Customer notice: this article provides general information only and does not consider personal circumstances. We may receive a commission if you apply for a card via our Amex partner link (read more in our Cards Disclosure). Thank you for your vital support!
If you love Velocity Points, right now you can pick up a generous 60,000 bonus Velocity Points¹ with the refreshed American Express Velocity Platinum Card – which now also comes with Virgin Australia Lounge Access²!
This is Amex’s most rewarding Velocity card. Other benefits include a complimentary domestic economy return flight every year³, a very strong points earn rate on spend, and the opportunity to earn up to 100 bonus Velocity Status Credits each year⁴.
Our readers can receive 60,000 bonus Velocity Points when you apply online via our Amex partner link by 12 August 2025, are approved, and spend $3,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card within the first 3 months (T&Cs apply; new Amex Card Members only).
Velocity Points don’t expire so long as you keep your Velocity Frequent Flyer account active by earning or redeeming at least one point every 24 months. Plus, points bookings are refundable if your plans change.
Here’s an overview of the benefits you can enjoy.
1. Earn piles of points and fly with top airlines
Turbocharge your Velocity Points balance by earning 1.25 points per $1 spent on eligible Card purchases⁵: one of the highest Velocity Points earn rates in Australia.
You’ll earn 2.25 Velocity Points per $1 spent with Virgin Australia and 0.5 points per $1 spent with government bodies in Australia (T&Cs apply).
Hundreds of thousands of merchants accept Amex in Australia, and that number is growing, so there’s no shortage of places where you can earn points with this Card.
There’s also no cap on how many points you can earn⁶.
You can use those points to fly with Virgin Australia and an array of partners, including:
- Singapore Airlines
- Qatar Airways
- United Airlines
- Air Canada
- All Nippon Airways (ANA)
- South African Airways
- Virgin Atlantic.
With so many partners to choose from, the whole world is within reach.
2. Take off with a complimentary domestic return flight each year
You can book a complimentary Virgin Australia domestic economy return flight when you first receive the Card and make a purchase with it, and then after your first Card spend each year after the anniversary of your Membership.
This gives you an opportunity every year to enjoy a holiday, explore somewhere new, or visit family and friends.
Best of all, this perk can offset most or all of the $440 annual Card fee.
There are many eligible routes to choose from. These include (as at 16 April 2025):
- from Sydney to Adelaide, Ballina, Brisbane, Cairns, Canberra, Gold Coast, Hamilton Island, Hobart, Launceston, Melbourne or Sunshine Coast
- from Melbourne to Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Gold Coast, Hobart, Launceston, Newcastle, Sunshine Coast or Sydney
- from Brisbane to Adelaide, Cairns, Canberra, Darwin, Emerald, Hamilton Island, Hobart, Launceston, Mackay, Melbourne, Newcastle, Proseprine, Rockhampton, Sydney or Townsville
- from Perth to Adelaide, Kalgoorlie, Melbourne or Sydney
- from Adelaide to Alice Springs, Brisbane, Canberra, Darwin, Gold Coast, Hobart, Launceston, Melbourne or Sydney
- from Gold Coast to Adelaide, Canberra, Melbourne or Sydney
- from Canberra to Adelaide, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Melbourne or Sydney
- from Newcastle to Brisbane or Melbourne
- from Sunshine Coast to Melbourne or Sydney
- from Hobart to Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane or Sydney.
The complimentary flight is also available from other regional cities.
It’s simple to book the flight online or over the phone, and you can reserve it for yourself or any person you choose.
3. Enjoy VA Lounge Access every time you fly domestically with Virgin Australia
Your American Express Velocity Platinum Card gives you access to Virgin Australia lounges at select domestic airports, every time you fly Virgin Australia domestically.
Slip away from the crowds, sample an array of complimentary food and beverages, and take the load off before you take off.
Virgin Australia currently has lounges in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney airports.
