As a business owner, we know you have a lot on your plate, so we’ve designed these FAQs to help you better understand the Virgin Australia Business Flyer Program.
Member FAQs
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What is Virgin Australia Business Flyer?
Virgin Australia Business Flyer is our free-to-join business travel program for small-to-medium sized businesses (SMEs) who hold a valid ABN or ACN, have an Australian business address and spend less than $300,000 per year with Virgin Australia on air travel.
Your business can earn Velocity Points on all Virgin Australia flights when booked through the Virgin Australia Business Flyer Booking portal, plus enjoy up to 6% off eligible fares on Virgin Australia operated flights. In addition, travellers will continue to earn Velocity Points and Status Credits in a personal capacity when they fly with Virgin Australia – super-charging rewards for business travel spend. -
What is the difference between the Velocity Frequent Flyer and the Virgin Australia Business Flyer program?
Velocity Frequent Flyer is our loyalty program which rewards individual travellers every time they fly with Virgin Australia.
Virgin Australia Business Flyer is our business travel program that rewards Businesses with Velocity Points each time their employees (or contractors) travel for business with Virgin Australia, as well as a range of other exclusive benefits such as additional flight discounts.
By adding Velocity Frequent Flyer numbers into the Virgin Australia Business Flyer travel profiles in the Booking Portal, employees of the business will also earn Velocity Points when they travel for business with Virgin Australia (provided that they are a Velocity Frequent Flyer member, and their Velocity Frequent Flyer number is included in the booking). -
Who are the key user groups of the program?
As part of the Virgin Australia Business Flyer program and the Velocity Frequent Flyer business loyalty program, you may be one of the following users:
Member: We refer to a business that has joined the Virgin Australia Business Flyer program as a member.
Key contact: This is the person who has authority to act on behalf of the member. The key contact has access to both the Virgin Australia business booking portal and the rewards portal, receives all service and marketing messages associated with the member’s Virgin Australia Business Flyer account and has the authority to carry out the same activities as an account administrator. There can only be one key contact for each Virgin Australia Business Flyer account.
Account administrator: An account administrator is a person who has the right to administer the member’s Virgin Australia Business Flyer program membership and has access to both the Virgin Australia business booking portal and the rewards portal, and is authorised to book flights for travellers under the member’s Virgin Australia Business Flyer account. There can be more than one account administrator.
Travel booker: A travel booker is a person who has access to the Virgin Australia business booking portal and is authorised to book flights for travellers under the member’s Virgin Australia Business Flyer account. There can be more than one travel booker.
Traveller: A traveller is a person who is employed, contracted, or otherwise associated with the business. A traveller has access to the Virgin Australia business booking portal but can only book and manage their own flights. There can be more than one traveller.
Guest traveller: A guest traveller is a person who does not have login credentials for the Virgin Australia business booking portal but is associated with the member and for whom bookings can be made by other users. There can be more than one guest traveller.
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What are the benefits of the Virgin Australia Business Flyer program?
The new program has several benefits. At a high-level, members can:
Access discounted fares. Receive a 4% discount on Flex fares and a 6% discount on Business Class fares when your employees or contractors fly with Virgin Australia.
Earn Velocity Points for your business. Your employees or contactors will also earn Velocity Points and Status credits for themselves (provided that they are a Velocity Frequent Flyer member and their VFF number is included in the booking).
Redeem rewards. The account administrator or key contact can transfer Velocity Points earnt by the business to a Velocity Frequent Flyer member who is directly employed or contracted by the business to use for leisure flights, upgrades, hotel car hire etc.
Manage travel in the booking portal and redeem Business rewards via our new rewards portal.
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What determines how members earn points and discounts on Virgin Australia flights?
Virgin Australia Business Flyer has been designed with three amazing tiers (tier 1, tier 2, and tier 3). The more your business spends on business travel, the faster it will progress through the tiers.
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How is a business’s tier determined?
A business’s tier is determined by the business’s eligible total flight spend with Virgin Australia over a 12-month period. The business will automatically be upgraded to the relevant tier when its flight spend exceeds the minimum threshold for that tier.
Our tiers, benefits and more information about our program can be found on our Virgin Australia Business Flyer page.
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How does a member transition between tiers?
Businesses move up or down a tier based on their eligible flight spend after 12 months of joining. When a business spends more than the threshold for the higher tier, they will be upgraded to the relevant tier on the day that their spend level exceeds the threshold. The key contact will be notified of this change via email.
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What if I am an existing accelerate member?
All existing accelerate members have automatically been upgraded to the Virgin Australia Business Flyer program. As an accelerate member, you should have now received an email from us to informing you of this change and detailing the benefits your business will enjoy as members of Virgin Australia Business Flyer.
