VIRGIN AUSTRALIA: New Platinum Plus — because Platinum Just wasn’t enough

If you thought you’d reached the pinnacle of Velocity frequent flyer glory with a Platinum status, think again. Virgin Australia is adding a new shiny tier above Platinum. Their PR department was obviously out of inspiration and has named it Platinum Plus.

Set to launch in October 2025 this is Virgin’s first new status level in over a decade​. Does Velocity/Virgin Australia really need another status tier? Apparently, Virgin thinks it does. Mainly because Qantas has one with Platinum One.

Meet Platinum Plus – the new top tier

Think of Platinum Plus as an equivalent tier to Qantas’s Platinum One. It’s a level for the overachievers, the people who rack up flights like they’re going out of style. Seriously – to qualify for Platinum Plus, you’ll need to amass a whopping 2,000 Status Credits in a 12-month period. A leastt 1,500 of those earned on Virgin Australia’s own flights​

For context, regular Platinum usually takes 1,000 Status Credits to earn, so Virgin is literally doubling down here.

Platinum Plus is truly for its most loyal flyers. You can’t reach this tier just by hopping on partner airlines or gaming the system with credit card points transfers. Nope, you’ll have to fly Virgin, a lot, to join this exclusive club.

What’s in for you if you do hit that lofty target? Well, quite a lot, but maybe not as much as you would have hoped.

Perks of being Platinum Plus

Here’s what you can look forward to as a newly minted top-tier flyer (better already have an ego the size of a jumbo jet):

• Ultimate VIP Treatment: If there’s a line, you’re at the front of it. We’re talking the highest priority for check-in, boarding, security, you name it​.
• Gift a Platinum Membership to Your +1: You can gift a Companion Platinum membership to a friend or family member​. You get to play airline loyalty Santa and make someone else an instant Virgin Australia Platinum. Not Platinum Plus, mind you. The downside is for regular Platinum members who can now only gift Gold status.
• Free Business Class Upgrades: (even on cheaper fares). You get the same number of upgrades (four) as ordinary Platinum status but you can use them even on a Choice fare, not just the more expensive Flex fares. That means you won’t have to buy the priciest economy tickets to get a free upgrade to the pointy end of the plane.
• Fly Later: Now, you can change your flight to an earlier or later one without change fees, subject to availability.
• Huge Baggage Allowance: You could move house with up to five bags, at 32kg each. That’s 160kg of luggage,
• Priority Phone Service: You’ll have access to a dedicated priority phone line based in Australia​. When things go wrong (flight cancellations, we’re looking at you), this perk could save your day – and your sanity.
• Exclusive Events and Offers: Virgin is promising that Platinum Plus will come with invites to special events, exclusive offers, and even gifts throughout the year​. Virgin wants to build a bit of a pampered fan club around its highest-tier members. You might be comparing luggage tags with other Platinum Plus members.

Platinum Plus comes with all the standard perks Platinum members already enjoy (lounge access, priority upgrades, bonus points – the usual suspects), plus these new benefits outlined above.

It’s a solid haul of benefits. But wait – this story isn’t all champagne and roses. We need to talk about what happens to those who don’t climb to Platinum Plus, i.e. the regular Platinums, and why some of them should be a bit miffed.

The Catch: What Platinum Plus Means for Regular Platinums

Here’s where things get interesting (and controversial amongst frequent flyer nerds). By creating Platinum Plus, Virgin Australia is taking away a couple of perks that Platinum members used to have.

• No More Gifting Platinum Status to a friend or partner. It’s a bit of a bummer for the ultra-loyal Plats who worked hard to share the love, but Virgin is clearly using this as a dangling carrot to lure you to Platinum One.
• Tougher Rules for Gifting Gold Status: To gift a companion Gold membership, Platinum members will now need to ensure at least 650 of their yearly 1,300 Status Credits come from flying on Virgin Australia​. In the past, a Plat could earn 1,300 Status Credits by any mix of partner flights, credit card points conversions, etc., and that would trigger a Gold gift. No longer.
• Gold Members Lose guarantee: Virgin is scrapping the Guaranteed Economy Reward Seat benefit for Gold members​. This is no great loss, as, although it sounds great on paper, no one was actually using it. Less than a hundred Gold members took advantage of this benefit last year. The benefit ends as of October 2025.

2PAXfly Takeout

All these changes officially kick in from 1 October 2025​, so Virgin Australia is giving everyone plenty of notice. So if you’re a current Platinum member eyeing these developments, you might be feeling a mix of FOMO and relief. FOMO, because Platinum Plus does come with undeniably nice extras that you won’t get at plain Platinum. Relief, because if you’re not willing or able to double your flying, you’re still keeping your core perks.

So, is Platinum Plus a game-changer? For Virgin Australia’s most devoted flyers, yes. If you’re flying enough to hit 2,000 Status Credits a year, you probably deserve that VIP treatment and flexibility. For road warriors and frequent flyers, these touches make the travel grind a lot more bearable. And the companion Platinum gift could earn you some serious brownie points with a loved one or colleague.

This new Platinum Plus tier now makes the Velocity frequent flyer scheme mirror that of its rival Qantas, and that will increase its competitiveness.

Safe travels, and see you in the lounge – I’ll be the one admiring your Platinum Plus luggage tags from afar.