Terms & Conditions

1.  WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR MEMBERSHIP

1.1 These Terms are a contract between you and us

Velocity Rewards Pty Ltd (referred to as we, us, our) operates and provides the Velocity Frequent Flyer program (referred to as Velocity) in accordance with these Terms. If you join Velocity and become a Velocity member (a member), these Terms will become a contract between you and us. We both need to comply with them. These Terms are effective as at 6 November 2024 and the laws of Queensland apply to these Terms.

You should regularly check these Terms, including before using any member benefits, as they can change over time (see clause 1.3).

1.2 Important things to know about being a Velocity Member

• To earn or redeem Points, you may need to enter into separate terms and conditions with a partner or the business supplying the good or service. Those separate terms and conditions will apply directly between you and them – we’re not a party to them. You can read more about this in clause 3 (Earning Points).
  
  
• Some Rewards have limited availability – you can read more about this in clause 4 (Redeeming Points for Rewards). For some airline partner Reward Seats, you’ll need to call the Membership Contact Centre to check availability as some Reward Seats can’t be searched or booked online. Find out more.
  
  
• Sometimes we agree with our partners to offer some or all of our members bonus Points or special offers. These are usually only available for a limited time and usually require you to meet eligibility requirements. Offers are sometimes personalised or tailored for a group of members, which means that sometimes not all offers are made to all members. Offers may also be sent directly to you.
  
  
• It’s your responsibility to check that you’ve received eligible Points and Status Credits and other member benefits. You’ll need to make enquiries about eligible Points and Status Credits earn transactions within the timeframes set out in these Terms. We may not be able to help you with your enquiry (i.e. you may miss out on earning Points and Status Credits) if it isn’t made within the timeframes in clause 3 (Earning Points) and clause 6 (Earning Status Credits).
• Points expire 24 months after the last date you earned or redeemed Points, transferred Points to or from your Singapore Airlines Krisflyer account (clause 5), or bought Points using Points Booster (clause 3). You can read more about this in clause 3.1.
• Status Credits earned from eligible airline partner transactions will expire 365 days from the flight departure date. Status Credits earned from eligible non-airline partner transactions will expire 365 days from the date they’re credited to your Velocity account after an eligible Status Credits earn transaction. You can read more about this in clause 6 (Earning Status Credits) and clause 7 (Earning Frequent Flyer Status).
  
  
• If you don’t comply with these Terms, we may cancel your membership and take other action we think is appropriate. You can read more about this, including what we expect from you, in clause 2 (Membership).
  
  
• In the course of operating Velocity and providing member benefits and features of Velocity, we collect and handle your personal information. This assists us in the membership join process, allocating of member benefits, promoting services and products offered by us, our related companies and partners, and providing a customised experience when you interact with the Velocity program. You can read more about how we collect and handle your personal information, including sharing with others, in our Privacy Statement  and Privacy Policy.
  
  
• You consent to receiving marketing and promotional communications from us and partners by email, text message or other digital service (e.g. Velocity App), phone or post, subject to our Privacy Policy and obligations under applicable laws. You can read more about our marketing practices in our Privacy Policy, including how to manage marketing communications preferences. You can unsubscribe from our contact list at any time using the “unsubscribe” facility in our electronic messages, by managing your contact preferences through your Velocity account when logged in or by contacting our Membership Contact Centre.
  
  
• Subject to your rights under the Australian Consumer Law  and to the extent allowed by law, we and our related companies, including Virgin Australia, Velocity Frequent Flyer Pty Ltd and their officers, employees, agents, exclude liability to you for any indirect or consequential loss (including economic loss, loss of profits and loss of opportunity), damage, claim or expense, you may suffer in connection with these Terms or Velocity generally.

1.3 Changes to these Terms and Velocity

• We may need to change these Terms from time to time.  We’ll act reasonably in making any changes, and publish any changes to the Terms on the Velocity website.  It’s important you understand that member benefits and features of Velocity will change over time. This includes but isn’t limited to changes to:
• the ways you can earn and redeem Points – i.e. the Velocity program partners (referred to as partners) you can earn and redeem with;
• Points earn rates for eligible Points earn transactions – i.e. the number of Points you earn on an eligible transaction;
• Status Credit earn rates for eligible Status Credit earn transactions – i.e. the number of Status Credits you earn on an eligible transaction;
• Points redemption rates – i.e. how many Points it will take to redeem a Reward; and
• partners, and the earn and redemption rates set by partners.

We can’t guarantee that certain partners will continue to be part of Velocity, or that any member benefits or features of Velocity will continue to be available.

1.4 When we’ll give you notice of changes

If we make a change to the Program or these Terms where we can control the timing of the change, we’ll try to give you reasonable notice before that change starts applying. If we:

• make a significant change, e.g. a popular partner leaves or we increase the cost to you of redeeming Points for Rewards, we’ll give you at least 30 days’ notice through the email address recorded in your Velocity account and on the Velocity website. These changes will apply to you from the date we advise they’ll start applying.
• make changes that aren’t significant, e.g. a change to a partnership that you haven’t earned or redeemed with recently, you may not receive any prior notice before those changes start applying.

Sometimes we can’t control the timing of a change to the Program or these Terms (e.g. where our partners require us to make a change that affects members). If this happens, we’ll try to give you notice of these changes on the Velocity website before they start applying.

