Credit cards are one of the most popular and easiest ways to earn large amounts of Velocity Frequent Flyer points. Depending on your monthly spend, you could earn many thousands of points each year through your Velocity credit card.
You can also earn tens of thousands of bonus points with a great Velocity credit card sign-up offer. So, it’s worth seeking a credit card that allows you to maximise your point-earning potential!
There are several co-branded Velocity Frequent Flyer credit cards in Australia issued by American Express (Amex), Virgin Money and Westpac.
Alternatively, you could also earn points with a flexible credit card rewards program and transfer points to Velocity (or other frequent flyer programs) as you need them. Most Australian credit card reward programs provide the option to transfer points to Virgin Australia’s Velocity program – as does Flybuys. If you transfer your credit card points during May or November, you can often even get bonus Velocity points!
So, which are the best Australian credit cards for earning Velocity Frequent Flyer points? We’ve compiled lists of the Velocity credit cards that earn at the highest rate on everyday spend, as well as the best current Velocity credit card sign-up bonus point offers…
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The highest-earning cards for Velocity points
Looking to maximise the points earned from your everyday credit card spend? We’ve compiled a list of the top-earning credit cards in Australia for Velocity Frequent Flyer points as of November 2024.
Note: If you’re viewing this article on a smartphone, the tables below may look better if you rotate your device horizontally.
| Card | Loyalty program | Annual fee | Velocity points per $1 | Cap on full earn rate | More information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 1. Amex Velocity Platinum | Velocity Frequent Flyer | $440 | 1.25 | – |  |
 2. Amex Platinum | Amex Membership Rewards (Ascent Premium) | $1,450 | 1.125 | – | |
 3. Amex Explorer | Amex Membership Rewards (Gateway) | $395 | 1 | – | |
 4. Virgin Money Velocity High Flyer | Velocity Frequent Flyer | $329 | 1 | $8,000/month | |
 5. ANZ Rewards Black | ANZ Rewards | $375 | 1 | $5,000/month | |
 6. Coles Rewards Mastercard | Flybuys | $99 | 1 | $3,000/month | |
 7. Amex Velocity Escape Plus | Velocity Frequent Flyer | $95 | 1 | $12,000/year |
In the table above, we’ve ranked each credit card based on:
- The number of Velocity points you’ll earn per dollar on regular transactions,
- Follwed by cards with the least-restrictive earning caps,
- And finally the lowest annual fees.
Some of these cards earn points with loyalty programs other than Velocity Frequent Flyer, such as a bank rewards program. These points can then be transferred to Velocity Frequent Flyer as needed. Where this is the case, we’ve listed the equivalent Velocity earn rate per dollar taking into account the conversion rate.
Unfortunately, many Australian credit cards limit the number of points that can be earned each month at the full rate. Once this threshold is reached, some cards will award points for any remaining spend during that month at a reduced rate. There are even some cards with a fixed maximum number of points that may be earned each month. So if you’re a high spender, it’s worth looking for a card that doesn’t have any earning cap.
Maximise your Velocity points with credit card sign-up offers
Looking to quickly increase your Virgin Australia Velocity points balance? Credit card sign-up bonus offers are one of the easiest and cheapest ways to do it!
By applying for a new credit card, paying the annual fee (if applicable) and completing a minimum spend on the card, you could earn tens or even hundreds of thousands of Velocity Frequent Flyer points towards your next trip.
