Virgin launches Velocity Platinum Plus for high flyers
The new Velocity Platinum Plus tier boosts the benefits for big spenders
By Staff Writers, October 1 2025
Virgin Australia will begin rewarding the highest of its high flyers this week with the debut of a new top tier in the Velocity Frequent Flyer program.
Officially launching today, Wednesday October 1, Velocity Platinum Plus is pitched above Velocity Platinum status but remain separate from the invitation-only Virgin Australia Beyond level.
Velocity Platinum Plus is of course Virgin’s matcher to the Platinum One tier of rival Qantas, and launches on the same day as Velocity’s new Forever Gold lifetime status.
Velocity Platinum Plus benefits
So what are the Platinum Plus perks for these high-spending high flyers?
Topping the list are four complimentary business class upgrades per year, which can be used on Economy Choice and Economy Flex fares (compared to only Economy Flex upgrades for Platinum members).
In addition, upgrading with Velocity Points or putting in a points+pay bid will also see Platinum Plus members receive the “highest priority” on the frequent flyer food chain.
When flying on Virgin partner Singapore Airlines in either economy or premium economy, Platinum Plus members will enjoy access to SQ’s SilverKris Business Lounge at Singapore Changi Airport (that’s a big step up from the KrisFlyer Gold Lounge).
Another useful tool in the traveller’s belt is Fly Later, allowing free rebooking onto a later flight on the same day.
This is essentially a reverse of Virgin’s popular Fly Ahead option, and will come handy if meetings run overtime, there’s heavier-than-expected traffic to the airport, or you simply want to take advantage of a fortuitous dinner to end the day.
Platinum Plus members will also be able to gift Velocity Platinum status to a companion, check in up to five bags of 32kg each, and hit the hotline for a dedicated Australian-based priority phone service.
Finally, there’s a boost to Velocity Points earning on the ground, with 12 Points per $1 on Hertz Car Rentals and 5 Points per $1 on Didi rideshares.
The combination of Fly Ahead and Fly Later provides ultimate flexibility for busy travellers.
How to earn Velocity Platinum Plus
To slide that Platinum Plus card into their wallet, purse or smartphone, passengers must clock up 2,000 Status Credits every 12 months – double the 1,000 Status Credit milestone of achieving Velocity Platinum.
As a benchmark, a Sydney-Melbourne or Sydney-Brisbane return trip booked on Virgin’s mid-range $400 Economy Choice fare earns around 34 Status Credits, with 75 Status Credits for a $900 Business fare.
So Platinum Plus is clearly going to require a lot of flying.
In fact, now that Velocity has moved to spend-based status earning, we can fix a price tag on that shiny status and its travel perks.
You'll need to do a lot of flying, even in business class, to earn Platinum Plus status.
With one Velocity Status Credit being earned for every $12 spent on Economy Choice, Economy Flex, and Business fares, the 2,000 Status Credits needed for Platinum Plus could work out to be $24,000 per year.
(As a ready reckoner, this pegs the earn factor at around .0833 Status Credits per dollar.)
And that’s without a single booking on the cheapest Economy Lite fares, where the earn rate is halved to one Status Credit for every $24 spent.
Admittedly, there’s some wiggle room in there: only 1,500 of those 2,000 Platinum Plus status credits have to come from Virgin Australia flights or codeshares carrying a VA flight number.
This still allows 500 status credits to be earned flying with partners such as Singapore Airlines, United Airlines, ANA and Air Canada.
Flying on partner airlines like SQ can get you part of the way to Platinum Plus.
You can also make up those 500 Status Credits from being a Family Pooling beneficiary, which means earning the Status Credits of a family member who does the actual flying, and from any bonus Status Credits offered by Velocity credit cards or Flybuys.
And before you ask: yes, those rare but always-welcome double Status Credits promotions will contribute towards your Platinum Plus tally.
But some Velocity Platinum perks are dropped
However, the arrival of Platinum Plus on 1 October 2025 will also see some benefits removed from the Velocity Platinum tier.
Velocity Platinums will lose the option to gift Companion Platinum status to another Velocity member.
They will still be able to gift Companion Velocity Gold status – but this benefit will only be unlocked when “650 status credits of the current 1,300 status credit threshold" earned across their membership year are “earned on Virgin Australia marketed flights flown by the member”.
Under the current system, Companion Velocity Gold becomes available to Velocity Platinums simply by earning an additional 500 status credits above the required 800 status credits needed to retain Platinum.
21 Jun 2022
Total posts 10
If VA are going to seriously expect this type of investment from its customers, then it needs to make an investment in its customer experience. Their limited lounge network is crying out for attention and they have made no attempt to invest in upgrades or new lounges anywhere. Why would anyone in Tassie or North Queensland even bother with these guys? VA can't even stump for a divider between business and economy, let alone anything else that would attract high dollar loyalty. Bain have striped the bark from the tree unfortunately, and now they are wanting their customers to pay the price.
04 Sep 2019
Total posts 68
The VA lounge is so much better than what Qantas has to offer but
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
26 Nov 2012
Total posts 135
I got the email today, I’d already seen on the app I qualified come 1 October. Not 100% sure exactly what the difference is from Platinum but am flying next week so we shall see. I’d like to see something impressive and out of the ordinary
22 Sep 2022
Total posts 6
My Velocity Boarding pass turned purple this morning. I had no idea why but anyway i did 2 flights today and zero difference so i am not sure yet why PP exists
22 Sep 2022
Total posts 6
Hi an update , completed 10 flights now and zero difference!