1.5 How we deal with each other and how to contact us

You must act fairly and reasonably when you deal with us and our partners. We’ll act fairly and reasonably when we deal with you as a member. If you have any questions about these Terms, or would like to make a complaint, you can contact the Membership Contact Centre or submit a question or complaint online.

1.6 We can’t guarantee that Velocity will continue forever

If we choose to shut down the Velocity program including these Terms, we’ll do our best to give you at least 6 months’ notice of this by an announcement on the Velocity website and by notice to the email address (or postal address if no valid email address is held) recorded in your Velocity account.

We’ll act reasonably when considering what actions are appropriate and reasonable in the event the Velocity program is shut down.

1.7 Your rights as a consumer

Your Velocity membership is subject to these Terms and any applicable laws, including the Australian Consumer Law. If any provision of these Terms is void, illegal, invalid or unenforceable, the Terms will be read down to the extent necessary to ensure they are not void, illegal, invalid or unenforceable.

In Australia, you have certain rights under the Australian Consumer Law, which include guarantees that come with your purchase of products or services (“Consumer Guarantees”). Your rights under the Consumer Guarantees are separate from, and in addition to the terms which govern how we provide products and services to you. We cannot exclude the operation of the Consumer Guarantees in these Terms.

Where we fail to provide products or services to you in accordance with the Consumer Guarantees, you may be entitled to a repair, replacement, refund or other remedies under the Australian Consumer Law. You may also be entitled to compensation for reasonably foreseeable costs that you incur because of the failure.

These Terms do not exclude or limit the application of the Consumer Guarantees in the Australian Consumer Law or any other statutory rights that you may have under applicable laws that cannot be excluded or limited. Where there is an inconsistency between these Conditions and a Law or Convention that applies to your carriage, the Law or Convention will apply to the extent of the inconsistency.

This is only a short summary of your rights under the Australian Consumer Law. For more information, visit the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s website at www.accc.gov.au, or talk to an independent legal representative.

3. EARNING POINTS

3.1 The basics

Points are a member benefit that you can earn when you buy products or services from our partners, or complete certain activities in the Velocity app or Velocity website, that are eligible to earn Points – we refer to this as making an ‘eligible Points earn transaction’. Points don’t have a cash value and can’t be converted to cash (and they aren’t property or currency).

As a member, you have lots of ways to earn Points. Once you’ve earned enough Points, you can redeem them for Rewards (as long as they’re available and you comply with these Terms).

You can earn Points for eligible Virgin Australia flights and eligible airline partner flights travelled from your join date, or up to 30 days before your join date if you submit a retrospective earn claim. You can only earn Points on eligible transactions with non-airline partners from your join date.

Your Points will expire 24 months after the last date you earned or redeemed Points, transferred Points to or from your Velocity account using your Flybuys or Singapore Airlines Krisflyer account (clause 5), or bought Points using Points Booster (clause 3.2). When calculating your Points expiry date, we disregard any Points you earn in a Family Pool as a beneficiary account member, Points transferred to or from your Family Members, and earning of Status Credits. This activity won’t stop your Points expiring.

Eligible Points earn transactions and the terms on which you can earn Points differ between partners and may vary depending on your Status level. You should check partners’ Points earn rates and applicable terms and conditions before making an eligible Points earn transaction with them.

For details of current partners and Points earn rates and applicable terms and conditions, check out the partner pages on the Velocity website. We’ve also included a summary below of some key things you should know.

Earn in the sky with Virgin Australia and our airline partners

Virgin Australia

You can earn Points for eligible travel with Virgin Australia.

The Points you earn for Virgin Australia domestic and international short haul flights is based on how much your fare costs, so the more you spend, the more Points you can earn. Points aren’t earned on certain fees or charges (e.g. baggage charges and credit card surcharges).  

Airline partners

You can earn Points for eligible travel with our many airline partners.

The Points you earn are usually based on the fare class and the number of miles you are travelling, so the higher your fare type, the more Points you generally earn.

Your Points earn rate may vary depending on the type of ticket you buy. This is usually due to the terms of our commercial arrangements with partners.

Other important things you should know

• You’ll need to add your Velocity membership number to your booking to automatically earn Points.
• You should make sure your name and Velocity number recorded in your itinerary exactly matches your Velocity account details, or you may miss out on earning Points. You can update your Velocity membership details in accordance with clause 2.3, or contact the relevant airline about the name on your itinerary if applicable.
  
  
• Points earn is based on the fare you booked. This means you’ll earn Points based on the fare class originally purchased, even if you purchase or use Points to travel on an upgraded fare (unless you paid the full fare difference between the original fare class ticketed and the new higher fare class, and were reissued with a ticket in a higher fare class).
  
  
• You won’t earn Points for any Flight Sector that isn’t flown or that is refunded.
  
  
• You won’t earn Points for others flying with you, even if you’ve paid for their ticket (unless you have an eligible Family Pool).
  
  
• You won’t earn Points on Reward Seat tickets (including reward tickets issued by our airline partners), complimentary tickets, tickets purchased as part of a packaged holiday, or tickets which are subject to conditions that exclude Points earn. On some airline partner flights, you may not earn any Points at all due to the terms of our commercial arrangements with partners. Check our airline partner page for more information.   

