Photo courtesy of Thinkstock
With mergers trending in the travel industry lately, from airlines and hotels to rental car companies, a big question on travelers' minds is: "What does this mean for my loyalty rewards?" For travelers who are loyal to one (or more) travel brands, it's natural to wonder what will happen to your loyalty points and miles.
With your loyalty rewards in question, it's natural to have a laundry list of questions about the possible changes to your programs. Following is an overview of what typically happens to miles and points in the event of an airline or hotel merger.
Spending will decrease, while redemption will increase
Following the announcement of a merger, both airlines and hotels often see spending and earning activity go down for a period of time. Travelers are reluctant to book upcoming trips and make long-term commitments to the airlines, hotels or loyalty programs involved, due to uncertainty about the future of each program.
Loyalty programs use a different value for awarding reward points, which means that a combined program may require you to have more points or miles in order to reach your reward goals. Additionally, the consolidated program might not have all the same features, tier levels, perks or benefits when compared to your previous program. But the good news is that it is rare for members to lose their loyalty rewards altogether. Keep a close eye on your programs and monitor for any news or developments.
Rather than being skeptical about the fate of your loyalty membership in the event of a merger, use a merger as an opportunity to get your loyalty programs organized. Consider joining a loyalty platform like Points Loyalty Wallet to track all your points and miles across programs and even transfer rewards between participating programs. In getting organized, you might be surprised to find you previously earned points for the airline or hotel your go-to brand recently merged with.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
