Resorts.com at the moment has essentially the most compelling resort rewards program for individuals who don’t wish to be loyal to a selected resort group. Main modifications are coming to this, and it’s very dangerous information. For most individuals, rewards might be minimize by about 80%, which is brutal.
Let’s begin with some context. Resorts.com Rewards is the title of the favored on-line journey company’s rewards program. Up till now, this system has been easy and very rewarding. Resorts.com Rewards primarily presents a ten% return in your resort spending:
- For each 10 nights you keep, you get one night time free; this comes within the type of every night time getting you a “stamp,” and 10 stamps will get you a free night time
- The worth of your free night time is the same as the common of your spending over these 10 nights
- You may select which night time you redeem for, so it doesn’t need to be your eleventh night time; should you redeem at a resort costing lower than the common quantity you don’t get a refund, whereas should you redeem at a resort costing greater than the common quantity, you’ll simply need to pay the distinction (in order that’s the higher possibility)
Resorts.com Rewards isn’t for everybody, within the sense that you just’re giving up factors along with your most well-liked resort loyalty program whenever you e book this fashion. Personally I favor reserving that approach, in order that I earn factors and might benefit from elite perks. Nonetheless, with the ability to earn the equal of 10% again on nearly any resort keep (even at resorts with out their very own loyalty program) is kind of a strong alternative.
Resorts.com Rewards transitions to One Key
As of mid-2023, Resorts.com, Expedia, and Vrbo, might be launching a brand new rewards program, referred to as One Key. The brand new rewards foreign money might be known as OneKeyCash, and it covers all three manufacturers.
Sadly this isn’t only a branding change, but it surely additionally represents an enormous adjustment to the worth proposition of this system:
- One Key members will earn 2% in OneKeyCash for each greenback spent on eligible resorts, trip leases, actions, packages, rental automobiles, and cruises, and 0.2% OneKeyCash for each greenback spent on eligible flights
- For stays at “eligible VIP Entry properties,” Silver members will earn a 50% bonus, Gold members will earn a 100% bonus, and Platinum members will earn a 200% bonus
When the brand new program is fashioned in a number of months, the worth of your “stamps” will transition to the brand new program, on the price of 10% of the price of your keep. In different phrases, any present stamps earned will keep the identical worth with One Key.
Suffice it to say that this represents an enormous gutting of Resorts.com Rewards. Savvy vacationers will go from incomes the equal of 10% again on their stays, to incomes the equal of two% again on their stays. Whilst you can earn as much as 6% on some stays, this requires being Platinum, and solely applies at “eligible VIP Entry properties.”
Resorts.com is advertising this as a optimistic (as you’d anticipate), arguing that this program is simplified, and that you just not want to remain 10 nights to have the ability to redeem.
Backside line
Resorts.com Rewards might be discontinued in favor of One Key, a brand new unified loyalty program being provided by Resorts.com, Expedia, and Vrbo. Resorts.com Rewards has been a favourite program amongst many vacationers, provided that it primarily presents 10% again on resort stays. With the brand new program, that might be slashed to 2%.
It is a main loss, provided that Resorts.com Rewards was fairly a competitor to resorts’ personal loyalty applications. That’s not the case anymore, sadly.
What do you make of Resorts.com Rewards transitioning to One Key?
(Tip of the hat to Russ)