Both Qantas and Virgin Australia allow their frequent flyer members to buy points in order to ‘top up’ their accounts.
The airlines say this is designed to help members who are a little short of the points required to redeem a reward – but it’s also a nice way for the airlines to earn more money, as buying points is relatively expensive.
You’re generally much better off earning points with credit cards or via points partners.
However, if you need points quickly and have no other option, purchasing points outright can be a useful last resort.
In terms of Velocity Points, you’re permitted to buy up to 250,000 per year.
The more points you buy, the lower the cost per point.
Here’s the regular price table:
At the top end, buying 250k points for $5850 means you’re paying 2.34 cents per point. If you’re only buying 5,000 points however, you’re paying 3.36 cents per point. That’s a big difference.
I’ve written before about how to work out the value when weighing up opportunities to earn or buy points. Consider your options carefully and decide the best way forward.
Until 19 March, Virgin Australia is offering a 30% discount on points purchases. By way of example, that means you can buy 250,000 points for $4095 – or about 1.64 cents per point. That could be solid value if used for high value reward seats or upgrades.
To find out all the T&Cs for purchasing Velocity Points and potentially buy some, visit Virgin here.
Want some easy Velocity Points? Get 100k bonus points plus a complimentary flight every year and lounge passes with our favourite Velocity card, the Amex Velocity Platinum Card – ends soon!
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So do you see good value in this discount. It’s around 1.4cents per point and I know you have lower threshold, but this looks good value at buying 250,000 points to build up a good balance for business class trips interstate?
Hi Frank, value is relative – so while 1.4 cents is too much for me, I can understand if you feel differently. If you’re happy with the price, go for it.