If you are a member of accelerate and do not want to become a Virgin Australia Business Flyer member, please contact us so we can provide you with some options regarding your account. Email us at: [email protected]
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What extra benefit is there for existing members onboarding to the new Virgin Australia Business Flyer program?
As part of the onboarding of existing accelerate members onto Virgin Australia Business Flyer, members will receive a:
- Tier jump start - members will start on the tier based on their flight spend over the last 12 months.
- Bonus points start – members will be credited with bonus points based on their flight spend during January and February 2022.
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What is different about the Virgin Australia Business Flyer program in comparison with our competitors?
While most business loyalty programs are designed for corporates (with corporate budgets and hefty spend thresholds) Virgin Australia Business Flyer is different. You can earn Velocity Points for your business every time you (or your team) travel with Virgin Australia, then reap the rewards for yourself or gift them to your team (provided that they are a Velocity Frequent Flyer member and their VFF number is included in the booking).
Plus, you'll receive additional discounts on Virgin Australia’s competitively low fares and annual lounge memberships and have access to other exclusive benefits such as Velocity Pilot Gold when a new member spends at least $2,000 within the first 3 months of joining the program), subject to eligibility. Visit our terms and conditions to check your business’s eligibility. Our low fares, quality service and now – rewards, means better value for your business. -
Are there new terms and conditions with the Virgin Australia Business Flyer program?
Yes. There are new terms and conditions and privacy statement. Key changes to the terms and conditions include:
- Updated program name from accelerate to Virgin Australia Business Flyer
- Businesses will now earn Velocity Points for their eligible flight spend. To do this, Velocity Frequent Flyer Pty Ltd is now included as a party to the Terms and Conditions and Virgin Australia will share certain information about the business and the people that travel in connection with the business’ Virgin Australia Business Flyer account with Velocity Frequent Flyer for this purpose
- Businesses will be able to transfer their Velocity Points to a nominated individual Velocity Frequent Flyer account
- The updated program will no longer be available for New Zealand-based businesses
Eligibility and registration
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Is this program available to all business and enterprises?
Virgin Australia Business Flyer is available to all businesses with an active ABN/ACN and an Australian business address that spend less than $300K per annum on flights with Virgin Australia. The business cannot be a Superannuation fund, travel agent, travel management company, travel wholesaler, air travel consolidator or anyone re-selling air travel.
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Do I need to be a Velocity member to join?
Upon joining, the business will be signed up to our Velocity Frequent Flyer Program. Individuals are not required to have a Velocity Frequent Flyer membership, however, Velocity Points earned by the business can only be redeemed by transferring these points to a person that holds a Velocity Frequent Flyer membership.
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Is it free to join the Virgin Australia Business Flyer program?
Yes, it’s free to join with no ongoing membership fees.
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How can my business join the Virgin Australia Business Flyer program?
To join, complete the online application form. It will only take a couple of minutes! Make sure you have your business’s ABN handy.
If you usually book business travel through a travel agent, please also provide their details so that your business will earn Velocity Points for flights that they book on your behalf. -
How can I check if my business has an existing account?
To check if your business has an existing Virgin Australia Business Flyer account, please email us at [email protected] or phone us on 1300 246 498 with your company name and ABN.
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I own multiple businesses, do I need to join multiple times?
If your businesses have a different ABN, then yes, you will need to register under each ABN.
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Can my business become a member if my business is not registered for GST (Goods and Services Tax)?
Yes, provided your business has a valid and active Australian Business Number or Australian Company Number.
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I’ve started using a travel agent to make bookings on behalf of my business, what do I need to do?
To nominate a travel agent on an existing account registered as booking directly with Virgin Australia please complete a Maintenance form. You will need to include the details of your travel management company.
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I'm using a different travel agent to the one currently registered on my account, how can I change the nominated travel agent?
To change a nominated travel agent on an existing account please complete a Maintenance form. You will also need to email us at [email protected] to transfer any unused tickets from the previous travel management company to your new travel management company, if applicable.
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Will joining this program have any tax implications?
You should seek advice from a professional accountant or tax adviser to ensure you understand any possible taxes related to your participation in Virgin Australia Business Flyer.
Account maintenance and bookings
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How do I book flights?
Your business can make and manage flight bookings using the business booking portal or via your preferred travel agent. Please note, discounts are only available when booking Virgin Australia operated flights via the business booking portal or via your preferred travel agent.
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Who is the key contact?
This is the person who has authority to act on behalf of the member. The key contact has access to both the Virgin Australia business booking portal and the rewards portal, receives all service and marketing messages associated with the member’s Virgin Australia Business Flyer account and has the authority to carry out the same activities as an account administrator. There can only be one key contact for each Virgin Australia Business Flyer account.
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Who is the account administrator?
