Will you still earn/retain Velocity status beyond 2025?

[AFF Editor]

I'm sure most people reading this are already familiar with the recent changes announced to Virgin Australia's Velocity Frequent Flyer program. In particular, from next year:

• You'll earn status credits for Virgin Australia flights based on the amount you spend,
• You'll earn fewer status credits on partner airlines, and
• To earn or retain any status level, you'll need to earn at least half of the required status credits from VA marketed flights you personally fly (i.e. not from family pooling, partner airlines, etc.)

Put simply, this will make Velocity status harder for most people to earn.

I've shared my thoughts about this, and how this has affected my decision on whether to continue renewing my own Velocity status, in this opinion piece:

Opinion: Is Velocity Status Still Worth It After 2025?

Virgin Australia Velocity status will be harder and more expensive to earn from 2025. For some flyers, it might not be worth keeping.

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts as well on how these changes will affect you. Feel free to vote in the poll at the top of this thread, and let us know in this thread what you think of the changes to Velocity status.

 

[kamchatsky]

Yes I will retain my Velocity Red status next year and beyond.

 

[justinbrett]

Interesting article and yet didn’t bring up that VA is burning several of its partners? That in itself is a major factor for many to jump ship.

 

[Bagpuss]

Your article sums it up well. I'm now rarely flying domestically and now intentionally. VA's international code shares tend to be a joke with no seat selection and a lot more expensive.
I'm hoping SIA or DL/VS may run status match promotion directly targeting Velocity. I doubt Qantas would, whilst it makes great sense the flood gates would pour open.

 

[henrus]

The first thing about Platinum listed as something of value the Etihad First Class lounge is due to be scrapped. Assuming VA get their way with the QR agreement the partnership with EY will be dropped.

Etihad have also removed First Lounge access for their own Platinum's instead making it a choice benefit meaning the EY F lounge is going to be a very quite place!

I plan to get enough VA SCs to retain Platinum for another year which means I'll lock in Plat status to July 2026 and Gold through to July 2027.

 

[odysseus]

Interesting article and yet didn’t bring up that VA is burning several of its partners? That in itself is a major factor for many to jump ship.

Yes, the code share earning aspect neglects to mention that VA will discontinue most code shares with Singapore (except to Asia only from Australia), plus none with Etihad nor Virgin Atlantic, as part of its Qatar proposal.

The FF benefits have been shrunk since covid. Many accepted that, including myself. However, now that cost is being bumped up, it exceeds the value of those still reduced benefits, so I don't see value in the increased cost.

 

[AFF Editor]

Interesting article and yet didn’t bring up that VA is burning several of its partners? That in itself is a major factor for many to jump ship.

That's a good point. I've added a line about this.

 

[elanshin]

Your article sums it up well. I'm now rarely flying domestically and now intentionally. VA's international code shares tend to be a joke with no seat selection and a lot more expensive.
I'm hoping SIA or DL/VS may run status match promotion directly targeting Velocity. I doubt Qantas would, whilst it makes great sense the flood gates would pour open.

I don't think many places will run a status match. Challenges at best. DL naturally has a challenge I believe (although they just enhanced it over the last 12m) and SQ also has an off the books match which could see some more offers being made if VFF elites that regularly book SQ ask them for it.

QF at best would offer a challenge imho and probably a tier down VA WP > QF SG type thing.

 

[RooFlyer]

Will retain plat, 'down' from double plat this year (all domestic flying).

Article:

But are the program changes coming in 2025 an overcorrection? Will it still be worth chasing status with Virgin Australia Velocity?

Its only ever worth 'chasing status' if you are doing enough flying the following year to justify the chase/expense. I read of people doing status runs accumulating 1/2-2/3 or the required earn to get gold or plat (VA or QF). If they need to do that, Vs getting status from 'regular' flying, I question the need to chase the status.

