Loyalty programs are a common way for companies to gain customer loyalty and improve their bottom line. This year, however, a number of high profile cases of fraud have left customers wary about the benefits they receive from using these schemes. As an industry we must be more transparent in order to regain trust with consumers.
The “successful loyalty programs” are the best ones to choose from. They will help you earn more money and keep your customers happy.
Your Chance To Vote On The Year’s Best Loyalty Programs
on February 23, 2022 by Gary Leff
This is your opportunity to weigh in on the top frequent flyer programs.
- There are awards given out by a panel of specialists that decide on an award based on their own personal opinions.
- There are several prizes where businesses pay sponsorship fees and continue to win their sponsored award.
- Then there are the Freddie Honors, which are the oldest and biggest consumer-driven awards in airline, hotel, and credit card loyalty.
The Freddie Awards voting period began on March 1st and will end on March 31st. The Freddie Awards represent the traveler’s voice. Every year, millions of people vote for the best in loyalty, and the industry gathers in April to see who wins (and each other).
To be really honest, The Freddies are run by Randy Petersen, Ed Pizzarello, and myself. It’s a passion project, not a money-making venture (in fact, we’re losing money on it). The Freddies, named after Sir Freddie Laker, the marketing pioneer who made transatlantic travel cheap, were developed by Petersen in 1988. In 2002, I had the opportunity of meeting Sir Freddie at an award ceremony.
The following are some of the characteristics that distinguish the Freddie Awards:
- The sheer quantity of votes makes it impossible to sway the outcome. While significant checks are in place on the back end to prevent programs (or anybody else) attempting to stuff the ballot box, the sheer number of program members voting makes influencing the vote impossible (over 7 million votes cast in 2019).
Indeed, since so many programs provide their members the option to vote, even get-out-the-vote operations (on which the awards set restrictions) have only a limited impact. For example, when IHG or Hilton contacts its members, those people also vote on the airline side. Members of the American AAdvantage program may also rate their favourite hotel programs.
- Sponsorship has no bearing on the result. For the previous many years, the principal sponsor has been a bank whose credit cards haven’t won any prizes. This year’s winner is a bank that had no submissions in the awards. The remainder of the firms engaged are suppliers and partners, and no airline or hotel program has been asked to sponsor. They all do it for a variety of reasons, including giving back to the industry and promoting themselves to present and future clients and suppliers (business development).
- The winner is chosen by the participants of the program. This isn’t a game in which voters ‘nominate’ programs, and then the winning program is chosen by the same corporation looking for sponsors. I don’t always agree with the voter’s choice of winner, but I don’t have any control over the result, and neither does anybody else.
- Because voters rank order their favourite programs first, second, and third, and the winner is the one with the greatest average rating, not the most votes, little programs have just as much of a chance as huge ones. (To be eligible to win, a program must be rated by at least 2% of the voters in the category.) As a result, a modest program that members believe provides value may and frequently will outperform the larger programs with the most votes.
In November and December, Ed and I spent a lot of time talking to shows to gather their feedback on the best promotion category in the awards. I put together the ballot in January. Then Ed gets it translated into many languages and tested on the voting platform before we go live.
Here I am with emcee Leland Vittert and Mommy Points and Deals We Like at the previous in-person event.
The wins from the year 2020 are listed below. You may agree or disagree with the decision, but if you don’t vote, you can’t complain.
More From the Wing’s Perspective
The “loyalty programs hotel examples” is a blog post that lists the top 10 most popular loyalty programs of 2016. The article also includes information about how these programs work, and what they offer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which loyalty program is best?
A: The best loyalty program is the one that you find the most convenient.
What are the types of loyalty programs?
A: There are a few different types of loyalty programs. These include airline frequent flier miles, hotel elite guest benefits and credit card rewards points.
Are loyalty programs worth it?
A: Most loyalty programs are worth it, but only if youre willing to commit a lot of time in them.
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