How to Transfer Velocity Points to Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer

KrisFlyer and Velocity Frequent Flyer transfers
Transfers between Velocity Frequent Flyer and KrisFlyer are back.

After suspending this popular Velocity program feature in April 2020, Velocity Frequent Flyer and Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer have now reinstated the ability to transfer points and miles between both programs!

The good news for Velocity members is that there are no changes to the 1.55:1 conversion rate, or to the basic terms & conditions. You’ll still receive 1 Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer mile for every 1.55 Velocity points, and you’ll just need to transfer at least 5,000 Velocity points at a time.

In the other direction, the conversion rate is the same – 1.55 KrisFlyer miles will convert to 1 Velocity point.

This means that you effectively pay a ~35% penalty each time you transfer points in either direction. Nonetheless, this unique loyalty program feature is a terrific benefit for collectors of Velocity Frequent Flyer points because Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles are highly valuable and can be redeemed for many award flights that simply can’t be booked through Velocity.

So, how exactly does this work and when does it make sense to transfer your points?

The Velocity-KrisFlyer partnership

Singapore Airlines has been a key airline partner of Virgin Australia for more than a decade. In fact, prior to Virgin Australia’s voluntary administration in 2020, the Singaporean national carrier even owned a ~20% stake in Virgin Australia. Bain Capital now owns most of Virgin Australia, but Singapore Airlines and Virgin are still strategic partners.

Virgin Australia and Singapore Airlines plane tails
Virgin Australia and Singapore Airlines have been partners for over a decade.

In 2014, the two airlines made it possible to transfer points between their respective frequent flyer programs. The conversion rate between the two programs was initially 1.35:1.

On 1 January 2019, the transfer rate in both directions was changed to the current ratio of 1.55:1.

How to transfer Velocity Points to KrisFlyer

After logging into your account on the Velocity Frequent Flyer website, go to the “Link and Transfer” section and select “Airline Points Transfer” from the drop-down menu. (Click here to go directly to the page you need.)

Link your KrisFlyer account and transfer your points on the Velocity Frequent Flyer website.
Link your KrisFlyer account and transfer your points on the Velocity Frequent Flyer website.

To transfer Velocity points to KrisFlyer, you will first need to link your KrisFlyer account to your Velocity account online. This only needs to be done once.

Once your accounts are linked, click “Transfer Now”. You’ll then be presented with a slider where you can choose how many Velocity points you wish to convert to KrisFlyer miles. You must transfer at least 5,000 points at a time.

After clicking "transfer now", you'll be asked how many Velocity points you want to send to KrisFlyer
After clicking “transfer now”, you’ll be asked how many Velocity points you want to send to KrisFlyer.

Once completed, the points should arrive in your Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer account within a few minutes. (If this does not happen, call the Velocity Membership Contact Centre as something probably went wrong!)

The transaction will appear on your KrisFlyer activity statement as “Virgin Australia – Velocity POINT CONVERSION”.

Screenshot from the Singapore Airlines website
Screenshot from the Singapore Airlines website.

The Velocity Frequent Flyer website contains further instructions.

A similar process applies when transferring KrisFlyer miles to Velocity, which you can read about on the Singapore Airlines website (scroll down to “Velocity” on the “Other ways to redeem miles” page).

Why transfer Velocity Points to KrisFlyer?

There are multiple possible reasons that it could make sense to transfer your Velocity points to KrisFlyer…

Access to Star Alliance award seats

The main reason is that KrisFlyer miles give you access to award seats on airlines that are partners of Singapore Airlines, but aren’t Velocity partners!

For example, Singapore Airlines is part of Star Alliance which has 26 member airlines:

Star Alliance airlines in 2020
Star Alliance member airlines.

The KrisFlyer program offers Star Alliance awards which are available to book on any of the airlines within Star Alliance. This gives KrisFlyer members access to award availability on 22 additional airlines that are not also Velocity Frequent Flyer partners! (You can already redeem Velocity points directly for flights on Singapore Airlines, Air Canada, United and South African Airways, but not on any of the other Star Alliance members.)

This opens up lots more award flight options. For example, you could redeem KrisFlyer miles to fly with Thai Airways in Business Class to Bangkok.

MEL-BKK award availability
You could redeem KrisFlyer miles for award flights on Thai Airways. Screenshot from Singapore Airlines website.

You can even fly Thai Airways all the way to Europe using KrisFlyer miles…

You can redeem KrisFlyer miles for award flights on Thai Airways.
Screenshot from Singapore Airlines website.

