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The feature-packed American Express Velocity Platinum Card is Amex’s top Velocity card. It comes with the highest Velocity Points earn rate on spend, a complimentary Virgin Australia domestic flight each year, lounge entries, travel insurance and other handy perks for travellers.
Right now, new Amex card members can pick up a handy 50,000 bonus Velocity Points with this card.
Here’s an overview of the main card features, with more details and a mobile-friendly application form available here.
1. Receive a very high points earn rate on spend
Card members earn 1.25 Velocity Points per dollar spent on everyday purchases – the highest Velocity Points earn rate in Australia.
You earn 2.25 Velocity Points per dollar spent with Virgin Australia and 0.5 Velocity Points per dollar spent with government bodies.
Until 14 April 2019, you’ll earn an additional 0.25 Velocity Points per $1 spent on purchases, except for spend at government bodies in Australia.
With hundreds of thousands of merchants accepting Amex in Australia, there’s no shortage of places where you can earn points with this card.
As a bonus, there’s no cap on how many points you can earn.
2. Take off with a complimentary flight every year
After your first card spend each year, you’ll be entitled to a complimentary Virgin Australia domestic economy return flight between selected cities.
There are lots of routes to choose from, as you can see in the table below.
| Departure City | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Adelaide | Alice Springs, Brisbane, Canberra, Coolangatta (Gold Coast), Melbourne, Sydney |
| Brisbane | Adelaide, Cairns, Canberra, Darwin, Emerald, Hamilton Island, Hobart, Mackay, Melbourne, Newcastle, Proserpine, Rockhampton, Sydney, Townsville |
| Hobart | Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney |
| Melbourne | Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Coolangatta (Gold Coast), Hamilton Island, Hobart, Launceston, Mildura, Maroochydore (Sunshine Coast), Newcastle, Sydney |
| Perth | Adelaide, Geraldton, Kalgoorlie, Melbourne, Sydney |
| Sydney | Adelaide, Albury, Ayers Rock (Uluru), Ballina/Byron, Brisbane, Canberra, Cairns, Coffs Harbour, Coolangatta (Gold Coast), Hamilton Island, Hervey Bay, Hobart, Launceston, Maroochydore (Sunshine Coast), Melbourne, Port Macquarie, Tamworth, Townsville |
| Other cities | Click here to see the routes from other cities. |
You can book the flight for yourself or any person you choose. And since this benefit is available every year, it offsets most or all of the $375 annual card fee.
3. Enjoy four airport lounge entries each year
Relax before your next flight in style, even if you’re flying economy.
Each card membership year, you’ll receive two passes to a Virgin Australia lounge. These passes will be linked to your Velocity membership card (not your Amex card), so just present that at the door to get in.
You’ll also get two entries each calendar year to the American Express Lounge at Sydney Airport international or Melbourne Airport international. To enter the lounge, simply flash your Amex card at the door.
Relax in a Virgin Australia lounge before you fly
If you’re travelling with a guest, they can use one of the passes to enjoy the lounge with you.
4. Earn 100 Velocity Status Credits when you spend $50,000 in a year
Attain elite status with Virgin Australia faster by receiving 100 status credits when you reach $50,000 of eligible spend in a card membership year.
Eligible spend is all spend by you and additional card members, except cash type purchases like travellers’ cheques and foreign currencies, and interest, fees and charges on the account.
This is a useful perk for frequent flyers chasing status, as you only need 250 status credits to attain silver (200 to keep it in subsequent years) or 500 status credits to attain gold (400 to keep it in later years).
The higher your status, the more perks you enjoy – like extra lounge passes when you hit silver and unlimited lounge access when you reach gold.
5. Receive complimentary travel insurance
When you pay for a return domestic or international flight with your card or use Velocity Points to book, you’ll receive insurance cover for you, your partner and dependent children 22 years of age or younger for:
- inconvenience (flight delays, cancellations or missed connections, and delayed luggage)
- medical emergency expenses
- damaged, destroyed, lost or stolen baggage, money or documents
- travel cancellation costs
- personal liability.
The insurance T&Cs are available to read here.
6. Enjoy a range of other card benefits
There are so many other perks to enjoy with this card, including:
- up to 4 complimentary additional cards for family members over 18 years of age – an easy way for your household to earn points faster
- up to 55 days interest-free on purchases (the interest rate thereafter is 20.74%)
- a 0% p.a. balance transfer offer for 12 months, with a one-off establishment fee of 1%
- Amex Offers: save money with regular discount offers with some of Australia’s biggest and best brands
- Amex Invites: access sought-after events like music, theatre and film, including via pre-sale tickets, and enjoy exclusive lounges for Amex card members at selected events.
Plus 50,000 bonus points
Receive 50,000 bonus Velocity Points when you apply online, are approved and spend $3,000 on your new card within the first 3 months.
You could use these bonus points together with the points earned on spend to fly overseas with Virgin Australia or one of its partners. For example, you could fly from Melbourne or Sydney to Hong Kong in economy return (55,600 points plus taxes) or one way in stylish business class (59,500 points plus taxes).
Use your points to enjoy Virgin Australia business class
To be eligible for the introductory bonus points, you must not have held a credit card issued directly by Amex Australia in the last 18 months. However, you are eligible if:
- you’ve held an Amex card issued by a bank (i.e. Westpac, ANZ, CBA or NAB), or
- you’re an additional card member on someone else’s primary card account.
The minimum income to qualify is $65,000.
To read more on Amex’s website and apply, click here (mobile friendly).
Important: This article is not intended to suggest that you should apply for a credit card. You should seek independent, professional advice and consider your personal circumstances before deciding to apply for a credit card.
If you apply for a card via a link in this article, we’ll receive a commission from Amex. This income helps keep our site running, and we thank you for your support.
Read more in our Credit Cards Disclosure.
Hi there Kris, what happens to my existing An Ex Point thru David Jones if I cancel with them ?
Thanks
Hi Avril, make sure to redeem the points before you cancel the account. You don’t need to cancel the card straight away, even if you apply for this card today.
Does using my new card to pay utilities bills and the ATO meet the criteria for spending $3000 in 3 months
Yes it does. Enjoy 🙂
Can these points be used to book an extra comfort seat with Hawaiian Airlines?
Hi Vanessa, not sure about that one, can’t see anything on Velocity’s website. You may need to call Virgin Australia to ask.
Hey,
So if you make your minimum spend, you got the points and the passes – which are added to your velocity card. So if you cancel the credit card, those passes still remain on your velocity card?
With the return flight, does it just have to have vacant seats or is there other t/c’s?
Yes the passes will remain in your Velocity account if you cancel the card. As for the flight, according to the T&Cs it must be booked in a “saver” fare class. Flight bookings in saver fare class ‘Q’ may be booked up to 24 hours before time of travel. Flight bookings in other saver fare classes must be made 21 days in advance of travel.