 

[harryhv]

Don't forget the current "enhancements" to the fleet which will cut back future benefits of Platinum status. To cram in an extra row of Y seats, VA has been tearing out a row of the extra-legroom seats which Plat members could select for free if available. Also the business cabin (Plat members get free upgrade vouchers) is being enhanced by removing the partition and the rope-barrier. This creates a queue of interlopers from economy lining up to use what was the exclusive J toilet, buffeting the J aisle seats while they wait.

 

[oz_mark]

Generally use Virgin for domestic due to the general price premium of Qantas*. Unless that changes, and I end up flying more on Qantas, I would expect to stay about the same.

*On the routes and times I generally fly. Yes, I know there are exceptions, and I do sometimes fly Qantas, but overall Virgin does have a cost advantage not made up for by the Qantas inclusions.

 

[simmomelb]

The issue for me, I fly internationally a lot more now, the new status earn rates mean that I will likely drop from Platinum to Gold, even though I personally spend ~15k PA between VA and its current international partners.
Then let's take into account the loss of Etihad and Singapore to Europe, the appeal and status earn rates drop even further.
Time to look around at other options after my next review date later in 2025 (the cheap wine, baked beans and pastry puffs aren't cutting it anymore).
I agree that they needed to review the ease of earning status, but this has pushed the needle so far in the other direction that it will likely push me to review my options, and perhaps that's not a bad thing.
As pointed out, they have built their new FF model as though they are a full-service airline in an alliance, like QF, that's going to be a very tough sell to a lot of pax.
Heck, they don't even offer a lounge on VA international metal flying in J, yet Jetstar does! Sorry, which one is the mid-market and which one is the budget airline again?

 

[jrfsp]

Its only ever worth 'chasing status' if you are doing enough flying the following year to justify the chase/expense. I read of people doing status runs accumulating 1/2-2/3 or the required earn to get gold or plat (VA or QF). If they need to do that, Vs getting status from 'regular' flying, I question the need to chase the status.

Absolutely and even then, domestically im increasingly moving to "best fare of the day" which delivers the best value over chasing points

 

[serfty]

@Mattg Perhaps the poll needs an additional option as none of the current ones really relate to me; something like:

"Will requalify for a year or two beyond 2025 on current Status Earn Criteria, then soft land" or

"Will requalify for a just a year or two beyond 2025 with current Status Earn Criteria"

I have bookings to requalify WP based on current SC earning through to February 2027, after which I'll likely hit the soft land slide to SG and then PS.

As far as Life Time SG goes, I estimate I have maybe 5000 VA SC and 3000 "Other" SC (Haven't checked with VA yet). The additional 4K to go is way too far ...

 

[drron]

Well I am the outlier thanks to my excellently timed decision to chase VA status in June this year. I got silver in September and will hit gold in February but unless there are further stages of this reform I should be easily able to keep it for at least 4-5 years.
I initially thought i might try for platinum but soon decided it wasn't worth the extra spend. And that was before the current changes were announced.

 

[n7of9]

I'm P then SG to Sept 2026. I chose "I'll likely downgrade", but a more accurate choice would have been "I'm going to ignore status earn and book on airlines I previously wouldn't have". I mostly fly international and VFF has now cemented itself as a domestic loyalty program that holds no value to me.

But I am super excited at all the new airlines and routes I'll explore!

 

[Mattg]

@Mattg Perhaps the poll needs an additional option as none of the current ones really relate to me; something like:

"Will requalify for a year or two beyond 2025 on current Status Earn Criteria, then soft land" or

"Will requalify for a just a year or two beyond 2025 with current Status Earn Criteria"

I have bookings to requalify WP based on current SC earning through to February 2027, after which I'll likely hit the soft land slide to SG and then PS.

As far as Life Time SG goes, I estimate I have maybe 5000 VA SC and 3000 "Other" SC (Haven't checked with VA yet). The additional 4K to go is way too far ...

I would suggest answering the question as "what will happen to your status once you can no longer renew it based on the current status earn system?", so in your case beyond February 2027.

