KrisFlyer v Velocity Points??? Help for a newbie!

[Danae Keen]

Hi,

I'm new to the thread and also new to frequent flyer programs! I have had a Virgin Velocity (red) card for the last couple of years but have not used it a great deal (I have 4,500 points and 20 status credits).

My fiancee and I will be traveling to Europe later in the year (ADL-BCN, CDG-ADL) on Singapore Airlines. I thought it was an opportune time to maximise frequent flyer points so we can work toward some free trips in years to come.

I have had a look but am very very confused about whether to earn the points on the Singapore Airlines flight with Singapore or Virgin. I believe when you book a Singapore Airlines flight you can opt to earn points for a partner airline? OR can I earn points for both on the same flight??

I imagine our travel with Singapore Airlines will be limited for a couple of years following this trip which makes me think putting the points into Virgin would be more beneficial (as we are more likely going to do some domestic travel). But I wasn't sure if we earn less because it is a partner airline etc??

If anyone could offer a little guidance it would be greatly appreciated. Ie if we put the points in Krisflyer, can we use them on domestic Virgin flights, if we put them in Velocity, do we earn less.

The other thing I am not sure about is whether to put one of these two as a double dip option for Hilton HHonors or just earn the points for Hilton HHonors and decide later whether to use points on hotels or flights.

Many thanks in advance!

PS I am double posting as I wasn't sure whether to post in Krisflyer or Velocity Points.

 

[moa999]

IT very much depends on the fare class, particularly for economy.

See:
Points Earn with Airline Partners | Velocity Frequent Flyer'
Earn miles on Singapore Airlines and SilkAir

Note that the cheapest airfares earn nothing on Velocity, whereas they do earn on Krisflyer.

Biggest issue with Krisflyer is the point expiry (each point has a life) and the fuel fines which are on par with Qantas.

 

[albatross710]

Ie if we put the points in Krisflyer, can we use them on domestic Virgin flights, if we put them in Velocity, do we earn less.

Welcome to the forum.

Krisflyer miles can certainly be used for redeeming domestic Virgin flights.

 

[totd]

I can't help with a direct comparison between Krisflyer and Velocity, but my personal bias would be towards Velocity. They took out the Freddie "Oceania - Best Redemption" award this year (Freddie Awards) and they offer Family Pooling which might make Gold a possibility depending on your fare classes and sector lengths. You can use the Velocity Rewards tables to get an idea of how many status credits you'll earn

Status Credits: Earning Status Credits | Velocity Frequent Flyer
Points: Points Earn with Airline Partners | Velocity Frequent Flyer


Just to further complicate your decision process, have you considered the Aegean Miles&Bonus programme? It's probably the quickest way to get Star Alliance status, which is valid on Singapore Airlines and AirNZ. The catch is Miles&Bonus is useless for Australian Domestic travel. More details available here: http://www.australianfrequentflyer....ussion/is-quickest-way-gold-aegean-37289.html

 

[ATreeFiddy]

Is status important to you at all? With VA (and family pooling) you're looking at 560 Status Credits and about 33k Points in an eligible Economy fare class. If its a "VA marketed fare" you should also be credited with the 4 Sectors and be eligible for VA Gold (and therefore HH Gold if its important).

As mentioned above, the KrisFlyer points will expire so if you're really only travelling every few years perhaps VA is the better option. The few times I've looked at redeeming on SQ via VA hasn't been pretty though, with redemption via KF being significantly cheaper (from a points perspective). YMMV though.