Virgin launches Velocity ‘points for petrol’ alliance with 7-Eleven

Motorists can now top-up their Virgin Australia Velocity Frequent Flyer points balance when they top-up their fuel tank at 7-Eleven, with the two companies forging a points partnership spanning over 700 sites across Australia.

Here’s what it means for you, including how you can earn – and in the future, spend – Velocity Points at 7-Eleven.

How many Velocity Points can I earn at 7-Eleven?

Most purchases made at 7-Eleven will qualify for Velocity Points, including both fuel and in-store buys.

Fuel purchases accrue Velocity Points based on the number of litres purchased, while shopping in-store provides points per dollar spent, at the following rates:

• 2 Velocity Points per litre of Extra 95 and Supreme +98 (‘premium fuels’)
• 1 Velocity Point per litre of Special Unleaded, Special Unleaded E10, Special Diesel and Autogas/LPG (‘regular fuels’)
• 2 Velocity Points per $1 spent (including GST) in-store

7-Eleven also notes that new ‘premium fuels’ and ‘regular fuels’ may be introduced over time and included with the Velocity partnership for earning points.

As an extra boost, Velocity members will earn 711 bonus Velocity Points on their first eligible purchase at 7-Eleven made by June 28 2021.

Are there purchases where you can’t earn Velocity Points?

Some transactions at 7-Eleven outlets won’t earn Velocity Points, while others may earn points on only part of the purchase.

Payments made using 7-Eleven Fuel Pass, Motorpass, any fleet card or vouchers are ineligible to earn Velocity Points, as are transactions where ‘free offers’ have been redeemed.

On other transactions where an eligible payment method has been used – such as cash, EFTPOS, debit card or credit card – some individual items may not earn points.

For example, top-ups of public transport cards like Opal, Myki or Go Card are ineligible for Velocity Points, as are mobile phone prepaid top-ups, SIM card purchases, tobacco-related items, parcel delivery services, MoneyGram transactions, and the purchase of gift cards.

Outlets that offer hire of trailers, lawn mowers and cars won’t provide points on those amounts either, nor can Velocity Points be earned on spend at coin-operated vacuums, as that payment doesn’t take place at the main store counter.

How do I earn Velocity Points at 7-Eleven?

To get started earning Velocity Points at 7-Eleven, you’ll need to download the My 7-Eleven app from Apple’s App Store or Google Play, and follow the prompts to register an account.

If you already have the 7-Eleven app installed, make sure it's updated to the latest version, otherwise you won't see anything about Velocity.

Through the Settings tab on the app, you can then link your My 7-Eleven account to your Velocity Frequent Flyer profile.

Make sure the surname on your My 7-Eleven account matches your Velocity account – and then next time you shop in-store at 7-Eleven or purchase fuel, to scan the membership barcode available within the My 7-Eleven app, and you’ll have your Velocity Points within 24 hours.

At stores located in Western Australia only, you can bypass the My 7-Eleven app entirely and just swipe your physical Velocity Frequent Flyer membership card, or scan your digital Velocity membership card (available via the Velocity app) at the register.

This doesn’t work in other states and territories, in which case, you’ll need to scan the barcode from your My 7-Eleven app to earn points.

Can you spend Velocity Points at 7-Eleven?

For the time being, Velocity Points can only be earned at 7-Eleven, and then spent on a range of rewards through the Velocity Frequent Flyer scheme, such as on flights, upgrades, and gift cards.

In the future, Velocity members may be able to spend their Velocity Points directly at 7-Eleven, and the two companies have requested permission from the ACCC to enable this as part of the broader tie-up.

How can electric vehicle owners earn points at 7-Eleven?

As part of the proposed partnership between 7-Eleven and Velocity, the pair plan to offer Velocity Points to those who recharge their electric vehicles (EVs) at 7-Eleven, where these facilities are available.

The number of Velocity Points earned on these transactions hasn’t yet been identified – including whether the earn rate would be a flat number of Velocity Points per recharge, or be based on the price of the recharge.

Of course, owners of EVs can earn Velocity Points on eligible items purchased in-store.

How many 7-Eleven locations are there in Australia?

At the time of writing, 7-Eleven coincidentally has 711 sites across Australia.

This includes 561 locations where fuel is sold, plus an additional 150 sites that operate as convenience stores only.

All of these sites would participate in the Velocity points partnership, with the cost of ‘buying’ those Velocity Points to be borne by 7-Eleven corporate, not by the individual franchisees that operate each site.

Still, it’s worth noting that 7-Eleven doesn’t currently have any sites in South Australia, Tasmania or the Northern Territory – meaning the partnership will only be rewarding for those in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, the Australian Capital Territory, and Western Australia.

Does this affect Velocity’s points partnership with Coles Express/Shell?

There’s no impact to the current points-earning arrangements for Velocity members at Coles Express fuel outlets, where Velocity Points can be indirectly earned via the Flybuys rewards program.

Under these arrangements, motorists will continue earning 1 Flybuys point (0.5 Velocity Points) per $2 spent in-store and on fuel, with the added option of earning 8 Flybuys points (4 Velocity Points) per litre on fuel, when trading their 4c/L supermarket fuel discount for bonus points at the pump.

How does this compare with Velocity’s previous BP deal?

On purchases of premium fuel and in-store items, Velocity’s link-up with 7-Eleven mirrors the reward rates previously available under its deal with BP, before BP changed allegiance to the Qantas Frequent Flyer program.

However, for those buying ‘regular fuels’ such as standard unleaded, the earning rate through 7-Eleven is half that of the previous BP partnership, with members now earning 1 Velocity Point per litre on these fuels, versus 2 Velocity Points per litre previously under BP.

Of course, BP now provides only 1 Qantas Point per litre on the same fuels under its new deal with Qantas Frequent Flyer, meaning Velocity’s new 7-Eleven deal sits equal to its nearest market alternative.

Also read: Velocity's 7-Eleven 'points for petrol' partnership

Chris C.

Chris is a a former contributor to Executive Traveller.