Airline loyalty programmes are constantly expanding with new ways to earn and spend points, and Virgin Australia’s is no exception. In the last 18 months, it’s partnered with big names 7-Eleven, Medibank, United Airlines and Qatar Airways to expand its Velocity network, which, it says, one in every Australian household is now a part of.
Before we get into the different ways you can earn and spend points you might not have thought of, first, it’s worth logging into your online Velocity account (assuming you’ve created one. If not, go ahead and do that) and checking your points balance.
“A lot of people don’t know how many points they have, so if you don’t know where you’re at now or where you want to go, it feels pretty meaningless just to earn more points,” says Steve Hui, founder of iFLYflat. “It’s good to have a goal and see where you are now, and then you can start earning points and see your progress.”
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Once you’ve set a goal and know how many points you still need to get there, you can then work on maximising opportunities to earn. Ahead, we’ve rounded up some of our personal favourite ways.
Shop Through the Velocity E-Store
While, of course, you can earn points from online shopping by paying with your points-earning credit card, you can also earn by going through Virgin Velocity’s e-store. Among the over 200 e-tailers on it are Apple, The Iconic, David Jones, Chemist Warehouse and even Ebay.
Use Ride-Share App Ola
Link your Velocity account to ride-share app Ola, and you can earn 2 points per $1 spend on eligible rides to and from select airports and 1 point per $1 spend on all other Ola rides.
Shop at Coles
Again, there’s the potential to double-dip here — you can earn points both by spending on your points credit card at Coles and by scanning your Coles Flybuys card, which will give you Velocity points.
Fuel up at 7-11
For those who have a car and want to earn Virgin Velocity points, download the My 7-11 app, link your Virgin Velocity account and start earning every time you fuel up.
Rent a Car from Partner Providers
Stay at Partner Hotels
Sign Up to a New Credit Card
One of the ways to earn the most points is to sign up to a points-earning credit card (or, if you have one already, remember to use it). Be sure to do your research for the best sign-up offer and, of course, always remember to read the fine print.
Many cards only start charging annual fees after the first year so, if you don’t want to pay it, be sure to cancel before then. Also, many cards give bonus points if you spend a minimum amount within the first three months of opening the card so be sure to time buying any big-ticket items for that time.
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