Virgin Australia: frequent flyer point upgrades for Saver economy tickets

Virgin Australia now allows domestic travellers on its low-cost Saver fares to upgrade to business class using their Velocity Frequent Flyer points.

Points-based upgrades have previously been available only on the most expensive economy Flexi fares.

The number of Velocity points needed for a business class bump-up on a Saver ticket varies according to the distance of your flight.

Sydney-Melbourne, Sydney-Brisbane and Melbourne-Adelaide flights all fall under the 600 mile mark, so a seat at the pointy end can be yours for just 10,000 points (about twice as many points as you'd need to upgrade from a Flexi fare).

That's not bad value when you consider the typically low cost of your original Saver fare on those routes plus getting lounge access into the bargain, if you're not already a lounge-worthy Velocity Gold or Platinum member.

It's also in the same ballpark as the number of Qantas points needed for a similar upgrade on the Red Roo.

A business class upgrade on mid-range flights including Melbourne-Brisbane and Brisbane-Adelaide can be yours for 17,500 points from a Saver fare, more than double a Flexi upgrade of 7,400 points.

Those two brackets of 10,000 and 17,500 point upgrades will probably prove appealing to corporate travellers flying on work-sponsored Saver fares.

Doing a transcontinental trek to or from Perth on Virgin's Airbus A330 Coast to Coast service?

We don't blame you for wanting to get an upgrade to those comfortable international-grade seats, but it'll cost you 30,000 points each way. That's a staggering three times the 9,900 asking price for upgrading from a Flexi ticket.

The transcon trap

The 'value' of a Saver upgrade on Sydney-Perth, Melbourne-Perth or Brisbane-Perth will have frequent flyers scratching their heads once you compare the cost of Saver fares against redeeming points on a business class award seat.

Browsing for flights on Tuesday March 18 we were able to find Saver fares on VA464 available for $359:

However, on that same flight, Velocity members could redeem 33,800 points for a confirmed seat in business class (along with a small sum to cover taxes and surcharges):

So you've got a choice: spend $359 plus 30,000 Velocity points for upgrading from a Saver fare (with your business class seat not guaranteed), or buy that business class seat outright for $27.70 plus 33,800 points.

We know which one we'd choose!

For more details, visit Virgin Australia's UpgradeMe Points page.

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Chris C.

Chris is a a former contributor to Executive Traveller.