Earn on the ground with Velocity’s other partners

You can earn Points when you make an eligible Points earn transaction with our partners in various categories including retail, lifestyle, travel and financial services.

Earn Points through the Velocity app or the Velocity website

You may be eligible to earn Points when using the Velocity app or visiting the Velocity website (such as completing specified actions).

Earn when you shop at the Velocity e-Store

You can browse hundreds of retailers and earn Points when you shop online and make an eligible purchase with the Velocity e-Store.

The Velocity e-Store is run by Collinson Group Pty Ltd ACN 083 835 661 (Collinson). In addition to these Terms, your use of the Velocity e-Store is subject to any terms and conditions published by Collinson on the Velocity e-Store or linked from the Velocity e-Store (e.g. retailer terms and conditions). These terms and conditions may be amended from time to time, so please read them carefully each time you access the Velocity e-Store.

Some other important things you need to know about earning Points:

• Sometimes we agree with our partners to offer some or all of our members bonus Points or special offers. These are usually only available for a limited time and usually require you to meet eligibility requirements. Offers are sometimes personalised or tailored for a group of members, which means that sometimes not all offers are made to all members. Offers may also be sent directly to you.
• You may not earn Points on eligible Points earn transactions if you don’t provide your Velocity number or show your Velocity card at the time you make an eligible earn transaction or when we or a partner ask for it.
  
  
• We do our best to allocate Points earned from eligible Virgin Australia marketed and operated flights within 2-3 days of completed travel but timing may vary, based on the terms and conditions for specific offers or the partner the transaction is made with. Points earned with Partners may take longer to show in your Velocity account including up to 8-10 weeks.
  
  
• We’ll only credit Points to the Velocity account of the member who makes the eligible Points earn transaction. We won’t allocate Points, and we can reverse any Points allocation, for any transaction which has been cancelled, refunded or where products or services are returned or aren’t supplied. We can also reverse any allocation of Points if they have been allocated in error or if you have breached these Terms.
  
  
• If you’re also a member of a partner’s loyalty program, then you can earn only one of Points in Velocity or reward points/miles in the partner’s loyalty program for an eligible Points earn transaction. To the extent permitted by law, we aren’t responsible for the operation of partner programs and any benefits under these programs are subject to the terms and conditions of those programs.

3.2 You can only buy Points with Velocity Points Booster

If you don’t have enough Points to redeem a Reward, you can buy Points with Velocity Points Booster if you follow these rules:

• To be eligible to purchase Points, members must have a minimum Points balance of 1 Point.
• you can buy a minimum of 1,000 Points at a time, as many times as you like (up to a maximum of 250,000 Points each year);
• the Points will be allocated to the Velocity account of the member buying them;
  
  
• prices are in Australian Dollars and are inclusive of GST. The applicable price will be the price published at the time you buy the Points; and
  
  
• you’re responsible for any fees charged by financial institutions in connection with Points Booster transactions. Please note these transactions are processed overseas and your financial institution will generally charge a foreign exchange/overseas transaction fee.

Points you buy must be redeemed for a Reward. Buying Points doesn’t guarantee the availability of the Reward you’d like. Once you buy Points, the amount paid is non-refundable (unless you’re entitled to a refund under the Australian Consumer Law). A fee applies for Points Booster transactions made through the Membership Contact Centre.

3.3 What to do if you think you’re missing Points

If you have an enquiry about an eligible Points earn transaction (e.g. you think the Points you’ve earned are wrong or you haven’t received Points) or you want to make a retrospective earn claim (if available), you must:

• Partner transactions (that aren’t airline partners): Contact the partner no later than 3 months from the date of the Points activity you’re asking about.
• Virgin Australia and airline partner transactions (excluding FlyPelican): Access the missing Points claim tool on the Velocity website no later than 6 months from the date of the Points activity you’re asking about.
  
  
• FlyPelican transactions: Contact FlyPelican no later than 30 days from the date of the Points activity you’re asking about.

We may not be able to help you with your enquiry (i.e. you may miss out on earning Points) if it isn’t made within the above timeframes.

4  REDEEMING POINTS FOR REWARDS

4.1 The basics

When you use your Points for Rewards, this is referred to as “redeeming Points”. We allow you to redeem Points with the help of our partners who supply Rewards. Points can only be redeemed as provided in these Terms or as we otherwise expressly allow.

Rewards are subject to availability and any terms and conditions imposed by the supplier of the Rewards. The partners we work with usually also have separate terms and conditions that may also govern your relationship with them as well as the supply of Rewards. A list of current Rewards is available. We can’t guarantee the availability of Rewards.

You’ll only be able to redeem Points for a Reward if you have the required number of Points in your Velocity account for that Reward. We’ll let you know how many Points you’ll need to redeem and any cash amount (if applicable) you’ll need to pay to obtain a Reward. We usually set this out on the Velocity website (e.g. see the Reward Seat points and carrier charges tables). In some cases, you’ll need to call the Membership Contact Centre to find out how many Points (and dollars) you’ll need to redeem a Reward.

