Many Aussies are familiar with Velocity Frequent Flyer, the loyalty program of Virgin Australia. If you own a business, you can double-dip on the rewards by also joining Virgin Australia Business Flyer. This is a seperate loyalty program for small and medium businesses.
Simply by joining Virgin Australia Business Flyer for free, you can access flight discounts and earn bonus Velocity points with a range of program partners. You might even be able to get a fast-track to Velocity Gold status, giving you access to lounges and other perks when you travel!
Our guide explains how to utilise the benefits of Virgin Australia Business Flyer…
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Virgin Australia Business Flyer joining requirements
Signing up for Virgin Australia Business Flyer is free and quick on the Virgin Australia website. To be eligible, your business must have an active Australian Business Number (ABN) and an annual spend of less than $300,000 on Virgin Australia flights.
Sole traders, partnerships, and companies can all apply, provided the business is not already part of a corporate travel agreement with Virgin Australia. Certain other business types, including superannuation funds, travel agents or anyone re-selling air travel are not eligible to join the Virgin Australia Business Flyer program.
Once registered, your business can immediately start earning Velocity Points on eligible flights and access discounts to help reduce travel costs.
Program benefits
The following benefits are available to all members:
- Two Velocity ‘Pilot Gold‘ memberships
- Discounts on Virgin Australia Economy Flex fares (4%) and Business fares (6%)
- Up to 10% discounts on partner airlines, such as United Airlines and Qatar Airways.
- Reduced annual rate of $379 for an annual Virgin Australia Lounge membership.
Additional benefits for tiered members
Virgin Australia Business Flyer features three tiers: Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3, each providing more benefits. Your tier is based on the amount you spend on flights each year:
| Tier Level | Annual Spend Requirement | Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | $0 – $9,999 | Earn 1 Velocity Point per $1 spent on eligible flights |
| Tier 2 | $10,000 – $49,999 | Earn 1.5 Velocity Points per $1 spent on eligible flights Choice of five Virgin Australia Lounge passes or 20,000 bonus Velocity Points One complimentary Virgin Australia Gold membership (12 months from issuance) |
| Tier 3 | $50,000 – $300,000 | Earn 2 Velocity Points per $1 spent on eligible flights Choice of ten lounge passes, 50,000 bonus Velocity Points, or two Business Class upgrade credits Two complimentary Virgin Australia Gold memberships (12 months from issuance) |
Pilot Gold status fast-track
One of the biggest perks of the Virgin Australia Business Flyer program is the opportunity to fast-track employees to Velocity Gold status. Businesses can nominate up to two employees for Pilot Gold membership after spending $2,000 on Virgin Australia flights within three months of joining the program.
Each Pilot Gold member receives a three-month trial of Velocity Gold status, with all the benefits that come with this such as lounge access and priority baggage.
To retain full Gold status for an additional year, each employee would need to earn at least 80 Status Credits and fly one eligible Virgin Australia sector within the trial period. Under the new system for earning Velocity status credits, you could earn 80 status credits by spending at least $960 on Virgin Australia flights.
Earning points in Virgin Australia Business Flyer
You can earn Velocity Points in your Virgin Australia Business Flyer account for flying and non-flying activities. You can then transfer these points into your own Velocity Frequent Flyer account, or that of an employee, and redeem them for any of the things you can get with Velocity Points. There is a minimum transfer of 3,000 points.
Earning points while flying
The simplest way is to earn from flights, where you can effectively “double-dip” with your personal Velocity Frequent Flyer account.
You just need to make sure you have both your personal Velocity number and ABN on your flight booking. The amount of points you earn depends on your tier in the Virgin Australia Business Flyer program.
If you’re travelling on a partner airline, you’ll need to book a VA codeshare to be eligible to earn points in Virgin Australia Business Flyer. The partner airlines eligible to “double-dip” are:
- Qatar Airways
- United Airlines
- Singapore Airlines
- Link Airways
- Air Canada
- Air New Zealand
Earning points on the ground
You can also earn Velocity points for business expenses with plenty of partners on the ground. These range from payment service providers, to rental car companies, to technology providers.
Some of the businesses that you can earn bonus points from include:
- pay.com.au
- Sniip
- Europcar
- Thrifty
- American Express
- DiDi
- Moneytech
- Tools Warehouse
- The Hamper Emporium
- Apple
- Microsoft
The full list of partners is on the Virgin Australia website. Note that online shopping offers are on a separate page.
A business credit card linked to Velocity Frequent Flyer can also help increase your points balance on everyday expenses. Several banks, including American Express, NAB, and Westpac, offer business cards that earn Velocity Points on every dollar spent. The generous sign-up bonuses are also a great way to boost your points balance!
Great Business Cards for Velocity Points
- Card Name
- American Express Velocity Business
- Earn
- 1
- Signup Bonus
-
170,000 bonus Velocity Points
Apply by 30th Apr 2025
- Annual Fee
- $249 p.a. and $99 per Employee Card up to 99 cards
- Read more
- View Offer
on everyday purchases
- Card Name
- American Express® Platinum Business Card
- Earn
- 2.25
- Signup Bonus
-
250,000 Membership Rewards Bonus Points*
Apply by 27th May 2025
- Annual Fee
- $875 in the first year (normally $1,750 p.a)*
- Read more
- View Offer
on everyday purchases
How to book flights through Virgin Australia Business Flyer
You can access discounted airfares and earn points when you use the Virgin Australia Business Portal to book your flights.
When booking on Virgin Australia’s regular website, you can also earn points with Virgin Australia Business Flyer by entering both the passenger’s Velocity number and the business’ ABN during the booking process. However, your booking may not appear in your Virgin Australia Business Portal if you didn’t book it there.
If you originally booked via the business portal but your plans change and you receive a flight credit, this credit will go to your business Travel Bank. You or designated employees can use the business travel bank – regardless of whether you were the person originally flying.
To redeem the Velocity Points in your account for reward flights on Virgin Australia or partner airlines, you’ll have to first transfer points to an individual account. You can use points to “pay with points” via Virgin Australia Business Flyer, but this is generally poor value.
Should you join Virgin Australia Business Flyer?
Similar to Qantas Business Rewards, you can join for free. So, if you have an eligible ABN, it would be silly to miss out on the discounts and extra points!
The great edge Virgin Australia Business Flyer has over its main domestic competitor is the fast-tracks to status. Between the Pilot Gold memberships and benefits for Tier 2 & 3 members, you could get Velocity Gold status for up to four employees (including yourself). This comes with some great benefits.
However, if you constrain yourself to Virgin Australia, your options for international flights are low. Virgin has only a handful of partners and its only long-haul flights, launching in June, will be to Doha. Furthermore, you’ll have to book the Virgin Australia codeshares, which are often much more expensive than simply booking through the partner itself.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Yes, by linking your ABN and Velocity number, you can earn points in both your Velocity Frequent Flyer and Virgin Australia Business Flyer accounts when booking eligible flights.
Virgin Australia Business Flyer members can earn extra Velocity Points, access discounted fares, and receive perks like Velocity Gold status fast-tracks, lounge passes, and bonus points based on tier level.
If you spend $2,000 on Virgin Australia flights within three months of joining Business Flyer, you’ll be eligible for two Pilot Gold memberships. You can designate two employees (including yourself) to take on this challenge for Velocity Gold membership. Earn 80 status credits to extend the Gold status up to a year.
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