Our weekly wrap for Aussie frequent flyers

By Chris C., November 22 2014

Sitting on a pile of Virgin Australia Velocity frequent flyer points? Now you can convert them into Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles and redeem them with United, Thai Airways, Air Canada and more!

Or, if you’re a few points short of your next free flight or business class upgrade with Qantas, why not buy ‘top-up points’ to get you over the line?

That’s all in this week’s wrap, along with how to earn Velocity points at BP outlets across the country from next year, when zipping between Adelaide and Alice Springs and on South African Airways flights.

To wind things up, we show how buying Hyatt points during its latest discount promotion can save you hundreds of dollars a night at the chain’s Sydney flagship hotel, and cover whether it’s best to use Qantas Cash or Bankwest’s Qantas Debit MasterCard if you’d rather not rake in points via a credit card.

Virgin Australia, Singapore Airlines swap frequent flyer points

Members of Virgin Australia’s Velocity Frequent Flyer scheme can now transfer their points over to Singapore Airlines' KrisFlyer miles scheme at the rate of 1.35:1, opening the door on award bookings and flight upgrades across the Star Alliance.

Likewise, KrisFlyer miles can now become Velocity points at the same 1.35:1 ratio, allowing Aussie travellers to indirectly earn Velocity points with airlines such as Thai Airways, United, Air Canada and Lufthansa by firstly crediting points to KrisFlyer and then sweeping them across to Velocity.

Using the 1.35:1 conversion rate, 10,000 Velocity points become 7,407 KrisFlyer miles; while 10,000 KrisFlyer miles ship across to Virgin Australia as 7,407 Velocity points.

Earn Velocity points at the pump with BP

Virgin Australia's Velocity Frequent Flyer members will earn points when buying fuel at BP service stations under the airline’s latest partnership.

Kicking off in early 2015, it'll be as simple as presenting your Velocity membership card when paying at the cash register to rake in a nice haul of points.

However, Virgin has not yet revealed exactly how many points you'll pick up for each dollar spent at the bowser or in the servo buying drinks, snack food and the like.

Then, see how to convert your Velocity points into KrisFlyer miles, or your KrisFlyer miles into Velocity points.

How to buy Qantas Frequent Flyer points

If you’re a few Qantas Frequent Flyer points short of booking an award flight or landing an upgrade to business class, you can actually buy ‘top-up points’ directly from Qantas to make up the difference.

That’s particularly handy when your only other option is to pay full price for a regular ticket, yet you have a nice balance of points that you’re keen to swap for a seat at the pointy end.

The price you’ll pay – and whether it’s ultimately good value – depends on how many points you plan to buy, with the cost varying between 2.787 and 4.0 cents per point.

See how it’s done: How to buy Qantas Frequent Flyer points

Virgin Australia, South African hook up for points, status credits

Virgin Australia and Star Alliance member South African Airways have inked a reciprocal frequent flyer agreement which will let Velocity members earn points and status credits on South African flights from early 2015.

In addition, Velocity members will be able to to use their points to purchase reward seats on all South African Airways-operated services.

Topping it off are premium services such as priority check-in, priority boarding and lounge access with South African Airways.

Qantas Cash vs Bankwest Qantas card: which earns the most points?

Not every frequent flyer carries credit cards – some people, for varying reasons, choose and use a pre-paid debit card to collect Qantas points.

Right now there are just two options for this: the official Qantas Cash card and the Bankwest Qantas Debit MasterCard.

The Qantas and Bankwest cards earn Qantas points at different rates – but there's no harm in having both cards in your pocket or purse if you know which one to use, and when.

Read more: Qantas Cash vs Bankwest Qantas card

Earn Velocity points flying from Adelaide to Alice Springs

Virgin Australia will kick off flights from Adelaide to Alice Springs in March 2015, allowing members of the airline’s Velocity Frequent Flyer scheme to earn points and status credits on the journey.

Alice Springs will also play home to a new Virgin Australia regional lounge in the new year, open to Gold and Platinum frequent flyers.

Buy Hyatt points, save hundreds at the Park Hyatt Sydney hotel

Members of Hyatt Gold Passport could save up to $287 per night off the normal room rates at the Park Hyatt Sydney hotel, thanks to a new ‘buying points’ promotion.

Until December 10 2014, travellers can enjoy a 30% bonus when they buy at least 5,000 Hyatt Gold Passport (HGP) points, with 30,000 miles getting you that overnight stay in Sydney.

All up, you’ll pay just $643 for a room that would usually cost $930 – so while that’s still not cheap, it’s still a significant saving.

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