One Key, the loyalty program of the Expedia group, has begun its rollout to Australian members. The transition from Expedia+ Rewards began in late August, and is expected to be completed by 23 September.
Under the program, you have the opportunity to earn rewards and perks across the Expedia platform. For example, you can earn rewards booking hotels, flights, hire cars or activities. Basically, you can earn rewards on many of the bits and pieces of your travel.
The One Key Program
As with many loyalty programs, there are basically two components – the rewards component, and the status recognition component. The rewards component is where you basically earn and redeem the program currency – often measured in points. On the other hand, status recognition recognises your loyalty through various perks. As you move up t o higher status levels, the more perks you get.
How the One Key program works
The Expedia One Key program is the loyalty program of the Expedia group. At the moment, in Australia it is only available on the Expedia website. However, it is expected that other Expedia sites, such as Hotels.com, will also join the program. This will see Hotels.com members move onto the One Key system. However, for now, it is just on the Expedia site.
It is free to join – and if you were a member of Expedia Rewards you will have a new One Key account. In the program, you can earn and redeem the programs ‘currency’ – which is known as OneKeyCash. The program also has status levels, and you can work your way up through the elite status levels. At the higher elite levels, you gain extra benefits, such as higher earnings, greater discounts and so on.
One Key Rewards
Earning OneKeyCash
The loyalty currency of the One Key program is OneKeyCash’. Earning OneKeyCash is a fairly straightforward process – basically you earn OneKeyCash when you buy services on Expedia.
Your earn rate varies depending on what you are buying, and your tier.
For purchase other than flights (i.e eligible hotels, holiday homes, activities, packages and car hire), the earn rate is
- Blue Members: 1% in OneKeyCash per AU$1
- Silver, Gold, and Platinum Members: 2% in OneKeyCash per AU$1
When purchasing flights, all members will receive 0.2% in OneKeyCash per AU$1.
Redeeming OneKeyCash
In the case of an Australian member, OneKeyCash is equivalent to 1 Australian Dollar. That said, it cannot be converted to cash – you can only spend it through the One Key platform.
Generally, you can use OneKeyCash on bookings where you pay upfront. In the case of hotels, car hire and activities you can either pay in full or make a partial payment on a ‘Pay Now’ booking. However, in the case of flights, you must have enough OneKeyCash to pay for the whole flight.
One Key elite status
The other side of the program is status benefits. In the One Key program, there are four status levels. You climb the status ladder by accumulating “trip elements” each year. The more “trip elements” the higher your level.
Earning Status
The following qualify as one trip element:
- Hotel room night (each night counts as one trip element)
- Flight ticket (one-way or round-trip)
- Holiday rental night
- Car rental day
- Activity ticket (theme park tickets, tours, etc.)
- Round-trip ground transportation: (airport shuttles, transfers, etc.)
Status Levels
There are four levels within the program, Blue, Silver, Gold and Platinum. The criteria to achieve the levels, and benefits of the levels are as follows:
| Elite status tier | Eligibility | Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| One Key Blue | Entry-level status. | Save 10% or more with member pricing. Earn OneKeyCash |
| One Key Silver | 5 trip elements. | 15% discount on eligible properties. Earn 3% OneKeyCash on stays at VIP Access properties Extra perks at VIP Access properties like food and beverage discounts. Priority traveler support. |
| One Key Gold | 15 trip elements. | 20% member discounts on eligible properties. Earn 5% OneKeyCash on stays at VIP Access properties. Room Upgrade (When available) Free price drop protection on eligible flight bookings made on the Expedia app. |
| One Key Platinum | 30 trip elements. | Earn 6% OneKeyCash on stays at VIP Access properties Platinum VIP support |
Of those benefits, perhaps the most notable are those around “VIP Access” properties. These are properties that Expedia says “consistently receive the highest guest reviews on Expedia Group and meet stringent standards of quality.” Whatever that means, they offer additional benefits and earnings opportunities to elite members.
Final Words
While I don’t typically use a travel agent (online or otherwise), there are times they can be useful. For example, I would typically book a hotel room directly through the operator of one of my loyalty programs. That said, infrequent travellers may find little benefit in joining such programs
However, if you go to areas not covered by such hotels, or travel infrequently, sites like Expedia can be useful. In addition, they allow you to get a good view of the range of options that are available.
All up, it may not become my go-to program, but I will be using it for specific cases.
