How to Audit Your Points and Status

If your points are spread across a few airline and bank programs, the odds are you do not have a clear picture of what you hold, what tier you are tracking towards, or what is quietly about to expire. A twice-yearly audit fixes that in about an hour. It’s the simplest way to stop points lapsing and to know whether a status run is worth chasing. Here is how to run one.

List every program where you hold value

Start by recognising that your value sits in two layers. Airline programs hold points you can redeem for flights: Qantas, Velocity, KrisFlyer, and any partner programs you have dabbled in. Bank rewards programs hold a separate pool that has to be transferred to an airline before it can fly. This includes American Express Membership Rewards, ANZ Rewards, Westpac Altitude Rewards, NAB Rewards, and the Amplify Rewards family. Add the everyday earners, such as Flybuys feeding Velocity and Everyday Rewards feeding Qantas, plus any hotel balances.

We recommend writing every one of them down. The whole point of the audit is that scattered value is easy to forget, and forgotten value is exactly what expires.

Check each balance and its expiry clock

This is the part with money on the line, because each program expires points differently and the differences trip people up. Qantas Points expire after 18 months of account inactivity, with any earning or redeeming activity resetting the clock. Velocity Points expire after 24 months of account inactivity, but there is a trap worth flagging. Earning Status Credits and moving points through Family Pooling or transfers do not count as account activity for expiry, so a member who flies often but never earns or redeems Points directly can still lapse. KrisFlyer miles are stricter again. They run on a fixed three-year expiry that account activity does not reset, with miles dropping off in monthly batches three years after you earn them.

So the balance check is really an expiry triage. Note the next expiry date for each program and flag anything falling inside the next few months. The official Qantas Points expiry page and our own points expiry guide set out the rules in full if you need to confirm a date.

Bank rewards points need their own line in the audit because they do not behave like airline points. They are forfeited if you close the card they sit on, and several programs apply their own expiry or inactivity rules on top, so a balance you assumed was sitting safely can be more exposed than the points already in your frequent flyer account. Note where each bank balance sits and roughly how large it is. Also note whether anything, such as a card you are about to cancel or a program rule, puts it at risk. That way, the audit flags it while you can still act.

Check your status and where you sit against the next tier

Separately from points, look at your status. The two big local programs measure status differently. Qantas uses a fixed membership year with Status Credit targets that reset annually, while Velocity uses a rolling 365-day balance recalculated daily. Knowing where you sit and how many Status Credits you are short helps you judge your options. It tells you whether a year-end run is worth booking or a lost cause. Our Velocity status guide covers how the rolling balance is assessed.

For Velocity in particular, look beyond the raw number. Since the rules changed in October 2025, at least half of the Status Credits used to reach Silver, Gold or Platinum must come from Virgin Australia marketed or operated flights you fly yourself. So a balance padded out by partner flying or pooling may not qualify you even when the total looks high enough. Reading the gap correctly, rather than just the headline balance, is what tells you whether the run is worth booking.

Do not forget the lifetime tallies running quietly underneath your annual status. Qantas Lifetime Silver, Gold and Platinum require 7,000, 14,000 and 75,000 Status Credits respectively. Velocity’s Forever Gold requires 12,000 Status Credits earned since February 2013. These never reset, so it is worth recording your number even if the milestone is years away.

Decide what the audit is telling you to do

An audit is only useful if it drives a decision. Each of the most common outcomes has a straightforward next step. If something is about to expire, make a small qualifying transaction, transfer or redemption to reset an inactivity clock, or use a hard-expiry balance before it lapses. If you are holding duplicate accounts in the same program, consolidate them so points and status are not split across two records. Note that Qantas handles this through its service centre after identity checks rather than through a self-service merge tool. If bank points are sitting idle, decide whether to hold them for a specific redemption or move them. Keep in mind that transfer bonuses come and go, and that some transfers are not instant. And if a status run is within reach, book the flying while the window is open.

Keep a simple record and set a reminder

Build a one-line-per-program record with the program name, membership number, current balance, current tier, and next expiry date. A note or a spreadsheet is plenty. Set a calendar reminder to repeat the audit in six months, and always run it before a large redemption so you are not caught short or surprised by an expiry. There is no official dashboard that shows all Australian programs at once, so a manual record is the most reliable option. Our overview of Qantas and Velocity partners is a useful reference when you are mapping where each balance can be spent.

Frequently asked questions