An account administrator is a person who has the right to administer the member’s Virgin Australia Business Flyer Program membership and has access to both the Virgin Australia business booking portal and the rewards portal, and is authorised to book flights for travellers under the member’s Virgin Australia Business Flyer account. There can be more than one account administrator.
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Who is the travel booker?
A travel booker is a person who has access to the Virgin Australia Business booking portal and is authorised to book flights for travellers under the member’s Virgin Australia Business Flyer account. There can be more than one travel booker.
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Who is the traveller?
A traveller is a person who is employed, contracted, or otherwise associated with the business. A traveller has access to the Virgin Australia business booking portal but can only book and manage their own flights. There can be more than one traveller.
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Who is a guest traveller?
A guest traveller is a person who does not have login credentials for the Virgin Australia business booking portal but is associated with the member and for whom bookings can be made by other users. There can be more than one guest traveller.
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How many key contacts and account administrators can a SME business assign to their account?
A business can have only one key contact and as many administrators they deem appropriate.
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What savings are available on flights for businesses, and how can my business access them?
Your Virgin Australia Business Flyer membership gives your business access to an additional 4% off Flex fares and 6% off Business Class fares when you book through the business booking portal or via your dedicated travel management company.
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What is an eligible flight to earn Velocity Points?
An eligible flight is classified as Lite, Choice, Flex, Business Class fares which will be highlighted in the terms and conditions under section 6.1.
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Can a Virgin Australia Business Flyer account be closed?
Yes, a Virgin Australia Business Flyer key contact can request for the account to be closed. To deactivate the account please email [email protected] or call 1300 246 498.
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What happens to my points if the Virgin Australia Business Flyer is closed?
You will be provided with the option to either transfer your points balance (if there is a minimum of 3,000 points in your account) or forfeit your points at the time of account closure.
Points and rewards
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How do businesses earn Velocity Points?
Every time you or your team fly with Virgin Australia, your businesses will earn Velocity Points on the base fare of flights flown, subject to the class, fare, and tier that your business is on. All you need to do is ensure that your business’s flights are tracked towards your Virgin Australia Business Flyer account by including the business’s ABN in the booking.
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When can my business start earning points as a member of Virgin Australia Business Flyer?
Your business can start earning points as soon as you join the program! Existing accelerate customers can start earning points from 5 April, 2022.
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What is the maximum points a business can earn?
1 million points based on rolling 12-month period from the date you joined the program.
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Can both the business and individuals earn and redeem points?
Yes, the business can earn Velocity Points as a part of Virgin Australia Business Flyer and the individual traveller can earn Velocity Points from being a Velocity Frequent Flyer member (provided their Velocity Frequent Flyer number is included in the booking).
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Can contractors employed by the business earn points for the business when flying?
Yes, all travel booked and paid for through either the Virgin Australia Business Flyer booking portal or nominated travel management company will link to your account and earn points. All people that have a Velocity Frequent Flyer account linked to their traveller profile can also earn Velocity Points once the flight is flown.
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How can I view and manage my business’s Velocity Points?
We have launched a new rewards portal where a business can quickly and easily view and manage their Velocity Points. Businesses can also use the rewards portal to transfer their points to an individual Velocity Frequent Flyer member and submit claims for missing points. Terms and conditions apply.
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What is the Rewards Portal?
This is our new business rewards portal that has been developed to manage the Velocity Points for your business. A Virgin Australia Business Flyer administrator will receive their own access where they can view activity, request a transfer of points to an individual Velocity Frequent Flyer or request a retro / missing points claim.
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What are the functions and limitations of the Rewards Portal?
A Virgin Australia Business Flyer member can perform the following functions in the rewards portal:
1. View their Points balance, Points activity statement and tier information
2. Apply to transfer points to a Velocity Frequent Flyer member
3. Request a retro or missing points claim
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Are the login details the same for the Business Portal as for the Rewards Portal?
Only if a user makes them the same. Administrators and key contacts will be invited to activate their account via two separate emails.
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What happens if the Rewards Portal activation link expires before the account is activated?
The activation link for the rewards portal expires after 24 hours. After this time, you will need to contact us to have another activation link sent to you. Please contact our team via email at [email protected] or via phone on 1300 246 498.
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How can I use the Velocity Points my business earns?
Velocity Points earned by your business can be transferred to an individual Velocity Frequent Flyer member where they have a choice to use them for rewards such as flights, flight upgrades, hire cars, hotels, products, gift cards etc. Terms and conditions apply.
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How are the Velocity Points earned by my business transferred to an individual Velocity Frequent Flyer member?
Any account administrator of a business can raise a transfer Points request via the rewards portal.
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How are rewards redeemed?
