Qsuite with Virgin Australia: Is It Worth Your Velocity Points?

Thanks to its partnership with Qatar Airways, Virgin Australia is “back” with international long haul flights. But are these flights actually worth your hard-earned Velocity Points?

In this episode I chat with Chris Chamberlin (Senior News Editor, Point Hacks) who flew the inaugural VA-coded service to Doha on Qatar Airline’s Qsuite Business Class.

We cover:

• Which international Velocity redemptions offer the best value (hint: this flight is one of them)
• How the Virgin Australia flight differs from Qatar’s offering
• The quirks of wet-leasing and how it impacts amenities and lounge access
• How to stitch connections to Europe on one ticket.
• How to book VA coded flights between Australia and Doha using points, including alternatives to Velocity Points
• What’s next for Virgin Australia international long-haul

Key takeaways:

While I haven’t experienced Virgin Australia’s particular flavour of Qsuite, I have flown on a QA fare offering the same seat. I can assure you – it is phenomenal. For those who are wondering if Virgin Australia’s involvement affects the experience at all, Chris had this to say:

Honestly, the seat, the service is the same.

All they do on the Virgin Australia flight is put the Virgin logo on the food menu. But the menu is the same whether you fly Qatar or Virgin. Even the pyjamas say Qatar Airways.

As a Virgin Australia coded flight, it’s not surprising that the best way to book is through Velocity Frequent Flyer:

As far as I can see at the moment, the only way to book these flights as part of a journey through to Europe is through Velocity, which is fantastic news for Velocity members because it means there’s a lot less competition for those Qsuites out of Australia… so you can use Velocity points to kick on to Europe on the same ticket as a connection. If you’re in Business Class, it’s 158,500 points.

Further reading and helpful links:

Chris Chamberlin’s review of the Virgin Australia x Qatar Airways Boeing 777 Qsuite Business Class

Flying Qsuite: Qatar Airways vs Virgin Australia – what’s the difference?

Chris also spent some time in Doha after the flight. Read his suggestions for what to do during a Doha stopover.

Read about my own bizzare experience with Qatar Qsuites in 2024 -I was the only person on the flight!

Ready to book Qsuite with Virgin Australia or Qatar Airways? Credit card sign-up bonuses and point earning credit cards are often one of the most effective tools to boost your Velocity Point balance. Take a look at the card below or peruse our list of Velocity Point earning credit cards to find a card that suits your needs.

American Express Velocity Platinum

Find Out More & Apply

Read the guide

Sign-up Bonus:

Up to 100,000 bonus Velocity Points¹

Rewards Earn Rate:

1.25 Velocity Points earned per $1 on all eligible spend except for government bodies⁵. 2.25 Velocity Points per $1 spent on selected Virgin Australia purchases⁵. 0.5 Velocity Points per $1 on Government spend⁵

Annual Fee:

$440 p.a.

Offer expires

30 April 2026

The American Express Velocity Platinum Card has 70,000 bonus Velocity Points on offer for new American Express Card Members who apply, are approved and spend $5,000 on eligible purchases within the first 3 months of approval, plus an additional 30,000 Velocity Points when you spend a minimum of $1 on your Card within 90 days of paying your second year annual Card Fee¹. (Offer ends 30 April 2026. New Amex Card Members only. T&Cs apply.) Includes several perks such as Virgin Australia Lounge Access² every time you fly domestically with Virgin Australia, 2 VA Guest Lounge Passes³ each year and a Complimentary Domestic Return Virgin Australia Flight⁷.

Where to watch and listen

For the full experience, including additional tips and footage from our adventures, you can watch Point Hacks on our YouTube or Facebook pages. We also publish our key takeaways on Instagram and TikTok.

Prefer to listen? Point Hacks is now available in your favourite podcasting app including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Podbean, iHeartRadio, and good old fashion RSS.

Video and podcast produced by Tobias Venus. Chris Chamberlin travelled as a guest of Virgin Australia and Qatar Airways.