Using the above Thai Airways flights as an example, it would be possible to fly Business Class from Melbourne to Stockholm, Sweden for 132,500 KrisFlyer miles + $87.08 taxes. At the 1.55:1 conversion rate, that’s equivalent to 205,375 Velocity points.

Thai Airways Boeing 777 at Oslo Airport
Thai Airways Boeing 777. Photo: Matt Graham.

Admittedly, that’s more expensive than the 139,000 Velocity points it would cost for a Velocity Business Reward Seat from Australia to Europe on Etihad Airways or Singapore Airlines. However, if there’s no award availability with a Velocity partner airline on the date you want to fly, this at least gives you another option. Plus, the taxes & charges are much lower when redeeming KrisFlyer miles on Thai Airways compared to redeeming Velocity points on Etihad!

Air New Zealand is also a Star Alliance member, meaning you can redeem KrisFlyer miles to fly to New Zealand – or even onwards to Pacific Islands destinations. At just 13,500 KrisFlyer miles (equivalent to 20,925 Velocity points) plus taxes to fly from Australia to anywhere in New Zealand or the Pacific in Air New Zealand Economy Class, this can be great value!

Singapore Airlines website screenshot
Fly from Australia to Papeete on Air New Zealand for just 13,500 KrisFlyer miles.

Access to other partner airline awards

In addition to the Star Alliance carriers, KrisFlyer miles can be redeemed for award travel on Vistara, Alaska Airlines and Juneyao Airlines. Those are three other airlines you can’t redeem Velocity points to book with.

KrisFlyer’s Star Alliance Round-the-World Award

Thirdly, KrisFlyer has a Star Alliance Round-the-World Award. There is no equivalent with Velocity, so transferring Velocity points to KrisFlyer is the only way to use Velocity points to book a round-the-world ticket.

It costs 280,000 KrisFlyer miles to book a round-the-world ticket in Business Class, which is equivalent to 434,000 Velocity points.

Some redemptions are better value using KrisFlyer miles

Some KrisFlyer redemptions are simply better value than an equivalent Velocity redemption. For example, a Business reward seat from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to most destinations in Europe would cost currently costs 53,000 Velocity points + taxes & carrier charges, flying Etihad Airways. The exact same trip flying Star Alliance airlines costs 33,500 KrisFlyer miles (equivalent to 51,925 Velocity points) + taxes.

KrisFlyer award DXB-BUD
Redeeming KrisFlyer miles from the Middle East to Europe can be good value.

It would also be slightly cheaper to book a Virgin Australia reward seat on certain domestic routes such as Adelaide-Cairns or Hobart-Townsville using KrisFlyer miles, compared to redeeming Velocity points for the same seats.

For example, a Business Reward Seat on Virgin Australia from Adelaide to Cairns would cost 35,500 Velocity points + taxes & carrier charges. But the same award would cost 21,000 KrisFlyer miles (worth 32,550 Velocity points) + taxes, and KrisFlyer doesn’t pass on the $11 Velocity carrier charge on Virgin Australia domestic flights.

You can also get some good deals when redeeming KrisFlyer miles for last-minute redemptions during the monthly KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes promos.

Access to Singapore Airlines Advantage award availability

If you’d like to use your Velocity points to fly on Singapore Airlines, you’ll have access to the same award availability that is offered to KrisFlyer members as “Saver” awards. But Velocity members can’t access Saver availability if it’s on “waitlist”.

KrisFlyer also offers additional award seats as “Advantage” awards to its own members, which are generally available on more flights but cost more KrisFlyer miles. Velocity members do not have access to Advantage award space at all, so if a flight has no Saver availability then it’s not available to book using Velocity points.

KrisFlyer Saver and Advantage awards
With KrisFlyer miles, you have access to more seats through Advantage Awards.

In the above example, the flight shown would not be available to book in Business Class using Velocity points because there is no confirmable “Saver” award availability. However, you could transfer Velocity points to KrisFlyer miles and either waitlist for a Saver award at 68,500 miles or book a confirmed Advantage award for 90,000 miles.

Admittedly, the 139,500 Velocity points you would need to convert to get 90,000 KrisFlyer miles is quite a lot – especially when you consider that a Velocity Business Reward Seat on the Sydney-Singapore route would normally cost just 65,000 Velocity points. But if there are no seats available at all to book through Velocity Frequent Flyer, at least you have another option…

Earlier access to Singapore Airlines Saver awards

Another advantage of holding KrisFlyer miles is that you can book Singapore Airlines awards up to 355 days in advance. This gives you a head start over Velocity members, who can only booked reward seats up to 331 days out from departure.

