South African Airways

Travel with South African Airways and set your Velocity Points flying

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Important Information: There have been some changes to the Velocity member benefits when travelling with our Airline Partners. Find out more

Earn Velocity Points with South African Airways

Velocity is proud to partner with South African Airways, the national carrier of South Africa. Our partnership allows you to earn Velocity Points when flying to Johannesburg and other destinations in the South African Airways network.

How many Points will I earn?

Earn Points per mile flown when you travel in an eligible class on South African Airways1.

The number of Velocity Points you earn with South African Airways is based on the fare class and the number of miles you are travelling, so the higher your fare type, the more Points you earn. ​​​​​​Use our Mileage calculator to determine the number of miles you will fly then refer to the tables below to know your Points earn rate.

To make a booking please visit flysaa.com or contact your preferred travel agent and enter your Velocity Frequent Flyer Member details at time of booking.

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Fare Type South African (SA) Fare Class Points Earn Rate Per Mile
Premium J, C
 1.5
Priority International D, P 1.25
Priority Domestic/International Z 1.25
Priority Domestic D 1
Select Y, B, M, K 1
Plus H, S, Q, T, V 0.5
Saver L, W, G 0.25

Note: The above earn rates also apply to flights operated by Virgin Australia with a SA flight number.

To ensure you earn Velocity Points, make sure you enter your Velocity membership number when making your booking or call the South African Airways call centre directly or present your My Velocity Card at check-in.

Popular Destinations

In need of a holiday? See our most popular destinations to fly to, along with the number of Points you will earn when flying on South African Airways with a SA flight number.

  • Johannesburg to Cape Town

    394 Points

    Based on a return economy class saver fare.

  • Johannesburg to Victoria Falls

    284 Points

    Based on a return economy class saver fare.

  • Perth to Johannesburg

    2,589 Points

    Based on a return economy class saver fare.

Velocity Points cannot be earned on:

  • Reward Seat bookings
  • Charter flight bookings
  • Fare classes other than as specified above
  • Codeshare flights (any flight with an SA flight number that is operated by an airline other than South African Airways or Virgin Australia).
  • Codeshare flights operated by SA Express and Airlink
  • Upgraded fares: Members travelling on upgraded fares that were purchased with Points or by bidding for an upgrade will earn as per the rules of the original fare class purchased.

Claim missing Points

To ensure you automatically earn Velocity Points on your eligible travel, add your Velocity membership number to your booking prior to travel. You can add your Velocity membership number when you book your flight or call the airline directly to get it added to your booking or present your My Velocity Card at check-in.
It can take up to 14 days after your flight for your Points to be added to your Account. 

Flown recently and missing some Points?

If your Points have not been credited after 14 days, or if you forgot to add your Velocity mebership number prior to travelling, you can sumbit a missing Points claim by logging into your Velocity Account and following the steps provided.

Submit a claim

Earn Status Credits with South African Airways

Earn Status Credits when you travel in an eligible fare class on South African Airways operated flights. The Status Credits you earn will depend on where you fly and fare purchased. 

Calculate the number of Status Credits you can earn by using our Mileage Calculator to determine the number of miles you are flying. Then refer to the table below with your chosen Fare Type.

To make a booking please visit flysaa.com or contact your preferred travel agent and enter your Velocity Frequent Flyer Member details at the booking screen.

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How many Status Credits will I earn?

One-way Miles (zone) Economy Plus* / Saver Economy Plus^/ Select Premium / Priority
0 - 750 (1) 10 20 40
751 - 1,500 (2) 15 30 60
1,501 - 3,000 (3) 20 40 80
3,001 - 5,000 (4) 30 60 120
5,001 - 8,000 (5) 40 80 160
8,001 + (6) 50 100 200

Note:
Eligible fare classes for Economy Plus* are T, V and Economy Saver are L, W, G
Eligible fare classes for Economy Plus^ are H, S, Q and Economy Select are Y, B, M, K
Eligible fare classes for Premium are J, C
Eligible fare classes for Priority are Z, D, P
The above earn rates also apply to flights operated by Virgin Australia with a SA flight number.

Popular Destinations

In need of a holiday? See our most popular destinations to fly to, along with the number of Status Credits you will earn when flying on South African Airways with a SA flight number.

