Velocity Frequent Flyer Points: What Are They Worth?

Before calculating what your points amount to in dollars, it’s important to note that there are three ways you can redeem points for flight rewards:

1. Points + Pay: Allows you to shave some dollars off your flight cost by using a minimum of 2,500 points on a single fare, and 5,000 for a return flight. You can reduce your fare by $15, for every 2,500 points you redeem.
2. Reward Seats: Offers the best value for your Velocity points—these aren’t our words but Virgin Australia’s. You can redeem your points with Virgin Australia and its airline partners, starting with a minimum of 5,900. Inclusive of a complimentary checked baggage allowance, seat selection, in-flight entertainment and more, this is a popular reward and one that is increasingly hard to find.
3. Any Seat: Enables you to use your points to book a flight, on the Virgin Australia website, if a Reward Seat is not available. You can use your points on Virgin Australia Business, Economy Flex, Economy Choice or Economy Lite fares, but note that the number of points required for each flight can change in line with dollar-price fluctuations.

Domestic Flights

Virgin has tweaked the rewards points structure with new points requirements for each sector. Below we list examples of how many points you’ll need for domestic flight routes with reward seats from January 21, 2025.

International Flights

It may come as no surprise that you’ll need to dip further into your points reserve for an international flight. The table below shows the number of points you need when travelling abroad from January 21, 2025.

Highly sought after rewards also include upgrades to Economy X or Business on Virgin Australia seats. Blink, and you might miss them—they go extremely quickly.

You may have to improve your membership status and/or bid for them, or purchase an upgrade using your points, once the opportunity arises.

You can expect the amount of points you’ll need for an upgrade to Business to vary depending on the distance of your flight, as outlined below:

Note that previously frequent flyers could upgrade with fewer points from a more expensive Flex fare, but Flex fares now require the same number of points to upgrade as Choice fares on both domestic and international Virgin flights. 

Domestic Routes

Trans-Tasman And International Short Haul Routes

Using your points on a hotel stay is unlikely to offer the best value, but it may be worth doing if you’re not using your points on flights.

The number of points you’ll need varies greatly depending on where you’re travelling, and the duration of your stay. For instance, you can expect to need the following amounts of points, for a six-night stay from 29 April to 5 May, at these hotels in popular locations:

• Sofitel Fiji Resort and Spa, 5-star: 601,300
• ibis Styles Kingsgate Melbourne, 3-star:  129,100
• Rydges South Bank Brisbane, 4-star: 89,000
• Villa Jerami & Spa (Bali), 5-star: 263,600
• Hilton Surfers Paradise Hotel & Residences (Gold Coast), 5-star: 96,300

After saving tonnes of points for months or even years—points only expire after 24 months of inactivity on your account—the Virgin Frequent Flyer Velocity store may appear to be a treasure trove of items on which to use them. However, strategically speaking, it is probably the worst option when it comes to redeeming points, as it typically offers the least value. However, if you have points left over, and you they’re about to expire, you may want to spend them there.

The value of items start at around 6,000 points, with the most expensive worth over 300,000. For example, the Apple iPhone 15 256GB currently requires the most points at 331,911, while a $50 JB Hifi gift card is worth 10,699 points. You can also exchange points for gift cards with partner companies. You’ll need 47,881 points for a $250 Apple gift card, and 41,188 points for an Activ Visa $200 gift card.

Many apply for a rewards credit card that they can use specifically for earning Velocity points. You can find out how we rate them in our guide. They often come with introductory bonus points that can help you reach the required points you need, for the reward you want, quicker.

It’s best to shop around and compare cards. Features to consider before choosing one include sign-up bonuses and the number of points you can earn per dollar on purchases. You’ll want to weigh these up against factors such as annual fees and interest rates.

You can also earn points by shopping with Virgin’s retail partners, or, if you’re really keen on topping up your frequent flyer points, you can buy them through Velocity’s Points Booster.