Are you starting out as a Red Velocity member? If you travel a lot for work or fun, or you’re all over Family Points Pooling, we’ve got great news: you could get yourself up to Silver Velocity, without changing your travel habits or lifestyle much.

From there, it’s easier to reach Gold Velocity, where you can access Priority Check-in, Priority Screening and Boarding, and Priority Baggage at most airports, pre-departure access to over 150 international airline partner lounges (and their free buffets); and free Status membership with one of our hotel and car hire partner programs.

Beyond that it’s "hello Platinum Velocity" - where you get all this and more.

In short, being a Status seeker is perfectly OK. In fact, we strongly encourage it.

A few quick tips to start

To make the jump from one Status level to another, you’ll need to keep an eye on both the Status Credits you collect and the number of Eligible Sectors you fly every 12 months (we take a deep dive into these below). As a handy way to track your Status on the go, make sure you have the Velocity App downloaded. Trust us, it’s worth it.

We’ve covered the difference between Velocity Points and Status Credits, but it’s good to keep in mind that Status Credits are only valid for 12 months from the date they land in your account (which is usually just after you fly). We assess memberships on a daily basis to make sure your Status level (with associated bragging rights) is upgraded as soon as possible, so consider the frequency of your flights, especially if your goal is to upgrade. 

Status Credits 101

Great news, globetrotters: the best way to earn Status Credits is to fly on an eligible fare with Virgin Australia. Almost all Virgin Australia fares earn you Status Credits (a general rule – the more flexible your fare, the more Status Credits you earn), along with flights you take as part of a Virgin Australia Holidays package. We also have a huge list of world-class airline partners so if we can’t take you where you need to go, you’ll still get Status Credits when you book an eligible fare with our partners. 

Another way is with flybuys. If you buy groceries (and really, who doesn’t?), just do it at Coles. Simply link your flybuys and Velocity memberships, swipe your flybuys card when you shop at Coles, Coles Online, Liquorland or First Choice Liquor and you can earn some precious Status Credits on your goods. You’ll earn 1 Status Credit for every $100 spent up to 10 per month*. It’s a super easy way to get up to 10 extra Status Credits every month, just by adding a flybuys card to the grocery runs you already do. 

And finally, you can also earn Status Credits with the American Express Velocity Platinum Card^. Find out how on the American Express Velocity Platinum Card page.

From entry-level membership to Platinum

As soon as your Status Credit balance reaches 250 and you’ve flown two Eligible Sectors (more on this below), we automatically upgrade you to Silver Velocity membership. (Hello! And welcome!) Once your Status Credit balance reaches 500 and you’ve flown four Eligible Sectors, we automatically upgrade you to Gold Velocity membership. (Now we’re talking.) And finally, if your Status Credit balance reaches 1,000 and you’ve flown eight Eligible Sectors, you’ve hit the big time and we automatically upgrade you to Platinum Velocity membership. (The ultimate).

Wait, so what’s an ‘Eligible Sector’?

We’re glad you asked. An ‘Eligible Sector’ (in the context of building up your Status Credits) just means a flight sector that has been flown, that wasn’t booked as a Reward Seat and where Virgin Australia is the marketing carrier (that means that the flight number starts with a VA). A flight sector is a single direct flight between two consecutive locations. For example, a one-way flight from Sydney to Melbourne is one Eligible Sector, a return flight between Sydney and Melbourne is two Eligible Sectors, and a one-way flight from Perth to Brisbane connecting via Sydney is two Eligible Sectors (because you have to fly two single direct flights. So if you live in Brisbane and fly to Perth and back for Christmas, you might already have accrued enough Eligible Sectors to move from Silver to Gold!

It’s harder to make the next jump than to maintain it – push yourself over the threshold!

You need 250 Status Credits to be eligible for the jump to Silver Velocity membership, but only 200 in a year to stay there. It’s the same 20% difference with Gold Velocity and Platinum Velocity as well. You’ll need 500 Credits to get to Gold Velocity, but only 400 to stay there. For Platinum Velocity, if you can push that bit harder to get to 1,000 Status Credits in a year, you can maintain your Platinum Status with just 800 Status Credits each following year. In short – it pays to set the bar just a bit higher each year.

Family Points Pooling: the shortcut you need to know

Does your partner fly for work a lot? Do you holiday together with your four kids once or twice a year? Because if you live at the same address as your family members, you can combine all the Status Credits (and Velocity Points, while you’re at it) of up to six family members (two members 18 years or over and up to four members less than 18 years of age) – including yourself ­– into one beneficiary’s account. As long as they’re all signed up to Velocity, you’re good. (And by the way, it only takes a few minutes to set up Family Points Pooling, so no excuses there.)