The Qantas Frequent Flyer program may be a household name in Australia, but Virgin's Velocity program gives it a serious run for its money.
Qantas has been established longer, has about 16 million members and has a one-off fee of about $100 to join, but a variety of ongoing promotions and partner deals available throughout the year allow new members to sign up for free.
In comparison, Virgin Velocity has around 12 million members and holds a slight advantage with completely free membership, making it more accessible to new flyers.
In both programs, one reward point is valued at about one cent, but each method of earning points has a different rate of return.
How to earn Velocity points
There are three primary ways that you can earn points on your Velocity account.
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Fly with Virgin or partner airlines: Earn Velocity points when you fly with Virgin Australia, Virgin Atlantic, or a range of partner airlines such as Singapore Airlines, Delta, Etihad, and more.
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Use a linked credit card: Accumulate points by using a Velocity-linked credit card, such as the American Express Velocity Platinum Card.
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Shop at Coles with Flybuys: Earn Velocity points when you shop at Coles and scan your Flybuys card.
On top of those, you can also earn points ordering food online through Menulog, going to the gym at Jetts Fitness, paying bills using Australia Post's MyPost Digital Mailbox, buying a gift through RedBalloon, and fuelling up at 7-Eleven.
Velocity status tiers and their benefits
Virgin Australia's Velocity Frequent Flyer program features a four-tier membership system, each offering increasing travel perks. New members begin at the Red tier, the program’s entry-level status. As members earn status credits and fly on eligible routes, they can progress through the ranks and unlock more benefits.
|
Status |
Required number of status credits and eligible sectors |
Benefits |
|---|---|---|
|
Red |
Automatically assigned to new members |
Earn and redeem velocity points |
|
Silver |
250 status credits and two eligible sectors |
50% points bonus on eligible Virgin flights; priority check-in |
|
Gold |
500 status credits and four eligible sectors |
75% points bonus on eligible Virgin flights; priority check-in, boarding, screening, and baggage |
|
Platinum |
1,000 status credits and eight eligible sectors |
100% points bonus on eligible Virgin flights; 4 business class upgrades on eligible domestic flights |
Two new membership tiers — Platinum Plus and Forever Gold — are launching in October 2025. For a full list of benefits, visit the Velocity frequent flyer website.
When it comes to using your reward points, there is a wide range of options available including reduced and even free travel with Virgin and its partner airlines.
There is also an online shop where points can be redeemed for a range of rewards including electronics, leisure items, fashion items, gift cards, entertainment and much more. However, generally speaking, members get more bang for buck using their points on flights, not goods.
And depending on the tier of your Velocity account, you can access different levels of rewards in the Virgin Lounge while you are waiting at the airport.
Comparisons between Velocity and Qantas Frequent Flyer programs
Network reach
The most enticing difference is that the Virgin network will fly you to over 200 destinations around the world, compared to just over 70 on the Qantas network.
Qantas partners with major global carriers like American Airlines, British Airways, and Cathay Pacific through the Oneworld alliance. Virgin Australia, on the other hand, maintains strategic partnerships with top-rated airlines including Qatar Airways, United Airlines, and Air Canada.
Points earning potential
Virgin offers a high rate of rewards points for domestic travel, set at four points per $1 spend for most members, while those with an eligible Velocity Points-earning credit card earn 5 Points per $1. But as domestic flights are much cheaper than international travel, it may take longer to accumulate significant points.
International flights return rewards based on distance in miles, starting from 0.01 points/cents per mile. Qantas uses this distance-based points system and offers a minimum of 800 points per eligible economy flight.
You might earn fewer points by travelling on a partner airline than you would on a Virgin flight. Meanwhile, Qantas has expanded its partner network to include Air New Zealand, Air France, KLM, and Bangkok Airways, potentially increasing points-earning opportunities.
Frequent flyer points remain active with Qantas for 18 months and Velocity for 24 months, provided members earn or redeem at least one point within that period.
Beware of hidden 'Carrier Charges'
The Virgin Velocity program is attractive because it promises lower taxes and fees on redeemed flights than the Qantas Frequent Flyer program. For example, for a trip from Sydney to Melbourne, you will be charged $35.83 to use your points with Qantas and $23.39 to use your points with Velocity.
But in the fine print, that is not always the case. If you want to redeem your points for a Hong Kong trip, you will notice additional 'Carrier Charges' of $35 for economy class and $50 for business class through the Velocity program.
This leaps up to charges of $60 for economy class, $145 for premium economy and $230 for business class for flights between Australia and Los Angeles.
What’s new for Velocity Frequent Flyers
Apart from the introduction of two new membership tiers, a few more changes for the frequent flyer program have been implemented or are still in the works.
Virgin Australia Reward Seats now start from 5,900 points (excluding fees/taxes), a 300-point reduction that positions them among the lowest base fares offered by any Australian airline.
Standard earning rates have dropped from 5 points to 4 points per $1 spent, with only credit card holders who have earned points between April 2024 and April 2025 retaining the previous rate.
Since January 2025, the number of points required to book Partner Airline Reward Seats has increased on select routes and cabins. From 1 October 2025, travelers will earn fewer Status Credits on Partner Airline flights.
Photo by Suhyeon Choi on Unsplash
Originally published in July 2019
