Major changes to Velocity Frequent Flyer announced 17/10/24

[pauldab]

That's what I had thought, but every month it looks like some SC expires and I have to earn more SC to retain status? Or am I just getting confused?

SC to retain is all based off SC accumulation after the last review date - check this page after logging in: https://www.velocityfrequentflyer.com/my-velocity/status and you'll see the actual SC count to retain (also where it'll say how you're going for the 50% VA personal-flying component). This page is also updated 1 day after SC is gained.
The review date is fixed each year based on the month you gained the current membership level.

This is tracked separately to the rolling 12 month SC tally which you use for promotion to the next stage of membership. That does drop off due to the rolling 12 month window.

 

[ozstamps]

The Velocity wackadoodle status renewal system has always been a mess IMHO.

For couples a bigger mess, as if one gains a higher status during a year, the dates all reset IIRC.

Why Virgin simply does not learn from EXPERTS, like their partners United and Hilton and have a FIXED date each year of Feb 1 etc for EVERY member, the entire world knows exactly where they stand.

No way would Virgin do anything sane like that! Or learn from EXPERTS who have been doing this for many decades.

Earn Gold woth United in 2025, and it is good until early 2027 for EVERY member. SIMPLES.

Earn it by flying the very first times only in January or December - same story.

 

[MooTime]

The Velocity wackadoodle status renewal system has always been a mess IMHO.

For couples a bigger mess, as if one gains a higher status during a year, the dates all reset IIRC.

Why Virgin simply does not learn from EXPERTS, like their partners United and Hilton and have a FIXED date each year of Feb 1 etc for EVERY member, the entire world knows exactly where they stand.

No way would Virgin do anything sane like that! Or learn from EXPERTS who have been doing this for many decades.

Earn Gold woth United in 2025, and it is good until early 2027 for EVERY member. SIMPLES.

Earn it by flying the very first times only in January or December - same story.

Nope I think sinking every member with the same date is dumb.
So many reasons that doesn't work well, but I'm not into long winded posts.

Just cos the yanks in Hilton & United do it don't have any relevance to us down in Oz.

I like the rolling anniversary of VA.
I don't mind QF system either.

 

[FlyingKangaroo]

The VA system took me some getting used to but eventually I figured it out (about just in time for it to no longer matter with the changes ).

I quite like the approach QF and many other carriers use as invariably I've signed up for some of those types of programmes shortly before a large trip, which meant getting a good head-start on status early in my membership year... it definitely engaged me and locked me in better than a programme ending December 31 would have and where my trip was in, say, September.

Pros and cons to all of it; you win some, you lose some.

 

[nutwood]

The Velocity wackadoodle status renewal system has always been a mess IMHO.

For couples a bigger mess, as if one gains a higher status during a year, the dates all reset IIRC.

Why Virgin simply does not learn from EXPERTS, like their partners United and Hilton and have a FIXED date each year of Feb 1 etc for EVERY member, the entire world knows exactly where they stand.

No way would Virgin do anything sane like that! Or learn from EXPERTS who have been doing this for many decades.

Earn Gold woth United in 2025, and it is good until early 2027 for EVERY member. SIMPLES.

Earn it by flying the very first times only in January or December - same story.

I can't agree. It's different and to be honest, it had me confuddled until recently, but what's wrong with 12 months from the date you tick the box? Assuming of course that I have actually got it straight now

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I can't agree. It's different and to be honest, it had me confuddled until recently, but what's wrong with 12 months from the date you tick the box? Assuming of course that I have actually got it straight now

From a business perspective, nothing wrong. It limits the higher status to 12 months.

Slightly less friendly to the passenger where many other programs give you the remainder of this year plus the year after to enjoy your status.

It probably suits VA where the previous status was so easy to achieve.

 

[stm1sydney]

The Velocity wackadoodle status renewal system has always been a mess IMHO.

For couples a bigger mess, as if one gains a higher status during a year, the dates all reset IIRC.

Why Virgin simply does not learn from EXPERTS, like their partners United and Hilton and have a FIXED date each year of Feb 1 etc for EVERY member, the entire world knows exactly where they stand.

No way would Virgin do anything sane like that! Or learn from EXPERTS who have been doing this for many decades.

Earn Gold woth United in 2025, and it is good until early 2027 for EVERY member. SIMPLES.

Earn it by flying the very first times only in January or December - same story.