We may, acting reasonably, make changes from time to time to the way in which you redeem Points for a Reward. We will always try to provide you with reasonable notice in accordance with clause 1.4, where we:

• vary the terms that apply to redeeming Points for Rewards;
• alter the number of Points required to obtain a Reward;
  
  
• alter the cash amount required to obtain a Reward (e.g. carrier charges);
  
  
• limit times when Rewards will be available;
  
  
• make any changes to Rewards and their availability;
  
  
• withdraw, cancel, substitute, or in any way change any of the Rewards previously advertised;
  
  
• impose restrictions and conditions for obtaining a Reward; or
  
  
• supply a substitute comparable Reward that is different from the Reward you requested, with your consent. If you don’t consent to the substitution, we’ll refund the Points redeemed for that Reward.  
  
  

If you have queries or complaints about the quality or otherwise of a Reward, please contact the supplier of that Reward in the first instance. You can also contact the Membership Contact Centre. 

4.2 Flight Rewards

You can use your Points to redeem a flight Reward offered by Virgin Australia and airline partners in accordance with these Terms. Please consider the Fare Rules and the relevant airline’s conditions of carriage that apply for each type of flight Reward before making a booking.

A Flight Sector is a single direct flight between two consecutive locations (e.g. Sydney to Melbourne direct is one Flight Sector).

5. TRANSFERRING POINTS (it’s different from redeeming them for rewards)

5.1 Family Pooling

A Family Pool lets Family Members transfer their Points, or Points and Status Credits from up to 5 contributing accounts to one beneficiary account. Family Pooling is one of our most loved member benefits because it can help you reach your next Reward sooner and earn Status by pooling Status Credits. You can choose whether you transfer only Points, or both your Points and Status Credits.

Once a Family Pool is created, all Points (or Points and Status Credits if you elected to transfer both) that you earn while you’re a contributing account member will be automatically transferred on an ongoing basis to the beneficiary account member. You can’t choose how much of your Points and Status Credits your beneficiary gets on a per transaction basis; they’ll receive all of whichever of your Points or Status Credits you elected to transfer when you created the Family Pool.  If you’re a contributing account member, you can start or stop contributing to a Family Pool at any time by logging in to your Velocity account and accessing the Family Pool section. Any existing Points and Status Credits in a contributing account at the time the Family Pool is created won’t be transferred to the beneficiary account.

A Family Member is someone you can demonstrate lives at the same residential address as you and is related to you in any of the following ways: husband, wife, domestic partner or de facto, mother or father (including in-law), son or daughter (including in-law), brother or sister (including in-law), grandparent or grandchild, uncle or aunt, niece or nephew, first cousin, or any foster, step or adopted relationship in any of these categories.

You can have up to 6 members in a Family Pool at a time. Only 2 members in a Family Pool can be 18 years or over. If a third Family Pool member turns 18, they’ll be automatically removed from the Family Pool. In each calendar year, you can contribute to up to 2 beneficiary accounts (only one at a time).

We can cancel a Family Pool (including automatically removing members from a Family Pool) at any time if the Family Pool doesn’t comply with these Terms.

5.2 Points transfers to Singapore Airlines

You can transfer Points from your Velocity account to, and you can receive a transfer of miles from your Singapore Airlines PPS Club / KrisFlyer membership account (Singapore Airlines account), subject to these rules:

• you must first link your Velocity account and Singapore Airlines account and to do this your first name, surname and date of birth details in each account must match;
• each Points transfer from your Velocity account must be a minimum of 5,000 Points;
  
  
• you can’t reverse Points transfers once made (so ensure you’ve entered correct details first); and
  
  
• a fee applies when transferring Points through the Membership Contact Centre.
  
  

In accordance with these Terms, we can vary the rate at which Points can be converted between your Velocity account and your Singapore Airlines account, and will provide you with reasonable notice in accordance with clause 1.4,

5.3 Points transfers to Family Members

You can transfer Points from your Velocity account to the Velocity account of any of your Family Members, subject to these rules:

• you can make up to 4 Points transfers each year from your Velocity account to Family Members;
• each Points transfer must be for a minimum of 5,000 Points and a maximum of 125,000 Points;
  
  
• you can’t reverse Points transfers once made (so ensure you’ve entered correct details first); and
  
  
• a fee applies if you transfer Points through the Membership Contact Centre.

6. EARNING STATUS CREDITS

6.1 The basics

Status Credits are a member benefit that you can earn when you buy products or services from selected partners that are eligible to earn Status Credits (primarily Virgin Australia and selected airline partners) – we refer to this as making an ‘eligible Status Credits earn transaction’. Status Credits are only used to determine your Status level and your eligibility for certain member benefits. Status Credits don’t have a cash value and can’t be converted to cash (and they aren’t property or currency).

Status Credits earned from eligible airline partner transactions will expire 365 days from the flight departure date. Status Credits earned from eligible non-airline partner transactions will expire 365 days from the date they’re credited to your Velocity account after an eligible Status Credits earn transaction.

You can earn Status Credits for eligible Virgin Australia flights and eligible selected airline partner flights travelled from your join date or up to 30 days before your join date if you submit a retrospective claim. You can earn Status Credits on eligible transactions with selected non-airline partners from your join date. For details of current partners and Status Credits earn rates and restrictions, check out the partner pages on the Velocity website.

Eligible Status Credits earn transactions and the terms on which you can earn Status Credits differ between partners and may vary depending on your membership Status. Please check the Status Credits earn rates and applicable partner terms and conditions before making an eligible Status Credits earn transaction with a partner. Offers may also be sent directly to you. These offers may be personal to you and are sometimes not made available to all members.