This benefit is available to Primary Card Members only. Enrolment is required and T&Cs apply.
Kick back in style before your next flight
In addition, each Membership year you will receive two complimentary Virgin Australia Guest Lounge Passes to treat friends or family to VA Lounge access, when travelling with you on a domestic Virgin Australia flight (available at selected domestic airports; T&Cs apply.)⁷ Infants under 2 years get in for free.
4. Earn up to 100 Bonus Velocity Status Credits each year
Attain elite Velocity status faster by receiving up to 100 Status Credits each year.
Be awarded 50 Status Credits when you spend $25,000 on eligible purchases each Membership year and a further 50 Status Credits when you spend another $25,000 in the same Membership year (T&Cs apply).
Eligible purchases are all spend made 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 very handy perk for frequent flyers chasing status. The higher your status, the more perks you enjoy – like additional Virgin Australia lounge passes when you hit Silver and a range of priority perks when you reach Gold.
5. Travel securely with domestic and overseas travel insurance
You’ll receive complimentary travel insurance cover⁸ when you pay for your return trip with your Card or use Velocity Points to book. Terms, conditions and exclusions apply (such as maximum age-limits, pre-existing medical conditions and cover limits).
This cover extends to your domestic partner and dependent children up to the age of 25 when they are travelling with you.
Some of the covers included are:
- Travel Inconvenience (flight delays, cancellations or missed connections, and delayed luggage)
- medical emergency expenses
- Personal Baggage, Valuables, Money And Travel Documents Cover
- Trip Cancellation And Amendment Cover
- personal liability
- COVID-related trip change and cancellation costs
6. Earn more Points, save money and enjoy lifestyle benefits
There are many other perks to enjoy, including:
- up to 4 complimentary Additional Cards⁹ for family members or friends over 16 years of age – an easy way to earn points faster
- up to 55 days interest-free on purchases¹⁰
- ‘buy now, pay later’ with American Express Plan It™ Instalments: pay off your Card balance in equal monthly instalments with no interest and a fixed monthly fee¹¹
- use your Card with Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay
- Amex Offers: save money and earn bonus Points via regular offers with top brands
- American Express Experiences: access sought-after events like music, theatre and film, including via pre-sale tickets, and enjoy exclusive lounges at selected events.
Plus 60,000 bonus Velocity Points
Receive 60,000 bonus Velocity Points when you apply online via our Amex partner link by 12 August 2025, are approved and spend $3,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card within the first 3 months (T&Cs apply; new Amex Card Members only).
This offer is only available to new American Express Card Members. That means you must not have held an American Express card in the last 18 months. However, you are eligible if you’re an Additional Card Member on someone else’s account (including a corporate account).
Amex no longer specifies a minimum income to be eligible for this card.
It’s very simple to apply, including on mobile devices.
We’re delighted to partner with Amex to bring our readers this offer.
To access this offer and apply, click here (mobile friendly).
* Terms & Conditions – click here to view
Important: This article is not intended to suggest that you should apply for a card. You should seek independent, professional advice and consider your personal circumstances before deciding to apply for a card.
Cards are offered, issued, and administered by American Express Australia Limited ABN 92 108 952 085, Australian Credit Licence No. 291313.
American Express income and credit approval criteria applies. Subject to Terms and Conditions. Interest rates, fees and charges apply. All interest rates are quoted as an Annual Percentage Rate. All information, including fees, charges and interest rates are correct as at 4 September 2024 and are subject to change. Applicants must be 18 years of age or over to apply for the American Express Velocity Platinum Card. They must be an Australian Citizen or permanent resident or hold a long term visa. Long term means 12 months or more and does not include a student visa.
