Get Virgin Australia Perks With These Star Alliance Gold Statuses

Virgin Australia cabin crew
Virgin Australia partners with four Star Alliance airlines, creating an interesting status loophole. Photo: Virgin Australia.

When you hold status with Velocity Frequent Flyer, you can enjoy lots of benefits when you fly with Virgin Australia. You’ll also receive selected benefits with many of Virgin’s international partner airlines. But since Virgin Australia is not part of any alliance, the benefits you actually receive vary a lot by partner airline.

If you fly overseas a fair bit, Velocity status can be useful. But you can enjoy reciprocal benefits on a lot more airlines if you have status with an airline in a global alliance. Alliance-based status benefits are also much more consistent.

As it happens, Virgin Australia has five partner airlines that are also part of Star Alliance: Singapore Airlines, United, Air Canada, South African Airways and All Nippon Airways (ANA). If you have status with one of those airlines, you’ll get to enjoy a selection of benefits with both Virgin Australia and across the whole of Star Alliance.

The HSBC Star Alliance credit card trick

There’s also a bit of a hack here, since four of those Star Alliance airlines also participate in the Star Alliance Rewards program. (All Nippon Airways is not one of the participating airlines.)

As an Australian, you can obtain Star Alliance Gold status with any of those four carriers without even leaving the ground. By simply applying for the HSBC Star Alliance credit card and spending at least $4,000 on the card within 90 days, you’ll receive status with your chosen Star Alliance airline until the end of next year. This card even has no annual fee in the first year (usually $450).

To maintain your Star Alliance Gold status in subsequent years, you’d just need to spend at least $60,000 per year on your credit card. No flying required!

Get Star Alliance Gold status without flying…

HSBC Star Alliance Credit Card
Earn
1

Star Alliance Rewards Point on everyday purchases

Signup Bonus

Fast Track to Star Alliance Gold Status

Annual Fee
$0 in the first year, $450 p.a. thereafter
Go To Offer

Using this method, you don’t just receive all the usual Star Alliance Gold benefits. You can also enjoy many reciprocal benefits when flying Virgin Australia, without needing to earn Velocity status.

Which Star Alliance program should you choose for Virgin Australia perks?

So, which Star Alliance airline should you choose to earn status with? We’ve listed below the benefits you’ll get flying Virgin Australia when you have Star Alliance Gold status with the following airlines…

United MileagePlus

United MileagePlus Premier Gold members are eligible for the following benefits on Virgin Australia operated flights:

  • Access to Virgin Australia Lounges
  • One additional checked bag (except on Economy Lite tickets)
  • Priority check-in
  • Priority boarding
  • Priority security clearance, where available
Priority bag drop at Virgin Australia Sydney Airport T2
United Premier Gold members are among those entitled to priority check-in with Virgin Australia. Photo: Virgin Australia.

If applying for a HSBC Star Alliance credit card by 31 August 2024, there is another rather compelling reason to claim status with United Airlines. For a limited time, if you apply and then choose United as your status airline, you can also earn 20,000 bonus United MileagePlus miles!

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer

As a Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Elite Gold member, you can receive the following benefits when flying on Virgin Australia:

  • Access to Virgin Australia Lounges (plus one guest who must also be flying Virgin Australia that day)
  • Additional checked baggage allowance (one extra bag)
  • Priority check-in
  • Priority boarding
  • Priority baggage
Virgin Australia Lounge, Melbourne
The Virgin Australia Lounge in Melbourne. Photo: Virgin Australia.

Separately, Velocity Frequent Flyer and KrisFlyer have a unique partnership that allows you to transfer points or miles between both programs.

Virgin Australia and Singapore Airlines plane tails
Virgin Australia and Singapore Airlines have a long-standing partnership.

Air Canada Aeroplan

Air Canada Aeroplan 50K members (equivalent to Star Alliance Gold) can access Virgin Australia lounges when flying with Virgin or Air Canada. They can also bring an additional guest into the lounge.

Unfortunately, there are currently no further status benefits for Aeroplan 50K members travelling on Virgin Australia. This may change in the future.

South African Airways Voyager

South African Airways is the final Star Alliance member airline to both partner with Virgin Australia and the HSBC Star Alliance credit card.

As a SAA Voyager Gold member, you should theoretically receive the same benefits that Velocity Gold members get on South African Airways. But we couldn’t find any specific information about this on the South African Airways website.

We’ve reached out to South African Airways and will update this article if they get back to us.

All Nippon Airways (ANA)

As an ANA Mileage Club Platinum (Star Alliance Gold) member flying Virgin Australia, you would be entitled to:

  • Priority check-in
  • Additional baggage allowance
  • Priority baggage

Unfortunately, ANA Mileage Club members don’t receive access to Virgin Australia lounges. This program also doesn’t participate in Star Alliance Rewards.

Virgin Australia and All Nippon Airways aircraft at Sydney Airport
Virgin Australia and All Nippon Airways aircraft at Sydney Airport. Photo: Jonathan Wong.

