Virgin moves to spend-based Velocity status earning
How many Velocity status credits you earn will soon depend on how much your ticket costs.
By Sid Raja , October 17 2024
Virgin Australia’s Velocity frequent flyers will no longer need to carefully calculate the number of status credits they earn based on the length of their flight and the type of ticket they’ve booked.
As part of a sweeping overhaul to the Velocity rewards program, status credits will in future be directly tied to the cost of your airfare.
The more you spend, the more status credits you’ll earn on your journey to Velocity Silver, Gold, Platinum or the new Platinum Plus tier (while also steadily working your way towards lifetime Forever Gold status).
Starting from 2 April 2025, Velocity status credits will be earned as follows:
- One status credit for every $12 spent on Economy Choice, Economy Flex, and Business fares
- One status credit for every $24 spend on Economy Lite fares
Status credits booked on flights with Virgin Australia partner airlines will still continue to be earned the ‘traditional’ way, although you’ll earn fewer status credits on those airlines as of 1 October 2025.
'Eligible sectors’ scrapped
Velocity is also removing the need to fly a set number of what it calls ‘eligible sectors’ as part of earning Silver, Gold, Platinum and soon Platinum Plus status.
The rationale is that, based on feedback from Velocity members, many people simply don’t understand what an ‘eligible sector’ is – despite that it’s simply a Virgin Australia flight beginning with a VA flight number.
As part of a push towards simplifying status, the eligible sector requirement will be dropped as of 1 October 2025 (the same date as the launch of lifetime Velocity Forever Gold and the new Velocity Platinum Plus tier).
To reach or retain Velocity Silver, Gold, Platinum or Platinum Plus status, members will need to earn at least 50% of their status credits on ‘Virgin Australia marketed flights’ – which covers Virgin’s own flights as well as codeshare flights with partner airlines booked under a VA flight number.
In common with the shift to fare-based status earning, Velocity says the move reinforces its focus on rewarding those who consistently choose to fly with Virgin Australia.
Putting a price on status
This spend-based model makes it possible to put a ‘price’ on each Velocity status tier; the numbers below represent the spend on Economy Choice, Economy Flex, and Business fares (so double them for Economy Lite fares).
To earn Velocity Silver requires 250 status credits, equivalent to a $3,000 spend (retaining Silver status year-on-year requires 200 status credits, or a $2400 spend).
To earn Velocity Gold requires 500 status credits, equivalent to a $6,000 spend (retaining Gold status year-on-year requires 400 status credits, or a $4,800 spend).
To earn Velocity Platinum requires 1000 status credits, equivalent to a $12,000 spend (retaining Platinum status year-on-year requires 800 status credits, or a $9,600 spend).
To earn the new Velocity Platinum Plus tier requires 2000 status credits, equivalent to a $24,000 spend (retaining Platinum Plus status also requires 2000 status credits, or another $24,000 spend).
Simpler and fairer..?
Velocity Frequent Flyer CEO Nick Rohrlach described the new spend-based system to Executive Traveller as being an inherently “simpler” way to track and earn status, and estimates that just over 80% of published fares “will actually see an increase in status credits.
It will also remove some inconsistencies in the current system.
“A good example is that sometimes you can see people who get discounted business class actually paying less than some on the (economy) Flex fare.”
“From a loyalty perspective (it means) that we’re actually under-rewarding those who are booking last-minute Flex fares,” so the new spend-based structure “will recognise those who are booking those last-minute fares will therefore get a lot more status credits.”
Spend-based status shakes things up
How the new spend-based status earning impacts frequent flyers will of course depend on their own unique travel habits, and specifically the fares they (or their company) purchases.
Executive Traveller priced a number of Virgin Australia fares on 9 April 2025, ranging from the short Sydney-Brisbane hop to Brisbane-Perth and Melbourne-Bali – and it quickly became clear there can be significant differences in current and future status credit earnings.
For example, between Sydney and Brisbane, the $115 Economy Choice fare will plummet from 15 status credits to just 9 – a drop of 40%.
Likewise, a $384 Business fare slumps from 55 to 32 status credits.
However, the more expensive $434 Economy Flex fare surges in status power, from 25 to 36 status credits.
A similar pattern played out for some fares on the Brisbane-Perth route, with an Economy Flex fare of $828 increasing in status power (from 45 to 69 status credits) while a $969 Business fare drops from 105 to 80 status credits.
Even the cheapest $315 Economy Lite fare between Brisbane and Perth nudged north from 10 to 13 status credits, yet for Melbourne-Bali a $515 Economy Lite fare slipped from 25 status credits to 21.
ET readers: what’s your take on Velocity’s spend-based status earning, and how will it affect your Velocity status in the future?
