Frequent Flyer Upgrades
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Upgrading your flight is one of the best ways to use your frequent flyer points. We overview Australia’s two leading frequent flyer programs from Virgin Australia and Qantas to show you how it all works.
The number of points you’ll need depends on the fare you’ve purchased and the distance you’re travelling. Premium economy tickets and flexible fares in economy require fewer points, while the cheaper tickets require more.
Virgin Australia Velocity Upgrades
Virgin Australia has created a suite of upgrade products, UpgradeMe, which enables you to experience the comfort and style of Virgin’s Premium Economy and Business Class cabins in three ways:
- UpgradeMe Points
- UpgradeMe Platinum Member Offer
- UpgradeMe Premium Bid
With the UpgradeMe Premium Bid, you can make an offer of your choosing for the chance to upgrade to a higher cabin class. UpgradeMe Premium Bid complements Velocity Frequent Flyer’s existing upgrades options, including upgrade using points via UpgradeMe Points, and complimentary fare upgrades via UpgradeMe Platinum Member Offer.
All upgrades are subject to Business Class or Premium Economy Reward Seat availability.
Qantas Frequent Flyer Upgrades
Flight upgrades are a great way to make the most of your points and your journey. A savvy way to use your points is to buy an economy ticket that's upgradable (not all of them are), and use your points to apply for an upgrade.
This has been made more appealing now that Qantas processes upgrade requests at literally the last minute, right up to the departure gate, instead of closing its books several hours before the flight departs. They can also cater for upgrading just one leg of a two-flight trip.
Qantas have created an upgrade calculator (note Frequent Flyer changes which are effective as of 1 July 2014) which makes the job easier for you to calculate how many points are needed to upgrade.
For any questions or advice on the Qantas Frequent Flyer program, call our Frequent Flyer Experts on 1300 735 896.