I’m signed up to 50 travel loyalty schemes – these three are actually worth it

I am signed up to more than 50 travel loyalty schemes, ranging from airline reward programmes to hotel coffee subscription plans. That may sound excessive, but as a holiday expert who travels more than 20 times a year and makes a living uncovering ways to get the best value from holidays, I consider it all part of the job. But if you only travel once or twice a year, are loyalty schemes worth bothering with? These programmes were born out of airline frequent flyer schemes in the Seventies, since when hotels and tour operators have followed suit, offering everything from points and discounts to upgrades and VIP experiences. In a competitive market, loyalty is everything. Tui is one of the latest to acknowledge this with its new Smiles Rewards Club. The holiday company’s chief marketing officer, Amber Pine, summarised it as a way to “create more reasons for customers to return and engage more meaningfully with Tui”. In other words, they are hoping it will be good for sales. Shorts A case in point is Ryanair’s Prime membership, which was scrapped just eight months after it launched. Its 55,000 paying members had received a whopping €6m (£5m) in flight discounts, but the scheme raised €4.4m (£3.7m) in subscription fees. But while loyalty schemes are designed to benefit business, they can also work for the customer too. These are the ones I recommend if you love a holiday, but don’t necessarily travel frequently. Hotels.com The accommodation booking platform offered a fantastic scheme – after booking 10 nights at eligible hotels, you’d get the average value of those nights back to spend on a “free-night stay”. But following a switch to parent company Expedia’s One Key scheme in 2024, the perks were watered down.So, imagine my delight when this year, I discovered that the 10-night stay programme was back – but with a noticeable difference. Instead of the average nightly value back, you now simply earn £100 in Hotels.com cash. Since the average cost of your 10 nights needs to be £75 a night including taxes and fees, the new scheme may disappoint budget travellers or those who like to splash the cash. But for those who often book rooms at around this price point, they could end up scoring a 13.3 per cent return on their spends. Even better is you don’t have to collect all 10 nights at once, and your progress won’t expire, as long as you have eligible activity at least once every 12 months. My advice Hotels.com is on cashback sites too, and you could earn even more if you pay with a rewards debit or credit card. You can collect points when travelling by taxi or train too Avios Flight redemptions are regarded as the gold standard when it comes to “spending” airline points, but not everyone flies frequently enough to rack them up. However, Avios – the loyalty currency of airlines including British Airways, Iberia and Qatar Airways – offers alternative ways for its members to earn points, including credit card spending, the weekly food shop or even your Friday-night curry. It’s therefore not surprising to learn that two-thirds of Avios are issued from activities that are not flying. They’re pretty easy to spend too, with a one-way economy flight to Europe starting at 10,000 Avios plus £2.50, and there are a select number of Avios-only flights on which only points holders can book seats. You can also part-pay with points, which is helpful for making business-class fares more achievable. For instance, a seat in Club Europe to Geneva is available for 5,900 Avios and £90 one-way. Not bad, considering the route often commands a price of £394 per person. My advice Link your Avios membership number to your Uber account to earn on taxis, trains and takeaways that you would be buying anyway, and download the Avios app to make sure your everyday spending is earning you valuable points. The Wizz Discount Club can be a great choice when travelling in a group (Photo: tupungato/Getty) Wizz Discount Club This scheme has been knocking around since 2011. And while it offers value for solo travellers who fly Wizz Air a lot, the real money-saving opportunity is for travelling in a larger group. With perks including fare and luggage discounts on eligible flights, Standard membership covers up to two travellers for €39.99 (£36) a year. However, it’s the Standard Plus membership that covers up to six passengers for €59.99 (£53) where it doesn’t take much to tip the scales in your favour. For example, a return flight between Gatwick and Antalya in March 2027 on which everyone takes a checked-in bag comes to £2,927.76 for six adults. However, you instantly save £112 with the Standard Plus membership – and that’s taking into account the annual fee. What’s more, the plan doesn’t auto-renew. My advice As long as the account holder stays the same, you don’t have to travel with the same people to use your perks throughout the year. So it’s worth factoring in potential future trips too. Ultimately, if a loyalty scheme is free – or instantly saves you money – signing up is a no-brainer. But the best way to use them is to not be loyal at all. Sign up, collect points and enjoy the perks, but don’t forget to shop around and check whether a better deal isn’t lurking nearby. After all, money saved up-front will often win out over potential savings and perks in the future.