Join AFF Editor Matt Graham and Point Hacks News Editor Chris Chamberlin for episode 4 of Travel Pointers, Australia’s podcast for frequent flyers!
In this episode, Matt and Chris share their thoughts and opinions about the changes Virgin Australia is making to its Velocity Frequent Flyer program over the next year. These include changes to the way flyers earn and redeem points, the introduction of Platinum Plus and Forever Gold status, and Virgin making status much harder for most people to earn.
The pair also discuss the recent news regarding air service to Lord Howe Island. Qantas currently flies to this island paradise between Australia and New Zealand, and this flight is one of the best uses of Qantas points out there. But with Qantas soon retiring the only plane in its fleet capable of operating this service, it’s doing some succession planning.
As always, this episode also includes discussion about the latest airline and frequent flyer news from the past month, including an ode to the Boeing 717 which QantasLink has just retired.
Show note links
News topics discussed in this episode include:
- Virgin Australia to Fly to Doha as Qatar Airways Invests
- Redeem Qantas Points on Oman Air
- Qantas Adds Airlink Codeshares
- Australia’s Incoming Passenger Card Finally on the Way Out
- QantasLink Retires Its Last Boeing 717
- Qantas Adds Flights to Palau
- Welcome Change to Qantas Flight Credits
- You Can Now Convert Amex Points to Alaska Miles (via HawaiianMiles)
Here’s where you can also find more information about other topics discussed in this episode:
- Compare credit cards on Point Hacks
- Summary of the changes to Velocity Frequent Flyer
- AFF discussion thread about the Velocity program changes
- AFF’s Meetings & Social Events forum
- Qantas Retreating from Lord Howe Island in 2026
Subscribe on your favourite podcast platform
Don’t want to miss an episode? Subscribe to Travel Pointers on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform.
If you enjoyed this episode, please tell your friends and leave a review! You can also discuss this podcast and leave feedback on AFF’s Travel Pointers Podcast Discussion thread. We’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions.
