will obviously be required to cover any additional points and fees and taxes as applicable.

In Conclusion

Virgin Australia lounges remain closed and there is no update on when they may reopen. That said, the stars are aligning, and while the airline isn’t out of the woods yet, this move will go a long way in restoring confidence of the traveling public.

There is still a possibility that many of the newly opened flights, particularly the one’s to WA and Northern Territory where borders remain closed, may not operate. So, it’s re-assuring to know that anyone impacted will be offered a full refund.

Let’s hope VIC and NSW can quickly stamp-out the virus so we can all rediscover the joys of flying and travelling, albeit in our own backyard for the time being.

Where are you planning to travel and when? Leave a comment below.