Money

30 ways to hack your Velocity Frequent Flyers points

It’s easy to accelerate your Velocity Frequent Flyer points so you can take to the skies sooner rather than later. In fact, you’re probably already shopping at many of these places anyway… 

By Bron Maxabella

Anyone who ever says ‘oh, I don’t do the points thing’ has clearly never wanted free money. Because that’s ultimately what programs like Velocity Frequent Flyer come down to: you shop for things you need, you get points, you exchange those points for other things you need. Who can say no to free stuff? Not me!

If you want to really make the most of a Velocity Frequent Flyer program, link your card to as many of their partners as you can and shop via their eStore. That way you can be sure you won’t leave any of the points you’re eligible for on the table.

And let me tell you, there are many, many points to pick up. Best of all, you’re likely already shopping for many of these things at most of these places – you just didn’t realise there were points up for grabs. Here’s your call to scoop them up!

1. Shop for clothes

Earn Velocity points by shopping via the Velocity eStore portal at popular fashion retailers like Next, THE ICONIC, lululemon, ASOS and many others. You just need to log into your Velocity account and make purchases through the store links to accumulate points.

If you’d rather earn cashback on your Citro Card than Velocity points, click here.

2. Book a hotel

You can earn points by booking your stays at hotels like Hilton, IHG and Marriott through the Velocity Hotels platform or with direct hotel partners. Points are earned based on the amount you spend, and special offers sometimes provide bonus points.

3. Use a Velocity-linked credit card

Some Australian banks, including BOQ and Westpac, offer Velocity co-branded credit cards. Virgin Money offers its own range of credit cards. These cards allow you to earn points on everyday purchases, with bonus points often given for specific categories like groceries or travel.

Bonus hack: the credit cards often have huge points bonuses on sign up and for the first couple of months you use them.

4. Fill up at 7-eleven

Link your Velocity account to your My 7-eleven app or use your My Velocity app or card in store and you can earn points on every litre of fuel and purchases at 7-eleven service stations. This is an easy way to earn extra points during regular fuel stops.

Bonus hack: Pay for your fuel using one of the credit cards above and you’ll ‘double dip’ on your points.

5. Treat your pet

Your darling pet will love this one as much as you do: shop at Petbarn and get 2 Velocity points for every dollar you spend. We feel a special new treat is coming your pet’s way very soon…

6. Pool your credits

This one is especially good for anyone who still takes the kids on holidays. You can create a ‘family pool’ with up to 6 family members where any Velocity points earned go into one member’s account. So, if you’re a family with 3 kids and 2 adults, you could create a family pool for one of the adults to benefit from the kids’ Velocity points.

7. Transfer points from partner program

If you have a rewards credit card with programs like ANZ Rewards or NAB Rewards, you can convert your points into Velocity points. This is typically at a conversion rate set by the card provider, so check how many points you’re likely to gain before making the transfer.

8. Shop using Flybuys

By linking your Flybuys account to Velocity, you can easily convert your Flybuys points to Velocity points. For every 2,000 Flybuys points, you can receive 500 Velocity points, allowing you to earn while grocery shopping.

9. Sign up for unique experiences

Experience Oz is a Velocity partner offering 3 points for every dollar you spend. The site offers a huge array of tours, attractions and experiences like jet boating on Sydney Harbour, cruising down the Yarra, theme parks, zoo tickets and entry to most big attractions around Australia and New Zealand. If you love a day out, this is potentially a big Velocity points earner for you.

10. Upgrade your tech

Apple Australia is a Velocity partner offering 2 points for every $1 you spend. Let’s face it, Apple isn’t cheap so if you’re in the market for a new iPhone, Apple Watch, iPods or indeed many of Apple’s beloved products, this has the potential to really rocket your Velocity points balance.

11. Book a car rental

Earn points by booking car rentals with partners like Thrifty, Sixt and Hertz. Points are earned per dollar spent, but the number of points you receive often depends on your customer rating with the rental car company. For example, Hertz has 4 levels with the lowest ‘red’ level earning 4 points for every dollar and the top ‘platinum’ level getting 6 points. Promotions sometimes offer bonus points for booking during certain periods, so check ahead before you settle on a car company.

12. Change your energy plan

New AGL customers who sign up for the AGL Velocity offer can earn a whopping 35,000 points. Even if you’re already an AGL customer, you can still earn 6,000 points by switching to the special offer plan.

Save more: 17 things you can do right now to save big on your energy bill.

13. Buy wine from Virgin Wines

If you fancy a tipple, you’ll earn up to 3 points for every dollar you spend at Virgin Wines. Bonus points are often offered for wine cases, making it a great option for wine lovers who want to boost their points balance.

