Velocity Frequent Flyer’s partnership with Ola has expanded to award elite status holders more Velocity Points on rideshares to and from the airport. Silver, Gold and Platinum members will now earn 3-4 points per $ spent, rather than the previous 2.
This Ola app is an alternative to Uber and has been aggressively marketing to the Australian public. In July 2019, it teamed up with Velocity.
Which airports does Ola operate to and from in Australia?
Ola rides are available at the following airports in Australia:
- Sydney
- Melbourne
- Brisbane
- Adelaide
- Perth
- Canberra
- Gold Coast
- Avalon
They operate three types of rides:
How many Velocity Points can I earn with Ola?
The amount of points per $ spent on rides depends on your Velocity status level.
| Velocity status level | Airport rides | All other rides |
|---|---|---|
| Bronze | 2 | 1 |
| Silver | 3 | 1 |
| Gold | 3.5 | 1 |
| Platinum | 4 | 1 |
Plus, first-time riders get:
- 1,000 bonus points on their first ride
- 30% off their rides (maximum $10 discount per ride) in the first two weeks from when they sign up
Points are credited within 14 days of making payment for your ride.
Ola discount codes [March 2020]
| Route | Discount | Maximum discount per ride | Promo code |
|---|---|---|---|
| To airport | 10% off | $50 | FLY |
| From airport | 10% off | $50 | LAND |
Source: Ola website
How to link your Ola and Velocity accounts
- Download the Ola app
- Go to the top left-hand corner
- Click on your name
- Click on Velocity Frequent Flyer
- Enter your name and Velocity Frequent Flyer membership number
Summing up
I’m a fan of Ola as I’ve found that they tend to offer lower rates than Uber. You can also pick up generous discount codes every now or then by keeping your ears out on social media and blogs like this one.
The fact that you can earn Velocity Points on all Ola rideshares (and at least double points to/from the airport), compared to Qantas’ partnership with Uber in which you only earn points to/from the airport, makes this a winner.
Make sure to compare all options in our master guide to earning points on rideshares.
You can refer your friends and family to Ola and earn each of you $20 credit.
Supplementary images courtesy Ola.
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From May 2023 Velocity and Ola ended their partnership. So no more points earning capacity there. Its a shame I discovered this after installing the app and signing up. Hopefully this will save others the trouble.
https://experience.velocityfrequentflyer.com/member-support/media-centre/2023/ola-partnership-update-may-2023
I’d second what Dan Carr said. Ola pays them better, costs me less and this is a great little bonus as a Velocity Platinum member.
I’d love to support Ola and as a Virgin flyer with Platinum status this sounds good; but after consistently waiting 10-15 mins for rides to the airport then the drivers taking odd routes or having other problems with the App it’s hard to give Ola another chance.
FWIW these are for pickups from the Adelaide CBD so not exactly ‘unusual’ locations.
Ola also take a much smaller cut than Uber (so several drivers have told me), so good to use them for driver welfare reasons too.