1. Receive 60,000 bonus Velocity Points when you apply online by 12 August 2025, are
approved, and spend $3,000 on eligible purchases on your new American Express
Velocity Platinum Card within the first 3 months from the Card approval date. This offer
is only available to new American Express Card Members. If you previously held a David
Jones American Express Card and have not held any other American Express Card(s) in
the past 18 months, you will be eligible for the offer. All other Card Members who
currently hold or who have previously held any Card product issued by American
Express Australia Limited in the past 18 months are ineligible for this offer. Eligible
purchases do not include Card fees and charges, for example annual fees, interest, late
payment, cash advances, balance transfers, traveller’s cheques and foreign currency
conversion. 60,000 bonus Velocity Points will be awarded to the eligible Card Member’s
account 8-10 weeks after the spend criteria has been met. Velocity Points are earned in
accordance with the American Express Velocity Cards Points Terms and Conditions
available here and are subject to the Terms and Conditions of the Velocity Frequent
Flyer program available here. $440 annual Card fee applies. This advertised offer is not
applicable or valid in conjunction with any other advertised or promotional offer.
2. The American Express Velocity Platinum Card Virgin Australia Lounge Access is subject to the American Express Velocity Platinum Card Benefits Terms and Conditions. The Virgin Australia Lounge Access provides the Primary Card Member with access to Virgin Australia lounges at Australian domestic airports whenever they are flying on a Virgin Australia operated domestic flight on the same day. American Express Velocity Platinum Primary Card Members will receive 12 months of lounge access on your Velocity membership. Enrol via your online American Express Account. This is your benefit anniversary date. After enrolling, activate the VA Lounge Access by making an Eligible Transaction on your American Express Velocity Platinum Card. Eligible Transaction does not include annual Card fees, cash advances, interest, balance transfers, fees and charges for traveller’s cheques and foreign currencies. After 12 months, at each subsequent benefit anniversary, make an Eligible Transaction on your Velocity Platinum Card to reactivate the VA Lounge Access. Please allow up to 7 days for the benefit to be processed on to the Primary Card Member’s Velocity membership. The Primary Card Member must provide their Velocity Frequent Flyer membership details to Virgin Australia lounge staff and present same day boarding pass on a Virgin Australia flight. Additional Card Members are not eligible. Virgin Australia lounge access is subject to space availability. Virgin Australia lounge is owned and operated by Virgin Australia Airlines Pty. Ltd. in selected domestic airports in accordance with Virgin Australia lounge Terms and Conditions, available at virginaustralia.com/lounge and as amended from time to time.
3. The complimentary domestic economy Virgin Australia return flight is only available between selected Australian cities and is available for booking by American Express Velocity Platinum Primary Card Members after your first Card spend in the first year, and then after your first Card spend each year after the anniversary of your Membership. All flights are subject to availability and neither Virgin Australia nor American Express guarantees that seats or tickets will be available on the dates or at the times you may wish to fly. Seat availability may be limited to certain dates and/or flights and it may be more difficult to book seats around public holidays, school holidays or special events. Some flights may not have any seats available for redemption. Route availability is subject to change without notice. All travel is subject to the American Express Velocity Platinum Card Benefits Terms and Conditions available here and travel is subject to Virgin Australia Conditions of Carriage available at Conditionsofcarriage/VirginAustralia.com.
