Article: How I Maintained Velocity Platinum Status in 2026

[AFF Editor]

Canonical URL

https://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/how-maintain-velocity-platinum-status/

How I Maintained Velocity Platinum Status in 2026 is an article written by the AFF editorial team:

How I Maintained Velocity Platinum Status in 2026

Despite last year's changes to the Velocity Frequent Flyer program, Matt managed to renew his Virgin Australia Platinum status in 2026 - but not without some hiccups along the way. Here's how he did it.

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

You can leave a comment or discuss this topic below.

 

[kerfuffle]

If I see this reheated pasta in the Virgin Australia Lounge one more time…

Great article that demonstrates that even with careful planning, things can go awry. I have one more lot of DSC flights via VA Holidays to go this month; hopefully can maintain Gold by the end of August with my upcoming flights (one booked on DSC via VA - first time booking a Flex fare! Needed flexibility in case Now or Never had a good program, but didn't need to spend money on a J flight for the SC)

 

[clifford]

I don't know why people bother spending their own hard earned money trying to gain status with VA,

IMO, threy're not now worth it. It's a downward spiral.

 

[serfty]

I don't know why people bother spending their own hard earned money trying to gain status with VA,

IMO, threy're not now worth it. It's a downward spiral.

18 months ago VA platinum status appeared worth it, not so much in June 2026.

I saw an opportunity for the new platinum plus but plan on mainly benefiting from the SQ relationship.

I'll be soft landing to WP, SG then PS, then bye bye.

 

[Human]

Great article. I, too, was burned by the fine print on the 125-SC offer early this year. I’ll maintain Platinum status with 805 SCs by bringing a planned trip forward to the week before my review date, rather than the week after as originally planned.

I still believe, all things being equal, that Virgin offers better value-for-money than Qantas. I understand why people choose to fly Qantas …. But I’m on a budget and Virgin is the compromise because I’m not willing to fly Jetstar.

For me, Platinum is worth it for Fly Ahead which has saved me a lot of money, and has gotten me to my destination a lot earlier, over the years. I also use the inflight internet and despite my short stature I like to snaffle row 3 when I can.

But there’s no doubting this: I used to enjoy being a Virgin customer. Nowadays I merely tolerate it.

And if anyone from Virgin is reading this: please, please, please improve the food in the Lounges.

 

[jeppetto367]

I personally didn't bother, down to Gold for the first time since 2017. It's all too confusing now.

 

[Mattg]

It's all too confusing now.

I think this is one of the biggest issues with the redesigned program.

There are some simple things Velocity could do to make it easier to understand, without completing changing the core program features. Even just making it easier to see how many status credits you'll earn for an upcoming flight would help. You shouldn't need a PhD in frequent flyer programs to work this stuff out.

 

[serfty]

You shouldn't need a PhD in frequent flyer programs to work this stuff out.

A bit like "Simpler and Fairer".

 

[fletty]

For me, Platinum is worth it for Fly Ahead which has saved me a lot of money, and has gotten me to my destination a lot earlier, over the years. I also use the inflight internet and despite my short stature I like to snaffle row 3 when I can.

Now that fly ahead is being offered on flex fares, do you think WP is worth it given you can also then pay for row 3 separately?

 

[Human]

Now that fly ahead is being offered on flex fares, do you think WP is worth it given you can also then pay for row 3 separately?

For me, yes, because I almost always buy Choice fares. So being Platinum means that I can get many of the benefits that I would otherwise have to pay extra for (Fly Ahead, internet, EconomyX).

 

[fletty]

For me, yes, because I almost always buy Choice fares. So being Platinum means that I can get many of the benefits that I would otherwise have to pay extra for (Fly Ahead, internet, EconomyX).

Even if you take into account spending circa $10k on WP to get free benefits that could be had for <$200 per flight?

From my perspective as VA Gold and QF Platinum, it seems very hard to justify chasing status with VA anymore when all the perks that were previously tied to status are now purchasable for a reasonable fee.

 

[Human]

Even if you take into account spending circa $10k on WP to get free benefits that could be had for <$200 per flight?

From my perspective as VA Gold and QF Platinum, it seems very hard to justify chasing status with VA anymore when all the perks that were previously tied to status are now purchasable for a reasonable fee.

But I’m not spending circa $10K to get Platinum. I’m spending circa $10K on flights. Those flights just happen to earn me enough SCs to reach Platinum.

Of course spending $10K just to reach Platinum would be a monumental waste of money — on any airline. But buying a ticket on VA doesn’t just give me SCs — it also, incidentally, happens to get me a seat on a flight to a destination I want or need to get to.

To turn your question around: why should I spend up to $200 more per flight when I fly enough on Choice fares anyway to earn Platinum and get me the same benefits?

 

[fletty]

Those flights just happen to earn me enough SCs to reach Platinum.

If you're hitting WP regardless then that's a fair shout.

 

[VC10]

How I Maintained Velocity Platinum Status in 2026 is an article written by the AFF editorial team:

How I Maintained Velocity Platinum Status in 2026

Despite last year's changes to the Velocity Frequent Flyer program, Matt managed to renew his Virgin Australia Platinum status in 2026 - but not without some hiccups along the way. Here's how he did it.

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

You can leave a comment or discuss this topic below.

I've been a Velocity member since 2010 and Platinum for most of the last few years (as has my other half). Now looking at losing this next month as we have not flown VA except to use Platinum upgrades - which have become increasingly difficult to use. I still have 3 left which I won't use. The lounges have become pointless - food/wine/overcrowding/kids etc - and the lack of any real international benefits is the killer together withe the revised SC earning rules. I enjoyed the Etihad First Lounge in Abu Dhabi on a number of occasions, but that benefit has also gone. We have just lost our Aegean/Star Alliance Gold and will be unable to renew, also due to there changing qualification rules. So it's OW from here on (we are both P and I am LT Gold) and although the QF Sydney F lounge is not what it was, the global reach of OW benefits for our travel patterns make it still worth while. I will always remember an amazing deal on a rewards booking when JB was in charge and I had made a complaint to him directly.

 

[ols]

Maybe there can be another article.
How I lost Velocity Platinum status in 2026