How to earn 290 Velocity status credits cost effectively and quickly?

Frequent Flyer Programs
#1

Hi folks,
I normally travel between Sydney and Dublin twice a year, this along with a number of domestic Australian flights has always been enough to keep me as a gold status velocity member. This year I used some points to fly business class to Dublin with virgin/Etihad and collected no status credits. I will be travelling to Dublin at Christmas and it looks like I will drop out of gold unless I earn 292 points before September. What is the quickest domestic route to rack up the points as I don’t think I could cope not having lounge access outside Australia

Many thanks for your reply’s

#2

Hi AusDub,

292 Status Credits before September is an awful lot of SC’s. It would take you two return Business Class flights to somewhere like Perth or NZ to get those SCs at a cost of at least a couple of thousand dollars (you can sometimes snaffle Business Class seats to NZ for $1200 return or less if you’re lucky).

I would suggest that doing it that way, just to get lounge access, is not good value for money. What would be a lot cheaper for you is simply purchasing lounge access.

Have a look at the Priority Pass Lounge program, which may well suit your needs nicely for a fraction of the cost of picking up the SCs through flying. Alternatively there’s the American Express Platinum card, which costs more (though still considerably less than the cost of two Business return flights!) but also gives the cardholder Priority Pass access and comes with a whole lot of extra perks including domestic Virgin lounge access.

Let us know what you decide!

#3

I know it doesn’t answer your question but how do you fly virgin to Dublin?  Can you use velocity on ETIHAD?

#4