Book Singapore Airlines First Class awards

It’s not currently possible to redeem Velocity points for Singapore Airlines First Class seats, but this is possible using KrisFlyer miles (if there is availability)!

Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER First Class
Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER First Class. Photo: Singapore Airlines.

Upgrade on Singapore Airlines flights

Finally, you can use KrisFlyer miles to upgrade Singapore Airlines flights (provided your original booking is in an eligible fare class). Singapore Airlines upgrades are not possible with Velocity points.

Are there any catches?

The main catch is the 1.55:1 transfer rate in both directions. You’ll lose some points with each transfer, so only do this with a particular reward in mind.

Also beware that KrisFlyer miles expire after 3 years.

Finally, while you can redeem your KrisFlyer miles to book flights for yourself and up to five Redemption Nominees, it’s not possible to transfer KrisFlyer miles between accounts (except from a child’s account to their parent, for a fee). It is possible to transfer Velocity points between family members, however, so make sure you complete any necessary family transfers before sending your points to KrisFlyer!

Can you transfer Velocity points to other airlines?

The ability to transfer points between Velocity Frequent Flyer and KrisFlyer is unique to Virgin Australia and Singapore Airlines. It’s not possible to transfer Velocity points into other airline programs. It’s also not possible to transfer Qantas points into Velocity points.

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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The ability to transfer Virgin Australia Velocity Points to Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles is back!

This article explains how and why to do it:

This thread is dedicated to discussion about transfers between Velocity & KrisFlyer, and how to maximise the value, in 2022 and beyond. Share your experience, tips & tricks here!

I will watch this site with interest.💀👀

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I did a transfer this afternoon and it came through to my KrisFlyer account instantly. Seems to be working exactly as it did in 2019!

Reply 8 Likes

I did a transfer this afternoon and it came through to my KrisFlyer account instantly. Seems to be working exactly as it did in 2019!

Thanks @Mattguinea pig!

Reply 1 Like

I am a big fan of transfers and used them pre-Covid. For me, the main advantages were:

  • access to KF inventory of premium cabin seats on SQ metal - way more availability than they give to partners
  • access to Star Alliance - which has far more comprehensive world coverage than OneWorld - e.g. no blind spots in South America - and just generally more options
  • being able to use multiple airlines on one route
  • being able to combine flights only available through KF with *A flights (although recent experience says they don't currently allow this)
  • some redemption sweet spots - I have just redeemed for some internal flights in Africa that would have been eyewaterinw as revenue flights - and have gove to/from Central Asia in F-J mixed class
  • you can hold Velocity points that don't expire and transfer them only when required, avoiding pressure to spend or creating orphan points that need substantial additional points to turn into anything useful

Most of all, though, Velocity points are far easier to accumulate than KrisFlyer points, so using being able to transfer makes KF seem less like a precious commodity that cannot be squandered.

Reply 10 Likes

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Now that SQ has devalued their redemptions, I find it hard to see the attraction of trying to earn SQ miles (directly or indirectly through VA) over QF miles in Australia in situations where you can't earn both.

To take a simple, popular example: SYD-LHR in J

QF: 144K points one way on QF metal
SQ: 130K points one way on SQ metal

Now take the decision to determine which credit card sign up bonus to pursue. (One of the benefits of the ANZ program is you can earn both types of miles — QF and SQ/VA through Rewards — because the programs are mutually exclusive, but that's an exception.)

With Westpac, you can only get one sign up bonus every ~12 months.

Westpac Altitude Velocity Black ($300AF): 120K VA sign up bonus (over two years), which converts to 77K SQ miles.
Westpac Altitude Qantas Black ($300AF): 120K QF sign up bonus (over two years).
Westpac Altitude Rewards Black ($250AF): 140K sign up bonus, which convert to 46K SQ miles.

Yes, it costs 14K less to redeem on SQ, but you attain, at best, 43K less through Westpac.

With Amex, you can get one sign up bonus every ~18 months.

Qantas Ultimate ($450AF with $450 credit): 75K QF sign up bonus.
Velocity Platinum ($375AF with return flight): 75K VA sign up bonus, which converts to 48K SQ miles.
Explorer ($395AF with $400 travel credit): 70K MR sign up bonus, which converts to 35K SQ miles.

Similarly, it costs 14K less to redeem on SQ, but you attain, at best, 23K less through Amex.