14. Get a new TV

It doesn’t have to be a TV – it can be any eligible appliance sold by Velocity Partner The Good Guys. So that means anything from a blender to an airfryer to a brand new washing machine. Have fun searching for your dream appliances!

15. Take out health insurance

New Medibank health insurance customers can earn Velocity points for signing up and paying their premiums. Like all insurance offers, how many points you’re eligible to earn is pretty complicated, but you can check the details on this table. Either way, it’s a low-effort way to earn extra points on insurance you should probably have anyway.

16. Swap your super to Virgin Money

For every $5 you contribute to your Virgin Money Super account, you’ll receive 1 Velocity point. Of course, earning frequent flyer points shouldn’t be the main factor when choosing a super fund – but if Virgin Money Super is the fund for you anyway, it’s a nice bonus.

You don’t have to stick with Virgin flights either. Image: iStock/Akarawut Lohacharoenvanich

17. Fly with an allied partner

You don’t have to stick with flying Virgin to earn Velocity points. United, Singapore Airlines, Etihad and Air Canada are among the program’s many airline partners. As you’d expect from anything to do with an airline, there are a million and one rules around who is eligible for what and when and why it doesn’t apply to the actual flight you want… but still worth looking into.

18. Park your car

If you book parking at Sydney Airport you can earn 2 points for every dollar you spend. Looking4Parking offers 3 points for each dollar and is available for parking at most airports in Australia and New Zealand. If you’re a frequent traveller, these extra points can really motor up your tally.

19. Cover your travels

If you purchase your travel insurance policy through Cover-More via Virgin Australia, you’ll get 3 points for every $1 spent. It can accumulate quickly as silver members earn a 50% bonus (or 4.5 points each dollar), gold members a 75% bonus (or 5.25 points) and platinum members a 100% bonus (6 points).

20. Up your beauty game

Beauty behemoth Sephora will give you 2 Velocity points for each dollar you spend with them. You can stock up on skincare, haircare, fragrance and heavenly bath supplies –

as well as gift cards for everyone you love the most. The latest and greatest beauty brands just became even more appealing…

21. Stock up at the chemist

Both Chemist Warehouse and Priceline offer 2 points for every dollar spent except on non-prescription or pharmacy-only items. When you consider the range of products sold by these retail giants you’ll understand what a bonus this one truly is.

22. Share a car

Rideshare app DiDi offers a sign-up bonus when you link your Velocity Frequent Flyer account to your DiDi app. After that you can get a point for every dollar you spend on rides. If you’re a regular user of the service, this can make a real difference to your points balance.

23. Buy from eBay

How long since you’ve had a look around eBay? It was the latest thing in the early 2000s, but many of us have moved onto other sites for online bargain shopping. If you want to increase your Velocity points, now is a good time to return to the original. You’ll get a point for every dollar you spend and the deals are better than ever.

24. Take a survey

Survey community e-Rewards wants to hear from you and they’ll give you ‘opinion points’ for each survey you take. You can then swap 2,000 opinion points for 500 Velocity points. The amount of points you can earn per survey varies widely, but if you’ve got time on your hands and want to share your opinion, this could be a great option for you.

25. Upgrade your kitchen

Freedom Kitchens is another Velocity partner that offers a point for every dollar you spend. Respected design company Three Birds Renovations estimates that a kitchen renovation costs anywhere from $10,000 to $45,000+, so that’s potentially a shed-load of points waiting to be earned.

26. Look out for special offers

Keep an eye on Velocity’s special offers page and also on the program’s social media platforms, where they sometimes run competitions and giveaways. Entering these promotions often gives you a few extra points and winning could give you loads.

27. Donate to partner charities

You can earn points by donating to certain partner charities through the Velocity eStore. So you’ll not only contribute to a good cause but also rack up your points.

28. Recycle your cans and bottles

Envirobank is an Indigenous-owned recycling company that will help the planet along with your Velocity points balance. For every eligible 10¢ container you recycle through your Envirobank Crunch account, you’ll get 15 Crunch credits which transfer into 5 Velocity points. Check here to see if the service is offered in your area.

29. Refer friends to Velocity

From time to time, Velocity runs referral promotions where you can earn bonus points for referring friends or family to sign up for the Velocity program or Velocity-linked products, such as credit cards or health insurance. Keep an eye on the special offers page.

30. Buy Velocity points

If you really need to top up your points balance quickly, Velocity allows some customers to purchase points directly. This can be a useful option if you're just short of the points needed for a reward redemption, especially during special offers with bonus points on purchases.

Feature image: iStock/fizkes

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