By Expedia Team, on April 9, 2015

Plan Your Travels With Expedia+

Did you know that Canadians love – and, to a significant extent, rely on – travel rewards programs to help meet their travel goals? A recent survey commissioned by Expedia.ca shows that almost 69% of Canadians are members of a travel rewards program while another 68% say they’d be likely to join a new travel loyalty program, with Quebecers showing the highest appetite to join one (76%).

In fact, almost half of travel rewards program members say they rely on them to make their vacation plans possible at all.

Travelling at full price and without collecting any sort of points almost seems ludicrous nowadays; with increasingly expensive travel costs and unstable currencies, who wouldn’t want to get more bang for their buck?

Expedia’s new loyalty program, Expedia+, couldn’t come at a better time for Canadians – indeed, Canada is the first market outside of the U.S. to receive Expedia+.

Expedia+ benefits

What is Expedia+?

Expedia+ is a free, three-tiered rewards program that allows Canadians to earn travel rewards across a variety of travel products and multiple platforms.  Registered members can earn up to:

  • 2 points per $1 spent on hotels, packages with a hotel, activities and select car rentals
  • 1 point per $5 spent on flights
  • Earn 1 point per $1 spent on flight + car packages
  • Earn triple the points when booking your travel on the Expedia mobile app.
  • Earn double the points on packages booked through March 31st

The beauty of Expedia’s new reward program is that it isn’t tied to a single hotel chain or airline, and it doesn’t impose blackout periods; members will be able to earn points when booking any one of the 400 airlines or 365,000 hotels worldwide, along with activities and select vacation packages and car rentals offered on Expedia.ca.

The Three Tiers of Expedia+

Expedia+

The three-tiered earning structure (+blue, +silver and +gold) allows members to access various +VIP benefits (like bonus points, priority customer care and exclusive hotel amenities, for example).

Free membership automatically gives members +blue status, which includes Expedia+’s Hotel Price Guarantee and members-only pricing.

The more members travel within a calendar year, the more they elevate their status and benefits. They will reach+silver status after spending C$5,000 on eligible bookings or booking seven qualifying hotel room nights, and receive 10% bonus points on point eligible purchases, 250 extra points when booking a +VIP Access hotel and get pampered with exclusive amenities at more than 700 +VIP Access hotels.

Members will reach +gold status after spending C$10,000 on eligible bookings or booking 15 qualifying hotel room nights. +gold members also receive 30% bonus points and get room upgrades whenever available at +VIP Access hotels, as well as all the perks offered to +silver members.

What Are The Expedia+ Member Benefits?

Expedia+ benefits

Hotel Price Guarantee

Signed-in Expedia+ members get the extended Hotel Price Guarantee up until the midnight before their stay: should they find a cheaper rate online within 24 hours of booking, they will automatically receive C$50.

Shop As An Expedia+ member

Signed-in members get exclusive access to Expedia’s special offers, promotions, deals and benefits that will either save them money or increase their points earnings.

+VIP Access Hotel Benefits

Expedia’s premium hotel network provides a hand-selected collection offering special benefits for Expedia+ members in over 200 locations around the world.

+silver and +gold members can enjoy amenities like free breakfast and spa credits, and +gold members can receive free room upgrades upon availability.

Earn Points By Booking For Others

Members travelling with friends or family can book all their travels using their Expedia+ account and get all the points. Not to worry – everyone still earns their own airlines’ frequent flyer miles!

How Can I Redeem My Expedia+ Points?

Expedia+ benefits

As mentioned earlier, Expedia+ doesn’t impose blackouts when booking travel nor when redeeming points, giving members total freedom in both the booking and redeeming processes.

Members who have earned enough points can redeem them in their personalized Expedia+ marketplace by booking hotels or packages for themselves or anyone else.

How Can I Maximize My Travel Dollars With Expedia+?

Expedia+ benefits

A simple way for members to get more bang for their buck is to use the Expedia+ app (which triples the amount of points earned per booking) in conjunction with other rewards programs, like a travel-points credit card – getting twice as many points for each transaction!

For example, a traveller signed up for Expedia+ could book a trip to fly on a preferred airline and pay using a credit card with travel rewards.

Membership is free.
Expedia.ca customers can join Expedia+ by visiting www.expedia.ca/rewards.