Virgin Launches Yet Another Double Status Credits Offer (May 2026)

Just days after Qantas launched a new “double points or status credits” promotion, Virgin Australia has done the same.

Velocity’s “Pick your bonus” offer is running until 15 May 2026, for travel dates up until the end of this year.

This is the third time so far in 2026 that Velocity has publicly offered bonus status credits. The airline previously offered bonus status credits between January and March, and double status credits on Virgin Australia Holidays bookings in March.

Details of the latest Velocity promotion

The mechanics of this promotion are basically the same as Velocity’s last “Pick your bonus” offer in June 2025.

To take advantage of this offer, you’d first need to choose between double status credits or Velocity Points. Then, register on the Velocity Frequent Flyer website.

Status credits can help you to upgrade to a higher Velocity status tier, or retain your current tier, so double status credits are typically the most popular option among frequent flyers.

By choosing double status credits, you’d be effectively earning 1 status credit per $6 (instead of $12) spent on Virgin Australia Choice, Flex or Business fares.

Eligible flights, booking & travel dates

Virgin Australia marketed and operated domestic, trans-Tasman and international short-haul flights are eligible to earn double Velocity Points or status credits with this promotion.

However, Virgin Australia flights to Doha are not eligible. Any flights booked as part of a long-haul or partner airline itinerary, or with Virgin Australia Holidays, would also be ineligible.

The eligible booking dates for this promotion are 7-15 May 2026. You would need to fly between 7 May and 31 December 2026.

The Velocity offer covers a wider range of routes and travel dates than the current Qantas promo. The Qantas version is limited to domestic & trans-Tasman flights flown until the end of August 2026.

See the Velocity Frequent Flyer website for a full list of T&Cs for this offer.

Warning: Velocity can take a long time to award double status credits

In its first bonus status credits promotion for 2026, Velocity offered up to 125 status credits for flights booked and flown between 20 January and 31 March 2026.

Velocity members who completed eligible flights during that promotion had still not received any of the bonus status credits owed when Velocity launched this new promo on 7 May. The T&Cs for that promotion said to allow “up to six weeks” for the status credits to arrive – which in itself is a bizarrely long amount of time. And it has indeed taken almost six full weeks from the date that promotion ended (let alone the date the eligible flights were taken).

Status credits from that promotion are finally now starting to arrive today. But in the meantime, Velocity has already downgraded the status tiers of many frequent flyers who had relied on bonus status credits from that promotion to renew their status.

The T&Cs for the new “Pick your bonus” promotion says that bonus status credits may take up to four weeks to arrive, so keep that in mind.

Are double status credit offers becoming too common?

Used sparingly, double status credit offers can stimulate lots of bookings at a time when airfares are not on sale. But some frequent flyers have questioned whether these offers are now becoming too common.

Qantas is already onto its second promotion for this year, and Velocity’s on its third. It’s only May. If these offers continue popping up so frequently, people will end up expecting them – and may refrain from booking when there isn’t an offer running.

What do you think about this? Will you take advantage of the latest Velocity offer? Share your thoughts on the AFF forum!