Velocity Gold vs Platinum Status: What’s the Difference?

Velocity Gold and Platinum status membership packs with baggage tags
What extra benefits do Velocity Platinum members receive over Gold members? Photo: Matt Graham.

It takes twice the amount of flying to earn Platinum status with Virgin Australia, compared to Velocity Gold status. So, what additional benefits do you get with Platinum status… and is Velocity Platinum membership it worth the extra status credits?

In this article, we take a deep dive into the difference between Gold and Platinum status with Virgin Australia…

Velocity Gold & Platinum benefits on Virgin Australia

Both Gold and Platinum Velocity Frequent Flyer members get access to some great benefits when flying with Virgin Australia. These include:

  • Virgin Australia Lounge access + 1 additional guest (excluding children)
  • Bonus points on Virgin Australia flights (except on Economy Lite fares)
  • Priority check-in
  • Priority boarding
  • Priority baggage
  • Access to seats closer to the front of the plane
  • Priority phone service
  • Additional carry-on and checked baggage allowance (excluding Economy Lite fares)
  • Fly Ahead on Flex & Business fares
  • Guaranteed Economy reward seats for an annual family holiday (domestic only)
Virgin Australia Lounge, Canberra
The Virgin Australia Lounge in Canberra. Photo: Virgin Australia.

For Velocity Gold members, these are some very useful benefits. But there are also some substantial additional benefits available to Velocity Platinum members on Virgin Australia flights! These include:

  • Complimentary Economy X seat selection
  • Free seat selection on Economy Lite fares
  • Four annual complimentary Business Class upgrades when booked on an Economy Flex fare
  • Ability to Fly Ahead on Economy Choice fares (in addition to Flex & Business fares)
  • Up to 3 additional guests at Virgin Australia Lounges, excluding children (instead of 1 guest with Gold status)
  • 100% bonus points on Virgin Australia flights (instead of 75% bonus points with Gold status)
  • The guaranteed Economy reward seat benefit for an annual family holiday can be used on international flights

The free upgrades and complimentary Economy X extra legroom seats are particularly useful benefits for Velocity Platinum members when flying with Virgin Australia.

Virgin Australia 737 Economy X seating
Platinum members get access to complimentary Economy X seats on Virgin Australia flights. Photo: Virgin Australia.

Access to higher-tier status matches

Another benefit of Velocity Frequent Flyer’s Gold and Platinum tiers are complimentary status matches with a partner hotel and car hire loyalty program.

If you have Velocity Gold status, you’ll be eligible for a one-off upgrade to Gold status with your choice of either Hilton Honors or IHG One Rewards. You’ll also be eligible for your choice of either Europcar Privilege Executive or Hertz Gold Plus Rewards Five Star membership.

But if you have Velocity Platinum status, you can upgrade to a higher tier with your choice of hotel and car hire loyalty programs. This means getting complimentary Hilton Honors Diamond or IHG One Rewards Platinum membership. And with the partner car hire programs, you could choose between Europcar Privilege Elite or Hertz Gold Plus Rewards Presidents Circle status.

Higher tier bonuses with some Velocity partners

When flying with Virgin Australia, Velocity Gold members earn 75% bonus points and Platinum members earn 100% bonus points on most fare types.

These increased bonuses for Platinum members also apply when shopping with various Velocity Frequent Flyer partners on the ground. For example, Velocity Gold members get 75% bonus points with Cover-More, Looking4Parking and Cruisepilot while Platinum members get a 100% bonus.

Velocity Platinum members also earn a marginally higher bonus rate when earning points for Europcar, Hertz and Thrifty car rentals in Australia or New Zealand.

Additional Platinum benefits on partner airlines are minimal

When it comes to the benefits for Velocity Frequent Flyer members on partner airlines, however, the difference between Gold and Platinum status is marginal at best.

On most of Virgin Australia’s partner airlines, the exact same benefits apply to both Velocity Gold and Platinum members. The only extra things that Platinum members get are:

  • Access to the Etihad First Class Lounge in Abu Dhabi (instead of the Etihad Business Lounge, which is available to Gold members) when travelling in Etihad Airways Economy Class
  • Access to the Virgin Atlantic Revivals Lounge on arrival at London Heathrow Airport when flying Virgin Atlantic
  • Up to 20kg of additional baggage allowance with Singapore Airlines and Etihad Airways (instead of 15kg of additional baggage allowance for Gold members), except to/from the Americas where everyone just gets one extra piece of luggage
  • 50% bonus points with Etihad Airways (instead of 25% bonus points for Gold members)
  • 100% bonus points with United Airlines (instead of 75% bonus points for Gold members)
Dining room in the Etihad First Lounge, Abu Dhabi
Dining room in the Etihad First Lounge, Abu Dhabi. Photo: Etihad.

It’s also worth noting that neither Velocity Gold nor Platinum members receive any status benefits whatsoever when flying with Air Canada or Hawaiian Airlines! Even as a Velocity Platinum member, you won’t receive lounge access, priority check-in or any other tier benefits when flying with Air Canada or Hawaiian Airlines in Economy. This is even the case for flights to and from Australia.

Qantas Gold vs Platinum benefits

By comparison, Qantas Gold and Platinum members receive reciprocal status benefits through Oneworld Sapphire and Emerald status, respectively, when travelling on any other Oneworld airline. These benefits are applied consistently across all airlines in the Oneworld alliance.

As well as access to Qantas domestic Business Lounges and international First Lounges, Qantas Platinum members get access to First Class check-in counters and lounges all over the world when flying with Oneworld airlines. That’s quite a substantial additional benefit.

Qantas First Lounge, Sydney Airport
Qantas Platinum members can access First Class lounges when flying with any Oneworld airline. Photo: Qantas First Lounge, Sydney.

