Velocity Frequent Flyers officially have access to the 2021 Skytrax voted World’s Best Airline thanks to Virgin Australia’s partnership with Qatar Airways.
The long-awaited Qatar Airways and Velocity partnership is now live!
As a result, members of Velocity Frequent Flyer are now able to book Reward Seats on eligible Qatar Airways operated services, with redemptions being progressively loaded onto the Velocity website.
This is a massive development for those looking to use Velocity Points for redemption on Qatar Airways Qsuites, one of the best business products around.
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Virgin x Qatar codeshare explained
A joint codeshare agreement expanding across both airlines’ entire networks will make travel easier.
The Virgin Australia and Qatar Airways partnership sets to open up seamless travel to over 150 countries, creating a gateway of travel between Australia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa. Velocity Frequent Flyers can book Qatar Airways flights now; popular routes include London, Paris, Rome and Athens.
This means that, all on the one booking, passengers can travel from London to Sydney on Qatar Airways before catching a seamless domestic connection flight to Perth, for example.
Here’s what you need to know about booking a Qatar Airways flight.
How to book Qatar Airways flights using Velocity Points
You can book Qatar Airways redemptions online via Velocity Frequent Flyer. Simply login to your Velocity account and search flights (ensuring you click the “book with Velocity Points” option).
Then, simply look out for flights with a QR flight code displayed in the search results. Take care to select options that display the ‘Reward Seat available’ option, otherwise, you’ll end up burning a stack of Points on ‘Points Plus Pay”, which almost always represents a poor value proposition:
However the ‘Rewards Seats Available’ label does not necessarily mean there’s a business class seat on offer. Rewards Seats are usually in economy, but persistence (and patience) can certainly pay off here as Rewards Seats don’t get much more rewarding than Qatar Airways Qsuites.
How many Velocity Points do I need to book a Qatar Airways Reward Seat?
The number of Velocity Points needed will depend on the route and class of travel, but it’s worth knowing that it’s almost always cheaper than using points for the equivalent Classic Reward Seat via Qantas! Bear in mind that accompanying carrier surcharges applied to Qatar Airways booking can be very high, particularly for travel in premium cabins.
Below, we’ve set out the Velocity Points cost across a range of one-way routes:
- Melbourne – London (business): 139,000 Velocity Points (plus taxes/carrier fees)
- Sydney – New York (business): 139,000 Velocity Points (plus taxes/carrier fees)
- Perth – Doha (economy): 42,000 Velocity Points (plus taxes/carrier fees)
- Sydney – London (economy): 75,000 Velocity Points (plus taxes/carrier fees)
- Melbourne – Paris (economy): 75,000 Velocity Points (plus taxes/carrier fees)
Velocity Frequent Flyer members can use the Mileage Calculator on the Velocity website to determine the number of Velocity Points needed for specific redemptions. The number of points required is based on the distance you will fly.
More reciprocal benefits to enjoy
As well as the ability to book reward seats on some Qatar Airways-operated flights, eligible members of Velocity Frequent Flyer will also receive additional tier benefits, including:
- priority check-in
- priority boarding
- lounge access
Top-tier members can access these additional perks across all travel classes, which includes those travelling on an economy fare.
At Qatar’s Doha hub, lounge access is limited to the branded First Class and Business Class lounges for Velocity Platinums and Golds, rather than the more grand Al Safwa First Lounge and Al Mourjan Business Lounge (which are reserved for Qatar Airways’ own first class and business class passengers).
How to earn Velocity Points and Status on Qatar Airways
Velocity Frequent Flyer members can now earn Velocity Points and Status Credits for flights operated by Qatar Airways, while members of Privilege Club can now earn Avios and QPoints on Virgin Australia flights.
Frequent flyers can earn points by attaching their Velocity membership number on Qatar Airways-operated flights with a QR or VA flight number.
In addition to base points, Velocity members who travel on a Qatar Airways-operated flight with a VA flight number will earn the following bonus points:
- 50% for Silver members
- 75% for Gold members
- 100% for Platinum members
The Virgin Australia and Qatar Airways partnership makes it possible for Velocity Frequent Flyer members to enjoy Gold and Platinum perks sooner by amassing Status Credits on flights operated by Qatar Airways.
Depending on distance and fare class, Status Credits earned on VA codeshare flights on Qatar Airways range from 15 to 200 per flight, while Qatar Airways operated flights can earn from 10 to 200 Status Credits.
It’s quite simple to determine which Qatar Airways Privilege Club perks your Velocity Status attracts, as the two status programs run parallel as follows:
- Velocity Silver = Privilege Club Silver
- Velocity Gold = Privilege Club Gold
- Velocity Platinum = Privilege Club Platinum
In another development, the two airlines are talking of a joint offering for corporate and small-to-medium business travellers who travel between Australia, the Middle East and Europe. Watch this air space.
Will you be using Velocity Points to book Qatar Airways?
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Hi Adele
I am flying to Athens from Adealdie in 3 weeks, I am a silver Velicity member and was wondering if receive status points when flying with qatar?? The flight was booked directly with Qatar
Hi adele, have a Velocity Gold eco redemption with Qatar Mel -Dub via Doha. The e ticket changed due to time change and now impossible to manage booking via Qatar app including buying a seat!! Both airlines blame the other ads pass messages via me. Have you heard of this e ticket issue (virgin issued ticket)
Thanks
Martine
Hi Martine, sorry to hear you are experiencing difficulties. Unfortunately we’re not aware of the e-ticket issue you mention. Your best bet is to continue to pursue the airline you are flying (Qatar) as they are in the best position to assist with your booking and seat selection. Best of luck!
