Virgin joins rush to reward the fully vaccinated

Virgin Australia has joined Qantas in offering rewards for vaccination, but not every entrant will get a prize.

Virgin Australia has jumped on board the vaccination program, in the hope of getting borders open and people flying again. Picture: Nikki Short/NCA NewsWire

Virgin Australia has joined the campaign to get the country vaccinated as soon as possible, offering $150,000 worth of “prizes” for those who have had the double jab.

Unlike Qantas, not every entrant will be rewarded, nor will they need to show proof of vaccination to enter.

Among the prizes on offer, are a million Velocity frequent flyer points, business class flights, lounge memberships and pyjama sets.

Those who wish to enter need only go to the Virgin “vax and win” website, insert their details and Velocity membership number, and tick the box to confirm their Covid vaccination status.

The competition will remain open until the end of the year, with winners to be notified on January 13.

Winners will need to show proof of vaccination to claim their prize.

Virgin is also giving fully vaccinated employees a shot at prizes including a holiday to Hamilton Island, additional annual leave, business class flights and lounge membership.

The airline has set November 15 as the deadline for all frontline workers to be fully vaccinated, and March 31, 2022 for the rest of the workforce.

Chief executive Jayne Hrdlicka said the competitions recognised that vaccination was Australia’s ticket to freedom.

“Vaccination is our way back to the things we love and the people we miss, and most importantly, it’s the only way we can protect the lives and livelihoods of all Australians” said Ms Hrdlicka.

“We are all in this together and the sooner we are vaccinated to the thresholds required by government, the sooner we can return to a quality way of life that includes travelling freely within our own country and abroad.”

With more than 1,000 staff currently stood down, and flying at about 25 per cent of pre-Covid capacity, Ms Hrdlicka said it was important to reach vaccination thresholds “as soon as possible”.

“We’re proud to play our part in adding to the benefits of getting vaccinated,” she said.

“We all have a role to play in ensuring our country is safe and we can return to our basic freedoms and all the jobs and prosperity that come with that.”

Within the first eight hours of the competition, more than 50,000 entries were received, making the promotion the most successful in Virgin Australia’s history.

Since launching its vaccine rewards campaign last Tuesday, Qantas has had more than 170,000 people upload their vaccination certificate to the airline’s app in return for either 1000 frequent flyer points, 15 status credits or $20 off their next flight.

As a result, the airline distributed more than 120 million frequent flyer points in a week, the largest single allocation of points in Qantas’ history.

Everyone participating in the vaccine rewards campaign would go into the draw for one of ten “mega prizes” including a year’s worth of free flights, plus free hotel accommodation and free fuel.

Both Qantas and Virgin are hoping that state borders will reopen throughout the country once the vaccination level reaches 70 per cent, expected some time in late October or November.

That could be followed by an international border reopening in December, when the vaccination level is expected to hit 80 per cent.