Members will have access to a new rewards portal where they can submit a request to transfer Velocity Points from their business to an individual Velocity Frequent Flyer member.
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Is there a time limit on when rewards can be redeemed?
Velocity Points will expire after two years of no activity on their account.
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How far back can a retro claim be claimed?
Claims can be raised for a flight within 30 days prior to the date of joining the Virgin Australia Business Flyer program. Retro claims can be raised only after 14 days of the actual travel date and can be claimed up to 6 months after the date of travel.
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Who can raise a retro claim?
Only an account administrator of a business can raise a retro claim via the rewards portal. Your authorised travel management company or travel agent can also request to raise a retro claim via email or over the phone.
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If an employee leaves the business, can they retain their assigned Velocity Frequent Flyer Points?
Yes, once points are transferred to an individual they cannot be reassigned back to the business.
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Is there the opportunity to earn Velocity Points for my business with Partner offerings?
Yes, this is a planned future feature of Virgin Australia Business Flyer. We encourage you to refer to our Velocity Partners website for current opportunities to earn Velocity Points for your individual traveller account in the immediate term.
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My business is an existing accelerate member, do I keep my Pilot Gold benefits if they are still on my account?
If you have qualified for a Pilot Gold (by spending $2,000 in the first three months of joining accelerate) but have not used this benefit, this benefit will carry over to your Virgin Australia Business Flyer account. Please email [email protected] with the full name, position within the company and Velocity Frequent Flyer numbers of the team member that you would like to allocate your two complimentary Pilot Gold memberships to.
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I am an existing accelerate member, will I get a new Pilot Gold allotment if I have already redeemed this benefit?
If you have already used your Pilot Gold allotment you will not be provided with this benefit again.
Virgin Australia Business Flyer Partner Offers
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How can Virgin Australia Business Flyer members access partner offers?
Virgin Australia Business Flyer members can log into the Rewards Portal and click on the link to Partners & Offers. Members will then be redirected to the offers page.
Retail Offers
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Which Virgin Australia Business Flyer account role can log into the Rewards Portal and start shopping to earn points?
Only Virgin Australia Business Flyer administrators are able to make purchases via the Rewards Portal and earn points.
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Points have been pending for over 60 days, why haven’t they been cleared yet?
Please contact us via [email protected] and supply the following information:
- ABN
- Company name
- Shopper name
- Email address
- Retailer purchase was made at
- Date of transaction
- Transaction amount
- Proof of purchase
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Can Virgin Australia Business Flyer members also earn individual Velocity points?
Depends on the offer, please check the retailer T&C's
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Where will Virgin Australia Business Flyer members see their points balance?
Points will be reflected in your Points Activity in the Rewards Portal. Transactions can take up to 60 days to reflect in your activity statement.
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Can Virgin Australia Business Flyer members shop in store (for the eligible retailers) and still earn points?
No. Virgin Australia Business Flyer members must shop via the Rewards Portal to be eligible to earn points.
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Are there any ineligible transactions that will not earn points for online retailers?
There could be. Please review each retailer's purchase conditions, which are regularly updated with purchase restrictions and information regarding points eligibility.
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What happens when a transaction is cancelled?
Only approved and final transactions will appear in your Points Activity. If a transaction is cancelled the points will not be credited to your account.
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What happens if a retailer cancels a transaction?
If the transaction is cancelled after 60 days, then any points related to that purchase will be deducted from your account.
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Can points be retrospectively claimed from online retailers?
No, all purchases must be made via the Virgin Australia Business Flyer Rewards Portal to earn points. Purchases made directly with the retailer are not eligible to earn points.
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Does the Virgin Australia Business Flyer program negotiate offers directly with retail merchants for their members?
No. Virgin Australia Business Flyer works with their partner Collinson who source and manage all retail offers on behalf of the program.
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How do online retail merchants know Virgin Australia Business Flyer member and will be earning points for my transactions?
Our partner Collinson uses cookies during your session to track your purchase. To earn points, check that your cookies are turned on before you shop. If you decide to stop shopping and come back later, make sure you access the merchant’s store through the Virgin Australia Business Flyer Rewards Portal to start the session again.
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Why are purchases tracked during each shopping session with online retail merchants?
Shopping sessions are tracked to ensure that points are earned for each transaction. You can update your preferences at any time by going to your browser settings and selecting the option to review privacy and security.
Enquiries and support
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Where can I get more information or help?
Here are some useful links for more information about the program:
- Business booking portal
- Business booking portal user guide
- Rewards portal
- Rewards portal user guide
- Travel agents can find more information in our agency hub.
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Can’t find what you’re looking for?
If you have any questions please contact our team via email at [email protected] or via phone on 1300 246 498.
Thank you for choosing to partner with Virgin Australia Business Flyer.