Double Points vs Double Status Credits: which should you choose?
Double status credits gets all the attention, but there’s a lot to be said for the double points option.
When Qantas and Virgin Australia launch special limited-time offers for a double serve of status credits or airline points, they’re a smash hit with frequent flyers.
These promotions usually run several times each year, with bookings made across the space of a single week but valid for travel many months in advance.
Most of the attention goes to the double status credits aspect of these offers, as high flyers seek to climb the loyalty ladder from Silver to Gold to Platinum and beyond, and either move up to the next perk-laden level or lock in their current tier for the following year.
But chasing status is not for everyone, even when double status credits are on the table.
In fact, Qantas reports that in past promotions, fully one-third of participating members opted for double Qantas Points.
So while many frequent flyers champion status credits over points, and can be downright dismissive of choosing the double points option, there are many cases when those bonus points make solid sense.
When to choose double points
Firstly: perhaps you’re not close enough to jumping from one status tier to the next, even with the help of a couple of double status credit bookings.
After all, there’s no benefit to being ‘Silver and a half’ or ‘Gold and a half’ – and it makes more sense to hoover up frequent flyer points which you can use, rather than status credits that you can’t use.
These promotions usually allow just one week to make your twice-as-rewarding bookings, and some people aren’t in the position to book enough flights – especially almost a year in advance – to get across the line to that next status tier.
In both cases, it’s smarter to pocket that double helping of points to use on bookings or upgrades at any time in the future.
Of course, just be sure to keep some activity in your account across an 18-month period to avoid losing all your hard-earned points.
That’s easily done for both Qantas and Velocity. One of the simplest ‘insurance policies’ is to top up your car's tank at BP for Qantas Points, or 7-Eleven for Velocity Points.