Want to enjoy VIP perks whenever you fly with Virgin Australia? You’ll need to build up your Status Credits balance. This usually means flying on Virgin Australia and partner airlines. But you can also pick up some extra Status Credits on the side with Flybuys by shopping at Coles, Liquorland and First Choice Liquor.

While those Status Credits will not amount to much on their own, they will come in very handy if you find yourself just short of reaching or requalifying for your Velocity status.

Virgin Australia Adelaide Lounge Launch official photos - seating
Gold and Platinum members enjoy Virgin lounge access before a flight.

Want to learn more about Status Credits? Check out our video below:

Maximising Status Credits earn by grocery shopping

You can usually earn one Status Credit for every $100 spent at Coles, Coles Online, Liquorland and First Choice Liquor. Just scan your Flybuys card (which is linked to your Velocity account).

At the end of every month, your total eligible spend across the shops are tallied up. You will earn one Status Credit for every whole $100 spent (no partial credits are awarded). Individual transactions do not need to be above $100 – they will all be added together.

Coles Truck and Store Official
Shopping at Coles is the easiest way to earn Velocity Status Credits.

There is a limit of 10 Status Credits per month (from spending $1,000). Over 12 months, you would be able to earn a maximum of 120 Status Credits from a $12,000 spend. These sorts of figures are definitely doable for a large family.

Occasionally, Velocity runs bonus Status Credits offers. You could earn 2x or 4x Status Credits per $100 for that month. In those cases, there may be a higher maximum limit in place for that promotion.

You can’t earn Status Credits on tobacco, gift card purchases and charity donations. But alcohol purchases are included, so feel free to stock up your cellar.

Velocity usually posts the Status Credits within one week after the end of the month. You’ll see the entries appear as Flybuys Status Credit earn.

You can see that I earned a total of 7 Status Credits this month, including 3 from my Family Pooling co-member

As usual, you’ll continue to earn one Flybuys point per dollar spent at these stores when scanning your Flybuys card. Every 1,000 Flybuys points can be converted to 500 Velocity Points. Our guide to the Velocity-Flybuys partnership is the go-to place for more information on that unique redemption option.

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Why should I earn Status Credits at Coles?

A couple who spends $115/week on groceries at Coles and $40/month at Liquorland, and scans their Flybuys card on every transaction, can expect to receive 5 Status Credits for that month (or up to 20 if there are bonus offers). If they keep that up for a whole year, that’s already 60 Status Credits just from their standard monthly shop, not including any special promotions.

Velocity Frequent Flyer Status | Point Hacks
Velocity Gold is easy to pick up with Family Pooling.

Assuming one of them is trying to maintain Velocity Gold status (400 Status Credits), this means they are already 15% there without setting foot on a plane.

To put it into perspective, 60 Status Credits is the equivalent of six return Sydney-Melbourne trips on the cheapest Economy fare, so it does reduce the amount of flying you would otherwise need to do.

How to earn Velocity Status Credits by shopping at Coles

  1. Sign up for Flybuys if you have not already.
  2. Also join Velocity Frequent Flyer if you do not yet have an account.
  3. Link your Flybuys and Velocity accounts to your Velocity membership.
  4. Scan your Flybuys card whenever shopping at Coles, Liquorland or First Choice Liquor.
Link flybuys Velocity

Watch this video to learn more about Flybuys:

Summing up

If you don’t already shop with Flybuys and you want to achieve or maintain Velocity status, then I’d certainly recommend switching some of your shop to Coles, Liquorland and First Choice Liquor (assuming prices are similar to what you’re currently paying).

The Status Credits do add up over a year. Not having to fly as much to earn or maintain status is handy! Flybuys also allows you to transfer your points to Velocity for Virgin Australia and partner airline redemptions, which is one of the best uses of Flybuys points.

The important thing is to try not to let this change your spending habits too much. Just buy what you would normally get, and take the Status Credits as a bonus on the side.

How to earn Velocity Status Credits with Flybuys was last modified: September 21st, 2023 by Evin Tan Khiew