14 Best Travel Loyalty Programs to Learn From

Travel loyalty programs are some of the most favorable reward programs for both business owners and customers. They have changed the travel industry by turning customer loyalty programs from a nice-to-have into a must-have. Nowadays, customers expect to be rewarded with points or extra miles in order to choose one airline or hotel over another.

If you are in the travel industry and want to sustain or grow your business, you need to consider launching a travel loyalty program unless you’ve already done so. In this article, we’ve compiled the 14 best customer loyalty program examples in four different travel categories: airlines, car rentals, hotels, and cruise lines.

Regardless of your niche, there’s plenty to learn and get inspired from these rewards programs to start your own. By boosting customer loyalty, you’ll enhance customer retention and expand your operations.

And 2023 is a great time to grow your travel business as the last Covid-19 related travel restrictions have dropped, and people across the globe are eager to make up for the missed travel opportunities after the outbreak of the pandemic.

Table of Contents

• 3 Best Airlines Loyalty Programs
• 3 Best Car Rentals Loyalty Programs
• 6 Best Hotel Loyalty Programs
• 2 Best Cruise Lines Loyalty Programs
• Launching the Bests Travel Loyalty Program in 2023

3 Best Airlines Loyalty Programs

Airlines loyalty programs are a popular strategy for airline businesses to turn frequent air travelers into repeat customers. These travel loyalty programs provide clients with extra miles, special discounts, ticket upgrades, and more.

Following are the 3 best airline loyalty programs you should know about when building your own rewards system:

1. American Airlines Loyalty Program

There’s a variety of different airlines loyalty programs you can find, but American Airlines has the best one. It is officially called the AAdvantage program, and travelers get free miles while flying on American Oneworld.

The offer is also valid for other participating airlines, and the program has over 1,000 partners. This wide network and coverage is what makes this program the go-to option for travelers. The American Airlines loyalty program lets travelers use miles for 1,100 destinations worldwide in addition to providing them with upgrades and more benefits.

2. Delta Loyalty Program

The Delta Loyalty Program, also called SkyMiles, is more than just an ordinary customer loyalty program. It is a rewards program that allows travelers to earn miles with the everyday products and services. Passengers can earn with everything they do during their trip including:

• Shopping sprees
• Rideshares
• Overnight stays
• Dining out

This program is best for travelers who don’t want to compromise on the fun and still get great rewards.

3. United Airlines Loyalty Program

The United Airlines Loyalty Program, also called MileagePlus, offers several added benefits for users that are not provided with the previous travel loyalty programs. With this loyalty program, travelers get complimentary access to Economy Plus. They also have the following benefits, making the loyalty program the best one for many customers:

• Waived fees
• Upgrades
• Priority travel services
• Preferred seating

3 Best Car Rentals Loyalty Programs

Rental cars loyalty programs are just as popular as airlines loyalty programs, targeting the same or different category of travelers. Car rental loyalty programs make it possible for loyal customers to travel in style without going over budget, and that’s why they’re such a great strategy to retain customers and make them come back again. They also provide those enrolled with many benefits that might otherwise go unknown and unnoticed.

The 3 most inspiring car rentals loyalty program examples are:

1. Hertz Loyalty Program

The Hertz loyalty program is a popular option for customers that want world-class car rental services. The program has a tiered reward system, categorized as Gold and President Star.

The rewards from these programs provide free-day rentals, benefits, and other rewards. There’s a 3-day and 4-day benefit for the type of Hertz Loyalty program tier renters are part of.

2. Enterprise Loyalty Program

The Enterprise loyalty program is another system that lets customers earn rewards for every car they rent. For example, they can earn points for free-day rentals to save travel money. There are different tier levels, each coming with different rewards.

For instance, with the Silver Status, renters get:

• 10% bonus points for qualifying rentals
• 1 free car upgrade

For Gold, renters get:

• 12 qualifying rentals
• 40 total rental days

For Platinum, renters get:

• 24 qualifying rentals
• 85 total rental days

The reward-winning details for each of these types include the following:

• Silver Plus Status: 1.1x points per $1
• Platinum Plus Status: 1.2x points per $1
• Gold Plus Status: 1.15x points per $1

With this tiered system, this car rental loyalty program incentivizes customers to want to travel more in order to gain access to higher-level advantages.

3. Avis Loyalty Program

The Avis loyalty program offers added benefits for users of rental cars, including the following:

• Earning Avis preferred points on qualifying Avis spend
• Bypassing the rental car counter

The program provides two different ties including:

Preferred Plus

• Single-car class upgrade for free
• Exclusive offers
• Promotional discounts
• Additional bonus points per rental

President Club

• Double upgrades
• Guaranteed vehicle availability
• Additional Avis preferred points (50%) for rental payments

6 Best Hotel Loyalty Programs

Hotel loyalty programs are designed to help customers find the best pricing for their hotel stays. They provide frequent hotel clients with access to unique services at discounted rates as well as other rewards. At the same time, they help hotels win customers over competitors.

