When will my Velocity Points expire?
Make sure you spend your Virgin Australia points before they disappear.
Everyone should worry about what happens to their frequent flyer points. Most airline schemes do have an expiry date for points earned, but the details vary widely. (If you're curious, here's a fuller listing of the expiry rules for major airlines operating in Australia.)
Virgin's Velocity scheme is actually one of the more generous players. As long as you are earning points, then your existing balance won't expire.
You don't have to earn Velocity Points purely from flying either. You can also do that by converting your Flybuys points after shopping at Coles, using a a credit card that earns Velocity Points, or shopping with Virgin partners.
Your Velocity Points will expire 24 months after your last earning or spending activity. In reality, as long as you are transferring points from Flybuys or a credit card, you should be fine. Worst case, you could purchase Velocity Points to keep your account active, or make a small purchase from the Velocity Store.
Virgin's expiry period prior to June 2016 was an even more generous 36 months, but in practice it's easy enough to earn points even if you aren't a regular passenger. It's good practice to check your account each month to make sure earning activity is registering.
There's one trap to be aware of. One popular option for using Velocity Points is to transfer them into Singapore Airlines' KrisFlyer scheme, which gives you access to more international flights. While the redemption rate for KrisFlyer points was made higher in early 2019, it's still a solid choice, especially if you're keen on business class flights around Asia.
However, once your points have moved into KrisFlyer the Velocity rules no longer apply. Those points will now expire 3 years after you moved them. As such, not moving your points into KrisFlyer until you have a planned use for them is less risky.
Want to keep your frequent flyer points balance growing? Check out the latest credit card sign-up deals.
We updated this guide with current earning rules on 28 August 2023.
Image: Supplied: Virgin Australia