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.
Table of Contents
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?
While you’re here: Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest tips, deals and news. It only takes a few seconds and we respect your privacy:
Hi Adele,
I’ve booked QR business class via VA with velocity points, do you know if I will have access to the Al Mourjan business class lounge or Al Safwa First lounge (I’m QR plat as well)?
Couldn’t get a straight answer from QR, they said may not as it’s a VA ticket so no lounge access (Oneworld or QR only), even though I’m flying on QR metal!!
Hope you can shed some light, thank you!
Hi, yes, you should be able to access the business lounge (when travelling on QR business) or first lounge (when travelling first), on a QR ticket booked with VA points. I gained access myself just a few weeks ago with this scenario.
Hi – when you log into Qatar’s website, there are points tickets available in Business Class. But when you go through the Virgin site, those seats don’t appear. Is there any other way of booking besides going through the Virgin site? Thanks
Hi Denise, unfortunately not all Qatar business class space will be available through partner airlines, such as Virgin Australia. It’s likely that the seats you located are exclusively bookable via Qatar. Note that Qatar Avios are now a transfer partner for Amex Membership Rewards, so you could consider looking to earn this currency in future.
I can’t seem to choose or select my seats upon redemption like I can on domestic flights using VFF – Any ideas? It seems bizarre not to be able to choose what seat you want.
Hi Kayla, I’m platinum Velocity, I have found business reward flights from Bris to Paris, when I go to seat selection it says it’s not available, do you know at what point you can select seats and how?
Great article thanks
Jeff
Hi Jeff, unfortunately it seems as though you’ve come across ‘phantom’ award space. Frustratingly, the Velocity website can sometimes show seats which aren’t available – resulting in ‘not available’ and error messages when you then step through to secure the booking. Since you are Platinum, it can’t hurt to call up and see if someone at VA might be able to assist you. However, as the seats are likely from a partner airline (I’m assuming Qatar) they won’t have the ability to open up seats. Best of luck locating your preferred redemption.
Hi Adele,
Do you know how many business class seats per flight are available for redemption.
I am after 3 but I think they may only release 2.
Also do you know what time they release seats, is it just after midnight?
Thanks in advance, Sue
Hi Sue, the number of business class flights on offer can vary, as it’s dependent on many factors (including load, popularity of the route, peak vs non peak period of travel). You may be lucky enough to find two business seats on a service, however some may only have one, or even none. The timing of award seat inventory release can also vary, so there is no hard and fast rule on when these will drop, particularly for partner airlines. Best of luck locking in your redemption.
How many velocity points to fly Perth to lhr return using Qatar airways
If I book economy flights on Qatar paying cash am I then able to upgrade with velocity points to business?
I just can’t find the answer online.
Thanks
Hi Lucy, unfortunately you can’t upgrade flights on Qatar Airways using the points currency of another airline program (Velocity). To upgrade on Qatar metal, you would need to do so either via Qatar Airways Privilege Club. Qatar often offers the ability to upgrade cash at checkin, so that may be worth asking about, too.
How do I add my Virgin Velocity Member number to my upcoming Qatar flight?
Hi Merridie, you should be add this information when you retrieve your booking via the Qatar Airways website. If you experience problems, Qatar Airways customer service may also be able to link the booking for you via phone.
Hi Adele..,
I’m would like to (trying to?) book a multi-city international trip as follows using my Velocity points (+pay if necessary).
Perth to UK:
16 October2023: PER-DOH-LHR
Then return to Perth..
7November2023: EDI-DOH-PER
Is there a way to book a multi-city international trip using the Velocity booking website?
It’s not straightforward to me on how to do this.
I’m a Velocity Platinum member.
Thanks, all help appreciated.
Hi Kevin, our understanding is that VA don’t offer multi-city bookings online. Rather, you will need to call. Given your status and the lack of online availability, you may find that they are able to waive the usual phone booking fee for this request. Best of luck!
Hi Adele, thank you for your thorough explanation!
I’ve booked an economy Qatar flight using Velocity points from Melbourne > Milan. Do you know if it’s possible to upgrade to business using further Velocity points – similarly to the Qantas FF process? Thank you!
Hi Kayla, unfortunately it isn’t possible to use Velocity Points to upgrade a Qatar Airlines flight originally booked with Velocity Points. That said, depending on loads, Qatar does often open up cash redemption opportunities. Your best bet would be to check with Qatar directly before your flight to see what options are available. Happy travels!