Here is a bit of good news for Velocity members. It appears that you are once again able to use your points at the Velocity Rewards Store. This gives you the option of buying merchandise or gift cards with your Velocity Points.
The closure of the Velocity Rewards Store was an early casualty of Virgin Australia’s financial problems. At the time, a run of points was causing issues in fulfilling orders in a timely fashion,
Velocity Rewards Store
While it is good to see the store back, it is worth noting that it is a bit of a slimmed-down offering.
- Gift Cards: A range of gift cards starting at $50 for 9,000 points is available. Gift Cards are available for retailers such as David Jones, Apples App Store and ITunes, Hoyts, and JB Hi-fi
- Apple Products: A wide selection of Apple Products are available, including Apple TV, iPad, iPhone, and Apple Watch products
- Televisions: A range of Samsung Televisions is available
- Charities: You can make a donation to the Starlight Foundation
- More: A range of other products are on offer. This includes products such as Panasonic cordless phones, Canon cameras, webcams, and more
The good news is that the value of a Velocity Point at the store does not seem to have changed much. Based on the gift cards, it looks like you will generally get around $55 for each 10,000 Velocity Points you use. That makes a point have a value of around 0.55 cents. For example, a $50 gift card will set you back 9,000 Velocity Points.
It is slightly better if you are making a donation to the Starlight Foundation. When you do this, you will receive about 0.8 cents of value per Velocity Points. As an example, you can make a $50 donation for 6,250 points.
Thoughts
It has been a bit of a roller coaster ride for Velocity members this year. However, with Bain all but confirmed as the new owner, people are feeling more positive.
The addition of the Rewards Store helps. It builds on the ability to redeem award flights previously made available.
It is true that redeeming at the Velocity Rewards Store may not be the best use of points. However, these are unusual times, and some people may find value in using their points this way.