Gold status is the tier between Silver and Platinum in Virgin Australia’s Velocity Frequent Flyer program. Many Aussie travellers consider it the “sweet spot”, where the benefits really become worthwhile but the cost of acquiring the status isn’t too high.

Velocity Gold membership gets you perks including Virgin Australia Lounge access and priority check-in, baggage and boarding. You can even “fly ahead” on an earlier flight on some fares, and get complimentary status matches with hotel and car rental loyalty programs.

This guide explains how to make the most of Velocity Frequent Flyer Gold status…

How to get Velocity Gold status

To earn Velocity Frequent Flyer Gold status for the first time, you would need to earn 500 status credits and take at least 4 eligible Virgin Australia flights within any 12-month period.

You can earn status credits by flying with Virgin Australia and its partner airlines. You can also earn a limited amount of status credits by shopping at Coles or with an American Express Velocity Platinum credit card.

As soon as you meet those requirements, your status will be upgraded to Gold for a year. You would need to earn at least 400 status credits and fly at least 4 eligible sectors within the following year to extend your status for a further 12 months.

You can even pool family members’ status credits to reach this target even faster, but you need to fly the eligible sectors yourself.

See our guide to earning Virgin Australia Velocity status for details, including several useful shortcuts!

Benefits of Velocity Gold status with Virgin Australia

Get treated like a VIP and skip the queues when you fly as a Gold member!

Here’s an overview of the main Velocity Gold members you’ll receive when flying with Virgin Australia:

• All Velocity Silver status benefits, including an additional checked bag (except on Economy Lite tickets)
• Virgin Australia Lounge access, plus one guest
• Priority check-in for domestic and international flights
• Priority boarding
• Priority security screening at Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Gold Coast and Uluru airports during peak times
• Access to the premium lounge entries in Brisbane and Sydney (during opening hours)
• Priority baggage
• A complimentary additional carry-on bag
• Complimentary access to “preferred” seats closer to the front of the plane
• Fly Ahead on selected fare types
• 75% bonus points (excluding Economy Lite fares)
• Priority phone service
• Guaranteed Economy Reward Seats for an annual family trip

As a Velocity Gold member, you can use the “Fly Ahead” benefit when booked on an Economy Flex, Economy Reward Seat, Business or Business Reward Seat ticket. This lets you change to an earlier flight for free if you arrive at the airport early and there’s a seat available. (Fly Ahead is only offered to Velocity Platinum members with Economy Choice tickets, and isn’t allowed on Economy Lite fares.)

The “Guaranteed Economy Reward Seats” benefit lets you redeem Velocity points for up to four return tickets to any Virgin Australia domestic destination, up to once per year. You need to book at least six months in advance, and you must be flexible within one day either side of your preferred travel dates. When using this benefit, you’ll be charged the Tier 3 rate of Velocity points.

Access to Virgin Australia Lounges is available both before departure and for up to an hour after arrival at your destination. You can bring one guest with you into the lounge, who doesn’t necessarily need to be flying, as well as up to three children under 18.

Velocity Gold benefits with partner airlines

As a Velocity Gold cardholder, you can also access selected benefits when flying with Virgin Australia’s partner airlines. Benefits may include access to airport lounges, extra baggage allowances, priority boarding, priority check-in and more. You can also earn 75% bonus points when flying with some partners.

These are the Velocity Frequent Flyer partner airlines:

However, the benefits vary by airline and are not always consistent. For example, be aware that some partners (e.g. Singapore Airlines and Air Canada) don’t provide lounge access at airports where they don’t operate their own lounges.

See our comprehensive guide to Velocity status benefits on partner airlines for full details.

Gold advantages with other Velocity program partners

As a Velocity Gold member, you can earn a higher rate of Velocity points when renting a car with Europcar, Hertz, Thrifty or SIXT. You can also earn extra points with Cover-More, Flexicar, Looking4Parking and Cruisepilot.

But a much more exciting benefit is complimentary Gold membership with your choice of either Hilton Honors or IHG One Rewards. This status match is available once only (per lifetime), and your hotel status will be valid for at least one year.

You can also get complimentary Europcar Privilege Executive or Hertz Gold Plus Rewards Five Star membership.

Is Velocity Gold worth it?

If you fly a fair bit with Virgin Australia, especially on domestic Economy Class flights, it could definitely make sense to go for Gold. You’ll get lots of extra benefits when you fly that will help to make your travel more seamless and enjoyable.

Lounge access is one of the most highly-valued benefit, but the priority perks can also come in really handy.

That said, if you only fly a few times per year, it might not be worth chasing Gold status. Instead, you might consider purchasing a Virgin Australia Lounge membership. You can also gain access to Virgin Australia Lounges with an American Express Platinum card or by using a lounge pass.

You’ll also get some handy benefits when flying overseas with Virgin’s partner airlines. That said, it’s generally recognised that Qantas status offers better and more consistent perks for people who regularly travel internationally.

Do you find Velocity Gold status worthwhile? Share your thoughts (and your favourite Gold perks) on the AFF forum!

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.