Final day for Virgin Australia status match

• Virgin Australia Velocity Gold 2023 status match offer closes September 15, 2023
• Offer includes three months of Velocity Gold status
• One flight and 80 Status Credits will lock down Velocity Gold status until the end of 2024

Virgin Australia is inviting frequent flyers with rival Qantas to parlay their status with those airlines into a year of Gold membership in Virgin’s own Velocity rewards program – but those frequent flyers will need to move fast, as applications to the status match close today, Friday 15 September at 11.59pm (EST).

Formally dubbed a “fast-track Discover Gold trial membership”, the Virgin Australia Velocity Gold 2023 status match is a tempting proposition for this loyalty ‘sweet spot’ with benefits such as lounge access, priority boarding, preferential seating, a higher checked baggage allowance, and bonus Velocity Points and Status Credits on Virgin Australia flights.

Most of those perks also carry across to Virgin’s international partners – a roster headlined by the likes of Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways, United Airlines and Etihad Airways – so while Velocity Gold lacks the global heft of Qantas Gold across the Oneworld airline alliance, it remains a handy card to have tucked into your travel wallet.

Virgin Australia lounge access is a key drawcard of Velocity Gold status.

Of course, Velocity Gold is strongest on Virgin’s domestic playing field, where the challenger continues to win over travellers with its value-oriented approach to everything from Economy Lite to business class fares.

The Virgin Australia Velocity Gold 2023 status match takes wing as Virgin launches a multi-year partnership with high-end travel agency Luxury Escapes, which lets Velocity’s 11.5 million members earn 1 Velocity Point per $1 spent on eligible Luxury Escapes’ bookings, as well offsetting the cost of booking Luxury Escapes holidays by using Velocity Points to pay for part, or all, of their booking.

And if you’re looking for a Virgin-to-Qantas status match, read our guide to the little-known Qantas Tier Accelerator program.

Who is eligible for the Velocity Gold 2023 status match?

While several previous Velocity Gold status match promotions have been wide open to top-tier frequent flyers of almost any international airline, the Discover Gold offer is restricted to “members of any other Australian frequent flyer program that currently hold Gold status or higher” – a qualifier which basically means Qantas and nobody else.

Qantas Golds and above quality for the Virgin Australia Velocity Gold status match.

However, there’s another caveat in the terms and conditions: in addition to holding Qantas Gold, Platinum or Platinum One status, applicants must “have not held Silver, Gold or Platinum Status with Velocity since April 2020”.

You’ll also need to be a member of Virgin’s own Velocity Frequent Flyer program, of course, but signing up is both fast and free.

Applying for the Velocity Gold 2023 status match

To get into the running for this special status match offer, the airline says eligible Velocity members must click through to the Velocity Luxury Escapes promotion page and then “apply by sending an email to [email protected] between 12.01am 22 August 2023 and 11.59pm 15 September 2023.”

That email must contain

• your name
• your Velocity membership number
• “photographic evidence” of your current Australian frequent flyer program membership card indicating Gold status or higher

It can take up to six weeks for your Velocity membership to be upgraded to Discover Gold trial status, at which time you’ll begin to enjoy the core benefits of Velocity Gold, albeit not the full set of perks (for example, don’t expect a physical membership card or Velocity Gold baggage tags, guaranteed economy Reward Seats or membership pause for parental leave).

One business class trip is all it takes to lock down Velocity Gold status until the end of 2024.

While that Velocity Gold ‘Discover Gold’ trial lasts for just three months, within those 90 days you can lock in actual Velocity Gold status for a further 12 months by

• earning 80 Status Credits, and
• flying at least one “eligible sector” (aviation speak for what’s generally one flight carrying a VA flight number on your ticket): just note that Virgin’s entry-level Economy Lite fares do not count as an eligible sector.

And those 80 status credits are breeze to pocket.

One business class flight between Brisbane and Melbourne will get you across the line, as will a return Sydney-Melbourne trip in business class, two economy class return trips on a Flex economy fare or three economy return trips on mid-range Choice tickets.

And while coast-to-coast on a Boeing 737 is nobody’s idea of fun, one way in business class lands you 105 status credits and a return trip in Flex economy is worth 90 status credits.

Also, don’t overlook the potential of Family Pooling to have the status credits of a family member’s flying funnelled into your Velocity account during this 90-day period (although you’ll still need to make at least one Virgin flight to chalk up that “eligible sector”).

Looking for a status match which goes the other way, from Virgin Velocity to Qantas? Read our guide to the little-known Qantas Tier Accelerator program.