Live life in the Gold lane with Virgin Australia – even when you're flying in Economy.
If you’ve never held elite Velocity Frequent Flyer status before, then take it from us – once you get a taste of the Gold life, it’s hard to go back. With lounge access, priority check-in, boarding and luggage included when you fly Virgin Australia and many other partners in any cabin, having elite airline status is the key to stress-free journeys.
Virgin Australia’s Velocity Frequent Flyer program is rolling out the red carpet, with status-toting travellers from competing programs encouraged to sign up for a three-month Discover Gold status challenge.
What is Velocity’s Discover Gold status challenge?
Discover Gold (previously known as Pilot Gold) is a three-month taste of Velocity Gold status. If your application is approved, you’ll be elevated to a trial Gold membership that has the core benefits such as lounge access and priority airport processing.
Benefits that aren’t included are:
- Guaranteed Economy Reward seats for an annual family trip.
- Complimentary partner memberships with hotel and car partners.
- Membership Pause for parental leave.
- Gold premium luggage tags.
To convert that into a full 12-month Gold membership, all you have to do is earn 80 Status Credits and fly one eligible Virgin Australia sector within your three-month trial. That can be quite easy to do, depending on where you live and where you’re flying to!
If you don’t meet the requirements for a full Gold membership, you’ll later be downgraded to Velocity Silver status instead. That’s not a bad consolation prize, as you’ll still get two Virgin Australia lounge passes for each year you remain Silver.
Who can sign up for Velocity Discover Gold?
The Velocity Frequent Flyer website details all the eligible and comparable frequent flyer memberships that can be used to request a Discover Gold status challenge. Note that any Velocity member that has ever held Pilot Gold, Discover Gold, Silver, Gold or Platinum membership will not be eligible to apply.
Oneworld airlines
- Qantas: Gold, Platinum, Platinum One
- American Airlines: AAdvantage Platinum, Platinum Pro, Executive Platinum
- British Airways: Executive Club Silver, Gold
- Cathay Pacific: Marco Polo Club Gold, Diamond
- Fiji Airways: Tabua Club Plus
- Finnair: Gold, Platinum
- Iberia: Iberia Plus Gold, Plus Platinum, Singular, Plus Infinita, Plus Infinita Prime
- Japan Airlines: JMB Sapphire, JGC Premier, JMB Diamond
- Malaysia Airlines: Enrich Gold, Platinum
Star Alliance airlines
- Air China: Phoenix Miles Gold, Platinum
- Air India: Flying Returns Golden Edge Club, Maharajah Club
- Asiana: Marco Polo Club Gold, Diamond
- Air New Zealand: Airpoints Gold, Elite
- Austrian Airlines/Lufthansa/Swiss Airlines: Miles & More Senator, HON Circle
- Thai Airways: Royal Orchid Plus Gold, Platinum
- EVA Air: Infinity MileageLands Gold, Diamond
- SAS: Euro Bonus Gold, Platinum
SkyTeam airlines
- China Airlines: Sky Team Emerald, Paragon
- China Eastern: Eastern Miles Elite Status Silver, Gold
- Delta: SkyMiles Gold, Platinum
- Air France/KLM: Flying Blue Gold, Platinum
- Vietnam Airlines: Lotusmiles Gold, Platinum, Titanium
- Garuda: Garuda Miles Gold, Platinum
- Korean Air: Skypass Morning Calm Premium Club, Million Miler Club
Other airlines
- Air Niugini: Gold Executive Club
- Emirates: Skywards Gold, Platinum
- LATAM: LATAM Pass Platinum, Black
- Philippine Airlines: Mabuhay Miles Prmeier Elite
- Royal Brunei: Royal Skies Elite Gold
Notable airline exclusions are Velocity’s current partners, such as Qatar Airways, Etihad, Singapore Airlines, United, Hawaiian Airlines and Air Canada.
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How do I sign up for Velocity Discover Gold?
There’s no dedicated application page at this time. Instead, you should fill out the Customer Feedback Form and explain that you want to apply for Discover Gold.
There’s no place to upload a copy of your competing eligible frequent flyer status, so you could upload it to an image-hosting website and include the link in your application, or send it via email once Velocity replies and requests documentation.
How do I maintain my Discover Gold status?
Once your account has been upgraded to Discover Gold, the clock is ticking on the three-month counter for you to earn a full 12 months of Gold. You just need to earn 80 Status Credits and complete one eligible flight sector with a VA flight number.
