If you have ever wanted to earn status in Velocity Frequent Flyer Program, or are considering a status run to extend or upgrade your status to the next tier, now is a good time to look at your options.
That is because Virgin Australia are currently running a double status credits promotion which can help you achieve your goal in half the time and at a considerably cheaper cost. To participate, you first need to activate the offer, you can do this via the Velocity app on your phone or on the Velocity website through this link.
Here’s some other important tit-bits to be aware of if you are interested in taking advantage of this promo.
- Activate the Double Status Credits Offer by 03 August 2023.
- Book an eligible Virgin Australia flight by 03 August 2023 and attach your Velocity Frequent Flyer Number to the booking.
- Complete your travel by 31 December 2023.
An eligible flight is any Virgin Australia operated Domestic, Trans-Tasman or Short-haul International flight which would normally earn Velocity points and status credits, meaning reward flights do not qualify.
Velocity Status Tiers
Velocity Frequent Flyer Program offers 4 status tiers to its members. When you first sign-up to the program, you are immediately assigned the Red status. Understandably, this status offers little practical benefits beyond the ability to earn and redeem velocity points and status credits.
When you fly with Virgin Australia, its airline partners or shop at Coles, you accumulate status credits. The standard earning rate at Coles is 1 status credit for every $100 spend, up to a maximum of 10 status credits per month. See this link for status credit earn rate on flights with Virgin Australia and partner airlines.
Once you have earned sufficient status credits and flown the minimum number of sectors to qualify for the next tier (namely Silver, Gold and Platinum), your status is upgraded to the next level and you become eligible for commensurate benefits.
See this link for a full list of benefits associated with each status tier.
Earning status with Velocity
The requirements to earn status from the outset and to retain it in subsequent years, vary. The bar is set considerably higher for those looking to qualify for status in the maiden year than someone who currently already holds the status, as you will notice in the table below:
| Velocity Status | Status Credits and Minimum Sectors (Year 1) | Status Credits and Minimum Sectors (Subsequent Years) |
|---|---|---|
| Red | N/A | N/A |
| Silver | 250 status credits and 2 eligible sectors | 200 status credits and 2 eligible sectors |
| Gold | 500 status credits and 4 eligible sectors | 400 status credits and 4 eligible sectors |
| Platinum | 1,000 status credits and 8 eligible sectors | 800 status credits and 8 eligible sectors |
As you can see, an existing status holder is still required to fly the same number of eligible sectors each year to retain the status, but needs 20% fewer status credits in subsequent years.
Going from Red to Gold
While any status in the program is better than having no status, in reality, the benefits only really become valuable at the Gold status. Some of the most sought-after benefits of Gold status are:
- Priority Check-in and Boarding.
- Free access to Virgin Australia and Partner Lounges.
- Fly Ahead on Virgin Australia flights on select fares.
- Premium Entry at Sydney (T2) and Brisbane Airport.
- 75% bonus points on Virgin Australia flights (except Lite fares).
- Bonus Points (varies) on partner airlines.
- Up to 3.5 Velocity points per $1 on Ola rides.
Whether you are looking to earn Velocity Gold status or retain it for a further 12 months, here are a couple of example flights that can allow you to do so in the most cost effective manner, when you take advantage of the ongoing double status credits promotion.
Note that the examples quoted below include promo code CDX47 which brings the price down by up to 10%. You may see higher prices for the flights if you do not enter the promo code.
Example Flight 1
In this example, the flyer starts their journey in Launceston and flies to Gold Coast via Melbourne.
As you can see in the bracket above, this trip earns 135 status credits (270 with the current promo) and covers 2 sectors since both Launceston – Melbourne and Melbourne – Gold Coast sectors are counted as 1 sector each.
Take the return flight and you would have earned 540 status credits and flown 4 eligible sectors, thus meeting the requirement to earn Velocity Gold status.
To be able to earn 540 status credits at a cost of less than $945 equates to just $1.75 per status credit. In the current environment of hyper-inflationary plane fares, I consider that to be an excellent return.
