Author: Mark

In common with many programs, Velocity Frequent Flyer status unlocks a number of perks when flying Virgin Australia. If you hold status, you are also in line for extra benefits on the partner network. In this guide, we’ll take a look at how you can achieve Velocity status and what each level gets you. Velocity status – the basics All members join Velocity at the Red (or member) level. From there, you can work your way up through three further elite levels. The first level above Red is Silver. Above that sits Gold and finally at the top of the…

I have previously taken a look at the steps you can take to prevent your Qantas Points from expiring. In this article, I take a look at the issue from the Velocity perspective. While there are some similarities between the two programs, there are different rules and partners involved. When Do Velocity Points Expire? The expiration rules for Velocity are defined in their terms and conditions as follows: 10.9.1 A Member’s Points will expire the later of: (a) 36 months after the date of last Account Activity, where last Account Activity occurs before 1 June 2016; or (b) 24 months…

The Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan bonus has returned with another bonus offer. Under the offer, you could be in line for a bonus as high as 40%. The offers are personalised, so different people may find they have different offers. Having said that, the offers go as high as a bonus of 40%. To find which offer you have, simply . (Note – Point sales are hosted by Points.com) Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Miles The main interest in the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan is its collection of redemption partners. While it is not in any of the major alliances, it…

Qantas has announced the launch of its new Brisbane-Chicago and Brisbane-San Francisco flights. The previously announced flights have now been put on sale following last weeks approval of the Qantas – American Airlines joint venture. Kicking of on 9 February 2020, the flights between Brisbane and San Francisco will operate 3 days per week. Those three days will be Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. The non-stop Brisbane to Chicago service gets underway from 20 April 2020 and operate four times per week.  These will be operating on the other four days of the week – that is Monday, Wednesday, Friday and…

As travellers, we love to move around and visit new and interesting places. For many of us, that means flying and staying in hotels. In doing this, most of us look for the best deals to help us achieve our aims. Loyalty programs are good, but they have their limits. We may have a trip in mind, where we find these limits. The airlines might not have award tickets available. Our favourite hotel chain may not even have a hotel there. In these cases, it is time to look at other tools that may be at our disposal. Comparison websites…

If I had been asked to guess where the next Hyatt Place in Melbourne would be, Caribbean Park would not have been my first guess. But there you have it, development of the Hyatt Place Melbourne Caribbean Park is set to kick off later this year. Given roughly two years to build the hotel, it should be opening during 2021. While not exactly in town, it will give World Of Hyatt members an additional property in Australia. When it opens it will be the third Hyatt Place in Melbourne. The Hyatt Place in Essendon is already open for business. The…

Qantas and American Airlines have received final approval for their joint business proposal. This follows on from the tentative approval granted by the use Department of Transportation in June. Under the joint venture, Qantas and American Airlines will be permitted to co-ordinate their flights to a greater extent. In addition to codeshare arrangements, they will also be permitted to co-ordinate their scehduling. What will change with this joint venture? Based on announcements, we have seen to date, we can expect to look forward to the following: New Routes. Qantas have already flagged new services between Brisbane to Chicago and San…

If you have tried to log into your Qantas Frequent Flyer account this week, you may have had to enter a code sent to your mobile phone. This is all part of a rollout of Two-Factor authentication that Qantas  promised to roll out this week. From now, in addition to entering your Number, Surname and PIN, you will have an additional step to go through. For most, this will be a code delivered by SMS to your registered mobile phone. Alternatively, you will be asked to answer a number of questions based on your profile. What is two-factor authentication? The…

Since this article was first written in 2019, the airline landscape in Australia has changed somewhat. As a result, the information is from another time. At present, only Qantas offer complimentary beverages in the Economy cabin. The relevant times are: Wine and beer are offered free of charge on select domestic and regional services: on flights departing from 12pm everyday, and on flights departing from 9am that are more than two and a half hours in duration. [Previous article] It’s something that seems to come as a shock to some people. Being asked to pay for drinks on a domestic…

The Velocity estore is the online shopping mall for the Velocity Frequent Flyer program.  It is basically a portal from were you start on online shopping session. If you make an eligible purchase from a participating retailer, then you are rewarded with Velocity Points. It provides a simple, and lucrative, way of earning Velocity Points. You can simply shop at home, which can be more convenient that going to a physical store. This can be especially true during holiday periods. How to use the Velocity eStore While shopping through the Velocity estore is fairly easy, there are a few steps…