Earning 80 Status Credits with one traveller
The easiest way to do this is to fly Virgin Australia, as that will also satisfy the ‘one eligible sector’ rule. The Velocity Frequent Flyer website shows how many Status Credits (SCs) you get from flights. For example, you can get enough Status Credits by flying:
- A return Business Class trip anywhere on the VA network (from 110 SCs)
- A one-way Business Class trip on any flight longer than 751 miles (e.g. Melbourne to Sunshine Coast, from 80 SCs)
- Return to Bali in Economy Choice from Sydney (90 SCs)
- Three return Sydney-Melbourne trips in Economy Choice (90 SCs) or two trips in Economy Flex (100 SCs)
- Two return Melbourne-Brisbane trips in Economy Choice (80 SCs) or three one-way flights in Economy Flex (105 SCs)
- Three one-way flights between Sydney and Perth in Economy Choice (90 SCs) or one return trip in Economy Flex (90 SCs)
Note that the cheapest Economy Lite fares don’t count as an eligible sector, so you should always book Economy Choice or higher. Plus, you enjoy a much higher serve of Status Credits.
Boost your Status Credits with Family Pooling
Family Pooling is a savvy and popular way to turbocharge your Velocity Points and Status Credits. Essentially, if you fly with an eligible adult family member and/or your children – as long as you’re all living in the same house and the kids are under 18 – then you can collect their points and Status Credits whenever you fly together!
For example, you’d normally need two return trips between Melbourne and Brisbane in Economy Choice to get 80 Status Credits. But if you fly with an eligible family member who is pooling to you, you’ll both only need to fly one return trip to get the 80 Status Credits!
Travelling with your partner and two kids on the same fare? Just a simple one-way trip from Melbourne to Brisbane will get you 80 Status Credits. You’ll get 20 SCs, plus another 60 SCs from your family.
Boost your Status Credits with Flybuys
Still a few Status Credits short of Gold? If you’ve already met your one eligible flight sector requirement and collected most of the 80 SCs already, you could get the remaining Status Credits without setting foot on a plane.
Thanks to a partnership between Velocity and Flybuys, you’ll earn one Status Credit for every $100 you spend at Coles, Liquorland and First Choice Liquor within a month. A maximum of 10 Status Credits per month applies, and you need to link your Flybuys and Velocity memberships.
Summing up
Discover Gold is the latest initiative from Velocity Frequent Flyer, offering a handy status challenge to members from many competing airline programs. You get three months of status benefits and an easy gateway to full Gold membership with just 80 Status Credits and one eligible flight sector.
There’s no expiry date for the current offer, so you could consider applying when the three-month benefit period lines up with your travel dates. Lounge and airport perks are valid with Virgin Australia and international partner airlines, so you can enjoy a tantalising look at the Gold life around the world.
‘Discover Gold’ with Velocity for three months of lounge access and perks was last modified: August 10th, 2022 by Brandon Loo
Post author
Brandon Loo
Who wrote thisarticle?
Brandon is the Senior Content Writer (Loyalty) at Point Hacks. He stumbled across the world of points and premium travel in 2015 and hasn’t looked back since. While writing from his hometown of Perth, Brandon is always looking ahead for the next big trip to book with points. He shares his travels under @thepointswanderer on Instagram.
Brandon can also be found on:LinkedIn
Read more articles by Brandon Loo.
FAQs
Can I use Velocity points for lounge access? ›
To gain entry to our domestic lounges you will need to show your Velocity Platinum or Gold card, or Lounge Membership card, along with your boarding pass or Business class boarding pass.
How many Velocity status points for Gold? ›As soon as your balance reaches 500 Status Credits and you have flown 4 Eligible Sectors3 within the last 365 days, you will be automatically upgraded to Gold membership. To maintain your Gold membership you will need to earn 400 Status Credits and fly 4 Eligible Sectors3 within your 12 month benefit period.
What does 20 000 Velocity points get you? ›| One-way miles (zone) | Economy | Business |
|---|---|---|
| 1-600 (1) | 10,000 | 18,000 |
| 601-1,200 (2) | 14,000 | 26,000 |
| 1,201-2,400 (3) | 20,000 | 38,000 |
| 2,401-3,600 (4) | 28,000 | 53,000 |
| GOLD | Status Credits Reach: 700 Status Credits to Maintain: 600 Status Credits for lifetime status: 14,000 Qantas Points: 75% more |
|---|---|
| Lounge Access: | Qantas Club, Qantas International Business and associated lounges, oneworld partner lounges, Emirates and China Eastern lounges |
You can actually buy these passes from the Velocity Rewards Store for a princely sum of 10,000 Velocity Points each, or at the lounge door for $65 per person.
