Virgin Australia has announced that Velocity Frequent Flyer members will soon be able to convert points into Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles. This popular feature is due to restart on 19 July 2022.
The move comes more than two years after the feature was temporarily suspended in the early days of the pandemic, and in the lead-up to Virgin Australia’s entry into voluntary administration.
But with this exciting announcement, comes a significant sting. From 5th October 2022, using Velocity Points to redeem Singapore Airlines rewards seats will attract a hefty carrier charge. This new charge is applicable per flight segment, with the schedule of fees set out in the table below:
As can be seen, the charge ranges from $30 USD for a flight of up to 4,200 miles in economy, through to $150 USD for a business or first-class flight over 4,200 miles in distance. So, depending on the route, there’s the potential for a significant cost outlay.
As an example, travellers looking to redeem a return reward flight to Europe from Australian cities in business or first class would need to fork out $480 USD ($700 AUD at the time of writing).
To avoid this surcharge, Velocity Frequent Flyer members can look to lock in flights before the carrier surcharges come into play on 5th October.
Velocity Points to KrisFlyer miles transfer rate
The transfer rate previously in place remains unchanged.
For every 1.55 Velocity Points you transfer, you will earn 1 KrisFlyer mile. That means, in order to lock in a KrisFlyer redemption costing 100,000 KrisFlyer miles, you’d need to send across 155,000 Velocity Points.
When does it make sense to transfer Velocity Points to KrisFlyer?
While the resumption of Velocity Points transfers to KrisFlyer will be a compelling option for many, it won’t necessarily make sense for everyone. If you’re considering sending across a swag of Velocity Points to KrisFlyer, there are a number of factors to weigh up.
Firstly, the cost of locking in Singapore Airlines reward seats direct with KrisFlyer can sometimes works out cheaper than sending points across from Virgin Australia at a rate of 1.55:1.0.
It’s also worth noting that when KrisFlyer transfers open back up, it will still be possible to use Velocity Points to book reward seats with Singapore Airlines via the Velocity website (although, as we’ve mentioned above, hefty carrier surcharges will be applied from early October).
At the time of writing, redemptions across Singapore Airlines economy, premium economy and business cabins can be booked via the Velocuty website or call centre, with Velocity stating that first class bookings will be available in the near future.
At the end of the day, the decision to transfer Velocity Points to KrisFlyer will come down to the availability of reward seats across both platforms, weighing up the total points needed and a comparison of carrier surcharges, taxes and fees.
How to transfer Velocity Points to KrisFlyer
To transfer Velocity Points to KrisFlyer, follow the steps below:
- Log in to your KrisFlyer account.
- Select PPS Club/KrisFlyer from the top navigation, and then “Other ways to redeem miles”. Once loaded, find and select “Velocity” from the bottom of the page, and then “Convert your KrisFlyer miles to Velocity Points”.
- To Link your accounts, on the pop-up, under “To convert, link your favourite partner programmes now”, select “Proceed”.
- Under Add Partner, select “Select Airline Partner” and “Virgin Australia- Velocity” and add your Velocity membership number. Once complete, select “Add and Link”.
- Select “Airline Partner” and “Virgin Australia – Velocity”.
- Enter the number of miles you wish to convert and then select “Proceed” to confirm and complete your transaction.
- You will now be able to log in to your Velocity account and see your transferred Points
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