Over the years, companies have discovered that loyalty programs are a great way to get and maintain customer loyalty. Brick-and-mortar storefronts used loyalty programs for years, usually in the form of special sales or discounts for members. The concept was picked up by online entities as the internet gained traction. In the travel world, hotels offer points and levels of status (Marriott Gold, Hyatt Globalist, etc.), while airlines offer frequent flyer miles and their own forms of status (Delta Silver Medallion, United MileagePlus Lifetime Million Miler, etc.).
Entities such as Airbnb and Vrbo have their own (rather large) niche, where people can rent apartments, whole homes, experiences, etc. However, to date, neither program offered any sort of loyalty program.
Vrbo is changing that.
Online vacation rental marketer Vbro, online travel agency Expedia.com, and discount hotel agent hotels.com are combining forces this spring to all be a part of the One Key loyalty program.
All three companies are owned by Expedia Group, Inc.
Right now, only Expedia and Hotels.com offer loyalty programs. Their respective Expedia Rewards and Hotels.com Rewards programs operate separately from each other. However both of these programs will merge into One Key later in 2023. Vrbo’s website for One Key says it will be the largest and most comprehensive travel rewards program their brands have ever created, and will change the way people travel.
Once the program starts, you’ll be able to earn OneKeyCash rewards points on eligible flights, car rentals, hotels, vacation rentals cruises, etc. that are booked on Vbro, Expedia or Hotels.com.
Lodging, activities, packages and car rentals will earn 2% back, while flight purchases will receive 0.2% back.
One Key elite members will be able to earn between 50% and 200% bonus points on bookings. Those rewards would be in addition to any travel loyalty program and credit card points you would typically earn.
Redeeming Your Rewards
OneKeyCash rewards would only be redeemable for “Pay Now” (but not “Pay Later”) bookings and eligible vacation rentals with U.S. dollars. With that, it’d be possible to redeem these rewards on Expedia, Hotels.com or Vrbo.
When redeeming these rewards for flights, it must cover the entire ticket cost, including taxes and fees. The rewards balance can’t be used for optional extras like checked bags or seat assignments.
OneKey Loyalty Tiers
Just like airlines and hotels, One Key will also include several membership tiers. One Key will initially absorb the existing Expedia Rewards and Hotel.com loyalty programs, so a limited-time status match can be offered once the program goes live.
There will be four OneKey membership levels: Blue, Silver, Gold and Platinum. The more “trip elements” you purchase, the higher the tier you’ll have.
Trip elements include:
- 1 air ticket (one way or roundtrip)
- 1 hotel room night (each night counts as an element)
- 1 night in a vacation rental
- 1 night on a cruise
- 1-day car rental
- 1 roundtrip ground transportation ticket (airport shuttles, transfers, etc.)
- 1 activity ticket (a private tour, a theme park ticket, etc.)
Tier Status:
- Blue – Just sign up, it’s free!
- Silver – 5 trip elements within a year
- Gold – 15 trip elements within a year
- Platinum – 30 trip elements within a year
The example they used: If you booked 2 nights in a hotel and a 3-day car rental, you’d earn 5 trip elements, which would be enough to reach Silver tier status in one trip.
Each level will grow up on the next to offer you OneKeyCash, free price tracking, discounts on Member Pricing, and potentially extra perks for higher levels of membership.
The qualification period for elite status the following year will be based on travel purchases made during the typical January 1 to December 31 calendar year (read: not your membership anniversary date).
If you already have Expedia Rewards and Hotels.com Rewards
Travel purchases made with Expedia Rewards or Hotels.com in the first half of 2023 will help travelers qualify for elite status when One Key launches in mid-2023.
More info coming soon
The OneKey program won’t start for another few weeks. All the information available so far is on Vbro’s website.
Will OneKey be better than the programs already out there? It’s probably too early to say. Those who are firmly enmeshed in their current programs probably wouldn’t switch loyalty For those who regularly used Hotel.com for the 10% back, this change is painful. However, for the more casual travelers who use Expedia.com, Hotels.com or Vbro on a somewhat regular basis, it may get them more than they get now. So for those people, it might be a net positive.
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