Velocity Frequent Flyer is offering a 20% discount when buying Velocity Points during the month of October. This equates to around 1.87c per point at the top tier if purchasing the maximum 250,000 points.
The last time Velocity Points were on sale was four months ago. This is the best price that points have been offered at since Velocity started selling them through promotions 18 months ago.
Buying Velocity Points might make sense when topping up your balance for a specific award redemption on Virgin Australia, or a partner like Singapore Airlines, Delta or Hawaiian Airlines.
This guide covers the latest Velocity buy points promotions, plus an example redemption. We also have a dedicated guide on how to buy Velocity Points here.
The essential info
If you are short of the required Velocity Points for a redemption, you can buy the remaining points needed online.
These are the key caveats:
- Each purchase must be a minimum of 1,000 points
- 250,000-point maximum purchase per calendar year
- The price per point varies according to the level
- No limit to the frequency of points purchases up to the maximum
- While you must tell Velocity how you think you’ll be using the points that you buy, there is nothing that appears to hold you to this choice
The discount varies according to the tier:
- 1,000-10,000 points = 10% discount
- 11,000-49,000 points = 15% discount
- 50,000-250,000 points = 20% discount
With this promotion, if you purchase, say, 10,000 points, each point will cost you 2.36c each. That is above what we value Velocity Points at (2c), so I wouldn’t recommend buying points at this level speculatively.
However, if you buy the maximum of 250,000 points, then that drops the per-point price down to 1.87c each, which is much more reasonable.
Note: Velocity Points expire after 24 months of inactivity in your account, so make sure to keep your account active by earning/redeeming points regularly.
An example redemption
You can fly between any major New Zealand city and the east coast of Australia for only 35,500 points.
Virgin Australia 737 Business Class
If you had, say, 20,000 Velocity Points already in your account, you could top up with 15,600 points for $399 AUD under the current promotion. Note that you’ll need to pay taxes and charges on any award redemption.
Offer history
Sometimes Velocity offers a bonus and sometimes a discount.
| Month | Bonus (%) | Discount (%) | Price per point | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2019 | 20% | 1.87 | ||
| May-June 2019 | 20% | 1.95 | ||
| February 2019 | 20% | 1.95 | ||
| August 2018 | 15% | 1.99 | highest price | |
| April 2018 | 15% | 1.99 | highest price | |
| Average | 20 | 17 | 1.95 |
Other ways to earn Velocity points
- Buy Marriott Rewards points and transfer to Velocity
- Earn American Express Membership Rewards on spend which can then be transferred to Velocity
- Family pooling
- Velocity bonus point offers, e.g. OnSport
Summing up
Make sure there is award availability for the redemption you are eyeing off before purchasing the points needed to top up your balance.
As we aim to get at least 2c per-point value from Velocity points, I’d suggest you only buy points for a specific redemption rather than speculatively.
A couple of questions , I’m new to this game so take it easy if these questions seem basic.
I have joined Velocity and have a trip from ZQN to BNE , leave July return August.
As I usually fly Business Class (Prices from ZQN are becoming prohibitive ) and have only just joined Velocity , is it a good idea to purchase these points and if so I do how do I determine if seats are available.
All advice appreciated