Some other important things you need to know about earning Status Credits:

• Status Credits earn is based on the fare you booked. This means you’ll earn Status Credits based on the fare class originally purchased, even if you purchase or use Points to travel on an upgraded fare (unless you paid the full fare difference between the original fare class ticketed and the new higher fare class, and were reissued with a ticket in the higher fare class).
• You won’t earn Status Credits on Reward Seat tickets (including reward tickets issued by our airline partners), complimentary tickets, tickets purchased as part of a packaged holiday, or tickets which are subject to conditions that exclude Status Credits earn. On some airline partner flights, you may not earn any Status Credits at all due to the terms of our commercial arrangements with partners.
  
  
• You may not earn Status Credits on eligible transactions if you don’t provide your Velocity number or show your Velocity card at the time you make an eligible earn transaction or when we or a partner ask for it. 
  
  
• Please make sure your name and Velocity number recorded in your itinerary exactly matches your Velocity account details, or you may miss out on earning Status Credits.
  
  
• We’ll only allocate Status Credits to the Velocity account of the member who makes the eligible Status Credits earn transaction. You won’t earn Status Credits for others flying with you, even if you have paid for their ticket (unless you have an eligible Family Pool).
  
  
• You won’t earn Status Credits for any Flight Sector that isn’t flown or that is refunded. We won’t allocate Status Credits, and we can reverse any Status Credits allocation, for any transaction which has been cancelled, refunded or where products or services are returned or aren’t supplied. We can also reverse any allocation of Status Credits if they have been allocated in error.
  
  
• We do our best to allocate Status Credits earned from eligible Virgin Australia marketed and operated flights within 2-3 days of completed travel but timing may vary. There may sometimes be a delay between eligible Status Credits earn transactions with partners and you receiving Status Credits in your Velocity account.
  
  
• We won’t allocate Status Credits for eligible transactions if you’ve already earned credits in another other loyalty program. If you’re also a member of a partner’s loyalty program, then you can earn only one of Status Credits in Velocity or frequent flyer status credits in the partner’s loyalty program for an eligible Status Credits earn transaction. You can nominate your preferred loyalty program at time of booking. We aren’t responsible for the operation of partner programs and any Status Credits or other benefits under these programs are subject to the terms and conditions of those programs.

6.2 What to do if you think you’re missing Status Credits

If you have an enquiry about an eligible Status Credits earn transaction (e.g. you think the Status Credits you’ve earned are wrong or you haven’t received Status Credits) or you want to make a retrospective claim (if available), you must submit a claim through the missing Points claim tool on the Velocity website no later than 6 months from the date of the Status Credits activity you’re asking about.

We may not be able to help you with your enquiry (i.e. you may miss out on earning Status Credits) if it isn’t made within the above timeframes.

7.  EARNING FREQUENT FLYER STATUS

7.1 The basics

Your Status level with Velocity determines the types of member benefits you’re entitled to access. Below are some important concepts to understand:

• Status: your membership level with Velocity determined according to the Eligible Sectors you’ve flown and Status Credits you’ve earned in the previous 365 days. You’ll either be Red, Silver, Gold or Platinum membership level. You can only be one Status level at a time. Your Status Credits balance is calculated daily on a rolling basis according to Status Credits earned in the previous 365 days.
• Eligible Sector: a flight with a “VA” flight number that you have flown excluding Reward Seats and Economy Lite fares. Your Eligible Sector balance is calculated daily on a rolling basis according to Eligible Sectors flown in the previous 365 days.
  
  
• Benefit Period: 12 months starting on the day your membership level is upgraded, maintained or downgraded (whichever happened most recently). Your Benefit Period restarts each time an upgrade, maintain or downgrade event happens.
  
  
• Review Date: the last day of your Benefit Period.
  
  

When you join Velocity, you’ll be assigned Red Status. Each Status level has different member benefits, read more about Status.

Your Status level is assessed daily based on your Status Credits and Eligible Sector balances to determine if you’re eligible to upgrade your Status level.

If you meet the eligibility criteria for a Status level, you’ll be upgraded to that Status level for your Benefit Period. On each Review Date, if you still meet the eligibility criteria for a Status level, you’ll maintain that Status level for a further Benefit Period after the Review Date. If you don’t meet the eligibility criteria for a Status level on your Review Date, you’ll be downgraded to the Status level below your current Status level.

We may upgrade, downgrade or maintain your Status level in accordance with these Terms.

7.2 How to upgrade or maintain your Status

To upgrade your status, you need to have flown the number of Eligible Sectors and earned the number of Status Credits set out below during the previous 365 days – calculated daily on a rolling basis.

Once you upgrade to a higher level of membership, you will have 12 months (from the day of your upgrade to your new Review Date) to achieve the required number of Status Credits and Eligible Sectors to maintain your membership.

