One Key has now launched in the UK after going live in the US last year. Travellers gain differing tier statuses, which unlock savings, plus they also earn OneKeyCash, the programme’s reward currency.
Expedia told YourMoney.com that One Key is designed to reward any way members travel, so it’s not just for the most frequent or highest spenders.
This is because moving up the tiers is based on ‘trip elements’ booked through the partner sites, with hotel, flight, and car hire bookings, for example, counted as separate elements.
Essentially, the more trip elements you book – i.e., how loyal you are – the quicker you progress through the tiers of One Key. As you’d expect, the higher or elite tiers unlock larger discounts and rewards than the lower tiers.
But the amount you spend on your trip is also factored in. Members receive 2% in OneKeyCash for every £1 spent on eligible hotels, holiday rentals, activities and car rentals.
For example, if you book a trip for £800, you’d receive £16 in OneKeyCash to use on your next. Every £1 in OneKeyCash members earn is £1 they can use towards their next trip.
Expedia said this system means “members do not need to convert points or miles to understand the value of their rewards”.
Here are the One Key benefits by tier:
- Blue members – Save 10% or more with member prices.
- Silver members – Five trip elements per year – access to savings of 15% or more; earn rate can reach 3% in OneKeyCash for stays at VIP Access properties, plus a perk like food and beverage extras.
- Gold members – 15 trip elements per year – access to savings of 20%; earn rate can reach 4% in OneKeyCash for stays at VIP Access properties, plus a perk like food and beverage extras and room upgrades (when available).
- Platinum members – 30 trip elements per year – access to savings of 20% or more; earn rate of up to 6% in OneKeyCash for stays at VIP Access properties, plus a perk like food and beverage extras and room upgrades (when available).
In another example, if a group of friends stays for five nights in a holiday home, takes five flights and hires a car for five days, that would equal 15 trip elements, which would unlock Gold status. Travellers would then be able to access savings of 20% or more on thousands of hotels, as well as earn 4% OneKeyCash on VIP Access properties and perks like room upgrades when available.
Tier status and reward need-to-knows
OneKeyCash won’t expire as long as you have made an eligible booking or redeemed a redemption reward through a participating brand on your account at least once in the preceding 18 months.
When it comes to the tiers, your tier is valid for the remainder of the membership year in which you qualified, the next full calendar year, and through 28 February of the following year.
Meanwhile, the tier you earn in subsequent membership years will be determined by the number of trip elements collected in the previous membership year.
Expedia added that members will earn OneKeyCash as well as frequent flyer miles with most airline loyalty programmes. “This will allow travellers to book once and earn rewards twice when booking air fares”, a spokesperson said.
They added that One Key is free and easy to join by downloading the app and creating an account on Expedia, Hotels.com or Vrbo – the first time that travellers are able to earn rewards on holiday home bookings through Vrbo in the UK.
You can sign up to One Key and book your next trip here.
Existing UK members of Expedia and Hotels.com are automatically enrolled onto the One Key programme.
Expedia confirmed that existing travellers with accounts on Expedia, Hotels.com or Vrbo have been migrated to One Key already, with existing rewards converted at their full value.
Frequent flyer website Head for Points previously said of the new scheme that for existing travellers earning Hotels.com Rewards, “it amounts to a gutting of the programme”. This is because rewards are devalued by 80%, as they’re slashed from 10% to 2% of your ex-VAT spending.
But on the upside, Rob Burgess from Head for Points wrote: “Once your existing free night vouchers are converted into OneKeyCash, you will be able to spend them at Expedia (for flights – but you must pay for the entire flight in OneKeyCash) and Vrbo (for rentals) – you are not restricted to hotel room redemptions.”
Katrina Lane, SVP of traveller engagement and loyalty at Expedia Group, said: “We designed One Key to be simple and flexible. Travellers can quickly earn status and access instant member savings that increase as you reach higher tier[s], as well as earning OneKeyCash, Expedia Group’s rewards currency, to use after their stay.
“OneKeyCash also takes the work out of calculating the value of points or miles, as every £1 of OneKeyCash members earn is £1 they can use toward their next trip.”
