Air Miles, Expedia Group Partner On Strategic Lodging Supply
The AIR MILES Reward Program has picked Expedia Group as its strategic lodging supply partner via its Rapid API technology.
The newly launched AIR MILES Travel platform will offer collectors access to Expedia Group’s global supply of 700,000 hotels and vacation rental properties in both standalone lodging and package bookings.
AIR MILES offers a robust loyalty program, with close to 10 million active accounts, representing more than half of all Canadian households. AIR MILES collectors can earn Reward Miles from over 300 leading Canadian, global, and online brands, with AIR MILES cards being scanned over 1,000 times per minute.
The new AIR MILES Travel booking portal offers rich new opportunities to earn Miles – more than ever before. Collectors can earn on the Cash portion of their travel bookings, which can then be redeemed for future Rewards, including travel, merchandise, or cash rewards.
Shawn Stewart, President, AIR MILES Reward Program, explained: “As we continue to innovate and evolve the AIR MILES Reward Program, providing the best value to our collectors remains our main focus.”
Stewart continued: “By partnering with Expedia Group as strategic lodging supplier for our new Travel platform, we are able to provide extensive accommodation options to our collectors beyond what we already offer; being one of the most trusted names in the travel industry, it was a clear move for us.”
This strategic lodging partnership is part of AIR MILES’ newly launched travel platform, one of several enhancements to the program since being acquired by the Bank of Montreal.
With AIR MILES’ new travel platform, collectors can expect new and improved opportunities to earn Miles, a convenient single platform offering where collectors can build out the elements of their travel package and new flexible payment options.
The partnership positions Expedia Group as a trusted travel technology provider for financial institutions around the world, including those with integrated loyalty programs.
As such, Expedia Group’s Rapid API provides the tools and technology for partners to integrate global lodging supply seamlessly into their own websites and businesses, including expanded traveller options and detailed property content.
In return, AIR MILES collectors have a seamless end-to-end booking experience from planning their travel to purchasing to post-booking.
Alfonso Paredes, Senior Vice President of Private Label Solutions at Expedia Group, said: “This strategic lodging partnership between Expedia Group and AIR MILES taps into the natural evolution of loyalty programs, which addresses consumers’ desires to have flexibility and choice in their loyalty offerings.”
Paredes pointed out: “We have already seen strong booking interest during our soft launch and look forward to building more momentum as we bring advantageous accommodation offerings to AIR MILES collectors.”
The push for more expansive offerings in rewards reflects Expedia Group’s research showing that 85% of leisure travellers said they are interested in using travel rewards across trip elements over the next year.
A further 77% of consumers want to apply travel rewards to any individual element of their trip, such as the flight or hotel, regardless of brand. By partnering with Expedia Group, AIR MILES Travel will create even more ways for travellers to use their Reward Miles on a wide range of accommodation options all over the world.