To maintain your Status

8. BENEFITS FOR STATUS MEMBERS

8.1 Guaranteed Economy Reward Seats for up to 4 family members – Platinum members

Platinum members can make one Reward Seat booking in each Benefit Period, for up to 4 guests, to fly on an Economy class return flight, either on an Australian domestic or short haul international flight marketed and operated by Virgin Australia with a VA flight number, subject to these rules:

• Platinum member must be travelling on the booked flight and the Points must be redeemed from their Velocity account.
• Platinum member must contact the Membership Contact Centre to request a booking and advise desired departure and return dates, destination and number of guests. The booking must be made at least 6 months prior to the desired departure date and allow one day for Virgin Australia domestic flights (3 days for international flights) either side of the desired departure and return dates. We can choose the flight date, time and route at our discretion but will consider your desired travel plans.
• Must include the same origin and destination in both directions for return travel and may not include stopovers of more than 6 hours between Flight Sectors.
• If redeemed for less than 3 accompanying guests or for a one way booking only, the remainder of the benefit will be forfeited.
• Benefit expires if the flights aren’t booked before the Platinum member’s next Review Date.
• To the extent permitted by law, changes to and cancellation of bookings are restricted and may incur rebooking or cancellation fees (or both).
• Platinum members who don’t live in Australia or New Zealand are responsible for their own costs of getting to Australia or New Zealand to access this benefit.
• The number of Points required for a Guaranteed Economy Reward Seat varies according to the distance flown, as displayed in our Reward Seat tables, plus any applicable taxes, fees and carrier charges.
• Guaranteed Economy Reward Seat bookings cannot be made in conjunction with any discount or special Reward Seat offers. 

8.2 Guaranteed Economy Reward Seats for up to 4 family members – Gold members

Gold members can make one Reward Seat booking with in each Benefit Period, for up to 4 guests on Economy class return flights on a Virgin Australia Domestic services, subject to these rules:

• Gold member must be travelling on the booked flight and the Points must be redeemed from their Velocity account.
• Gold member must contact the Membership Contact Centre to request a booking and advise desired departure and return dates, destination and number of guests. The booking must be made at least 6 months prior to the desired departure date and allow one day either side of the desired departure and return dates. We can choose the flight date, time and route at our discretion but will consider your desired travel plans.
• Must include the same origin and destination in both directions for return travel and may not include stopovers of more than 6 hours between Flight Sectors.
• If redeemed for less than 3 accompanying guests or for a one way booking only, the remainder of the benefit will be forfeited.
• Benefit expires if the flights aren’t booked before the Gold member’s next Review Date.
• To the extent permitted by law, changes to and cancellation of bookings are restricted and may incur rebooking or cancellation fees (or both).
• The number of Points required for a Guaranteed Economy Reward Seat varies according to the distance flown, as displayed in our Reward Seat tables, plus any applicable taxes, fees and carrier charges.
• Guaranteed Economy Reward Seat bookings cannot be made in conjunction with any discount or special Reward Seat offers. 

8.3 Complimentary partner membership – Platinum and Gold members

Platinum and Gold members are entitled to enrol once into one car hire loyalty program and one hotel loyalty program, with a nominated partner, at no charge for a minimum of 12 months (Complimentary Partner Membership). By enrolling in the Complimentary Partner Membership, you will need to accept the terms and conditions of that partner’s program.

Your membership level for Complimentary Partner Membership will be reasonably equivalent to your membership level in Velocity, as determined by the relevant partner. Complimentary Partner Membership will end after 12 months from the date of nomination by the Platinum or Gold member. Your eligibility for continued membership, and membership level, in the partner’s loyalty program after 12 months is subject to you fulfilling the eligibility requirements specified in, and complying with, the partner’s program terms and conditions.

Velocity will be selected as your nominated loyalty program for eligible Points earn transactions with the relevant partner during your Complimentary Partner Membership. Velocity will continue as your nominated loyalty program once the Complimentary Partner Membership has ended, unless you contact the partner and change it.

We’re not responsible for the delivery of partner programs, including the provision of membership benefits in the partner program.

8.4 Virgin Australia Lounge access – Platinum, Gold and Silver members

Platinum and Gold members are entitled to complimentary access to the Virgin Australia Lounge during their Benefit Period. Silver members are allocated 2 single-entry vouchers upon reaching or maintaining Silver Status; these expire 12 months after being added to your Velocity account. Virgin Australia Lounges do not include the Beyond Lounges and are only available in selected airports in Australia. Entry to the Virgin Australia Lounge is subject to the terms and conditions of the Virgin Australia Lounge. Lounge access may be limited during peak periods and disruptions, like during poor weather. View a list of Virgin Australia Domestic Lounge locations.

Lounge passes are non-transferable and must be used either by you or a guest accompanying you (if you’re already entitled to access the Virgin Australia Lounge).

8.5 Airline partner Lounge access – Platinum and Gold members

Platinum and Gold members are entitled to complimentary access to selected partner lounges during their Benefit Period. When you visit a lounge operated by our partner (like Singapore Airlines or Etihad Airways) you’ll need to present your boarding pass and Velocity card. Entry to partner lounges is subject to the partners’ terms and conditions, find more information

8.6 Fly Ahead – Platinum and Gold members

Platinum and Gold members with a confirmed booking for a Virgin Australia marketed and operated domestic flight and who arrive at the airport in time for an earlier flight than their booked flight, can request that they and up to 3 accompanying guests on the same booking, be carried on an earlier flight (Fly Ahead).

A Fly Ahead request is not guaranteed and is subject to these rules:

• Not available to members travelling on group bookings or Economy Lite fares.
  
