Travel Loyalty News

Hyatt's loyalty program may be in for some interesting changes next year as the hotel chain vacuums up talent from Starwood.

Cava is an excellent case study to show how powerful a restaurant, or brand, can be in the marketplace when it's built on top of large volumes of useful, actionable data.

British Airways may be moving award bookings through its Executive Club to dynamic pricing, shifting the way that loyalty program members redeem free tickets. The move may render an already-troubled loyalty program to something even less competitive for elite flyers.

Marriott More now allows shoppers in the U.S., UK, and Canada to earn and spend Rewards points on retail purchases. And while the value proposition for spending points is a bit fuzzy, it may be a good tool for some with stray point balances.

The bigger question, however, is whether these campaigns will still work in 2017 and beyond; offering discounted rates can only last for so long. Hotels need to start thinking about how they can ensure this momentum continues in the long run without having to use discounted rates.

United Airlines has a new head of loyalty starting this week at the same time that major changes are happening within the program.

Business travelers will lament the end of the Uber-Starwood partnership, but much more may be on the horizon for Uber's loyalty plans.

It makes sense for Uber to enter the credit card and loyalty arena. This card could be a solid alternative for frequent travelers who don't want to shell out a large annual fee.

The jig was almost up for members of Air Berlin's frequent flyer program, but at the last moment, Etihad extended an olive branch.

Whatever IHG ultimately does as it proceeds with this loyalty program merger, the No. 1 thing they don't want to do is to anger Kimpton Karma elites. We also wonder: Will new IHG CEO Keith Barr start letting IHG's most elite loyalty members get access to his phone number too?