Virgin launches lifetime Velocity status, new Platinum Plus tier
While there’s good news for high flyers, some benefits are also being withdrawn from Gold and Platinum.
By David Flynn, October 17 2024
Virgin Australia will reward its top frequent flyers with lifetime Velocity status and a new Platinum Plus tier as the airline aims to close the loyalty gap against Qantas.
Both are part of what is arguably the most significant shake-up in the program’s almost 20-year history, alongside a move to spend-based status earning – the more your ticket costs, the more status credits you’ll earn.
But there’s also a hit to partner airlines, with increased Reward Seat pricing and decreased status credits earning.
Velocity Golds and Platinums will also lose some perks in what Velocity Frequent Flyer CEO Nick Rohrlach described to Executive Traveller as a “reset” for the program that’s been long in the works.
“Virgin Australia went through its own rebirth and refresh,” Rohrlach reflected, “to drive greater value, more aggressive and lower pricing (including) discounted business class fares.”
This sweeping overhaul of Velocity is about “aligning that on the loyalty side of things.”
The changes will be phased in across the coming 12 months, with 1 October 2025 seeing the following key developments.
Velocity lifetime Forever Gold status
Velocity’s rollout of lifetime status will initially be limited to lifetime Gold – to be known as Velocity Forever Gold – because Gold is seen as Velocity’s sweet spot for practical perks such as lounge access, increased baggage allowances, preferential seating and priority service.
To add a Velocity Forever Gold to your wallet or purse you’ll need to have racked up 12,000 status credits – with at least 9,000 of those earned on Virgin Australia flights or codeshares carrying a VA flight number.
And yes, double status credits promotions will count towards your Forever Gold target.
Although Velocity’s lifetime Forever Gold tier will launch on 1 October 2025, eligibility will be back-dated to recognise all Velocity status credits earned since 1 February 2013.
Velocity says a significant number of frequent flyers will automatically ascend to Forever Gold status on 1 October 2025, based on their long-standing travels with Virgin Australia and its partner airlines.
Could lifetime Velocity Forever Silver or Forever Platinum follow the launch of Forever Gold?
“We absolutely did look at” other lifetime tiers, Rohrlach told Executive Traveller.
“But Gold is quite the signature thing, in terms of lounge access and especially with our partner network…we could always look at other things in the future, but the members are pretty clear this was the one that they really wanted.”
Velocity Platinum Plus status
A new Velocity Platinum Plus tier is also being added to the loyalty ladder, sitting above today’s top rung of Velocity Platinum but of course below the invitation-only Virgin Australia Beyond program.
Velocity Platinum Plus will require 2,000 status credits to earn and retain on a yearly basis – with 1,500 of those status credits from Virgin Australia flights or codeshares carrying a VA flight number.
By comparison. Velocity Platinum requires 1,000 status credits to earn and 800 status credits to retain it.
And there’ll be no need to clock up any number of ‘eligible sectors’ of flying, with Velocity axing ‘eligible sectors’ as part of the move to spend-based status earning of 1 status credit per $12 spent on most fares.
As usual, double status promotions will contribute towards your Platinum Plus tally – but there’s a caveat when it comes to Family Pooling.
Status credits earned by any member of your Family Pool will count towards the overall 2,000 status credit goal, but only those earned by the actual travelling member will count towards the mandatory 1,500 status credits ‘from VA flights’ threshold.
Platinum Plus members can expect a raft of better-than-Platinum benefits including:
- access to an exclusive Australian-based VIP Priority phone hotline
- four complimentary business class upgrades which can be used on economy Flex and economy Choice fares (compared to only Flex upgrades for Platinum members)
- the ability to gift Velocity Platinum membership to a companion (this perk is being removed from Platinum to become exclusive to Platinum Plus)
- free rebooking to a later flight on the same day (known as Fly Later, and essentially a reverse of Virgin’s popular Fly Ahead).
Velocity Platinum Plus members will of course enjoy the highest priority recognition for bookings and upgrades, and Velocity promises more benefits will be announced closer to launch.
Gold, Platinum perks axed
1 October 2025 will also see three benefits removed from Velocity Gold and Velocity Platinum.
Velocity Golds will lose their Guaranteed Economy Reward Seat benefit. This lets them request up to four economy reward seats be made available from seats otherwise put up for sale – on any return Virgin Australia domestic flight.
