Should You Buy Virgin Australia Velocity Points With up to a 40% Discount? (2024)

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This buy points promotion has ended; see current buy points promotions.

It's been nearly a year since Virgin Australia started running deals for buying Velocity points. Seeing these promotions continue to trickle out slowly is a promising sign though — especially if you're looking to grab some points for a nice holiday getaway. You can now buy Virgin Australia Velocity points with up to a 40% discount through July 10, 2024. You can buy up to 250,000 points, but not all purchases will receive the same discount. When maximized, the cost per point drops to as little as 1.4¢ AUD each.

Understandably, Virgin Australia sells Velocity points in Australian Dollars. Since Virgin Velocity points are most useful to our Australian readers, we won't be converting prices to USD. However, you should know that at the current exchange rate, 1 USD = 1.5 AUD, this buy Velocity points promotion drops the price to just 0.93¢ USD per point.

Note: the Virgin Velocity website has had a facelift; while the tables and interface look different, the costs and features are the same.

A Note on Buying Points and Miles

At AwardWallet, our primary goal is to show people how to get the best value for their points and miles. As a result, we're not typically proponents of buying either — we prefer to earn them with credit card sign-up bonuses and bonus category spending. But when there is a promotion to buy points and miles such as this one, then it's definitely worth a look.

For example, if you're just short of points for your next award redemption, buying the last few points could be cheaper than paying the cash rate for the flight. Moreover, if you're planning to pay full price for an expensive ticket, buying the necessary points for an equivalent reward redemption could be the cheaper option.

Regardless, always do the math beforehand to ensure you're going the cheaper route.

Related:Virgin Australia Moves to a 3-Tier Domestic Award Chart

Buy Virgin Australia Velocity Points Promotion Key Terms

• This promotion is available through 11:59 p.m. AEST on July 10, 2024.
• Virgin Australia Velocity members can buy up to 250,000 points per transaction and calendar year.
• Points purchases are non-refundable.
• Points Booster transactions made through the Membership Contact Center will attract a fee of $20 AUD ($13.34 USD) or 2,500 points.
• Virgin typically deposits purchased points within 24 hours of completing the purchase.
• You can find the offer terms and conditions at the bottom of the page here and the full Virgin Velocity terms and conditions here.

This 40% discount promotion drops the cost per point down ever so slightly with each allotment of points. Make sure you do the math beforehand to ensure you are receiving the best value based on the number of points you purchase.

The best value is only found when you purchase exactly 250,000 points — where you'll receive a 40% discount. At this amount, the cost per point comes out to 1.4¢ AUD each. In U.S. Dollars, that's 0.93¢ apiece.

Things might appear to be a bit wonky at first glance. While the 40% discount only applies to point purchases of 250,000, the terms and conditions state that the next tier for a 35% discount is between the range of 200,000-240,000 points. What's strange is that the pricing chart reflects the price of points in increments of 50,000. That means buying 240,000 doesn't look possible if the chart is to be believed. The same can be said for the 30% discount tier when buying 190,000 points.

It's most likely that you can buy points in different increments than is stated in the chart — but if any of our readers from Down Under can post in the comments about their experience at checkout, that will help us understand a bit more about how the system works.

Regardless, just make sure you always do the math before purchasing to see if it's worth the cost for your situation. Here is how the tiers for this discount promotion break down:

• 1,000-9,000 points: 10% discount
• 10,000-90,000 points: 20% discount
• 100,000-190,000 points: 30% discount
• 200,000-240,000 points: 35% discount
• 250,000 points: 40% discount

This table might look slightly different on the Virgin website, but all of the points and prices are the same.

Why can't I buy any Virgin Australia points?

One annoying quirk members might run into is the inability to buy points if they don't have any points history with Virgin Australia. If that's the case, you could run into this notice:

Well, that's frustrating.

Thankfully, there's a quick fix for this: Simply make a small points transfer to your Velocity account. Virgin Australia is transfer partners of multiple points currencies, meaning you can make a minimum transfer from one of the following and gain the ability to buy Virgin Australia Velocity points:

Related: Do Virgin Australia Velocity Frequent Flyer Points Expire?

Using Your Virgin Velocity Points After Buying

Virgin Australia's Velocity Frequent Flyer program — which is limited to residents of Australia, New Zealand, and a handful of nearby Pacific islands — has a few valuable reward redemptions that could make buying points worthwhile:

• Quick flights across North America on United: For flights under 600 miles, you'll pay 7,800 points for one-way economy tickets and 15,500 points for one-way domestic first class.
• Longer United flights across North America: For flights between 601 and 1,200 miles, you'll pay 11,800 Velocity points in economy and 23,500 points in domestic first class.
• United Airlines transatlantic flights:Flights under 3,600 miles start at 22,300 Velocity points in economy and 49,500 in business.
• Explore Africa and the Middle East on Qatar Airways: For Qatar Airways flights under 2,400 miles, you'll pay as little as 20,000 points in economy or 38,000 in business class.
• Fly across Asia and the Middle East on Etihad:Flights up to 4,800 miles can be booked for 31,000 points in economy.

Related: The Sweet Spots of Virgin Australia’s Velocity Frequent Flyer Program

Maximize Your Purchase

Virgin Australia sells its points through Points.com, so your purchase won't be coded as a flight purchase or travel payment. Consider using one of these cards if you buy Virgin Australia points:

• A credit card where you're working on a sign-up bonus. These are the best welcome offers available right now.
• A credit card with perks you can unlock from spending, such as hotel free night awards, hotel elite status, or airline elite status.
• Your best credit card for everyday spending, such as the Citi Double Cash® Card or Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.

Related: Which Credit Card Should You Use to Buy Points and Miles?

Bottom Line

Virgin Australia Velocity is offering up to a 40% discount when you buy up to 250,000 points through July 10, 2024. If maximized, you can get Virgin Velocity points for just 1.4¢ AUD (0.93¢ USD) apiece.

It's important to do the math to determine the best value for the points you want to buy. This deal is a 5% increase in value from the last Velocity promotion — so this might be a good time to grab some points if they provide value for your upcoming redemptions.

Do you plan on buying Virgin Australia Velocity points with up to a 40% discount?