Hello
I am flying QR business Perth – Doha – Rome and Zagreb – Doha – Perth in May/June 2023
Unfortunately, not QSuites
I am hoping to get velocity points
If so, how many points is it worth?
Hi Mike, thanks for your question. Velocity members can now earn Velocity Points when travelling in an eligible fare class on Qatar Airways operated flights with a QR or VA flight number, but the number of Velocity Points you earn with Qatar Airways is based on the fare class and the number of miles you are travelling, so the higher your fare type, the more Points you earn. Here are the current earn rates:
– Qatar Airways operated flight with a VA flight number = 2 Velocity Points per mile (VA Business J, C, D fare)
– Qatar Airways operated flight with a QR flight number = 1.50 Velocity Points per mile (QR Business J, C, D fare)
Velocity’s mileage calculator is a good place to start when working out the number of points you will earn.
Hi Adele, I’ve booked a trip to Nuremberg with Qatar Airways from Sydney. How do I claim virgin status points from this trip? I am a virgin gold status member.
I don’t know how to link the trip to my velocity membership.
Hi Kim, it’s possible to claim missing points from airline partners after travel has been completed via information on the VA website here. If you want to link your membership before your flight, you may be able to input your Velocity membership number in the ‘manage booking’ area on the Qatar Airways website.
Hi Adele,
I can see a QR flight from PER – DOH in first class on reward booking available on velocity website. I’m originating in MEL, do you know if that can be added in economy or business on the same award booking if transiting through PER or are mixed classes not allowed and I need to make a separate booking? If it can, do I need to ring or can be done online. Thanks
YOU SAY “Melbourne – London (business): 139,000 Velocity Points (plus taxes/carrier fees)
” Utter madness, I just looked on Velocity for Mel – London return in May and Qatar Business is 1.2 to 1.4 MILLION points! A few more than the figures you show in this article!
Hi Robert, the figures we’ve quoted in the article are the correct pricing for award flights. It sounds as though you have looked up flights may only have availability via ‘points plus pay’ – this is where the airline allows you to book any flight with points, however at an extremely high number of points. This is typically not a good way to use points.
Hey Adele, I’m a Velocity Gold member and I’m looking to upgrade my Qatar flight (booked via Qatar) using either my Velocity points or credit card points. Do you know if we can upgrade a Qatar flight using Velocity points? Or does everything have to go via their Avios points system? Thanks!
Hi Dion, unfortunately, it isn’t possible to upgrade a Qatar flight with Velocity Points. You can only do so using Qatar’s points currency.
Can velocity be transferred to Q points with Qatar, like they can with Singapore airlines?
Hi Hollie, unfortunately not. The ability to undertake reciprocal transfer of points is unique to the Singapore Airlines and Velocity tie up.
Thanks Adele,
Its great to see this information explained in such a straightforward manner.
I have been looking at redeeming for these flights for a while and was starting to give up hope, however have just secured some reward BC flights by going from Brisbane via Adelaide to Doha and return! We used points + pay with the reward tickets to get both of us on the one ticket. I have even locked in the QSuite couples seat on all flights. It seemed a really good deal in the end. A bit of a long layover in Doha but we will hopefully be able to use the airport hotel. We are both Platinum with Velocity and happened to also do a status match with Qatar back in 2020, this has been extended to Dec this year. Our flights are however not until September 2023. We will still definitely be at Velocity Platinum level at this time – does this mean we will still have the Privilege Club Platinum benefits ? If so does this mean we will have access to the first class lounge/ is it just the BC lounge? On the website they also say we need to ensure we have our correct lounge access invitation before departure and going through immigration. So I guess we just need to make sure they recognize the
Velocity Platinum Status. Hoping as reward seats we also do not run a risk of being bumped of the plane for a full paying passenger if it is overbooked?
Hi Louise, well done on securing QSuites flights for your trip. If you hold Velocity Platinum membership at the time of your trip next September, you will be able to obtain reciprocal benefits via Qatar Airways. However, as Qatar Airways only reserves their top-tier first class lounge for first class passengers, you will be directed to the business class lounge (which is still a very nice space). Unfortunately, overbooking is a common issue in the current climate. While you’d likely be more at risk for being bumped than a full fare paying passenger, this only happens very rarely. By most accounts, Qatar Airways goes above and beyond to resolve these types of scenarios. Enjoy your trip!
Appreciate your reply Adele, that makes sense – thank you.
Great article. Very helpful, one additional piece of info which would be useful… I am platinum with virgin, planning on booking flights to UK using Qatar, whe I use virgin domestic I can take 3 guests in the Lounge. Can I take a guest into the Qatar lounge?
Thanks Mike. In line with the reciprocal VA and QR benefit tie up, our understanding is that you will be able to bring a guest into the Qatar Lounge. However, note that in Qatar, access for Velocity Platinum members travelling in economy is limited to lounges catering to Qatar Airways and partner airline frequent flyers. To access the premium branded lounges, you’d need to be flying in QR first (Al Safwa) or business (Al Mourjan).
Have literally millions of Velocity points accrued and want to use some to fly 2 of us Business Class from Sydney to London return anythime inside June, – end of August 2023. Cannot find any reward seats and am being told to “call back”. Searching is time consumptive and difficult as it is on a flight day by day basis. Any suggestions?