Expedia has a pretty decent rewards program aptly named “Expedia Rewards”. The theory is simple: Earn points per dollar spent on hotels, car hire, activities, packages and flights. Points are then converted to 'cash' in your Expedia account which you can use toward other bookings. Expedia rewards points are converted to dollars at a rate of 75 points = $1. This is about to change as outlined on the Expedia Website.
Under the current Expedia Rewards program, the number of points earnt per booking depends on:
An important point to note here is that points are calculated based on the total amount spent, regardless of fees and taxes.
Flight bookings are calculated differently and are calculated at the rate of 1 point per $5 spent, regardless of tier status (though you get double points for App bookings).
Outlined on the Expedia Australia website, the rewards program is being overhauled and changing to ‘One Key’. The detail of these changes is kept further down the page, arguably hidden near the T&Cs. Why might Expedia be keeping details on these changes so far down their website? let’s take a closer look:
With the One Key program, points earned per dollar spent will no longer be a concept. Instead, you will earn a percentage of your post-fees and tax spend back as ‘One Key cash'. This is a fairly familiar concept (ShopBack/Cashrewards users will know) and is an arguably easier to understand. There are fewer variables under this method. The One Key cashback rate depends on:
Though the existing Expedia Rewards program gives members points, we can convert the points to percentage cash back using the rate of 75 points = $1. Let's compare the existing Expedia Rewards program and the One Key program in terms of % cashback:
Hotel, Car hire, Activities and packages bookings:
VIP Hotel Bookings:
Flight Bookings:
We can see that under every single category available; members are better off under the existing Expedia Rewards program.
In fact, even the new Platinum tier cashback rate doesn't at least match the existing Expedia rewards Gold tier. A slap in the face to some of Expedia's most loyal customers.
*One Key cash back rate excludes fees and taxes. This is also something important to note especially with the comparison tables above. The 2% cash back for Silver, Gold and Platinum members is not a cashback rate on the total cost, it is calculated on the amount spent minus taxes and fees.
This adds another layer of complexity when calculating actual cash back received because taxes can vary depending on where your hotel booking is so the cash back received under One Key will be less than what you may expect.
You can calculate this yourself by searching for your desired hotel/activity/car hire etc, selecting the property and selecting 'price details'. The total amount excluding tax will display - use this to calculate the amount of cash back you will receive.
Overall, the new One Key program offers reduced benefits across all membership tiers compared to the existing Expedia Rewards program. It is particularly surprising that the cashback rate for the new Platinum tier does not at least align with that of the current Gold level. I will note here that there are other benefits with each reward program, however for this article I am simply looking at the points/cash back element of each program.
Under the current Expedia Rewards program, the number of points earnt per booking depends on:
- Total spent,
- Tier status,
- How you made the booking (website or app) and,
- if a hotel is an Expedia VIP partner.
An important point to note here is that points are calculated based on the total amount spent, regardless of fees and taxes.
Flight bookings are calculated differently and are calculated at the rate of 1 point per $5 spent, regardless of tier status (though you get double points for App bookings).
Outlined on the Expedia Australia website, the rewards program is being overhauled and changing to ‘One Key’. The detail of these changes is kept further down the page, arguably hidden near the T&Cs. Why might Expedia be keeping details on these changes so far down their website? let’s take a closer look:
With the One Key program, points earned per dollar spent will no longer be a concept. Instead, you will earn a percentage of your post-fees and tax spend back as ‘One Key cash'. This is a fairly familiar concept (ShopBack/Cashrewards users will know) and is an arguably easier to understand. There are fewer variables under this method. The One Key cashback rate depends on:
- Total spent after fees and taxes,
- Tier status,
- if a hotel is an Expedia VIP Partner.
Though the existing Expedia Rewards program gives members points, we can convert the points to percentage cash back using the rate of 75 points = $1. Let's compare the existing Expedia Rewards program and the One Key program in terms of % cashback:
Hotel, Car hire, Activities and packages bookings:
VIP Hotel Bookings:
Flight Bookings:
We can see that under every single category available; members are better off under the existing Expedia Rewards program.
In fact, even the new Platinum tier cashback rate doesn't at least match the existing Expedia rewards Gold tier. A slap in the face to some of Expedia's most loyal customers.
*One Key cash back rate excludes fees and taxes. This is also something important to note especially with the comparison tables above. The 2% cash back for Silver, Gold and Platinum members is not a cashback rate on the total cost, it is calculated on the amount spent minus taxes and fees.
This adds another layer of complexity when calculating actual cash back received because taxes can vary depending on where your hotel booking is so the cash back received under One Key will be less than what you may expect.
You can calculate this yourself by searching for your desired hotel/activity/car hire etc, selecting the property and selecting 'price details'. The total amount excluding tax will display - use this to calculate the amount of cash back you will receive.
Overall, the new One Key program offers reduced benefits across all membership tiers compared to the existing Expedia Rewards program. It is particularly surprising that the cashback rate for the new Platinum tier does not at least align with that of the current Gold level. I will note here that there are other benefits with each reward program, however for this article I am simply looking at the points/cash back element of each program.