Now SQ have better taxes and possibly better availability. I wonder how much that is worth. Interested to hear alternative takes or if my maths is wrong.

Reply 3 Likes

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Now SQ have better taxes and possibly better availability. I wonder how much that is worth. Interested to hear alternative takes or if my maths is wrong.

Very good 'points' made.

However if you do not have the capacity to churn and earn new CCs....?

Also please consider, for the non risk takers among us,

VA backed/owned by venture capitalists.
Things could be good while they prepare (strip, slash and burn) the package to offload.

OR

SQ, backed /owned by the Singapore Government.

I suppose fortune favors the brave, but in the end, they are only points.

And availibility on QF if you are not Plat, is just so good...

Reply 2 Likes

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Now that SQ has devalued their redemptions, I find it hard to see the attraction of trying to earn SQ miles (directly or indirectly through VA) over QF miles in Australia in situations where you can't earn both.

To take a simple, popular example: SYD-LHR in J

QF: 144K points one way on QF metal
SQ: 130K points one way on SQ metal

Now take the decision to determine which credit card sign up bonus to pursue. (One of the benefits of the ANZ program is you can earn both types of miles — QF and SQ/VA through Rewards — because the programs are mutually exclusive, but that's an exception.)

With Westpac, you can only get one sign up bonus every ~12 months.

Westpac Altitude Velocity Black ($300AF): 120K VA sign up bonus (over two years), which converts to 77K SQ miles.
Westpac Altitude Qantas Black ($300AF): 120K QF sign up bonus (over two years).
Westpac Altitude Rewards Black ($250AF): 140K sign up bonus, which convert to 46K SQ miles.

Yes, it costs 14K less to redeem on SQ, but you attain, at best, 43K less through Westpac.

With Amex, you can get one sign up bonus every ~18 months.

Qantas Ultimate ($450AF with $450 credit): 75K QF sign up bonus.
Velocity Platinum ($375AF with return flight): 75K VA sign up bonus, which converts to 48K SQ miles.
Explorer ($395AF with $400 travel credit): 70K MR sign up bonus, which converts to 35K SQ miles.

Similarly, it costs 14K less to redeem on SQ, but you attain, at best, 23K less through Amex.

Now SQ have better taxes and possibly better availability. I wonder how much that is worth. Interested to hear alternative takes or if my maths is wrong.

I don't think your maths is wrong, but finding J availability on SYD-LHR using Qantas points has become extremely difficult - especially if you want more than one seat. The taxes can also be astronomical.

Yes, it's harder to earn KrisFlyer miles but for 130,000 miles per person you could get up to 4 J seats on a choice of flights from Sydney to London, with taxes around $100 one-way.

There's not much point in having millions of Qantas points if you can't use them!

Reply 10 Likes

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Now SQ have better taxes and possibly better availability. I wonder how much that is worth. Interested to hear alternative takes or if my maths is wrong.

Obviously a lower price is only attractive if there is product on the shelves.

Apart from availability, there is a big issue for me that Star Alliance airlines cover places that OneWorld doesn't reach. So my pre-Covid flight MEL-SIN-DEL-IST-ASB, for example. Or my recent booking HGA-ADD-ASM.

I like having options in both alliances. Plus, I accumulate Velocity points anyway through Flybuys (I value flights more than tins of soup, but we've already done that one to death) and some cards (e.g. Virgin Money) only offer Velocity. This transfer offers me a way to use those Velocity points more effectively than just through VA.

Reply 5 Likes

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Thanks all. Really good points. The oneworld coverage doesn't bother me too much, as it covers where I need to go on points.

But the availability issue is one that weighs on my mind a lot when choosing where to allocate earn. As a QF WP, I have found availability okay, but only because of the ability to request release of seats. If/when I drop back to Gold, the availability factor seems like a clear SQ trump card.

Ironically, as I have moved a lot of my spend to US cards of late, the choice becomes a lot easier because most US cards transfer at a 1:1 rate to both QF & SQ. In that case, SQ is a clear winner.

I really wish SQ points were a bit easier to earn on Australian based cards, but alas — can't have it all.

Reply 4 Likes

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Ironically, as I have moved a lot of my spend to US cards of late, the choice becomes a lot easier because most US cards transfer at a 1:1 rate to both QF & SQ. In that case, SQ is a clear winner.

You might want to look at UA options then - their awards often require significantly fewer points but I don't know what the earn rates look like.

Reply 1 Like