 

[fletty]

I reached SG this year mainly through <$400 J fares ex-BNE with family pooling - and will retain it through until Aug 2026. I'm obviously not VA's target market for SG+ so will fall back to PS when the new changes come in.
I'll probably shift more spend and travel back to QF to reach WP and enjoy OWE and OWS for the next couple of years instead with more international travel on the cards.

 

[SYD]

I managed to get back to SG in July, at the very beginning of my member year after hard landing to Red (thanks to the TSCs!). I also received a Virgin Voyages status match off that SG (so not too bad bang for the bucks).

I didn't bother chasing WP at the time because the of 8 'squiggles' required (4x for SG was on one trip wasn't too hard). But I have until next July to upgrade to WP under the existing scheme - which I wasn't planning on doing, but if the opportunity presents itself (another DSC / TSC promo!), I might just do it - because I can - and then have WP-> SG through to whenever that would be.

Otherwise, retaining status under the new regime won't happen and somewhat academic for me going forward as I rarely fly VA domestically but I have a decent chunk of points I need to burn through - probably on international J trips. So status, isn't such a biggy either - well apart from the EY F Lounge perk for VA WPs. Otherwise, VFF was never a good option for international travelers flying whY. The inconsistent bi-lateral agreements (and of course, zero international VA lounges of their own) just make it a mind field.

As suggested by @Mattg, one of the *A options would probably make more sense TBH.

 

[ozstamps]

A real shame there was not a 5th option in red - I'd have ticked that -

• I'll likely upgrade to a higher status tier
• I'll likely keep the same status tier that I currently have
• I'll likely downgrade to a lower status tier
• I don't fly Virgin Australia enough to earn status anyway
• Far too much change, too fast. A DUMB move - I'll now fly where I choose, going forward.

If Virgin thinks my partner and I will donate 10k a year spend EACH, to sit in an exit row seat that can be bought for $15 cash by anyone, they have rocks in their heads!

All this year they've had Qantas totally on the back foot, now they have blown their advantage big time with this badly conceived Brain Fart package of barely thought through changes.

They are a LCC pretending they are the market leader. WRONG.

And they are an LCC planning a market float - when revenues fall off the cliff during 2025, that will not look too hot for prospective investors compared to 2024 figures. QANTAS announced a DSC offer within days of this, as I predicted, and will be courting Virgin elites aggressively, I'd suggest.

We can now book LITE fares if we prefer, as SC are near meaningless, and pay $15 to sit in an exit row, or can redeem points which means Virgin gets zero bucks from us.

The 'Forever Gold' conditions are WAY too onerous and were very poorly thought out. FIVE emails to Plat line on this are unanswered - have zero idea of my alleged SC total over 11 years, that need a Math Professor to wrestle with, to add only DCS or TSC totals, that Virgin appear incapable of doing. Any airline with BRAINS would have had that data showing on EVERY account right now BEFORE the announcement was made.

Been a Virgin PLAT for over 10 years and THAT was the savvy model to award 'FOREVER' Status with - as Air France and real airlines have discovered, as THEY are smart. Ten years constant top elite and you are in. It is only mid tier GOLD, on essentially a LCC for goodness sakes, with few overseas partners.

United have FOUR lifetime tiers - STARTING at Gold. These are the BIG BOYS -- and a partner, and Virgin clearly have not learned from their long experience with such plans or even studied them.

We are both Virgin Platinums already to 2026, so all a loss to Virgin.

If we want to fly to Europe we'll now have OUR choice of carriers - based on price and other factors. If we want to grab an intro Biz Class fare deal on Turkish Airlines etc, we now CAN, and credit the miles to United. Or use other carriers that allowed miles to be credited somewhere useful. Qatar is now driving this Virgin bus, and with HEAVILY reduced SC earns even on Biz Class fares to Europe, there is no point.

As the Seekers song said - 'The Carnival Is Over'.

We have Lifetime United Gold that gives us full Virgin Lounge access, (even on LITE fares!) Priority Boarding, Priority check-in and extra bags etc. Handing Virgin $20,000 minimum to receive no extra benefits has no appeal at all to us, at least.

And we will not be alone in that.