4. Velocity Frequent Flyer Status Credits are subject to the American Express Velocity Platinum Card Benefits Terms and Conditions. 50 Velocity Frequent Flyer Status Credits will be awarded when you spend $25,000 on Eligible Spend within your membership year, and a further 50 Status Credits when you spend another $25,000 on Eligible Spend within the same membership year. Membership year is defined as commencing upon Card activation and renews on the day of your Card activation each subsequent year. Eligible Spend does not include Card fees and charges, for example annual fees, interest, late or dishonoured payments, cash advances, balance transfers, traveller’s cheques and foreign currency conversion. Please allow up to 2 weeks after you meet the minimum spend requirement for the Status Credits to be credited to your Velocity account. In addition to Status Credits, Velocity members need to fly on Virgin Australia marketed flights to earn Eligible Sectors to upgrade or maintain a level of membership. To find out more about the Status Credit and Eligible Sector requirements for Velocity membership levels please visit velocityfrequentflyer.com/the-basics/status
5. As long as your Account remains current and in good standing and you must be a member of the Velocity Frequent Flyer program to earn and redeem Velocity Points. Velocity Points are earned in accordance with the American Express Velocity Cards Points Terms and Conditions available at americanexpress.com.au/VelocityPointsTerms, and are subject to the Terms and Conditions of the Velocity Frequent Flyer program available at experience.velocityfrequentflyer.com/member-support/terms-conditions. Exclusions apply. Eligible purchases do not include Card fees and charges, for example annual fees, interest, late payment fees, cash advances, balance transfers, fees for traveller’s cheques and foreign currency conversion. These do not earn Velocity Points. For the full list of exclusions, please refer to the American Express Velocity Cards Points Terms and Conditions. Certain transactions will earn 0.5 points per dollar with Merchants classified as; government, including the Australian Taxation Office, the Australian Postal Corporation (Australia Post), federal/state and local government bodies. Industry specific earn rate may apply when you use a payment account, payment aggregator, services of a third party or online retailers that sell goods for another merchant. For example, a payment made to local government bodies processed through payment aggregator may earn rates at the government earn rate. Velocity Points earned on Virgin Australia spend are only valid for purchases made in Australia.
6. As long as your account remains current and in good standing.
7. Virgin Australia Guest Lounge Passes are subject to the American Express Velocity Platinum Card Benefits Terms and Conditions. Two single entry passes to the Virgin Australia lounge will be activated on the Primary Card Member’s Velocity Frequent Flyer membership account annually, on or after each anniversary of membership. Additional Card members are not eligible. Complimentary single entry Virgin Australia Guest Lounge Passes are not transferable, but may be used to enable other people (who are travelling with the Primary Card Member) to gain access to the lounge. The Virgin Australia lounge is operated by Virgin Australia Airlines Pty. Ltd. in selected domestic airports in accordance with the Virgin Australia Lounge Terms and Conditions, available at virginaustralia.com/lounge and as amended from time to time. Visit the Virgin Australia website for up-to-date information on Virgin Australia’s Lounge network.
8. The insurance on American Express Cards is subject to terms, conditions and exclusions (such as maximum age limits, pre-existing medical conditions and cover limits). You must use your American Express Velocity Platinum Credit Card to pay for your trip in order to be covered under the travel insurance and pay for eligible items for those items to be covered under the retail insurance benefits. It is important you read the American Express Velocity Platinum Credit Card Insurance Terms and Conditions and consider whether the insurance is right for you. We do not provide advice about the insurance or whether it is appropriate for your objectives, financial situation or needs. This insurance is underwritten by Chubb Insurance Australia Limited (ABN 23 001 642 020, AFSL No. 239687) under a group policy of insurance held by American Express Australia Limited (ABN 92 108 952 085, AFSL No. 291313). Access to this insurance is provided solely by reason of the statutory operation of section 48 of the Insurance Contracts Act 1984 (Cth). Card Members are not a party to the group policy, do not have an agreement with Chubb and cannot vary or cancel the cover. American Express is not the insurer, does not guarantee or hold the rights under the group policy on trust for Card Members and does not act on behalf of Chubb or as its agent. American Express is not an Authorised Representative (under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth)) of Chubb.
9. Additional Card Members must be 16 years of age or over. The Primary Card Member will be liable to pay for all transactions made by Additional Card Members. Earning of points is subject to the terms and conditions of the Rewards Program the Primary Card Member is actively enrolled. All points earned on Additional Card Member spend will go to the Primary Card Members Account. The Primary Card Member cannot add an Additional Card under their own name or email address and cannot add an Additional card under the name or email address of a previously approved Additional Card application on the Account.