  • Johannesburg to Cape Town

    20 Status Credits

    Based on a return economy class saver fare.

  • Johannesburg to Victoria Falls

    20 Status Credits

    Based on a return economy class saver fare.

  • Perth to Johannesburg

    80 Status Credits

    Based on a return economy class saver fare.

Velocity Status Benefits with South African Airways

Enjoy benefits that are tailored to your Velocity membership level.

Carry your My Velocity Card with you at all times to ensure seamless access to your travel benefits when travelling with South African Airways.

Velocity Status benefits are not available when travelling on flights operated by SA Express and Airlink.

  • ""

    Benefits for Silver Status members

    • Priority Check-in 

      Priority Check-in 

    • Additional checked baggage of up to 23kg when travelling in Economy Class and 32kg for Business Class

      Additional checked baggage of up to 23kg when travelling in Economy Class and 32kg for Business Class

    See all Silver Benefits
  • ""

    Benefits for Gold Status members

    • Priority Check-in

      Priority Check-in

    • South African Airways Lounge Access

      South African Airways Lounge Access

    • Priority Boarding

      Priority Boarding

    • Additional checked baggage of up to 23kg when travelling in Economy Class and 32kg for Business Class

      Additional checked baggage of up to 23kg when travelling in Economy Class and 32kg for Business Class

  • ""

    Benefits for Platinum members

    See all Platinum benefits

Velocity Status Credits cannot be earned on:

  • Reward Seat bookings
  • Charter flight bookings
  • Fare classes other than as specified above
  • Codeshare flights (any flight with an SA flight number that is operated by an airline other than South African Airways or Virgin Australia).
  • Codeshare flights operated by SA Express and Airlink
  • Upgraded fares: Members travelling on upgraded fares that were purchased with Points or by bidding for an upgrade will earn as per the rules of the original fare class purchased.

Redeem your Velocity Points with South African Airways

From 2 November 2021 Velocity members are able to redeem points for flights across the South African Airways network.  Note that the routes operated by South African may be subject to COVID-19 restrictions, and not all flights will have Reward Seats available. 

Reward Seats on South African Airways must be booked through our Membership Contact Centre. Available travel dates will vary for each route. 

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International flight changes and cancellations

With evolving border changes and restrictions, it is important you have flexibility when booking and flying.

To give you greater peace of mind when booking your next Reward Seat, we’ve extended our Flexible Flying policy for international Reward Seats for travel up to 31 December 2022. We're offering unlimited changes and waiving the change or cancellation fees. Changes must be made prior to your travel date, and fare differences may apply. Where you choose to cancel under the Flexible Flying policy, your Points redeemed for the Reward Seat booking will be recredited to your Velocity account (excluding any booking fees). Cancellations must be made 24 hours before your scheduled departure date  

 To change or cancel your flight contact our membership contact centre.

  • Reward Seat bookings for travel up to 31 December 2022

    Reward Seat bookings for travel up to 31 December 2022

  • Unlimited changes permitted with no change fee

    Unlimited changes permitted with no change fee*

  • Cancel with no cancellation fee

    Cancel your flight with no cancellation fee*

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*Change or cancel without a fee for International Reward Seats for travel up to 31 December 2022. Changes must be made prior to travel date. Fare differences may apply. Cancellations must be made 24 hours prior to departure date. Cancellations with refund to other forms of payment as per fare rules.

Important Information for travelling overseas

Australian Government Travel Restrictions

The Australian Government has currently implemented international travel restrictions for Australia.

We recommend checking the latest information and advice on the relevant Government websites. The Australian Government information is available at the Border Force website, Department of Health website and Smartraveller.

South African Travel Regulations

When flying with South African Airways, we recommend you check travel requirements for entering your destination of choice, and any requirements before boarding your flight. Click here to find out more.

Terms & Conditions:

1. Earn rates are correct as at 1 March 2019 and are subject to change. Flights are governed by the operating carriers terms and conditions, which can be viewed on the operating carrier's websites. Members travelling on Upgraded fares purchased with Points or any other subsidised means of Upgrades on Virgin Australia or our partner airlines will earn Points based on originally purchased fare classes. Check the Velocity Terms and Conditions for details about earning Points.

2. Base Points refers to the minimum number of Points that can be earned for an eligible activity or transaction by a Red member.