List of the best current Velocity credit card sign-up offers
To help you choose a Velocity points credit card with a great sign-up bonus offer, we’ve put together a list of the best current Virgin Australia credit card sign-up offers. This list is updated monthly and was last edited in November 2024:
| Card | Bonus Points | Annual fee | Offer expiry | Minimum spend to earn bonus points | More information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 1. Citi Prestige | 250,000 Citi reward Points (worth 125,000 Velocity points) | $700 | Ongoing | Spend $10,000 within 3 months. | |
 2. Westpac Altitude Velocity Black | 120,000 Velocity points | $370 | 30 April 2025 | Spend $6,000 within 120 days to earn 90,000 Velocity points. Renew to earn another 30,000 points in the second year. | |
 3. ANZ Rewards Platinum | 100,000 Velocity points | $149 | 15 November 2024 | Opt-in to Velocity auto-redemption and spend $2,000 within 3 months to earn 70,000 Velocity points. Keep your card open for 15 months to earn another 30,000 points. | |
 4. Citi Premier | 200,000 Citi reward Points (worth 100,000 Velocity points) | $300 ($150 in first year) | Ongoing | Spend $7,000 within 3 months to earn 150,000 Citi points. Renew to earn another 50,000 points in the second year. | |
 5. NAB Rewards Signature | 180,000 NAB Rewards points (or 90,000 Velocity points) | $288 | Ongoing | Spend $3,000 within 60 days to earn 130,000 NAB points. Renew to earn another 50,000 points in the second year. | |
| 6. ANZ Rewards Black | 180,000 ANZ Rewards points (worth 90,000 Velocity points) | $375 ($150 back in first year) | Ongoing | Spend $3,000 within 3 months. | |
 7. NAB Rewards Platinum with Velocity | 80,000 Velocity points | $195 ($95 in first year) | 29 November 2024 | Spend $1,000 within 60 days to earn 60,000 Velocity points. Renew to earn another 20,000 points in the second year. | |
| 8. Virgin Money Velocity High Flyer | 80,000 Velocity points + 100 status credits | $329 | 25 November 2024 | Earn 40,000 points per month when you spend at least $3,500 on the card for each of the first 2 months. Meet this criteria to also earn 100 bonus Velocity status credits. | |
 9. Westpac Altitude Velocity Platinum | 80,000 Velocity points | $250 ($194 in first year) | 30 April 2025 | Spend $4,000 within 90 days to earn 60,000 Velocity points. Renew to earn another 20,000 points in the second year. | |
 10. St.George Amplify Rewards Signature | 150,000 Amplify points (worth 75,000 Velocity points) | $295 ($199 in first year) | 30 April 2025 | Spend $12,000 within 12 months. | |
| 11. Amex Platinum | 150,000 Amex points (worth 75,000 Velocity points) | $1,450 | 28 January 2025 | Spend $5,000 within 3 months. | |
How to make the most of Velocity sign-up offers
In November 2024, the highest Velocity Frequent Flyer sign-up offer belongs to the Citi Prestige credit card. This card currently comes with up to 250,000 bonus Citi Rewards points, which are worth 125,000 Velocity points. To receive the bonus points, you’d need to spend at least $10,000 on eligible purchases within 3 months from approval.
The Citi Prestige card also comes with complimentary Priority Pass membership. You can use this to access unlimited Priority Pass lounges and airport restaurants with a complimentary guest during each visit! Citi Prestige cardholders can also get the fourth night free when booking hotels with this card.
NAB has introduced special Velocity points offers on its NAB Rewards Platinum and NAB Rewards Signature card for people who opt-in to have their NAB Rewards points automatically converted to Virgin Australia Velocity points. You can also earn 100,000 bonus Velocity points by signing up for an ANZ Rewards Platinum card and opting in to Velocity auto-redemption by 15 November 2024.
Many of the current Australian credit card sign-up deals are discussed on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum:
Things to be aware of
Beware that most banks impose credit card offer exclusion periods whereby bonus points are not awarded to customers who have previously held a card with that bank in the past 12-18 months.
You should also understand that applying for credit cards can negatively impact your credit rating – particularly if you apply for multiple cards within a short time. You can check your credit rating for free using services such as Equifax or Get Credit Score.
Velocity business credit cards
This article mainly features personal credit cards. But there are also a range of credit and charge cards available to businesses that earn Velocity points. Alternatively, you could choose a business card that earns a flexible points currency (such as Amex Membership Rewards points) that you can transfer to Velocity.