10. You will have up to 55 days interest free on purchases provided you pay the full closing balance of your monthly statement by the due date each month. There is no interest free period on balance transfers or if you carry forward a balance from the previous statement period. The total of interest free days will depend on when you make the purchase and when your statement is issued.
11. You can create an Instalment Plan as long as your account is in good standing. We may withdraw this offer, prevent you from creating any new Instalment Plans or cancel any of your existing Instalment Plan(s) at any time if your Card Account is overdue, or if you do not comply with your Card Conditions. The minimum Plan amount is AUD$100. We may also limit the amount that can be transferred to an Instalment Plan. You will be charged a Monthly Plan Fee for each Instalment Plan created (unless a promotional plan is available). This fee will be charged each month your Instalment Plan is active and will be disclosed to you at the time of creating your Instalment Plan. Each Instalment Plan will begin from the date it is successfully created, as communicated to you in your Online Account. Payment of your first Monthly Instalment will be due in your next payment cycle. You may request to cancel your Instalment Plan(s) at any time through your Online Account or the Amex App. Any billed Monthly Plan Fees will remain payable, but no further Monthly Plan Fees will be billed after cancellation is effective. As cancellation can take 24-48 hours to process (“Processing Time”), you may be charged a further monthly plan fee after requesting cancellation if the Processing Time occurs on your payment date. View the full Plan It® Instalment Terms and Conditions here. The insurance on American Express Cards is subject to terms, conditions and exclusions (such as maximum age limits, pre-existing medical conditions and cover limits). You must use your American Express Velocity Platinum Credit Card to pay for your trip in order to be covered under the travel insurance and pay for eligible items for those items to be covered under the retail insurance benefits. It is important you read the American Express Velocity Platinum Credit Card Insurance Terms and Conditions and consider whether the insurance is right for you. We do not provide advice about the insurance or whether it is appropriate for your objectives, financial situation or needs. This insurance is underwritten by Chubb Insurance Australia Limited (ABN 23 001 642 020, AFSL No. 239687) under a group policy of insurance held by American Express Australia Limited (ABN 92 108 952 085, AFSL No. 291313). Access to this insurance is provided solely by reason of the statutory operation of section 48 of the Insurance Contracts Act 1984 (Cth). Card Members are not a party to the group policy, do not have an agreement with Chubb and cannot vary or cancel the cover. American Express is not the insurer, does not guarantee or hold the rights under the group policy on trust for Card Members and does not act on behalf of Chubb or as its agent. American Express is not an Authorised Representative (under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth)) of Chubb.
Do you know if both yourself any your partner can apply separately and both receive the bonus points. Furthermore, whether you could be additional cardholders on each other’s account to manage the minimum monthly spend? Many thanks!
Hi Kylie, yes you and your partner can each open an account to get bonus points each. As for then getting additional cards for each other’s accounts – I’m not sure, but I think that should be ok, as I’ve tried something similar in the past (but it was a few years ago).
Hi, I previously had a David Jones Amex. Am I eligible for this card? It was 17months ago!
Yes you are eligible. David Jones Amex cards aren’t part of the 18-month exclusion period. Enjoy 🙂
Hi Kris, What if I’m an additional / supplementary card holder on my wife’s card? Am I still eligible for this offer?
Hi George, yes you are. Enjoy 🙂
Most of us would have an American Express Ultimate recently, it sounds like we won’t be able to quality if held within the last 18 months..
Great deal though
If I have held this card before but don’t now do I qualify?
Yes if it’s been more than 18 months since you held it.
Hi I have had amex Qantas ultimate card for a year. Will I qualify for the velocity bonus points too?
Hi Brad, if you’ve held the Qantas Amex Ultimate Card within the last 18 months, then you’re not eligible for the Velocity bonus offer.
Hey! If we have a DJs Amex can we still apply for this to get the bonus sign up points? Thanks in advance
Hey Ben, yes DJ Amex cardholders are eligible for the bonus points. Enjoy! 🙂