Can Velocity members use Virgin lounge? ›Lounge access is available to eligible Virgin Australia lounge guests to all Etihad Operated & third party operated lounges. Velocity Gold members departing Abu Dhabi with Etihad in economy, will use the Al Dhabi lounge which is located in Terminal 1.
What can 500000 Velocity Points get you? ›500,000 Velocity points is more than enough for two return Business class trips between Australia and Europe – or even eastern USA – flying Etihad. One member recommends transferring the points to the Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer program.
Can Velocity Gold members use Singapore Airlines lounge? ›Before Singapore Airlines flights
In Singapore, both Velocity Gold and Platinum members can use the KrisFlyer Gold lounge. In all other ports, they can use the same Singapore Airlines SilverKris lounge as Business Class passengers.
With 100,000 Velocity Points to play with, here are some of your options: Virgin Australia Holidays gift certificates worth $600 to $700. You could use your points to get $600 value in gift certificates (85,800 points) or spend a little more for $700 value (100,100 points).
How much is 150 000 Velocity points worth? ›Spending Velocity Points on Virgin Australia business class
A seat that's now regularly $299 can be yours for 15,500 Velocity Points + $34.39 in taxes, fees and charges.
What is 1 million Velocity points worth? ›
Velocity reward flights are calculated in miles so longer flights cost more points. 1 million Velocity Points in flights also translate to: 28 return economy flights from Sydney to Nadi, Fiji OR. 28 return economy flights from Brisbane to Perth OR.
How many Velocity points do I need to fly to Bali? ›| Virgin Australia Economy | Virgin Australia Business | |
|---|---|---|
| Melbourne to Bali | 22,300 points | 49,500 points |
| Sydney to Bali | 22,300 points | 49,500 points |
| Brisbane to Bali | 22,300 points | 49,500 points |
| Port Hedland to Bali | 11,800 points | 23,500 points |
Million Miler perks
Fly a million miles, and consider yourself American Airlines royalty. Once you've flown 1 million qualifying miles, you'll earn Gold status for the life of the program, plus 35,000 bonus miles.
To reach Lifetime Gold you'll need 14,000 status credits, which if you only aim to hit the minimum needed to retain Gold, will take you 24 years to achieve. Make no mistake, that's a lot of flying.
How long do you keep Gold status for? ›As an Airpoints Gold member, you can grow your family and keep most of your Airpoints benefits as well, with Status Hold - Parental. You keep your Gold status for up to two years, even if you travel less during that time.
How many lounge entitlements do I get Priority Pass? ›There's no limit on how many Priority Pass lounges and restaurants you can visit in a day. So if there are three Priority Pass lounges in an airport, you can visit all three in one day at the airport.
Do you get lounge access with Virgin credit card? ›Can I use the Virgin Money Lounges? As a Virgin Money Business customer, benefit from free access to our lounges, where you can enjoy complimentary refreshments, free Wi-Fi, newspapers, magazines, TVs and iPads.
What is the highest velocity membership? ›When you first join the program, your default membership status is Red (entry level). From there, you can upgrade to Silver, Gold, and then Platinum. Status Credits help determine your Velocity membership level – Platinum, Gold, Silver and Red. The more Status Credits you have, the higher your membership tier.
Do Velocity members get priority boarding? ›Gold and Platinum members can board when they like, when travelling with Virgin Australia, via our exclusive Priority Boarding lanes at selected domestic and international short haul airports.
Can Velocity members use Qatar lounges? ›The partnership extends to Privilege Club and Velocity members, who can enjoy reciprocal loyalty benefits depending on status tier, such as complimentary lounge access, priority check-in, priority boarding and priority baggage delivery.
Can I use Virgin lounge if flying Delta? ›
Anyone flying in the following cabins will automatically get access to the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse: Upper Class passengers on Virgin Atlantic (including one guest) Delta One passengers on Delta.
How many Velocity points do you need to fly to Fiji? ›You're beginning to master the art of earning Velocity Points, and have yourself a nice bundle of Points to spend – so we think you've earned yourself a break for all your hard work! For 35,000 Points, you can get a return Economy ticket to sunny Fiji from Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane.
Do Velocity points ever expire? ›Velocity Points expire after 24 months of inactivity. To prevent Velocity Points from expiring, you can earn or redeem points at least once in a 24-month period. It may be possible to get back expired Velocity Points, but only in exceptional circumstances.