30 Mar 2014
Total posts 21
What planet is Nick Rohrlach on? It's self-evidently NOT “an inherently “simpler” way to track and earn status” , despite what he is trying to persuade us to believe. Previously, even before booking the flight, I would know that a flight would earn me a certain number of SC's in each booking class and could easily plan to ensure I would retain Gold at the start of the earning year, based on flights I knew I was going to take and what I'd need to do to make up any gap. Now, I have no idea what I’ll earn until the moment I pay for that flight and the price is locked in. I can’t be bothered to deal with the inherent uncertainty and doubt I will bother maintaining Gold in future.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
31 Mar 2016
Total posts 32
There will be many family pooling, multi-sector cheap J class status run members crying this morning.
Code for VA don't want you.
22 Mar 2013
Total posts 10
Is family pooling status no longer counting towards your total?
Because that's totally me and it's going to be incredibly hard to maintain Gold from here on.
05 Sep 2023
Total posts 6
This will ultimately cost more to travel and earn status on VA. To say that it wasnt easy to understand the current system is a bit of a gag, this is more a cash grab by VA. Anyone who is savvy travelling and actually cares about status etc will investigate and know (can see status earned etc when looking at different fare types for a flight online when you go to book) that all the information is there. I really hope QF does not go down this route!
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
14 May 2022
Total posts 1
Seriously regretting my username choice this morning...
07 Apr 2021
Total posts 51
This is bad.
Changes are always bad for the user. They don't change things to make less money off customers.
28 Sep 2022
Total posts 24
This is skewed towards the higher cost flexible tickets obviously, they want people to book those for status.
14 Oct 2016
Total posts 115
These changes are worse for the premium cabins/flexible fares as your spending heaps and not getting as much. Think the spend/status credits should be closer to $8/sc for premium and flexible fares.
08 May 2020
Total posts 50
I know this won't be a popular opinion but I do like how this will reduce the environmental impact of status runs.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
24 Jan 2018
Total posts 773
There are quite a few VFF members who earn Platinum 5-6 times over during any one 12 month period. I earn it typically once/year, occasionally twice/year. The proposed Platinum Plus is a lazy attempt to placate those members. Perhaps it's time to junk Velocity and pursue Qatar's Privilege Club Q-points? This will require some analysis.
QF
11 Jul 2014
Total posts 1024
I looked at that last week B-T, very hard to gauge flights Brisbane - Sydney etc, however I noticed Qatar had a 24 month option for status credits which I thought was a great idea. If you earn the required amount over 2 years it leveled out.
Thai Airways International - Royal Orchid Plus
15 Jan 2013
Total posts 461
I am not likely to spend more than $1000 a year on flights on VA if that so these changes don't affect me as such but what about the people who fly fortnightly or monthly for work as opposed to leisure.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
20 Aug 2014
Total posts 170
Currently if I'm close to retaining my status but I have a few work trips lined up before my status year end I know I'll retain my status. Once these changes are implemented I'll have no idea if I'll retain the status as I don't see how much work pays for my flights and therefore how many SC's I'll earn. How is that simpler? Also I believe business class fares should earn at a higher rate. Do you think it's fair if someone paying $399 for an economy Mel to Perth fare earns the same as someone buying a $399 business Mel to Syd fare?
07 May 2021
Total posts 10
Do this means bookings made prior to today but that are later than April 2 2025 will earn the $12 rate? That seems mighty unjust to me and I would have thought they would just say all bookings made prior to 17 October earn at the original rate.
23 Nov 2023
Total posts 2
What a joke. I received my email yesterday about the changes. Beautiful SPIN but I will be worse off. The email made it sound like they were doing it all for us. What a load of crap.
As a Platinum, I will be worse off. Not sure why I’ve been loyal to this reckless, uncaring, non customer centric mob.
They have ruined what was a reasonable program. They already wrecked it when Bain took o over and now made it worse.
No more loyalty from me.
02 Dec 2016
Total posts 91
I've long been a platinum velocity member, sometimes going 2x or 3x. But it was clear to me coming out of covid that the benefit of platinum over gold with VA was negligible. And without a proper international network, it just isn't worth staying loyal to VA. I now am still platinum with VA but gold with QF, and my plan this year is to get to platinum with QF and gold with VA.
These changes, along with VA reducing status earn on partner airlines confirms they are not a real alternative to QF. Add to this no international lounges in some cities, even for their own flights just emphasises this. Despite all the crappy things QF does, VA does the same or similar.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
06 Aug 2017
Total posts 8
Similar to their partner Singapore's PPS club
21 Jul 2020
Total posts 22
Does anyone know if family pooling is staying? Seems like no one has asked.
Hi Guest, join in the discussion on Virgin moves to spend-based Velocity status earning