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Virgin Australia is a hybrid carrier operating mainly in the Australian market. While most of the airline's flights are domestic, its fleet of Boeing 737s also serves several international routes. The airline combines some low-cost carrier features with those of a full-service airline and operates from three main hubs: Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne.
The airline’s loyalty program is Virgin Australia Velocity Frequent Flyer. Like with other airlines, travelers can collect points and redeem them for flight awards. Virgin Australia Points do expire — although you can keep them active indefinitely with some planning.
Do Virgin Australia Points Expire?
Virgin Australia Velocity points do expire if you do not earn or redeem points for 24 months. Per the Virgin Velocity points expiry FAQ page:
“As long as you continue to undertake eligible account activity, your Velocity Points balance will never expire. Eligible account activity is earning or redeeming Velocity Points.
Points earned will not expire until 24 months after your last eligible earn or redemption activity.”
Once expired, members cannot reinstate their Virgin Australia Velocity points.
Note that this post discusses the expiration of Virgin Australia Velocity points. If you're looking for the expiration of Virgin Atlantic points, here's the post about the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club expiration policy.
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What Counts as Qualifying Account Activity?
Virgin Australia Velocity does not define what counts towards extending the validity of your points. Instead, Virgin Australia explicitly states which activities will not count toward extending the validity of your Velocity points.
Per the Virgin Australia Velocity earning points page, the following activities do not count toward avoiding expiration:
“Points transferred from a Family Pool, Family Points Transfers, and earning Status Credits won’t stop your Points from expiring”
So, it seems only transfers from family members or pools are deemed ineligible. On the other hand, transferring flexible credit card points or hotel points to Virgin Velocity should count towards extending the validity of your Velocity points.
Earning Virgin Velocity Points
All the following will earn you Virgin Velocity points and count towards resetting your mileage balance validity.
- Taking a flight on Virgin Australia.
- Flying with a Virgin Australia partner airline — including United, Qatar, Etihad, and Singapore.
- Earn points with a Virgin Velocity travel partner — including car rental, wine purchases, taking a survey, and much more.
- When you spend on your Virgin Velocity co-brand credit cards, including:
- Westpac Altitude Black Credit Card with Velocity Points
- Virgin Australia Velocity High Flyer Card
- Virgin Australia Velocity Flyer Card
- American Express Velocity Platinum Card
- Westpac Altitude Platinum Credit Card with Velocity Points
- American Express Velocity Business Card
- BOQ Specialist Signature Card
- BOQ Specialist Platinum Card
- American Express Velocity Escape Card
- Earn points with everyday partners, including 7-Eleven and Envirobank.
Redeeming Virgin Velocity Points
There are many options to redeem Virgin Velocity points. You can use your points for Virgin Australia flights, hotel stays, and car rentals. However, as is true with many airline programs, the best value to be had is with partner awards. Great redemption options for Virgin Velocity points include:
- Between London and New York in business class on Virgin Atlantic or United Airlines for 49,500 points plus taxes and fees one-way.
- Singapore Airlines from Singapore to Sydney in business class for 65,000 points plus taxes and fees.
- Short hops around Australia from 6,200 points plus taxes and fees one way in economy.
Use AwardWallet to Track Virgin Australia Points Expiration
Two years is a little short but long enough for you to take your eye off the ball and have your Virgin Australia points expiration creep up on you. That is why it pays to use AwardWallet to keep track of your Virgin Australia’s point balance.
The easiest way to do this is to log into your AwardWallet account and link your Virgin Australia account. This way, you will receive a timely reminder if your points are in danger of expiring.
Related: How to Track Your Rewards Using AwardWallet
Our Take
24 months is on the shorter range of points validity deadlines. Fortunately, there are many ways for you to earn or redeem a Virgin Velocity point to extend your expiration date. That means there should be no reason to let your Virgin Australia points expire.
Ideally, you want to maximize every point you have. But, in a pinch, you can spend a few points for a very small redemption to extend the validity of the rest of your Virgin Velocity balance.
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