Virgin Australia offers three main ways to upgrade to Business Class on its flights.

One option is to redeem Velocity Frequent Flyer points for an “UpgradeMe Points” upgrade. A second option is to bid for an upgrade through Virgin’s “UpgradeMe Premium Bid” platform.

If you’re a Velocity Platinum frequent flyer, there’s another option – and it’s free. Up to four times per membership year, Velocity Platinum members can request complimentary upgrades from Economy Flex into Business Class. Virgin calls this “UpgradeMe Platinum”.

This is a unique perk of Velocity Platinum status that Qantas doesn’t offer. It can be good value, but there are a few catches.

This guide explains how Velocity Platinum members can use their complimentary upgrades…

Which Virgin Australia fares are eligible for UpgradeMe Platinum?

If you want to use one of your complimentary Velocity Platinum upgrades, the first thing you need to do is ensure you’re booking the right type of ticket.

Crucially, Virgin Australia only allows UpgradeMe Platinum upgrades from Economy Flex tickets. If you’ve booked an Economy Lite, Choice or Reward ticket, you won’t be able to use your Platinum upgrades.

This is not an issue if you’re travelling for work on a Flex fare anyway. However, if you’re paying for your own flights, this does likely mean you’ll need to pay more for your original ticket. (You can reduce this cost with a Virgin Australia discount code or, if you have an account, by booking through the Virgin Australia Business Flyer portal.)

The good news, though, is that Virgin Australia reduced its Flex ticket prices earlier this month. You’ll still pay more than you would for a Choice ticket, but the price difference is now much less.

Booking an Economy Flex fare and upgrading to Business can be particularly worthwhile value on routes like Sydney-Perth:

However, it is possible that an Economy Flex ticket could cost more than a Business Class fare on some routes. So, check the prices before booking.

Once the new tier launches in October 2025, Velocity Platinum Plus members will be able to use this benefit on both Choice and Flex fares.

You can upgrade travel companions as well

As a Platinum member you can upgrade yourself, and any other guests travelling with you on the same booking. You cannot upgrade other passengers that are not travelling with you.

Make sure you’re on a Virgin Australia flight

You can use Platinum upgrades on Virgin Australia operated and marketed flights on domestic, trans-Tasman and short-haul international routes (except to/from Christmas and Cocos Islands). In practice, most of Virgin Australia’s current routes fall into these categories including Cairns-Tokyo (which will run until February 2025).

You can’t use UpgradeMe Platinum on codeshare flights marketed or operated by partner airlines.

How to check if an upgrade is available

Platinum upgrades are subject to Business Reward availability. So before booking your flight, it’s a good idea to check whether a Business Reward seat is available.

You can do this by checking for reward seats on the Virgin Australia website. If there are enough Business Reward seats available on your flight to cover the number of passengers you want to upgrade, you can get your upgrade instantly confirmed.

For example, a Platinum member could instantly upgrade from Economy Flex to Business on this flight from Brisbane to Apia as a Business Reward seat is available:

If you have Platinum Velocity status, you can check how many upgrades you have available by logging into your Velocity account. You don’t necessarily have to apply your upgrades to flights that you’ll take during your current membership year.

Upgrading on the day of travel

If there are no Business Reward seats available, it’s unfortunately not possible to waitlist for a Platinum member upgrade. But you still have a chance!

On the day of departure, you can use a Platinum upgrade if there are any empty seats left in Business on your flight. The requirement for Business Reward availability goes out the window on the day of travel. However, full on-board catering may not be assured for last-minute upgrades.

Don’t forget that you can also use Fly Ahead as a Platinum member! If there aren’t any spare Business seats on your booked flight, you might be able to change to an earlier flight that does have a seat – and then use your upgrade on that. 😉

How to request your upgrade

To upgrade your flight, call the Velocity Membership Contact Centre. You can do this any time from when you book, up to two hours prior to departure.

If you’re requesting an upgrade on the day of travel, you can do this at the airport up to 40 minutes before the scheduled departure time. Simply ask at the Virgin Australia Lounge reception, or at check-in if there’s no Virgin Australia Lounge at the airport you’re flying from.

Changing or cancelling your flight

If you need to change your flight or cancel your upgrade request, you can do this without penalty up to 24 hours before departure. However, if you cancel your flight within 24 hours of departure you’ll forfeit your UpgradeMe Platinum credit.

Matt Graham

The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 90 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course!
Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil & Kazakhstan. His interests include aviation, economics & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine.

You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @AFF Editor.