Virgin Australia will introduce a new Platinum Plus tier to its Velocity Frequent Flyer program on 1 October. Positioned above Platinum, the new level requires 2,000 Status Credits per year, including at least 1,500 earned on Virgin Australia flights. Velocity Platinum members (the tier below) will no longer have the option to gift Companion Platinum status to another Velocity member. The launch coincides with the shift to spend-based status earning.