Last year, it was announced that the separate loyalty programs from partners in the Expedia Group will merge in 2023 to become a single unified program known as One Key. Of the brands in the group, one of the most notable and valuable programs has been Hotels.com Rewards.
We’ve just learned some of the details of the new program, and unfortunately, Hotels.com Rewards will be very negatively affected by the change. In the latest downward change to a loyalty program this year, Hotels.com Rewards will see a devaluation of up to 80%, which is significant.
As you might expect, the changes are being touted as positive by One Key and Expedia Group, but a quick peek at the details reveals a much different story.
Hotels.com Rewards to Become Part of One Key
Later this year, we’ll see the loyalty programs from a number of brands under the Expedia Group become a singular program called One Key. When it happens, Expedia Rewards, Hotels.com Rewards, Orbitz Rewards, and other programs under the Expedia umbrella will all follow the same earning and redemption structure.
It’s important to note that One Key will debut in the United States first, and then in other countries. Dates for the roll out have not been confirmed, so until then, it’s business as usual.
As of now, each program has a different earning and redeeming structure, and bringing them all together is meant to streamline the rules amongst all the different programs.
Arguably, Hotels.com Rewards has offered the strongest return from any of the included programs, but unfortunately, that will change significantly for the worse once the transition to One Key takes effect.
As a reminder, the current format of Hotels.com Rewards is that you get a free night for every 10 nights you stay at properties booked through the website. For each eligible night, you collect a stamp, and once you have 10 stamps, you can redeem them for a free night that’s worth the average value of the 10 nights from which you earned stamps.
For example, if each of your 10 nights cost $100, you’d get a free night worth $100. If your redemption stay costs less, you wouldn’t get to retain the difference, but if your redemption stay costs more, you can top it up, which offers better value.
The new program, One Key, will have a unified earning structure for all the programs, which will be as follows:
- One Key members will earn 2% OneKeyCash per dollar spent…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Prince of Travel…