a day ago
Virgin Australia to open 1-point store in Sydney this week to encourage Velocity Point sign ups as battle of the airlines heats up
Virgin Australia's Velocity Frequent Flyer 1 Point Rewards Store is returning for 2025 after thousands queued down Melbourne's Chapel Street for its debut in 2023.
The pop-up stores allow customers with Velocity Frequent Flyer accounts to redeem 1 Velocity Frequent Flyer point for a reward of their choice, with headphones and Virgin Australia flights among the products up for grabs.
Cabin crew will also be on hand to guide members through the experience.
The airline said members need to have their Velocity Frequent Flyer cards and the mobile app on hand to take part.
CEO of Velocity Frequent Flyer Nick Rohrlach said the aim of the program was to get rewards into people's pockets so that they did not have to wait long to earn the next reward or flight.
'Velocity is all about getting our members to rewards faster and the 1 Point Rewards Store puts the spotlight on that,' Mr Rohrlach said.
He went onto say that the ways in which people could earn points were just limited to booking flights with Virgin Australia or partner airlines.
'With Velocity, earning Points is easy and fast. You don't need to spend big or wait long for your next reward – spending daily on things like your morning coffee, a tank of fuel, weekly grocery shop or mobile phone bill could get you there in no time,' he said.
While rivals Qantas allow their frequent flyers to collect points at Woolworths or though Accor Hotels, Velocity points can be collected at places including Coles supermarkets, 7 Elevens and shopping at Myer department stores or via the click and collect service.
But Frequent Flyer schemes have come under the microscope as to whether they offer value for money, with Qantas recently announcing changes to its scheme which saw an increase the number of points people need to earn in order to redeem on domestic and international flights.
According to Australian Frequent Flyer, the best loyalty scheme that offers value for money is Virgin Atlantic's scheme, with the British airline offering an exchange rate of 2.1 cents per dollar.
The airline does not fly to Australia but relies on partner airlines to offer services Down Under.
When the pop up store opened in Melbourne in 2023, the store rapidly sold out - with hundreds queueing down Chapel Street to secure a bargain.
According to Virgin, people who do not have any Velocity Points will be given the opportunity to earn points at the stores, with the Sydney store opening at 8am.
For Queenslanders and Victorians an opportunity to experience the stores will be offered at a date yet to be confirmed.