Yeah, we get it mate. You really don't like VA, and will never fly them again...

 

[ozstamps]

If all the major American airlines, and American hotel chains have ALL used a common system for MANY DECADES where Status earned in 2025 is what counts for 2026, it clearly is the simplest and most easy to understand system.

Most here have never experienced it with airlines I feel sure. It never changes, and you can plan effectively, and with your partner flights/stays in lockstep all the way.

Simplicity is what folks like.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

If all the major American airlines, and American hotel chains have ALL used a common system for MANY DECADES where Status earned in 2025 is what counts for 2026, it clearly is the simplest and most easy to understand system.

Most here have never experienced it with airlines I feel sure. It never changes, and you can plan effectively, and with your partner flights/stays in lockstep all the way.

Simplicity is what folks like.

logistically it doesn’t make sense to have 10, 20 or 30 million members all requiring membership packs on the same date and flooding the call centre with enquiries as to whether or not they’ve qualified/requalified.

Better to spread that out evenly through the year. Less impact on the call centre and shorter waiting times for passengers.

Give me a multiple double status credit promotions through the year rather than just at the end of the year with people trying to get across the line!

 

[ozstamps]

logistically it doesn’t make sense to have 10, 20 or 30 million members all requiring membership packs on the same date and flooding the call centre with enquiries as to whether or not they’ve qualified/requalified.

United Mileage Plus itself has more than 100 million members. Hilton HHonors is way over double that. Velocity is a true minnow.

Membership packs? What is that? I have not seen a Gold UA or Diamond Hilton card or pack for a decade or so. The Internet is now accessible in most places I understand? It tells you instantly your elite status as of Jan 1. No need to 'flood a call centre' any more.

Add in AA and Delta and Alaska etc, and the other main USA hotel Chains, and we are talking near a BILLION members. All working to the same logical and VERY easy to follow system.

I'll pass on your input to them that they've been badly mistaken for decades, and advise them - 'logistically it doesn’t make sense'.

You may get a free upgrade, or free hotel room for your very novel idea for them to move to wackadoodle rolling Anniversary dates. And then again you may not.


Hilton Honors had over 226 million members as of March 2025, according to Hilton's official corporate website. This number reflects a significant growth for the loyalty program, which aims to reward frequent guests across its global portfolio of brands.

 

[anat0l]

Does anyone ever pay QF domestic J prices out of their own pocket? I've always thought they put those prices there for the occasional person in the happy position where the company or the tax payer is picking up the tab.

Sad to say, yes "people" do pay Qantas's ridiculous world-record high prices for domestic biz class. And who are these unfortunate "people" - why, that's you and me paying through our taxes or our super funds for govt officials and corporate execs.

For those of us playing the status game (to make it worth it, i.e. get and be able to use it, and not from a cold start), some QF J fares, if bought in advance long enough, work out quite reasonably in terms of $ per SC. If you had to take that trip anyway, it isn't so ridiculous to pay QF J for it.

I had a trip to GLT once where the return sector had the cheapest available Y seat was a mere $100 less than the J price. That difference and the associated perks, albeit small ex-GLT, was worth $100 (but of course one could argue that the Y price was a rip off; needless to say it was a last minute trip).

Now anything between east coast and PER.... I have never been able to make sense of any price for J on that (except perhaps combined with an international sector).

Nope I think sinking every member with the same date is dumb.

I like the rolling anniversary of VA.
I don't mind QF system either.

I think it highly depends on where you started your loyalty journey. In LOTFAP (and Canada), so many programmes are based on the calendar year - that's just how it is. Many other places around the world it is based on a member-specific anniversary. Arguing which is better is more or less like arguing whether milk goes first or hot water goes first.

I got the VA system pretty quickly after it was released; many on AFF didn't, and me trying to explain it was met with even more confusion (and just a bit of derision).

I always think - their game, their rules, you don't need to play. But one advantage of VA rolling SCs is that if you fail to meet the retain target in time, it is still possible to obtain your former status again rather quickly, depending on the timing of your SCs.

 

[SCM]

logistically it doesn’t make sense to have 10, 20 or 30 million members all requiring membership packs on the same date and flooding the call centre with enquiries as to whether or not they’ve qualified/requalified.

That sounds like a business process problem more than anything else, any normal business will want to solve that - regardless of whether it happens all at once or throughout the year.