Qantas Points vs Velocity Points: which to earn

How do you earn Qantas Points?

Qantas lists flights, hotels and accommodation, credit cards, banking and home loans, everyday shopping, insurance, home utilities, car, and holidays and experiences as the categories where members collect Qantas Points. [2] Two everyday rates are stated plainly on the earn page: hotel stays booked through qantas.com/hotels pay 3 Qantas Points per A$1 spent unless otherwise specified, excluding Classic Hotel Rewards and Airbnb bookings, with Points Club members earning 25% more and Points Club Plus members 50% more, credited within eight weeks of check-out. [2] Qantas Wine purchases pay 1 Qantas Point per dollar, or 3 Qantas Points per dollar for Qantas Wine Premium members, with up to six weeks allowed for the points to appear. [2]

Groceries run through Everyday Rewards: once a member has chosen to earn Qantas Points, pressing "boost" in the Everyday Rewards app before shopping helps earn six times more Everyday Rewards points to convert across faster. [2] Members can also buy Top-up Points and transfer Qantas Points instantly to eligible family members who are also Qantas Frequent Flyer members. [1] Shopping with Qantas and its partners on a Qantas Points earning credit card earns points twice on the same purchase. [2]

How do you earn Velocity Points?

Velocity pays 4 Velocity Points per $1 spent on the all-inclusive fare for eligible Virgin Australia domestic and international short-haul flights booked from 2 April 2025, rising to 5 Velocity Points per $1 for eligible Velocity Points earning credit cardholders who earned points on that card in the 12 months before travel. [3] Silver members earn a 50% bonus on those flights, Gold members 75%, and Platinum and Platinum Plus members 100%, and the bonus does not apply to Economy Lite fares. [3] The all-inclusive fare covers the base fare, taxes including GST, fees and carrier charges, but not extras such as seat selection or additional baggage. [3]

Outside Virgin Australia, members earn on eligible flights with airline partners, and the base rate depends on the airline partner, route and fare class, with tier bonuses of up to 50%, 75% and 100% for Silver, Gold, and Platinum or Platinum Plus members respectively. [3] Car rental partners follow the same pattern, with the base rate set by the partner and the rental location. [3] Velocity also accepts transfers of rewards points from eligible partners including selected retailers, hotel partners and credit card partners, and members short of a reward can buy the difference through Points Booster, subject to minimum and maximum purchase limits. [3]

Which programme names more airline partners?

Qantas routes multi-airline travel through oneworld Classic Flight Rewards, which it describes as covering 1,000 destinations, with bookings that fly to five or fewer cities on two or more oneworld airlines. [1] Qantas also offers Classic Upgrade Rewards on Classic Flight Rewards in Economy and Premium Economy, on Classic Plus Flight Rewards in those cabins, and on eligible paid and confirmed Qantas domestic and international flights with a QF flight number, plus codeshare flights operated by another carrier that carry a QF flight number. [1]

Velocity names United Airlines, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines and Air Canada among its airline partners on the earn page, alongside car rental and everyday partners. [3] For an Australian earner, the practical difference is where the flights sit: a Qantas Points balance reaches oneworld carriers through Classic Flight Rewards [1], while Velocity Points are earned directly on eligible Virgin Australia flights and on the named partner airlines, with the rate set by partner, route and fare class. [3]

What do taxes and fees add to a reward booking?

Qantas states that on Classic Flight Reward flights, taxes, fees and carrier charges are payable to Qantas by an accepted payment card in addition to the points required, and that both the points required and those charges are subject to change and quoted at the time of booking. [1] Velocity states that taxes, fees and carrier charges are payable in addition to the points required, are quoted at the time of booking and are subject to change. [3]

Both sets of terms describe the points price and the charges as liable to change, so a reward booked today can cost a different number of points and a different cash amount than the same reward did previously. [1] [3]

When does each currency win?

