Five top hacks to earning more rewards on international work trips

Even experienced Business Flyer members are always looking for the best ways to maximise their Points earn.

Henry Coles, Head of Airline Partnerships Virgin Australia, has spent his entire career working for airlines including Air New Zealand and Qatar Airways. The question he gets asked most at dinners is, ‘what’s your own Points strategy?’ Here, Henry shares his five top hacks, from the ground up.

1. Choose the right airline eco-system for your travel

Most business travellers tend to fly the same routes frequently. Look at which airlines dominate those routes and which airlines they partner with.

“Tight schedules, long flights, back-to-back meetings—business travel can be both rewarding and challenging. Which means efficiency and comfort are paramount, so the perks available to frequent flyers are game-changers,” says Henry.

Airline partnerships work by bringing together a global network of airlines which offer passengers seamless travel across a vast network of destinations and time zones. They give travellers connected flights and easy transfers which best suit you.

“It’s about more choices and an enhanced travel experience.”

2. Join a Frequent Flyer Program

While you can earn Points across many airlines, it’s best to focus on one frequent flyer program.  Virgin Australia has two. Both are free, complement each other and enable you to maximise the Points you earn for business and as an individual traveller.

Virgin Australia Business Flyer is a loyalty program designed for small to medium businesses.⁹ It delivers value through access to exclusive discounts on eligible flights plus rewards your business as your flight spend increases. You’ll also have the opportunity to earn Velocity Points for your business through flights and partner offers¹, which can then be used to offset the costs of future flights².

Velocity Frequent Flyer  is a loyalty program for individual travellers, providing opportunity to earn personal rewards including Points and Status Credits as a traveller, including when travelling for work.³

The programs work together, so that your business¹ and your travellers³ are rewarded for the same trip.

Virgin Australia’s hand-picked international partners Air New Zealand, Qatar Airways, United Airlines, Singapore Airlines and Air Canada are a handpicked portfolio of international airlines with the best product and best service.

“And, most importantly, the best footprint in Australia to maximise connectivity and the best path for Business Flyer and Velocity members to have their loyalty rewarded and recognised when travelling internationally,” says Henry.

Our firm belief at Virgin Australia? That the offering we have for Business Flyers and Velocity members is first in class.

“Each of our partners in their own market has extensive frequency, breadth of network and connections from points in Australia to points around the world. And the quality of onboard product is particularly important for Business Flyers when we look at Premium cabins, service and reliability.”

Booking and managing your international business flights can be done all in one place with the Business Booking Portal: “It’s easy and convenient.”

3. Work toward top tier Status

Elite status in any frequent flyer program opens up a whole new world of exclusive perks, from lounge access to priority boarding and complimentary upgrades. Since benefits often extend across partners, achieving it with one airline can unlock benefits across all partner airlines.

For example, Velocity Frequent Flyers at Gold Status and above can leverage international lounge access ⁴ with select international partners, and Velocity members from Silver Status and above can earn bonus Points when travelling with select partner airlines⁵.

“First and foremost, concentrate on the earn side,” says Henry.

Begin by earning in the air on your business trips. “A lot of people don’t take advantage of the opportunity to earn Points. So one of the simplest, best bits of advice is to always enter your Velocity Frequent Flyer number when booking flights with our international airline partners.”

As a Business Flyer member, you—and your team will earn Points and discounts if you’re travelling internationally for work. You’ll save up to 10% on international fares⁶ and move up Virgin Australia Business Flyer tiers faster⁷.

And being a Business Flyer member maximises your Points earn. Think earning Points for your business to bank additional Points on long haul trips (up to 2 points per $1 spend) plus Velocity Points for the traveller³.

“Having the International Partners in the Business Flyer program unlocks rewards for small businesses and travellers when flying on our partner network,” says Henry.

“You’ll be maximising the great ecosystem within Virgin Australia’s Business Flyer and Velocity.”

4. Leverage Points earned from business travel to book international flights for work or fun

Once you’ve earned Points from flying for business and through our range of everyday business partners, you have the power to redeem them on all of our international partner airlines for leisure or when travelling again for business.

“You’ve already reduced travel expenses for your business without compromising on value, choice and experience,” says Henry.

“Now you can reinvest them. One option is to transfer all your Points earned from travelling for business into your personal Velocity account.⁸ Pool all your points together and use them to book rewards seats with our international partner airlines.”

From a rewards perspective, “there is a lot of availability around our Partners,” says Henry. “Just keep an eye out for what’s out there. It’s easy to search for reward seats on the Virgin Australia website—sometimes you just need to be a little flexible with dates and plan in advance to make the most of the availability.”

5. Redeem Points to reward your team or offset future travel expenses

“There is the option for the business to transfer Points to an individual Velocity member as reward and recognition as gifts,” says Henry.⁸

“And the best thing about that is the Points can then be used with any of the Velocity partners. Redemption options range from everyday shopping opportunities including gift cards, electronics, experiences, you name it.”

Points can also be used to offset future flight costs, through Points Plus Pay², available through the Virgin Australia Business Flyer Booking Portal.

Learn more about our range of Hand-picked International Partner airlines here.

Not a member of Business Flyer yet? Join for free here.⁹