Honeycomb Strategy founder and Science of Loyalty author Renata Freund has a sharp warning for brands: consumers aren’t falling out of love with loyalty programs – they’re exhausted by them. In this opinion piece, she unpacks why travel brands are losing the battle for attention and what the smartest programs are doing to stay top of mind.
Loyalty programs have become a cornerstone of modern marketing, promising to turn casual customers into lifelong advocates. Yet, new research from our Science of Loyalty study reveals that the proliferation of loyalty schemes across industries – including travel – has created a new kind of fatigue. Consumers are simply overwhelmed.
While initial sign-ups remain high, driven by the allure of joining something “free” that promises future rewards, ongoing consumer engagement tells a different story. The reality is that there are only so many programs consumers can energetically keep track of. Many find themselves enrolled in a dozen or more but actively using only a small handful.
The travel loyalty paradox
This challenge is nowhere more evident than in travel, especially in accommodation. The very nature of the category makes sustained engagement difficult. People don’t book hotels or flights every week, so travel loyalty programs naturally fall out of their mental rotation between trips. Even the most generous benefits struggle to compete when the brand itself isn’t top of mind for months or years at a time.
This creates a paradox for travel brands: even if the benefits stack up well on paper, they’re often competing less with rival travel programs and more with the broader marketplace for consumer attention. In today’s crowded loyalty landscape, staying visible and relevant between purchases is the greatest challenge.
The Science of Loyalty: What sets the best travel programs apart
According to The Science of Loyalty study, Australia’s top-ranked travel programs include Booking.com Genius, Qantas Frequent Flyer, Virgin Velocity, Accor Live Limitless, and IHG One Rewards.
These brands stand out not because they offer the most rewards, but because they’ve mastered cognitive ease – reducing friction so that engagement feels effortless.
Access our full ‘Science of Loyalty‘ report for a practical playbook on how to drive active engagement and deliver ROI.
Renata Freund
Founder & Director