  
• For Platinum members, Fly Ahead is available on Business, Economy Flex and Economy Choice fares.
• For Gold members, Fly Ahead is available on Business and Economy Flex fares.
• Can’t be requested at the Lounge for members who have check-in baggage or at a mid-way point of a connecting journey.
  
  
• Only available for individual Flight Sectors departing from the location at which the request is made.
  
  
• Requests can be made:
  • By Platinum and Gold Members, at the Virgin Australia Lounge or kiosk (where kiosk Fly Ahead functionality is available) for members with no check-in baggage, or at the Virgin Australia Priority check-in counter or Service Desk for members who have baggage and have not yet checked in. Requests must be made at least 30 minutes before the scheduled departure time while the flight is still open for check-in.
  • By Platinum Members, by calling the Virgin Australia Guest Contact Centre at least 1 hour before the scheduled departure time while the flight is still open for check-in. Platinum Members can request to Fly Ahead on a flight between Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne departing up to 2 hours prior to their booked flight, and for all other domestic Virgin Australia flights, on a flight immediately prior to their booked flight.
    
    
• Member and accompanying guests (if applicable) must hold confirmed seats on the same Virgin Australia marketed and operated domestic flight and be travelling to the same place in the same booking as the Gold or Platinum Velocity member.
  
  
• Catering is not guaranteed on the Fly Ahead flight.
  
  
• Routing changes to the Fly Ahead flight are not permitted and must remain as a single Flight Sector.
  
  
• Seats must be available in the same cabin as the cabin originally purchased by the member, on the eligible Fly Ahead flight.
  
  
• No guests on the earlier Virgin Australia domestic flight will be displaced to accommodate a request.
• Fly Ahead is subject to availability and this is controlled by Virgin Australia. While an earlier flight may have seats available for sale, these may not be available for Fly Ahead

If the request is granted and you and your accompanying guests (if applicable) are moved to an earlier Virgin Australia domestic flight in a lower fare class (including lower cabin class) than what you originally purchased), you won’t receive a refund of any difference (unless you are entitled to a refund under the Australian Consumer Law).

8.7 Membership pause for parental leave – Platinum, Gold and Silver members

Platinum, Gold and Silver members who wish to spend time caring for a child under 2 years (including adoption) can apply to have their Velocity account paused for 6 months to maintain a Status level (Membership Pause). We’ll reasonably consider any request for Membership Pause requested during your Benefit Period only (i.e. while you still have your Status).

You’re entitled to apply for Membership Pause once for each child, up until that child reaches 2 years. There can be up to 2 member parents on Membership Pause, for the same child, at any one time. You can call the Membership Contact Centre to apply for Membership Pause. You’re limited to one approved Membership Pause each 24 month period.

During the Membership Pause, you:

• can continue to earn Status Credits and earn and redeem Points;
  
  
• will continue to have expired Status Credits removed from your Velocity account;
  
  
• can continue to redeem any remaining benefits associated with your membership level prior to their expiry date;
  
  
• can’t be upgraded to a higher Status level by earning sufficient Status Credits and flying the required number of Eligible Sectors; and
  
  
• can’t request to be taken off the Membership Pause.

At the end of the Membership Pause, you’ll maintain your existing Status level for a further 12 months, unless you’ve earned enough Status Credits and flown the required number of Eligible Sectors to upgrade to a higher Status level.

8.8 Priority waitlist – Platinum, Gold and Silver members

Platinum, Gold and Silver members can make a waitlist booking for a seat in a cabin if all seats in the desired cabin of a Virgin Australia marketed and operated flight are fully booked. If a seat becomes available in the desired cabin, priority to purchase that seat will be given to members according to their Status level in the following order: Platinum members first, then Gold members, then Silver members.

Bookings directly with Virgin Australia: Members may request a priority waitlist if they have purchased a Virgin Australia marketed and operated Economy Choice or Business Class fare through a Virgin Australia direct channel (e.g., virginaustralia.com or the Guest Contact Centre). Members may request a priority waitlist for these fares with the Guest Contact Centre.

Bookings through third parties: Members may request a priority waitlist if they have purchased a Virgin Australia marketed and operated Economy Flex or Business class fare if they have purchased their flight via a third party (e.g., Travel Agent). Members may request a priority waitilist for these fares with their Travel Agent.

A Priority waitlist booking doesn’t guarantee that a seat will be made available for purchase.

8.9 UpgradeMe Points

UpgradeMe Points flight upgrades allows you to use Points to upgrade to a higher cabin class on Virgin Australia marketed flights (we call this benefit UpgradeMe Points).

9. ADDITIONAL BENEFITS FOR PLATINUM MEMBERS

9.1 Priority Economy Seat

If there are no seats available for sale online in the Economy cabin on a Virgin Australia flight, a Platinum member may be able to purchase up to two Economy Flex fare seats on that flight (must be full Economy fare) (Priority Economy Seat), subject to these rules:

• The Platinum member must be included in the Priority Economy Seat booking and must travel on the flight.
• The Priority Economy Seat booking must be made by calling the Membership Contact Centre by midday the day before the desired departure date (in the time zone of the proposed departure port). The booking can’t be made at any airport service desk or through the Velocity website.
  
  
• this benefit may be restricted without prior notice e.g. for certain routes or under special circumstances (including natural disasters).