How many Velocity points do I need to fly to Singapore? ›| From Sydney/Melbourne to: | Cabin | Velocity Points |
|---|---|---|
| Singapore | Business | 67,000 pts (+ US$90 + taxes) |
| Premium Economy | 52,500 pts (+ US$60 + taxes) | |
| Economy | 29,000 pts (+ US$30 + taxes) | |
| Bangkok | Business | 71,000 pts (+ US$180 + taxes) |
No, the Amex Gold card does not offer lounge access. The Platinum Card® from American Express, on the other hand, does provide lounge access at more than 1,400 locations worldwide.
Do gold members get lounge access? ›The Amex Gold card does not offer any complimentary airport lounge access.
Can my wife use airport lounge? ›Can someone else utilise my airport lounge credit card? No, the primary cardholder can only use the airport credit card. Even the lounge will scrutinise the cardholder's name for ensuring safety and security.
What does 250000 Velocity Points get you? ›With 250,000 Virgin Australia Velocity frequent flyer points in the kitty, the world is quite literally your oyster – it's enough points to fly business class to almost any destination of your choosing, and in some cases, to even make that trip in first class.
How far can you fly with 50000 points? ›But with the right travel credit card, 50,000 points can get you two round-trip tickets from Los Angeles to Hawaii, which can be as much as $800 per ticket during peak season.
How many Velocity points do I need to fly to London? ›500k Velocity Points is sufficient for round trip economy class but for business, its a stretch. Looking at upgrade options, there aren't really any because every option of getting to London involves a partner airline other than Virgin Australia meaning you can't use your Velocity points to get an upgrade.
How many Qantas points do I need to fly to Japan? ›
You can use your Qantas Points on qantas.com to book Classic Flight Reward seats on Jetstar Airways (JQ), Jetstar Japan (GK) or Jetstar Asia (3K) flights, starting from 6400 points plus taxes, fees and carrier charges4.
Can I pool my Velocity points? ›With things like Family Pooling, Points Transfer and Parental Pause, whether you're a solo traveler or a traveling family, we've got you covered! Family Pooling is an exclusive Velocity benefit that allows members to pool either their Points or Points and Status Credits with family members living at the same address.
How far can you fly with 60000 points? ›60,000 American Airlines Miles
Within the United States: 12,500 miles (main cabin) and 25,000 miles (business/first) Hawaii: 22,500 (main cabin) and 55,000 miles (business/first) Mexico: 15,000 (main cabin) and 25,000 miles (business/first)
Best of all, you can easily fly from Australia to Singapore in Business Class with 80,000 points. The cheapest redemption is Darwin-Singapore, which only requires 38,000 Velocity Points for Business Class.
How many flights do you need for million miles? ›To put a sense of scale to flying one million miles, consider that a JFK-LAX transcon is 2,475 miles. That means it would take 401 flights to qualify as a million miler.
Can you sell Velocity points? ›Check out the Velocity website for further details on member benefits. You can't sell, transfer or otherwise deal with your or someone else's Points, Status Credits or other member benefits in a way not permitted by these Terms.
Can I use velocity points to fly to Hawaii? ›Redeem Velocity Points with Hawaiian Airlines
Fares are subject to availability. Points values are based on one-way Economy Class Reward Seat fares with Hawaiian Airlines and must be booked via the Velocity Membership Contact Centre. Taxes, fees and carrier charges are payable in addition to Velocity Points redeemed.
Save up Velocity Points for International Business Class
For a maximum of 139,000 Points one-way + taxes, fees and charges, you can fly in lie-flat Business Class from Australia to Europe, USA and more. This can be on carriers such as Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, Singapore Airlines and more.
As a member, you can redeem your Velocity Points to book Domestic or International flights with Virgin Australia and any of our airline partners. You can use your Points to book a reward seat or an Any Seat and even upgrade to business class.
What does gold status get me? ›With AAdvantage Gold ® status, you'll receive complimentary upgrades when traveling within North America as early as 24 hours before the flight, when available. Additionally, you are also eligible for complimentary upgrades on Alaska Airlines.
Does your airline status reset every year? ›
The status qualification year starts on March 1 and runs through the last day of February. For example, in 2024, your counter will restart on March 1, 2024, and run through February 28, 2025.
How do I get advantage gold status? ›...
Earn enough Loyalty Points
- Flying American Airlines or its partners, including Oneworld carriers and non-alliance partners.
- Spending on an AAdvantage credit card.
- Shopping and dining with other American partners.
You can take comfort in knowing that your hard-earned Tier Points that expire each year don't actually disappear, they're added to your Lifetime Tier Points total. If this reaches 35,000 Tier Points, you'll be given Gold Tier status for life.
How do you get lifetime Platinum status? ›You must earn 600 Qualifying Nights and 10 years as Platinum Elite or higher to achieve Lifetime Platinum Elite status.