Here’s a selection of our favourite business cards that earn Velocity points:
Our Favourite Business Cards for Velocity Points
- Card Name
- American Express Velocity Business
- Earn
- 1
- Signup Bonus
-
120,000 bonus Velocity Points
- Annual Fee
- $249 p.a. and $99 per Employee Card up to 99 cards
- Read more
- Go to offer
Velocity Frequent Flyer Velocity Points on everyday purchases
- Card Name
- American Express Business Explorer
- Earn
- 2
- Signup Bonus
-
50,000 bonus Membership Rewards Points
Apply by 20th Aug 2035
- Annual Fee
- $149 p.a.
- Read more
- Go to offer
American Express Membership Rewards points on everyday purchases
- Card Name
- American Express® Platinum Business Card
- Earn
- 2.25
- Signup Bonus
-
250,000 Membership Rewards Bonus Points + half annual Card fee of $875 (normally $1,750) in the first year*
Apply by 25th Mar 2025
- Annual Fee
- $875 in the first year (normally $1,750 p.a)*
- Read more
- Go to offer
American Express Membership Rewards points on everyday purchases
What does 100,000 Velocity points get you?
To give you a rough idea, 100,000 Velocity Frequent Flyer points could get you:
- Three return Virgin Business class flights between Sydney and Melbourne,
- Six return Virgin Economy class flights between Brisbane and Canberra (Tier 2 redemptions),
- Two return Virgin Business class flights between Melbourne and Brisbane,
- One return Hawaiian Airlines Economy class flight between Sydney or Auckland and Honolulu, or
- 10 Business class upgrades from Virgin Economy Flex fares on long domestic routes (e.g. Sydney-Perth)
You could also book a one-way United Airlines Business Class flight from Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane to Los Angeles or San Francisco.
This costs 95,500 Velocity points, plus taxes.
This article contains a more detailed list of what you can do with different amounts of Velocity Frequent Flyer points.
Having trouble finding and booking reward seats?
Our Frequent Flyer Concierge is here to help!
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Velocity Frequent Flyer points will only expire if your account is inactive for more than 24 months. You can prevent your Velocity points from expiring by earning or redeeming at least one point every two years. This includes using your Velocity Frequent Flyer credit card.
To earn Velocity points from your credit card spend, look for a co-branded Velocity Frequent Flyer credit card with a high earn rate. Alternatively, you could earn points with an Australian bank-operated credit card rewards program and then transfer points from there into your Velocity account. Also, look out for sign-up bonus points offers to supercharge your Velocity points balance!
Each bank has its own definition of a transaction that is eligible to earn Velocity points. In general, payments made to government bodies such as the ATO, gambling transactions and other specific types of purchases are ineligible to earn points. So check your credit card’s terms and conditions to see what counts as an eligible transaction with your specific card.
Currently, the Amex Velocity Platinum card is the personal Australian credit card that earns Velocity points on everyday spend at the highest rate. You can earn an uncapped 1.25 Velocity points per dollar on most purchases with this card.
The American Express Velocity Escape credit card has no annual fee and earns 0.75 Velocity points per dollar spent, uncapped. You can also earn Amex Membership Rewards points with a fee-free American Express Essential card and transfer those into Velocity points (giving an effective earn rate of 0.625 Velocity points per dollar).
The value of Velocity points depends on how you redeem them. For instance, if you redeem for a Reward Seat, you could fly from Sydney to Melbourne in Virgin Australia Economy Class for between 6,200 and 9,900 Velocity points + taxes & carrier charges. You could also upgrade to Business Class from a Virgin Australia Economy Choice fare from Sydney to Melbourne for 10,000 Velocity points, or from Economy Flex to Business Class for 4,900 Velocity points.
Would you like to learn more about credit cards?
Australian Frequent Flyer has a free training course on Credit Cards which is available to all AFF members! This course will teach you about maximising credit card points and can also help you to choose the credit card that’s right for you. View course →
Become a frequent flyer points expert!
Learn all the tricks to travel better, for less, with our Frequent Flyer Training courses. The first two courses are free for all AFF members.
Note: This article is not financial advice. Consider your personal circumstances before applying for credit cards or any other type of credit.