Benefits you only get with Velocity status

Virgin Australia does reserve some status benefits exclusively for its Velocity members. For example, only Velocity Gold and Platinum members can take advantage of benefits like:

  • Fly Ahead (on selected fare types)
  • Complimentary additional carry-on bag
  • Guaranteed Economy Reward Seats for an annual family trip on Virgin Australia
  • Complimentary Economy X seating (Velocity Platinum only)
  • Free Wi-Fi on Virgin Australia flights (Velocity Platinum only)
  • Allowance of three guests at Virgin Australia Lounges, who don’t necessarily have to be flying that day (Velocity Platinum only)
  • Four annual complimentary upgrades (Velocity Platinum only)
  • One-off complimentary status matches with Hilton or IHG, and Hertz or Europcar
Virgin Australia 737 Economy X seating
Velocity Platinum members receive complimentary Economy X seating and Wi-Fi on Virgin flights. Photo: Virgin Australia.

Because of this, it might still make sense to focus on the Velocity Frequent Flyer program if most of your flying is domestic. Nonetheless, the Star Alliance status hack is worth considering!

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.
________________________

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With UA MP rapidly going down the toilet,

SQ SK is probably the only credible option in relation to perks flying VA?

When I was flying VA domestically and a bit of SQ, NZ (during the deep partnership days between VA1.0 and NZ), I came to the reverse conclusion that I no longer required A*G if I had VA WP/SG. With DL out and UA in, that’s probably more compelling?

But yeah, the dogs breakfast arrangement VA gives their status PAX flying whY on international partners would be a turnoff for many.

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Plus the current owner's reluctance on JVs with other airlines or Alliance memberships in general, due to the costs and CapEx, probably doesn't help with international arrangements.

Either way, streamlining international arrangements for VA will likely have to wait until "whenever" the post-IPO may be (and whether if a 'cornerstone' investor(s) emerges in a trade sale alongside whenever the IPO may be).

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It's a pity that *A flyers don't earn points when flying on VA.

I'm with SQ. In theory, according to the website, I can earn SQ points when flying on VA if the booking has an SQ flight number, BUT I can't book a domestic flight in Australia on VA with an SQ flight number on either the VA or SQ website.

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It's a pity that *A flyers don't earn points when flying on VA.

I'm with SQ. In theory, according to the website, I can earn SQ points when flying on VA if the booking has an SQ flight number, BUT I can't book a domestic flight in Australia on VA with an SQ flight number on either the VA or SQ website.

Yes it's only domestics tagged onto an international. Similar to QR on QF

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It's a pity that *A flyers don't earn points when flying on VA.

I'm with SQ. In theory, according to the website, I can earn SQ points when flying on VA if the booking has an SQ flight number, BUT I can't book a domestic flight in Australia on VA with an SQ flight number on either the VA or SQ website.

That's incorrect. Krisflyer miles can be earned on a VA or SQ flight number when operated by VA, just don't earn Elite Miles or PPS status

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That's incorrect. Krisflyer miles can be earned on a VA or SQ flight number when operated by VA, just don't earn Elite Miles or PPS status

Not incorrect. I'm SQ PPS and *G, and I never receive points when flying VA. I can use the lounge but I get zero points. Invariably.

It's the main reason I almost always fly QF domestically and SQ internationally these days. (The other reason is that VA haven't re-opened lounges in several of the airports I use frequently since COVID, e.g. Cairns).

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Not incorrect. I'm SQ PPS and *G, and I never receive points when flying VA. I can use the lounge but I get zero points. Invariably.

It's the main reason I almost always fly QF domestically and SQ internationally these days.

I'm not sure why you wouldn't earn, I've earned KF miles on many VA flights (booked directly on VA website). It's all here

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I'm not sure why you wouldn't earn, I've earned KF miles on many VA flights (booked directly on VA website). It's all here

To quote from the page you just linked, "KrisFlyer members can earn Elite Miles when travelling on a Singapore Airlines codeshare operated by Virgin Australia."

That's the point - no-one can book a "Singapore Airlines codeshare operated by Virgin Australia" as a stand-alone domestic flight within Australia.

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To quote from the page you just linked, "KrisFlyer members can earn Elite Miles when travelling on a Singapore Airlines codeshare operated by Virgin Australia."

That's the point - no-one can book a "Singapore Airlines codeshare operated by Virgin Australia" as a stand-alone domestic flight within Australia.

You are referring to Elite Miles, not points (or KrisFlyer miles as they are called). The Elite Miles contribute towards your status, the points do not. You will earn KF miles on a VA flight number, but not earn Elite miles (as you've pointed out). Not wanting to cause an argument but there is a difference.

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You are referring to Elite Miles, not points (or KrisFlyer miles as they are called). The Elite Miles contribute towards your status, the points do not. You will earn KF miles on a VA flight number, but not earn Elite miles (as you've pointed out). Not wanting to cause an argument but there is a difference.

Yes, fair point. That's an important distinction I was conflating.

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