Coles takes on BP with up to 4 Velocity points per litre on fuel

Members of the Coles Flybuys loyalty program can now earn upwards of four Virgin Australia Velocity Frequent Flyer points per litre of fuel purchased at Coles Express service stations, taking the fight to BP which awards a lower two Velocity points on the same.

The promotion which currently runs at least until December 31 allows Flybuys cardholders to trade-in their usual 4c/litre fuel savings voucher – earned after spending $30 or more on groceries – for eight Flybuys points per litre instead.

That’s equal to four Velocity points per litre during this month’s 15% bonus on transfers from Flybuys to Velocity, or a still-reasonable 3.48 Velocity points per litre once the regular rates kick-in from December.

Flybuys’ separate partnership with the Etihad Guest frequent flyer program also allows you to earn the equivalent of 3.2 Etihad Guest miles per litre of fuel purchased under this deal when trading in that same 4c/litre fuel savings voucher.

What’s more, all Flybuys members earn one Flybuys point per two dollars spent at Coles Express – even without a fuel savings voucher – giving you a further 0.5 Velocity points per $2 this month via the 15% boost, 0.435 Velocity points per $2 from next month or 0.2 Etihad Guest miles per $2.

To take full advantage of this offer, follow the steps below:

• Spend $30 or more in one transaction in-store at Coles (not online), scan your Flybuys card and retain your receipt.
• Check that the fuel savings voucher on your receipt includes the option of earning bonus Flybuys points in place of fuel savings, as pictured above. This deal may not appear on some older fuel savings receipts or if your account isn’t deemed eligible for any reason, so be sure to check.
• Armed with the appropriate voucher, fill up on fuel at Coles Express service stations and present both your Flybuys membership card and the fuel savings voucher when it comes time to pay, and tell the cashier you’d prefer the bonus Flybuys points over the cash discount.
• Once your haul of Flybuys points arrives in your account, you can convert chunks of 2,000 Flybuys points into 1,000 Velocity points throughout November or into 870 Velocity points from December onwards, or 10,000 Flybuys points into 4,000 Etihad Guest miles.

There’s no limit on how many times you can fill up with this deal, but remember, it only works when you have an eligible fuel savings voucher from your supermarket spend, as opposed to BP’s offer which doesn’t require any pre-purchase: just a swipe of your Velocity card before you pay.

Also read: Virgin Australia partners with Coles Flybuys

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Chris C.

Chris is a a former contributor to Executive Traveller.