I even replied to the original velocity email advising of the trial period , said it’s a waste of time and zero reply received
16 Oct 2012
Total posts 62
I too received the email today. Not withstanding the ‘enhanced’ benefits, at this stage I still see the overall offering as less than what we long-time Plats used to enjoy in the VA Mk1 days. Perhaps LasloyP above is much spot on… indeed it could be argued Ms. Hrdlicka left her mark. I fly this weekend (business) so it will be interesting to see if there is any noticeable difference.
22 Sep 2022
Total posts 6
My boarding pass turned purple yesterday . i had 2 more flights and it made no difference. I don’t see why they created PP
29 Jul 2025
Total posts 1
Will be interesting to see what else is released in October. Only reason I stick with Virgin is the Flex fares are much more reasonable then QF. The new Fly Later maybe good if you are held up in traffic and you're sweating all the way to the airport and need to drop your hire car off miles away and wait for a bus to join the traffic again, back to the airport! Lounges are not what they used to be, unless you're in the F lounges then yes, I would waste an hour to get in prior. For me it's the best of two evils.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
12 May 2022
Total posts 31
Platinum Plus, requiring a huge yearly spend, yet no international lounge access when flying in their own aircraft is laughable.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
24 Jan 2018
Total posts 869
The folks at QFF must be rubbing their hands together in glee at these developments. This is 'wack-a-mole' BDM by VFF.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
22 Nov 2019
Total posts 96
There is stuff all difference between Platinum and Platinum Plus, I dont get it. Ill continue share love with Virgin and Qantas and retain Platinum with both each year for total exposure of perks. I love Virgin under Bain management, pricing, meals, booze, on board, staff, but please, can someone at Head office whip down to Spotlight and buy some curtains for Business class, the bloke in row 3 did not stop staring at me whoofing down my meal today :) the seat placement is way out of whack.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
24 Jan 2018
Total posts 869
Love it V. I had something similar last month on a flight BNE-MEL (also a 'fellow flyer' in Row 3). I asked the Flight Attendant serving us in J is she'd please offer the person sitting in '3X', whom I didn't know, a complimentary drink from what we were offered, even telling her I'd gladly pay (which I'd have done). She quickly realized by request had no improper motive other than to placate an 'anxious flyer'. I overhead her make the offer, and it pleased me no end when she received a very clear, almost (but not quite) curt "No thank-you". Now . . . the VA cabin staff in both classes are IMHO nothing short of exceptional. But for the rest of that flight showed me with 'knowing' smiles and a heightened level of service that was almost embarrassing (but, hey, I lapped it up). And the person sitting next to me couldn't stop giggling (it turned out to be a nice 'ice breaker'). We can only try, Vego'free, we can only try.
21 Jul 2014
Total posts 21
My PPS does the job with much better international coverage so no point in chasing this
QF
11 Jul 2014
Total posts 1090
But you work in Asia more than 6 months of the year, I get P+ and all the Qatar and SQ benefits as well.
07 May 2021
Total posts 11
I am currently Platinum with VA and enjoy the benefits but see no desire to go to P Plus (that is not mentioning the hefty price tag which I am not willing to spend).
But yes can we get some curtains or dividers between economy and business! I fly a mix of economy and business and I think they would be a win-win for both cabins!
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
09 Feb 2015
Total posts 408
I wonder if those four upgrades are guaranteed if a seat is available or is it the same con job as the platinum upgrade ‘subject to availability’.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
24 Jan 2018
Total posts 869
With only eight (8) J-class seats/plane (compared to QF having 20 over 5 rows), don't hold your breath. After all, it's hard enough getting a seat in J when I have to change to a later/earlier flight.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
26 Nov 2012
Total posts 135
On a recent P+ call the agent proactively offered to upgrade me on all economy fares where there was a Biz seat for sale. I was impressed as I had thought they’d be useless like you. Clearly not.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
09 Feb 2015
Total posts 408
You got lucky, they are normally useless.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
25 Jul 2013
Total posts 81
The Australian call centre staff are great. The rest of the perks are pretty underwhelming. At a bare minimum I would expect at least 4x passes to the Beyond lounge per year (bare minimum!) and an upgraded lounge experience in Doha too.
10 Dec 2024
Total posts 34
I agree 100% SpaceCadet
29 Mar 2017
Total posts 32
For me the changes are a massive backward step as a roughly 10 year platinum member. This year I should have already requalified for platinum (Singapore business flights to Europe) very early on in the 12 month cycle. However now it's showing I'm not even close, and with reduced status credits and family pooling no longer contributing (in essence), I won't requalify.
Gold doesn't add any benefit as I already have lounge access through AMEX. I don't need extra baggage and all the other perk such as extra points are naff.
So my loyalty has evaporated overnight. I've requalified for QFF Platinum recently and the depth of routes and schedules, plus the international legs, plus the better business and first lounges, make it very hard to choose VA over QF.
I'm really quite disappointed about it as I've always enjoyed flying VA. But part of it's value proposition was to be a rewarded customer with a few little perks - they've diminished this and schedule will most likely be the number one factor in choosing my carrier (except for JQ - no thanks).
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