CONNECT WITH US
Fintech

Fintech

$7.8 Billion in Airline Rewards Gets More Flexible

PYMNTS – Fintech logo

Published on

Add as a preferred source on Google
$7.8 Billion in Airline Rewards Gets More Flexible

Loyalty points are becoming more liquid as airlines give customers more choices over when and how much of their accumulated rewards to spend.

American Airlines said in a Friday (Oct. 2) press release that AAdvantage members will soon be able to combine miles with cash when buying tickets, PYMNTS reported the same day. Members will choose how many miles to apply at checkout and pay the remainder in cash.

The approach is already available elsewhere. Money + Miles from United Airlines lets eligible customers choose how many miles to redeem at checkout and pay the rest of the ticket price with money. Delta Air Lines offers two distinct options, including Miles + Cash on eligible award tickets, although it isn’t available on every flight or in every market, and Pay with Miles for eligible Delta SkyMiles American Express cardholders. Southwest’s Cash + Points lets Rapid Rewards members combine points with another eligible form of payment, with redemption options starting at 1,000 points.

The programs make rewards divisible. A traveler with 5,000 miles doesn’t necessarily have to leave them untouched until the balance is large enough for an award ticket. The miles can enter a purchase today while the traveler decides how much cash to use alongside them.

Similar changes are appearing outside airline tickets. American this year expanded AAdvantage redemption to gift cards , while card and merchant programs have been expanding ways for consumers to apply rewards during purchases. Loyalty programs are broadening how points can be earned and redeemed across shopping journeys, PYMNTS reported June 30.


Source link
Related Topics:Fintech

Disclaimer

We strive to uphold the highest ethical standards in all of our reporting and coverage. We TheMorningPulse.fyi want to be transparent with our readers about any potential conflicts of interest that may arise in our work. It's possible that some of the investors we feature may have connections to other businesses, including competitors or companies we write about. However, we want to assure our readers that this will not have any impact on the integrity or impartiality of our reporting. We are committed to delivering accurate, unbiased news and information to our audience, and we will continue to uphold our ethics and principles in all of our work. Thank you for your trust and support.