It’s always a great moment when you check your Virgin Australia Velocity frequent flyer status only to discover that you’ve actually accumulated quite a hefty bank of points. Whether you’ve tallied up the points through frequent flying, swiping your Velocity credit card or odd buys here and there, at some point you’ve got to actually put them to use.
While there are many ways in which you can redeem your Velocity points, often you’ll get the some of the best value rewards when redeemed on flights. For example, your points can translate to just half a cent each when cashed in for a gift card, yet can take on as much as 13 times more value when swapped for a business class flight. So it’s worth doing the math!
Here’s a look at some of the best flight routes and upgrades you can get with 100,000 Velocity Points or less.
Business Class Sydney to Los Angeles
95,000 points
The flight to Los Angeles can sure be a long one and if you’re connecting on to another US city, then even longer. But if you have 95,500 Velocity Points to your name, you could make it all the more comfortable with a one-way Business Class fare to from Sydney, Brisbane and now Melbourne.
It’s great value for the chance to experience Virgin’s recently refurbished ‘The Business’ business class seat and service on their Boeing 777 long-haul fleet – arguably one of the best Business Class experiences going direct from Australia to the USA. This includes access to their savvy in-flight cocktail bar and lounge area.
If you’d prefer to take a friend too, you can snag two Economy Class seats to LA for just 44,800 points each – that’s 89,600 points!
Use your points to upgrade to Etihad's luxurious First Apartment.Fly Singapore return in Premium Economy
89,400 points
Singapore is a global business hot spot, but also a culinary powerhouse and model clean, green city. Flying Premium Economy, you can land yourself a return flight to the Garden City for just 44,700 points each way – that’s 89,400 return!
Fly to Europe one-way in Etihad’s First Apartment
78,000 points
If you’re flying out of London or Paris, you could make the trip one-way to Abu Dhabi in utmost style with Etihad Airways – the only Velocity partner airline you can directly book First Class travel with.
Their First Apartment experience onboard the Airbus A380 offers complete luxury in the air, with food freshly prepared by onboard chefs and fine champagne, as well as your own exclusive space featuring a wide armchair and separate fully-flat bed, entertainment, personal wardrobe and vanity. You’ll also get access to The Lobby – a hotel-inspired meeting place for socialising or business, with crew on hand to serve snacks and drinks and a widescreen TV to enjoy.
In-flight comfort has never looked better.
Fly Melbourne to Hong Kong in Business Class
59,000 points
Fancy a trip to Hong Kong over LA? With just 59,000 points for a one-way ticket in Business Class, you could be cruising on Hong Kong harbour and eating your way through the city’s famous culinary offerings.
Experience the standup bar flying Business with Virgin Australia.Upgrade to Business
25,000 – 45,000 points to Los Angeles
Depending on your ticket type, you could use your points to upgrade from Flexible Economy or Premium Economy to a Business Class set when doing the east coast Australia to Los Angeles route, flying with Virgin Australia. That will set you back 25,000 to 45,000 points.
24,000 points to Bali
If you have an economy Go Plus or Getaway fare to Bali with Virgin Australia, flying from Sydney or Brisbane, it takes just 24,000 Velocity Points to upgrade to Business Class one-way. That’s 48,000 points if you upgrade both ways.
Book a return-trip upgrade for two people and that’s 96,000 Velocity Points well spent.
9,900 points on domestic flights
If you regularly do domestic travel for business – or pleasure – you can easily use your points to upgrade to Business Class on many Virgin Australia points between capital cities such as Perth and Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
If you book flexible economy Freedom fares, each upgrade one-way comes in at just 9,900 points. For 10 such domestic upgrades one-way (or five return trips) so you can regularly travel in comfort, it’ll set you back 99,000 points in total.
Fly Three People on a Short-Haul Return Domestic Flight
93,000 points return
You can often book a short-haul Business Class flight within Australia for as little as 15,500 points one-way, on routes such as Sydney to Brisbane, Melbourne to Adelaide, and Hobart to Melbourne.
Return it’ll set you back 31,000 points. And if you have a whole 100,000 points to spend, that’s enough to fly three people (or three times) on such short-haul domestic flights return.
Talk to a Business Travel Expert today.