• Velocity Points, for regular Virgin Australia flyers with a Velocity card. The earn rate on eligible short-haul flights booked from 2 April 2025 is 5 Velocity Points per $1 for eligible Velocity Points earning credit cardholders against 4 base points per $1, before tier bonuses. [3]
• Velocity Points, for households. Family Pooling takes up to six Velocity members living at the same address, of whom no more than two can be adults aged 18 or over and up to four can be children, provided the pool is set up before the points or Status Credits are earned. [3]
• Qantas Points, for everyday Australian spending. Hotels booked through qantas.com/hotels at 3 Qantas Points per A$1 and Qantas Wine at 1 or 3 Qantas Points per dollar sit alongside insurance, home utilities, car and home loan earning routes. [2]
• Qantas Points, for multi-airline itineraries. oneworld Classic Flight Rewards is built for trips of five or fewer cities across two or more oneworld airlines, spread over 1,000 destinations. [1]

Exceptions and limits

• Qantas Classic Flight Rewards are subject to capacity controls, availability is limited, and some flights may not have any Classic Flight Rewards available at all. [1]
• Classic Upgrade Rewards are not available from all fare types and are subject to capacity controls and limited availability. [1]
• Points Plus Pay requires a redemption of at least 2,000 Qantas Points, is not available for Classic Hotel Rewards, and the remaining booking value must be paid with an accepted payment card such as Visa, Mastercard or American Express; points cannot be redeemed for hotel extras paid at check-in or check-out. [1]
• Qantas Business Rewards carries a one-off joining fee of $89.50 including GST, and a business account must hold at least 3,000 Qantas Points before points can be transferred to an individual member. [1] A Qantas Frequent Flyer joining fee may apply. [1]
• Points Club requires 150,000 Qantas Points in a membership year and is being retired by Qantas Loyalty from 8 December 2026; members who held or reached Points Club or Points Club Plus on or before that date keep their benefits until the end of their next membership year. [2]
• Velocity Points can expire after a period of account inactivity. Earning, redeeming or transferring points, receiving points from a Virgin Australia Business Flyer member, or buying points with Points Booster extends the expiry date by another 24 months, except that Family Pool transfers and Family Member Points transfers may extend it by up to one month, and points that have expired cannot be reinstated. [3]
• The Virgin Australia tier bonus does not apply to Economy Lite fares, and partner earn rates vary by airline partner, route and fare class. [3]

Frequently asked questions

How many Velocity Points do you earn per dollar on Virgin Australia flights?

4 Velocity Points per $1 spent on eligible domestic and international short-haul flights for bookings made from 2 April 2025, or 5 Velocity Points per $1 for eligible Velocity Points earning credit cardholders who earned points on the card in the previous 12 months, before tier bonuses. [3]

Do Velocity Points expire?

Yes, after a period of account inactivity. Earning, redeeming or transferring points extends the expiry date by another 24 months, while Family Pool transfers and inherited points may extend it by up to one month, and expired points cannot be reinstated. [3]

Can families combine Qantas Points or Velocity Points?

Qantas members can transfer Qantas Points instantly to eligible family members who are also Qantas Frequent Flyer members [1], while Velocity Family Pooling covers up to six members at one address, with a maximum of two adults, and must be set up before points or Status Credits are earned. [3]

Are taxes and carrier charges included in the points price?

No. Qantas charges taxes, fees and carrier charges in addition to the points required on Classic Flight Reward flights [1], and Velocity charges taxes, fees and carrier charges in addition to the points required for a reward. [3]

Related pages

Programmes: Qantas Frequent Flyer, Velocity Frequent Flyer. Cards: Qantas Points credit cards, Velocity Points credit cards. Guides: what are miles worth?, when not to redeem. Glossary: frequent flyer terms.

Sources

Sources accessed on 18 October 2026. Qantas Points and Velocity Points are the only currencies compared here; Air New Zealand Airpoints and international transfer currencies are not covered.

1. Qantas Frequent Flyer: Use Points, checked 18 October 2026
2. Qantas Frequent Flyer: Earn Points, checked 18 October 2026
3. Velocity Frequent Flyer: Earn Velocity Points, checked 18 October 2026