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Virgin Australia, new Aeroplan partner
After Etihad Airways, Azul Brazilian Airlines and Vistara Airlines, it is now the Australian airline Virgin Australia’s turn to become a new partner of Aeroplan, the loyalty program of Air Canada.
Virgin Australia is an Australian airline, the biggest competitor of Qantas (a member of Oneworld).
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Virgin Australia had long-haul aircraft such as Boeing B777s and Airbus A330s.
From now on, Virgin Australia will rely on its fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft for short and medium-haul flights. This applies in particular to flights to:
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Indonesia
- Fiji
This new Aeroplan partner is important as it will allow members to travel within the region with their Aeroplan points.
This was impossible until now (we prefered to use British Airways Executive Club Avios miles with Qantas).
- Annual fee
- $120
- Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$700Total$700$200 deferred bonus, excluded from the first-year estimate and not counted in this total.Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
- $700
- Welcome offerAfter $7,500 in 6 months
- Up to 45,000 points
Apply Now
on American Express's website
Apply with confidenceCheck whether your application will be approved before you submit it, with no impact on your credit score*When you apply for a personal American Express Credit Card, we will tell you whether you are eligible without affecting your credit score. So you can apply with confidence.*Instant decisions are only available for consumer Card applications (also called “personal Cards”).
Using Aeroplan points on Virgin Australia
As of January 19, 2021, it will be possible to redeem Aeroplan points on Virgin Australia flights, following the Aeroplan flight rewards chart.
Since it is a partner airline, there will be a $39 partner fee, in addition to airport taxes. On the other hand, there will be no carrier surcharge, as has been the case since the new Aeroplan program came into effect.
Australia is located in the Pacific zone:
Therefore, for flights operated within this zone, the “Pacific” chart applies:
For example, a one-way flight from Sydney to Melbourne will cost 8,000 points in economy and 20,000 points in business class.
And this opens the way to many sweetspots in the region like:
| Origin | Destination | Distance | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brisbane (BNE) | Port Vila (VLI) | 1,176 miles | 12,500 points |
| Brisbane (BNE) | Honiara (HIR) | 1,315 miles | 12,500 points |
| Perth (PER) | Christmas Island (XCH) | 1,618 miles | 12,500 points |
| Brisbane (BNE) | Nadi (NAN) | 1,686 miles | 12,500 points |
| Perth (PER) | Cocos Islands (CCK) | 1,824 miles | 12,500 points |
| Brisbane (BNE) | Apia (APW) | 2,433 miles | 25,000 points |
And if you are combining flight rewards between Virgin Australia and other Aeroplan partners (Air Canada, United, Air New Zealand, etc.) to fly from North America to Australia, you will need to follow the “North America – Pacific” chart.
For example, travelling exclusively with partners such as United and Virgin Australia, a one-way trip between Vancouver and Perth, via Sydney and San Francisco will cost 60,000 points in economy class and 85,000 points in business class.
And you can add 5,000 points for a stopover in Sydney!
You could also take one of Air Canada’s direct flights between Canada and Australia (from Vancouver to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane). But then Air Canada’s flexible chart will apply.
- Annual fee
- $599
- Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$1,200Total$1,200$500 deferred bonus, excluded from the first-year estimate and not counted in this total.Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
- $1,200
- Welcome offerAfter $7,500 in 3 months
- Up to 85,000 points
Apply Now
on American Express's website
Apply with confidenceCheck whether your application will be approved before you submit it, with no impact on your credit score*When you apply for a personal American Express Credit Card, we will tell you whether you are eligible without affecting your credit score. So you can apply with confidence.*Instant decisions are only available for consumer Card applications (also called “personal Cards”).
Earn Aeroplan points with Virgin Australia
As of January 19, 2021, it will be possible to earn Aeroplan points on Virgin Australia flights.
| Region | Class of Service | Booking classes | Aeroplan and SQM points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | Business | J | 150 % |
| C, D, I | 125 % | ||
| Economy | Y, B, H, K, L | 100 % | |
| E, N, V, Q,T, S, G | 50 % | ||
| M | 25 % | ||
| International | Business | J | 150 % |
| C, D, I | 125 % | ||
| Economy | Y, B, H, K, L | 100 % | |
| E, N, V, Q,T, S, G | 50 % | ||
| M | 25 % |
Conclusion
Air Canada continues to strengthen the list of Aeroplan partners around the world: Cathay Pacific, Gol, Etihad Airways, Azul, Vistara and now Virgin Australia.
We also learned that other very exciting news will come soon… To be continued!
Featured
- Annual feeNo annual fee the first year
- $0 $139
- Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$1,000Annual fee rebated$139Total$1,139Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
- $1,139
- Welcome offerAfter $12,000 in 12 months
- Up to 50,000 points
Apply Now
on TD's website