Virgin Australia partners with Luxury Escapes for Velocity Points

Virgin Australia has nabbed Qantas’ travel partner in a move that will see its points members travelling for a lot less.

Virgin Australia has nabbed Qantas’ travel partner in a move that will see its points members travelling for a lot less.

Virgin Australia has nabbed Qantas’ travel partner in a move that will see its points members potentially travelling for a lot less.

As of June 30 this year, Qantas’ partnership with Luxury Escapes – one of the world’s fastest growing travel companies — will come to an end.

The premium travel packager has now switched to an exclusive loyalty tie-up with Virgin Australia’s Velocity Frequent Flyer program.

It will see Velocity’s 11 million members and Luxury Escapes’ 3 million Aussie customers earn and redeem points on luxury holiday packages, hotels, cruises, tours and experiences.

Velocity Frequent Flyer CEO, Nick Rohrlach said the move is set to be one of “the most exciting travel partnerships to launch this year”.

Virgin Australia swoops on Luxury Escapes in new deal as Qantas’ partnership with the travel company comes to an end mid this year. Picture: iStock

“We know that Australians are feeling the pinch of the rising cost of living, and this is another way our members may be able to use Velocity Points to drive their dollar further when booking their next holiday,” Mr Rohrlach said in a statement.

“We are incredibly focused on providing our members more ways to redeem Points by unlocking new partnerships and rewards that have significant value and meaning to them.”

The earn rates will be revealed when the partnership launches mid-year, but as a benchmark, the current Qantas-Luxury Escapes partnership sets an earn rate of 1 Qantas Point per dollar on most packages.

Qantas’s five year partnership with Luxury Escapes will end on June 30. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Geraghty

“At Luxury Escapes, we have an unwavering commitment to provide our members with the best experience, quality and value possible,” Luxury Escapes CEO and Co-Founder, Adam Schwab said about the new partnership.

“Velocity shares this commitment, and we are thrilled to be partnering together to bring the best of both brands to Australian travellers.”

According to Luxury Escapes recent Travel Trends Report, nine in 10 Australians plan to travel either domestically or internationally in 2023.

Qantas Frequent Flyer members can continue to earn 1 Qantas Point per dollar on most packages until Virgin takes over the partnership in June. Picture: Luxury Escapes

“We know our customers will embrace the fantastic rewards that Velocity brings to the partnership, from expanded earn and redemption opportunities to a suite of Velocity benefits for eligible members, such as complimentary Lounge access, priority boarding, preferential seating and higher checked baggage allowances, we can’t wait to welcome a new era in travel for all our members,” Mr Schwab said.

Meanwhile, Qantas Frequent Flyer members can continue to earn 1 Qantas Point per dollar on most packages. When its five-year partnership comes to an end, it will still have TripADeal in its stable, which specialises in holiday packages with flights included.

The airline also launched its own Qantas Luxury Holidays (luxury holiday packages exclusive to Qantas) and Qantas Tours (premium private or small group tour packages) earlier this year, which have an earn rate of 3 Qantas Points per dollar spent.

Qantas frequent flyers can also earn and use Qantas Points on more than 460,000 hotels worldwide with Qantas Hotels (earn rate of 3 Qantas points per dollar spent).