Velocity’s rationale is that this benefit was used by less than 100 members in the 12 months to June 2024.
However, Velocity Platinum members will still be able to request the release of up to four economy reward seats on return Virgin Australia domestic and international flights.
As noted earlier, Velocity Platinums will lose the option to gift Companion Platinum status to another Velocity member.
Velocity Platinums will still be able to gift Companion Velocity Gold status but the benefit will only be unlocked when “650 status credits of the current 1,300 status credit threshold" earned across their membership year are “earned on Virgin Australia marketed flights flown by the member”.
Under the current system, Companion Velocity Gold becomes available to Velocity Platinums simply by earning an additional 500 status credits above the required 800 status credits needed to retain Platinum.
QF
11 Jul 2014
Total posts 1010
It would be good to see some retro acknowledgement of those people who have been loyal to VA over the years to count towards Forever Gold.
07 Mar 2022
Total posts 65
Good Point UUAA, I thought they may also have the status credits over 12 or 24 months earnings the same as Qatar.
17 Oct 2024
Total posts 2
I think they say that there is retro acknowledgement in the fact that all status points since 2013 count towards achieving Forever Gold, and that people will automatically ascend to Forever Gold based on their long standing travels with VA.
30 Aug 2019
Total posts 29
All status credits earned from 1st Feb 2013 will count towards Forever Gold
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
24 Jan 2018
Total posts 767
I'm not sure what Nick Rohrlach has been doing over the last 2 years, perhaps his role is much, much broader than his job description, but given the time delay I expected better and more by now. In terms of Platinum Plus, an Australian-based priority hotline is the only, repeat, the only proposed deliverable that would, perhaps, benefit me. Although, to be fair the good people in Virgin's Philippine call centre, over the last 12 months they've leapt ahead enormously in the way they expedite solutions to problems I give them. I usually lean 'pro-Virgin' in my outlook, but this announcement (for all the frills and sparkles) is a 'nothing burger' for me. The pinnacle of a missed opportunity. Let's see what else unfolds over the next 6 months.
17 Oct 2024
Total posts 2
How many problems do you give the good people in the call centre in a 12 month period?
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
24 Jan 2018
Total posts 767
Too detailed for here, MG, but send me a PM and I'll tell you.
06 Jun 2017
Total posts 53
Great that they've introduced lifetime status though the 75% of SC having to be on VA is a bit hard to swallow. I've been VA Platinum for close to 10 years and many of the routes I've earned SC have just not been able to be booked as a VA ticket. And even if I could have booked as VA, there was no way to know that I would be penalised down the line for booking the wrong tickets.
A bit of a kick in the teeth to people like myself who have gone above and beyond to retain Platinum but are now still nowhere near the requirement for lifetime Gold.
01 Dec 2012
Total posts 64
Qantas has a similar requirement for lifetime status - "Only Status Credits earned for travel on eligible flights with a Qantas (QF) or Jetstar Group (JQ, 3K or GK) flight number within a Membership Year count towards the required threshold..."
Granted, the Qantas-Emirates tie-up and other codeshares provide more QF flight number options than VA.
As I recall (it's been a few years), there's a similar hurdle for QF Platinum One status.
06 Jun 2017
Total posts 53
Are you sure thats for QF Lifetime Gold? I can't see that anywhere, though I know its a requirement for P1.
This is what I found on the QF Lifetime Gold page "Status Credits are earned on eligible Qantas, Jetstar, oneworld® member and oneworld connect® airlines only" - so looks like all OneWorld SC count.
01 Dec 2012
Total posts 64
It seems that your infornation from the Lifetime Gold page and mine from the "Earning Status for Life" page (covering all three lifetime categories) are inconsistent. I think you're correct, however, based on my now hazy recollection of gaining LTG back in 2012.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
21 Jun 2017
Total posts 39
Interesting that there is a strong focus on being on VA ticket and reasonably high qualifying for new tier. So yes, Qatar will have an impact internationally, but only so much, leaving a lot of this earning slog to be done domestically. Also if SC’s are $ driven and many company employees on “best price” tickets it feels like a lot of heavy lifting for the gold level domestic road warrior vs how you’d do this on Qantas. I don’t think you can expect much more from a PE owned airline TBH. Still, Bain will go sooner rather than later now that they are letting others on the share register and a new CEO will want to kick a few goals early. Look for the new CEO / ownership to bring in lifetime platinum and maybe a global alliance. That’s where you make the points for the high status and sticky business customer and Virgin knows it. All of this is just my random thoughts /conjecture of course.