Conclusion

When flying with Virgin Australia, Velocity Platinum members do have access to some great additional benefits. But, other than access to the Etihad First Class Lounge in Abu Dhabi and Virgin Atlantic Revivals Lounge in London, the extra benefits for Platinum members with Virgin’s partner airlines are marginal at best.

You can leave a comment or discuss this topic on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum.

The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 70 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course!
Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil & Kazakhstan. His interests include economics, aviation & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine.

You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @AFF Editor.
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This seems like as good a place to post my question as any as it relates to Economy X - one of the differences. I have a flight booked in Economy X in June, but my Platinum status runs out after my 31 May 2022 status review date (pretty sure I'm not eligible for a further extension if I understand the rules correctly, and I have only 20 status credits this year). I was able to select the seat for free, but what happens after my status is gone - will I lose that seat assignment? I'm not too fussed as it's only MEL-SYD but just curious.

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This seems like as good a place to post my question as any as it relates to Economy X - one of the differences. I have a flight booked in Economy X in June, but my Platinum status runs out after my 31 May 2022 status review date (pretty sure I'm not eligible for a further extension if I understand the rules correctly, and I have only 20 status credits this year). I was able to select the seat for free, but what happens after my status is gone - will I lose that seat assignment? I'm not too fussed as it's only MEL-SYD but just curious.

You'll keep it but if you have a flight change or something after dropping back then you may not be able to select economy X again without paying

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Sounds like someone is listening RE status benefits with Hawaiian?

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Been a Virgin Plat for 10 years now. Ditto spouse. To us, Row #3 (getting less and less available to secure, sadly) is the main benefit. First year comp to Hilton Diamond was very nice, but that is a one-off, and does not engender any repeat Platinum qualifying on Virgin.

Very little otherwise in difference between the 2 tiers, now that Platinum upgrades can again only be used on expensive Freedom (full fare) buckets, from June 30. :(

Be VERY savvy for them to LEAVE it there for Choice fares as has been the case for all this year. We made discretionary bookings like SYD-PERTH-BROOME etc, due to that decision. Many extra bucks for Virgin. WIN-WIN. Most years we have never used the Platinum upgrades. We will not be alone.

Virgin totally control upgrade inventory, so they hold all the cards.

Virgin should try and add some little extra juicy looking carrots, to entice folks to fly the MANY extra SC.

ALL status in any program is always ASPIRATIONAL. Dangle a major carrot of some kind over Golds.

I was a United top level 1K for 10-15 years, and their 4 x annual 'Systemwide' upgrades were THE benefit most lusted after, and most sought carrot by all Mileage Plus members. No contest. Fully transferrable, and for the most part, usable on ANY buyable economy fare bucket, and fully confirmable in advance.

Very many times I flew Sydney-USA-South America or Europe, on one Systemwide, all flights upgraded in advance all the way. And vice versa. Virgin these days have only a domestic network, but they can still offer such a thing.

Maybe TWO Virgin Systemwides per Plat, usable on any fare bucket, as long as 'X' inventory exists on that flight, network wide (and NZ/Pacific if they ever return) and THAT is a benefit worth chasing, even for Golds. Virgin cannot fly us Sydney-San Francisco-Washington-Rio, but they CAN offer SYD-PER or MEL-DRW or CNS etc. :D

Clearly it has WORKED very well for new partner United for many decades, and Jayney & Posse can hopefully learn from success stories on other successful airlines. ‼️

Going forward, Gold and Platinum are very similar again now. Makes no sense really, and gives no-one a good reason to spend $1000s more to get it. For any overseas travel on partners there appears to be ZERO difference in Bennies that I can see between Gold and Platinum, and never has.

I mean THIS below, well covered in the article above, is essentially all there is extra! Almost no Platinum will ever buy Lite fares I'd suggest as almost zero status credits earned, no sectors earned, and no checked bag - so hardly a 'benefit'.

'There are also some substantial additional benefits available to Velocity Platinum members on Virgin Australia flights! These include:

  • Complimentary Economy X seat selection
  • Free seat selection on Economy Lite fares
  • Four annual complimentary Business Class upgrades when booked on an Economy Flex fare
  • Ability to Fly Ahead on Economy Choice fares (in addition to Flex & Business fares)
  • Up to 3 additional guests at Virgin Australia Lounges, excluding children (instead of 1 guest with Gold status)
  • 100% bonus points on Virgin Australia flights (instead of 75% bonus points with Gold status)
  • The guaranteed Economy reward seat benefit for an annual family holiday can be used on international flights'

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My suggestion to differentiate platinum - make the top floor of Sydney T2 platinum plus guests only as an exclusive lounge.

The lower floor is a zoo right now.

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My suggestion to differentiate platinum - make the top floor of Sydney T2 platinum plus guests only as an exclusive lounge.

The lower floor is a zoo right now.

I would usually make a beeline upstairs when it was open. Pity the space looks like an RSL.

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I've just become VA Platinum, and apart from the Economy-X benefit and better call centre response, I can't see any worthwhile extra benefits.

I don't see myself going for Plat next year, but who knows?

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Another benefit is status matching
Have enjoyed the QR WP/OWE

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I've just become VA Platinum, and apart from the Economy-X benefit and better call centre response, I can't see any worthwhile extra benefits.

I don't see myself going for Plat next year, but who knows?

Though there could be more, without devaluing gold I think both are really good benefits for the jump up. I always get such good service on the phone.

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Agreed there is not a huge difference in benefits and when Wi-Fi returns I’d love to see Plats get it for free whilst others pay or something like that.
Probably not enough difference ito go out of your way to jump from Gold to Platinums but who is doing that anyway?

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