9.2 UpgradeMe Platinum Offer

In each Benefit Period, Platinum members who have paid the full fare for an Economy Flex fare are entitled to a complimentary upgrade to Business class on up to 4 Virgin Australia marketed and operated domestic or international short haul Flight Sectors (Upgrade). This benefit is available subject to these rules:

Redeeming Upgrades

• Platinum members can redeem an Upgrade by calling the Membership Contact Centre, either at the time of booking or to upgrade an existing booking, up to 2 hours before scheduled flight departure. There are additional benefits that may be available at the airport (see below).
• Upgrades can be redeemed for guests who are travelling on the same flight as the Platinum member, when booked in a Flex fare.

Changes and cancellations

• Platinum members can make changes to a confirmed Upgrade up to 24 hours before the flight’s scheduled departure at no charge (subject to seat availability).
• Platinum members may cancel a confirmed Upgrade at least 24 hours before scheduled flight departure and revert to their original fare provided the original fare is still available on that Flight Sector. The Upgrade will be re-credited to the Platinum member’s Velocity account if the benefit hasn’t expired.
  
  
• If a Platinum member cancels or changes a confirmed Upgrade within 24 hours before the flight’s scheduled departure, or fails to board the flight (no-show), the Upgrade will be forfeited.

Any restrictions?

• Upgrades are subject to availability which is controlled by Virgin Australia. Some flights may have no upgrades available.
• Upgrades will expire if not redeemed before the Platinum member’s next Review Date. Travel dates for Upgrades aren’t required to be within the current Benefit Period. Platinum members on Membership Pause can still redeem Upgrades prior to their expiry.
  
  
• Platinum members will earn Status Credits and Points for Upgrades based on the original fare class they booked in the lower cabin.
  
  
• Waitlisting isn’t available if a Platinum member isn’t able to secure an Upgrade.

Requesting Upgrades at a Virgin Australia Lounge

• Upgrades can be requested at the Virgin Australia Lounge for Virgin Australia marketed and operated domestic flights on the same day of travel, until 40 minutes prior to the flight’s scheduled departure.
• Business class upgrades at the Virgin Australia Lounge are subject to availability of the applicable booking class and airport operational requirements (e.g. seat may be required for other guests with specific assistance requirements).
  
  
• If an Upgrade is requested at a Virgin Australia Lounge, and no Upgrade benefits are available in the Platinum member’s Velocity account at the time of request and the Platinum member proceeds with the upgrade, the required Points for the upgrade (if not paying cash) will be calculated and deducted from their Velocity account. 

9.3 Companion Gold and Companion Platinum membership

If a Platinum member earns 500 Status Credits over and above the required number of Status Credits to maintain their Platinum Status (800 Status Credits) within their Benefit Period (total 1,300 Status Credits), the member is entitled to nominate a family member or friend, who is a member, to Gold Status (Companion Gold).

If a Platinum member earns 1,000 Status Credits over and above the required number of Status Credits to maintain their Platinum Status (800 Status Credits) within their Benefit Period (total 1,800 Status Credits), their nominated Companion Gold member can be upgraded to Platinum Status (Companion Platinum) by calling the Membership Contact Centre. If the Platinum member hasn’t previously nominated a Companion Gold member, then they are entitled to nominate a Companion Platinum member.

A Platinum member may nominate a Companion Gold or Companion Platinum member by calling the Membership Contact Centre at any time up until 12 months after the date the Platinum member becomes entitled to use this benefit. When a member is upgraded to Companion Gold or Companion Platinum membership, the nominated companion member will be notified by email. You can’t change the nominated companion member once they’re upgraded.

Companion Gold and Companion Platinum membership is valid for 12 months from the date of the relevant upgrade. On expiry of the 12 month period, the nominated member’s membership level will be assessed in accordance with these Terms.

10.  OTHER MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS

10.1 Pilot Gold

We may offer selected members who haven’t earned enough Status Credits to upgrade to Gold Status, the ability to trial Gold Status for 3 months (Pilot Gold Trial). We offer this benefit in our discretion and we don’t guarantee that you’ll be offered it.

During a Pilot Gold Trial:

• you’ll receive some member benefits connected with Gold Status. Benefits you won’t receive include: Gold member baggage tag, complimentary partner memberships, guaranteed Reward Seat, membership pause for parental leave;
  
  
• you’ll continue to earn Status Credits, Points and Eligible Sectors in the same way as other members; and
  
  
• your Status Credits balance will reflect the number of Status Credits, Points and Eligible Sectors you’ve earned since receiving a Pilot Gold Trial.
  

You can maintain Gold Status for a further 12 months if you earn 80 Status Credits and fly at least one Eligible Sector, before the Pilot Gold Trial ends. If you don’t achieve this, your Status level will be assessed in accordance with these Terms.

11.  OTHER IMPORTANT STUFF

11.1 Fees and charges / Fee table

From time to time, we may charge fees to members for all or any benefits or features connected with Velocity. We’ll give at least 30 days’ notice of the introduction of, or change to, any fees, and also post details on the Velocity website.

Additional fees apply (see fee table below) if you access certain benefits or features of Velocity through the Membership Contact Centre rather than through the Velocity website. Fees are in Australian dollars (AUD) and include GST where applicable.

If you’re unable to access the Velocity website because of disability or impairment, we may waive any fee that would otherwise apply.