The most amazing examples of hotel customer loyalty programs include:

1. Hyatt Loyalty Program

The Hyatt loyalty Program is called The World of Hyatt Program and offers four different membership levels. These include:

• Member
• Globalist
• Explorist
• Discoverist

Visitors must stay with Hyatt more often to increase the membership level. The benefits include that they can redeem points for a free night at a hotel room they qualify for with any membership. With the rewards and benefits offered by this program, visitors can stay at a luxury hotel and optimize their experience without paying an extra amount.

2. Hilton Loyalty Program

The Hilton loyalty program is another popular customer loyalty program name. Visitors can enjoy exclusive perks while staying. Hilton has a network of 7,000 hotels worldwide, offering benefits like:

• Resorts
• Luxury and boutique hotels
• Free joining

Guests can earn points and maximize the number of free nights at a hotel within the chain. Additionally, the program lets customers travel with Hilton’s official partners and get the best experiences.

3. Marriott Loyalty Program

The Marriott loyalty program offers great benefits for frequent guests. With their loyalty program, travelers get access to the following features:

• Points bonus
• Lounge access
• Late checkout
• In hotel welcome gift
• Enhanced room upgrade
• Dedicated elite support
• Annual choice benefit

Customers can utilize these offerings to make the most out of their stays. The membership is easy to sign up for and provides the best options to customers from every background, which makes this travel loyalty program so inspiring for other businesses.

4. Four Seasons Loyalty Program

The Four Seasons loyalty program uses the Book and Earn Program approach and is probably one of the simplest, yet most effective hotel loyalty program examples. The hotel allows visitors to earn rewards on the individual bookings they make.

It is a smart and effective option for hotel guests who don’t want to pay extra. However, applicants must meet a certain time requirement when claiming rewards.

5. Best Western Loyalty Program

The Best Western loyalty program is a multi-tiered plan designed for visitors who want to earn more than just hotel stays. Apart from hotel stays, the members can get points for other activities too.

For example, they get rewards for everyday spending via credit cards. In other cases, they may also get added rewards for partner offers and advantages. It’s one of the highest-paying programs guests can choose in the hotel industry.

6. Accor Loyalty Program

The Accor loyalty program is a popular point-based system designed to help guests in every way possible. The point-based rewards program has three different tiers with dedicated benefits and rewards.

The program is popularly known as ALL - Accor Live Limitless - lifestyle loyalty program and caters to thousands of visitors each year. This travel loyalty program is so successful because it offers unlimited entertainment, traveling, and sports activities for visitors. It’s the perfect option for people who want to earn more while having fun on their trips.

2 Best Cruise Lines Loyalty Programs

Cruise line loyalty programs are just as popular for visitors as they allow them to travel in style. While cruises are expensive, the listed loyalty programs make it a bit more affordable for average people to get access to this type of travel and vacation.

Here are the top travel loyalty programs in this category to learn from:

1. Royal Caribbean Loyalty Program

The Royal Caribbean loyalty program is a points-based system tiered into different levels. It allows travelers to get the best benefits from their cruise ventures. Their point system works as follows:

• One cruise point is provided for every stay in ocean view, interior, or balcony stateroom
• Two cruise points are provided for every suite stay at the Royal Caribbean

2. Carnival Cruise Lines Loyalty Program

The last travel loyalty program on our list is the Carnival Lines loyalty program. They also have a points-based system, offering guests all kinds of benefits.

Tourists get one point for every day they stay on the cruise. It’s one of the most straightforward cruise line loyalty programs and offers fantastic benefits to customers. Travelers get rewards based on their level of membership. For instance:

• Ship to shore only: 75-199 points with Platinum level and 200+ points with Diamond level
• Priority spa reservations: 75-199 points with Platinum level and 200+ points with Diamond level

Launching the Best Travel Loyalty Program in 2023

The right travel loyalty program will help attract more customers to your business, whether you’re an airline, car rental, hotel, or a cruise line. We’ve covered the top 14 airlines, car rentals, hotel, and cruise lines loyalty programs to help you get an idea of how rewards programs function in the industry and to inspire you to give them a try.

When starting your own customer loyalty program, Core Loyalty can help you get started, whether you opt for a points-based, cashback, tiered, or referral programYou’ll get access to AI-driven loyalty that will help you boost results, retain customers like never before, and maximize your revenue.

Click here to get access to Core Loyalty today.