Example Flight 2
In this example, our flyer starts their journey in Melbourne and flies to Rockhampton via Brisbane.
Like the previous example, this trip also earns 270 status credits (with the current promo) and 2 eligible sectors each way. When you throw in the return journey in the mix, the flyer would have accumulated a total of 540 status credits and 4 eligible sectors, enough to be upgraded to the Velocity Gold status.
The cost in this instance is slightly higher at approx $1,081. When you break it down further, that works out at about $2 per status credit, not as cheap as the previous example but acceptable in my opinion.
Going from Red to Platinum
Velocity Platinum is the highest publicly offered status in the program. If you aspire to hit Velocity Platinum, here’s what you can expect in terms of some of the most valuable benefits over and above Velocity Gold.
- Ability to choose Economy X seats at no extra cost.
- Fly Ahead on Virgin Australia flights (except on Lite fares).
- 4 free upgrades to Business class when flying on Flex Fares (subject to availability).
- 100% bonus points on Virgin Australia flights (except Lite fares).
- Up to 100% bonus points on partner airlines.
- Up to 4 Velocity points per $1 on Ola rides.
I am currently Velocity Platinum and greatly value the ability to select Economy X seats for free, these seats offer up to 40% extra leg room than standard seats and normally cost $40 per seat. If you travel once or twice a month, the savings can add up over the course of the year.
Virgin Australia Economy X Seats
Lets take a look at couple of example flights than can help you reach Velocity Platinum.
Example Flight 1
For some reason, flights out of Launceston are consistently priced cheaper than most other ports served by Virgin Australia, and this is where our flyer commences their journey.
In this instance, the flyer travels from Launceston to Cairns via Melbourne and Brisbane. As you can see above, this trip earns 215 status credits (430 with the current promo) and covers 3 eligible sectors. Add in the return trip and the flyer would have earned 860 status credits and 6 eligible sectors.
That’s not quite adequate to earn Platinum from scratch, but enough to retain the status if you currently already hold it.
At the total cost of $1,612, the 860 status credits equate to a cost of approx $1.87 per status credit, making this a very attractive proposition.
Note that whether you are looking to earn or extend Velocity Platinum, you will need to fly 2 more eligible sectors to meet the 8 sector requirement. This could be easily done on the flight from your city of origin to Launceston and back which may also allow you to earn the remaining 140 status credits to get to the 1,000 status credit to earn Platinum from scratch.
Example Flight 2
If cost was not a factor and you wanted to earn Velocity Platinum status in the shortest possible time, take a look at the example flight below.
In this example, the flyer commences their journey in Melbourne and flies to Broome via Brisbane and Perth.
The trip earns 265 status credits (530 with the current promo) and covers 3 eligible sectors. Add in the return trip (see below) and the flyer would have accumulated 1,010 status credits and 6 eligible sectors in total.
Canny points and miles enthusiasts would have noticed slightly lower number of status credits on the return trip (240 as opposed to 265). This is due to the flights being routed via Perth and Sydney back to Melbourne thus earning slightly less status credits.
Nonetheless, the 1,010 status credits are still more than enough to qualify for Velocity Platinum status.
At the total cost of $3,276, the 1,010 status credits equate to a cost of approx $3.24 per status credit, not cheap but justifiable for a time poor flyer who dosesn’t mind shelling the cash.
As in the previous example, you will need to fly 2 more eligible sectors to meet the 8 sector requirement and lock in Platinum status for 12 months.
In Conclusion
Earning double status credits are a great way to earn or elevate your airline status. If status is something you value, it absolutely makes sense to jump on this promo.
That said, if you are someone who only flies occasionally or regularly redeem points and only ever travel in Business and/or First Class, gaining status may not do much to enhance your travel experience beyond a point.
I would also argue that in the post-covid travel world of crowded lounges and ever-expanding rank of elites, chasing status merely for the sake of it is unwise and a futile pursuit. But if you are someone who can genuinely benefit from holding high status with Velocity, I hope the examples quoted here have given you some fresh ideas on how to go about earning it.
Do you plan to participate in Velocity Double Status Credits promotion? Leave a comment below.
