Virgin Australia’s Frequent Flyer Overhaul: What It Means for You

Big changes are coming to Virgin Australia’s Velocity Frequent Flyer program, and if you love your status perks—like lounge access, priority boarding, and extra baggage—you might need to dig deeper into your wallet.

Velocity Status Now Tied to Spending

Starting April 2, 2025, Virgin is switching to a spend-based model for earning status credits. Instead of being rewarded based on flight distance, your Velocity status will now depend on how much you spend:

• Economy Choice, Economy Flex, and Business fares: 1 status credit per $12 spent

• Economy Lite fares: 1 status credit per $24 spent

This means the cost to achieve Gold or Platinum status is significantly higher than before. In fact, travelers could now spend as much as $12,000 to earn Gold status for the first year and $24,000 for Platinum.

Winners and Losers Under the New System

For some, these changes might work in their favor. If you frequently book last-minute Economy Flex fares, you’ll now earn more status credits. However, those who previously relied on cheaper business fares to climb the status ladder will likely see a hit.

For example:

• A $115 Economy Choice fare from Sydney to Brisbane used to earn 15 status credits. Now? Just 9—a 40% drop.

• A $384 Business fare on the same route drops from 55 to 32 status credits.

• Meanwhile, a $434 Economy Flex fare jumps from 25 to 36 status credits.

Clearly, Virgin is prioritizing those who spend more, rather than those who simply fly often.

Partner Flights & Other Tweaks

Flights booked with partner airlines (like Singapore Airlines) will continue to earn status credits the traditional way—for now. However, from October 1, 2025, you’ll earn fewer status credits on those flights, reinforcing Virgin’s focus on rewarding travelers who book directly with them.

Another big change? Virgin is removing the ‘eligible sectors’ requirement for reaching status. Previously, members needed to fly a minimum number of Virgin-operated flights. This is now gone, making it easier to qualify—if you’re spending enough.

The Real Cost of Velocity Status

Here’s what it’ll take to reach (or keep) your status under the new system:

• Velocity Silver: 250 status credits ($3,000 spend) / Renewal: 200 credits ($2,400 spend)

• Velocity Gold: 500 status credits ($6,000 spend) / Renewal: 400 credits ($4,800 spend)

• Velocity Platinum: 1,000 status credits ($12,000 spend) / Renewal: 800 credits ($9,600 spend)

• Velocity Platinum Plus: 2,000 status credits ($24,000 spend) / Renewal: 2,000 credits ($24,000 spend)

Is Virgin Status Still Worth It?

For casual travelers, these changes make reaching elite status harder than ever. If you’re not spending big, you may find yourself dropping down the status tiers—or ditching Velocity status altogether.

But if you’re serious about flying smarter and maximizing your travel perks, there are better ways to unlock business class flights and elite status without breaking the bank.

💡 Want to learn how to fly business class for less—sometimes even cheaper than economy? Click here to get our insider strategies.