Still, nice to see the baseline reset with a solid rethink and to see lifetime gold rewarded to those who have been loyal to Virgin all these years.
The free upgrades is a nice public perk but qantas does this behind the scenes to most P1’s anyway. Will be interesting to see if this becomes a public commitment (I.e. named perk) from qantas. I think they’ll only do it if the Virgin / Qatar wet leases cause some heartburn for Qantas. One to watch.
30 Aug 2019
Total posts 29
Absolute first world problem here, but I wish they differentiated Platinum Plus a bit more with a different name like Titanium or Diamond or something along those lines. Just to give a bit of difference between Velocity and QFF.
26 Jul 2011
Total posts 13
About time. I've been asking for a lifetime status option in every survey they've sent for the past 10 years!
Having been platinum since 2013, and with approx 2000 SC's earned in the last 24 months, I would hope I'm on track for Lifetime Gold straight away. The 9,000 minimum earn on VA flights is a the catch - a decent amount of my SC's have been earned with Singapore Airlines.
Will have to wait and see I guess
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
15 May 2019
Total posts 32
This is such a welcome development. As a neglected Qantas LTG and P/P1 member (for whom 75,000 status credits is a far reach) this new offering is right in the sweet spot.
There is basically no difference between Qantas Gold and Platinum (especially if you are Sydney based, with the overcrowded and out of date business lounge). This is the perfect incentive to switch loyalty to Virgin and start chasing lifetime Gold status with them. Doing 2000 status credits a year is a cake walk and lifetime Virgin Gold is achievable within a couple of years.
This is a seriously good strategic decision from Virgin management that will shift the dial on premium purchasing for Australian domestic travellers, particularly with the parlous state of Qantas' service and its ambivalent attitude towards high-tier frequent flyers.
I reckon if Virgin extended Beyond lounge access to Platinum Plus that would be the final nail in the coffin for Qantas.
09 Dec 2023
Total posts 7
Caveat. VA’s lounges are in far worse condition than QF.
16 Oct 2012
Total posts 52
On the whole a welcome development, esp. for long neglected Plats. I will easily slot into the Plat Plus tier, but as others observe and not withstanding the new local call centre (most welcome), added benefits announced today for Plat Plus don’t amount to much. Especially when you consider it is already almost impossible to utilise free Business class upgrades. Let’s see if VA sweeten the deal in the months ahead.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
25 Mar 2014
Total posts 219
Does this mean there is a business lounge on the way
31 Mar 2014
Total posts 397
No, there is not
08 Dec 2019
Total posts 4
I may have missed it, but has there been any reference to Pooled Status credits, assuming they would not be included as not earned directly?
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
08 Dec 2023
Total posts 3
This is not good at all for me. I'm Platinum but earn the majority of my SCs on international flights with partners. I manage to rack up my 8 eligible sectors flying domestically but not much more.
Under this new system I can see members like me being knocked back to silver in quick time. At that point it makes sense to move my loyalty elsewhere. I guess its FFs like me they don't want since we are not high-volume VA flyers. The counterargument is that Im still doing at least 8 sectors a year on VA metal and it wouldnt cost much to keep me - Im not exactly overcrowding the domestic lounges.
I wonder what Virgin's partner airlines think of this downgrade? The spotty lounge access was already a pain but this feels like an active disincentive for people like me to fly with them.
In fact I wish I hadnt just booked flights on UA, SQ and VA domestic as it probably would have made more sense to apply for a QF status match using those flights as 'bait'. In an ideal world SQ would offer status matches to keep VA FFs like me flying with them, but I cant see that happening.
My options seem to be start from scratch with a Star Alliance airline or see if I can get a status match with Qantas. This makes me sad as Ive been a strong advocate for VA but unless they start flying to the US and Asia again I cant see how this works for me.
On a more positive note the lifetime Gold is a good move for most.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
20 Jul 2012
Total posts 16
Similar experience here.
12 years as VA Platinum but on review of my history I should be pretty close to lifetime gold.
But like many of you, I have had a lot of activity with partner airlines.
So even after 12 years at Platinum, I may not even be halfway to lifetime gold.
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