Expedia Group is making some significant changes to its One Key loyalty program.
About the Updated One Key Benefits:
Earlier this week, Expedia One Key announced a new set of benefits for its loyal customers,
One new perk involves airport lounge access. Now, One Key Gold and Platinum members (as well as other travelers on the same itinerary) can enjoy complimentary airport lounge access when their eligible flight is delayed by 90 minutes or more. To take advantage of this benefit, flights must be booked on Expedia and some airlines may be excluded. Lounge locations offered as part of this perk are those in the LoungeKey network, including The Club, Escape Lounges, Plaza Premium, and Expire. In the event that a lounge isn’t available, passengers will earn $20 in OneKeyCash instead.
Another major perk coming to One Key customers is a discount on CLEAR+ membership. With CLEAR+, flyers can save time in security lines at select airports. While the service currently costs $219 a year, One Key elites can save up to $90.
- Blue members: $209
- Silver and Gold members: $179
- Platinum members: $129
These added benefits come as One Key recently updated to a tiered OneKeyCash earning system. Now, rather than earning 2% back in OneKeyCash on hotel stays, vacation rentals, and more, customers will earn different rates based on their status. Specifically, Blue members now earn 1%, Silver and Gold remain at 2%, and Platinum has increased to 3%.
One Key Blue status is available for free to all Expedia customers. Travelers can earn Silver status after completing 5 trip element bookings, unlock Gold after 15 trip element bookings, and achieve Platinum after 30 trip element bookings. Eligible trip elements include:
- Hotel or vacation rental night
- One-way or roundtrip flight
- Car rental day
- Activity ticket
- Cruise cabin night
- Roundtrip airport shuttle
What They’re Saying:
Explaining the new benefits, Expedia Group’s VP of Loyalty Casey Lehman said, “Travelers told us they want a loyalty program with rewards and perks program that delivers real savings right away while helping them earn rewards for future trips. We wanted to make our loyalty program simpler for our members, so we’re strengthening our proposition of instant discounts plus rewards for future trips, while adding distinctive travel perks that support members from booking to boarding — including lounge access during delays, less time at airport security through our CLEAR partnership and OneKeyCash when a flight price drops.”
My Thoughts:
For Expedia Group loyalists, I think that these could be some useful benefits. While I’m curious about how exactly the lounge access perk works, even getting $20 OneKeyCash back for a delayed flight is a nice consolation.
Meanwhile, the CLEAR+ discounts here can be pretty significant starting with Silver. In fact, with Silver or Gold status and an American Express Platinum Card, you could purchase a year membership for yourself and add another adult while only paying $85 out of pocket ($179 for your discounted membership plus $125 for the additional adult, minus $219 for the Platinum’s CLEAR+ credit). That same plan with One Key Platinum and the Platinum card comes to just $35. Plus, if you have the Platinum card, you’ll already have lounge access! Sounds like a win to me.
