Summary
- Virgin Australia's Velocity Frequent Flyer program has partnered with Luxury Escapes, allowing members to earn and redeem Velocity Points on luxury travel packages and accommodations.
- Velocity CEO Nick Rohrlach believes the partnership provides more choice and value for Australian travelers, offering premium experiences without the price tag.
- Velocity is also offering a fast-track Discover Gold trial membership for Gold or higher status members of other Australian airline loyalty programs, providing perks such as lounge access, priority boarding, and bonus Velocity Points.
Australia has a population approaching 27 million, and between them, Qantas Loyalty and Virgin Velocity have 26.7 million members of their frequent flyer programs. Both airlines want more members, so it seems the best way to get them is to entice each other's members to jump ship; at least that's what Virgin Australia's Velocity Frequent Flyer program has in mind.
Looking for a way to spend your points?
Last week, Virgin Australia's Velocity Frequent Flyer loyalty program (Velocity) commenced its new and exclusive partnership with high-end travel operator Luxury Escapes. Velocity's 11.5 members and Luxury Escapes' three million Australian customers can now earn and redeem Velocity Points on thousands of luxury packages, hotels, cruises, tours and more offered by Luxury Escapes.
Velocity members will earn one Velocity Point per $1 spent on eligible Luxury Escapes bookings and can now offset the cost of booking their next Luxury Escapes holiday by using Velocity Points to pay for part or all of their booking. One of the quirky outcomes of the severe pandemic lockdowns is that with nowhere to go, Australians amassed millions of frequent flyer points from online purchases and are now looking for ways to spend them.
Get the latest aviation news straight to your inbox: Sign up for our newsletters today.
Velocity CEO Nick Rohrlach said the partnership creates more choice, value and rewards for millions of Australian travelers and marks a significant day for the program.
"Our 11.5 million members now have access to thousands of additional opportunities to earn and redeem Velocity Points with an unmatched inventory of world-class holiday packages at their fingertips. We know that the high cost of living is still very much on the minds of Australians and by using Points or Points + Pay, our members now have access to premium experiences without the price tag."
A chance for Velocity Gold Status
Velocity believes this is such a great partnership that it can help attract high-status members from the competition, although it doesn't mention Qantas by name, only referring to "members of other Australian airline loyalty programs." Velocity is inviting Gold or higher status members to apply for Velocity Gold Status under a new fast-track Discover Gold trial membership.
We'd love to see you on Instagram - follow us here!
Velocity Gold Status perks include complimentary Virgin Australia lounge access, priority boarding, preferential seating, additional baggage allowances and bonus Velocity Points and Status Credits when guests book and fly with Virgin Australia. Discover Gold is a three-month Gold Status trial in which most of the benefits can be enjoyed, and at the end of the three months, Velocity will asses if the Gold Status can be retained.
If a customer is a Gold member or higher with another Australian frequent flyer program, they will need to earn 80 Status Credits and fly at least one eligible sector to maintain Gold Status with Velocity for a further twelve months. The Discover Gold Status program process can all be done online, and the offer will be available until 23:59 on September 15, 2023.
As with all these types of offers, a raft of terms and conditions apply, and these can be perused on the Velocity Frequent Flyer website.
Would you be tempted to switch to another airline's frequent flyer program with an offer like this? Let us know in the comments.