1. Luxe it up in the Virgin Australia Lounge

If you’re a Platinum or Gold Velocity member you would know the benefits of relaxing in the Virgin Australia lounge pre-flight. With barista coffee, premium wine and beer, buffet menu, complimentary WiFi access and various seating options to suit those needing to fire off final emails or those already settling into holiday mode, it’s all part of the travel experience. We suggest a cheese toastie with a glass of wine near a window seat. 

If you’re a Silver member you receive two complimentary single-entry lounge passes each membership year and can also access discounted annual membership. And of course, Red members never fear! You can purchase entry into the lounge for just $65. Simply ask our friendly staff about it when you get to the airport.

(Hot tip: If you're an American Express Velocity Platinum Card holder you also receive two 2 complimentary single entry passes to the Virgin Australia lounge and two complimentary entries to the American Express Lounge, located at Sydney International Airport or Melbourne International Airport each anniversary year).

2. Swap your seat

If you haven't already considered it, you may want to think about upgrading to the pointy end of the plane using your Velocity Points. When you fly with Virgin Australia domestically, Business Class comes with perks like access to Premium Entry in Sydney and Brisbane, complimentary access to the lounge and Priority Check-in and Boarding. If you're flying with our partner airline Etihad Airways you'll also have access to their complimentary chauffer service which makes you really feel like you're living the high-flyer life.

Alternatively, if you're just headed interstate and can't justify the upgrade, you can look to book an Economy X seat. With extra legroom, preferred overhead locker space and Priority Boarding it’s just that extra bit “premium” without the price tag. Bonus: you can pay with your Velocity Points too!

3. Get yourself some wheels

Whether you’re bound elsewhere in Australia, or you’re jetting off to New Zealand, Great Britain, France, Italy, Portugal, Germany, Spain, Belgium or Switzerland, our partner Europcar have car rental outlets in each. They also let you pay for the base cost of your car hire in Velocity Points, or use Points plus pay (so long as you have a minimum of 4,000 Velocity Points to spend). Essentially it means you can justify hiring the premium SUV over the compact car when you reach your destination. You'll also earn Velocity Points on the cash component of your booking so really, it's a win-win.

4. Stay like James Bond

Sometimes we all just want to feel like a famous person. If only for a night or two. Book your hotel stay through hotels.velocityfrequentflyer.com and you could put your Points towards a sneaky stay at the Dorchester in London, The Beverly Hills Hotel, The Plaza in New York, Hotel De Paris Monte-Carlo, The Peninsula in Hong Kong…the "living-like-James-Bond-possibilities are endless. Full disclosure, it's a pretty Indulgent way to spend your Points but we travel-bugs certainly aren’t judging.

Final tip – if you’re an offer junkie, or just want to earn a nice chunk of Velocity Points (and let’s face it, who wouldn’t?), check out the Member Offers page on the Velocity website. This is where you’ll find the latest Velocity partner offers to help you boost your Velocity balance and get to that all important next reward faster.