How do you get Platinum for life? ›Becoming Platinum for Life requires being Platinum for 10 consecutive years, which for me meant scoring 3000 XP over 10 years.
How do you maintain Gold velocity? ›As soon as your balance reaches 500 Status Credits and you have flown 4 Eligible Sectors3 within the last 365 days, you will be automatically upgraded to Gold membership. To maintain your Gold membership you will need to earn 400 Status Credits and fly 4 Eligible Sectors3 within your 12 month benefit period.
How long does Bonvoy Gold status last? ›How long does Marriott Bonvoy status last? Elite status is valid in the year in which it's earned and an additional 14 months after that year.
What are the benefits of Gold? ›Gold's healing properties are interwoven to various organ systems, so you'll feel the effects on your entire body . Ancient people believed the metal had special healing powers, and it is still thought to promote blood circulation and relieve sore and stiff muscles.
How do you get free access to Virgin lounge? ›As a Virgin Money Business customer, benefit from free access to our lounges, where you can enjoy complimentary refreshments, free Wi-Fi, newspapers, magazines, TVs and iPads. All signatories to your business account have free access and can bring guests. Just register online when your account is up and running.
How do I know if my card is eligible for lounge access? ›How can I find out if my issuer provides me with complimentary lounge visits? If your issuer provides complimentary lounge visits, there will be a “Complimentary Visit” section under My Information on the app and under My Account on the web. If you do not have any complimentary visits, this section will not display.
Can I use flying Blue miles for lounge access? ›
Simply present your boarding passes and a valid membership card at the entrance. Explorer and Silver members and their guest can use Miles (starting at 4,000 Miles) when travelling on or connecting to or from an international flight operated by a SkyTeam partner on the same day.
How to get unlimited access to airport lounge? ›- 1 – Purchase Priority Pass. ...
- 2 – Use a Credit Card with Airport Lounge Access. ...
- 3 – Purchase a One-Day Lounge Pass. ...
- 4 – Purchase an Annual Airport Lounge Membership. ...
- 5 – Reach Elite Status with an Airline. ...
- 6 – Pay for Public Lounge Access. ...
- 7 – As a Guest of Someone with Lounge Access.
Our airport lounge partners
We're delighted to offer private airport lounge access to all our passengers, with a special rate for entry to any lounge in the No1 collection.
| Debit Card | Annual Fee |
|---|---|
| HDFC EasyShop Platinum Debit Card | Nil |
| SBI Platinum International Debit Card | Rs. 250 |
| Axis Bank Prestige Debit Card | Rs. 500 |
| YES Prosperity Platinum Debit Card | Rs. 599 |
Velocity Gold members can use the Etihad Business Class Lounge in Abu Dhabi. Meanwhile, Velocity Platinum members can relax in the Etihad First Class Lounge in Abu Dhabi.
Can you sleep in Qatar lounge? ›The sleep 'n fly lounges at Hamad International Airport in Doha offer a variety of sleeping pod options for travellers looking for a place to rest and relax before continuing their journey.
Which cards are accepted at Qatar Airport lounge? ›The lounge is accessible to Qatar Airways Platinum as well as other one world airlines Emerald frequent flyer customers and eligible guests.
Can 2 people use same card for lounge access? ›No, the primary cardholder can only use the airport credit card. Even the lounge will scrutinise the cardholder's name for ensuring safety and security. However, there are certain credit cards which allow family members to get the privilege of the lounge. How can I check if complimentary visits are available?
Can I use my wife card for lounge access? ›All or most of these credit or debit cards give lounge access in airport only to Primary account holder, not to family members or, even to add on card holders. Kindly suggest for easier or better way to get airport lounge access for parents. DCB gives unlimited lounge access but only 1 per day.
How many times I can get lounge access? ›Access to VISA/ MasterCard Lounges. Access to three international and eight domestic airports in a year, for the cardholder and another person.
Is it worth it to buy airport lounge access? ›
Airport lounges are generally worth the effort to get in, whether as provided by your airline ticket, credit card or elite status. The benefits are truly there, from the basics like Wi-Fi, clean restrooms, beverages and a place to sit, to sit down meals and premium beverages.
Do Platinum SkyMiles members get lounge access? ›Delta Medallion elite members with Gold, Platinum or Diamond status receive lounge access when they're traveling in premium economy class or higher on an international flight that's operated by Delta or an eligible partner airline.
What does lounge access get you? ›Airport lounges are some of the most idyllic places to spend time before your flight. They often offer free food and drinks, ample seating, free Wi-Fi and additional amenities like showers and nap pods, and some even offer spas, barbershops and workout equipment.