For decades, travel loyalty programs and travel loyalty strategies have been built on a simple equation: spend more, earn more points. It was efficient, measurable, and for a long time, effective.
But travel is not a transaction. It is an experience shaped by expectation, emotion, and trust, and today’s travellers no longer form loyalty through points alone.
In this article, you’ll learn:
A 2025 Forbes analysis found that younger travellers prioritise flexibility, relevance, and experiential rewards over traditional points. Loyalty in travel has become emotional rather than mathematical.
The problem is that most point-based travel loyalty programs still reward spend, not satisfaction. They track what customers buy, but not how they feel — creating a disconnect that leaves many travellers disengaged.
By contrast, loyalty strategies built on purchaser-verified feedback capture real experience. They give brands genuine insight into what matters to travellers, the ability to respond meaningfully, and the opportunity to recognise customers in ways that build trust. And trust is what drives repeat choice — the real engine of modern travel loyalty.
Points systems are inherently transactional. They offer the same incentives to very different customers, often without understanding why those customers chose the brand in the first place, or whether the experience lived up to expectations.
This distance is made worse by unreliable data. Many travel brands rely on open or unverified review platforms, where fake, biased, or irrelevant reviews can distort insight.
Studies suggest that up to one in three online reviews on open platforms may be unreliable, undermining trust for both consumers and businesses.
This is why purchaser-verified reviews matter. Unlike anonymous data, feedback from confirmed customers reveals the real reasons behind a stay and whether expectations were met.
This clarity allows brands to move beyond generic points and tailor loyalty programmes based on genuine insight. By rewarding customers for what they actually value, brands replace transactional relationships with closer engagement and lasting loyalty.
Discover the value of purchaser-verified feedback here.
Modern loyalty in travel is built on trust. Trust is built on genuine experience. And genuine experience is best understood through verified customer feedback. It’s more effective if we look at it through four core pillars that help build this trust.
Verified feedback allows brands to acknowledge customers as individuals. It captures what travellers actually experienced — not just what they booked — enabling meaningful recognition rather than generic reward based on a transaction.
According to Barclays research, travellers increasingly rely on rewards and reviews to reduce uncertainty when booking, especially as travel decisions become more complex and more expensive. Displaying purchaser-verified reviews reassures travellers that feedback comes from real people, based on real journeys.
Explicit feedback tells brands, in customers’ own words, what matters to them. Brands can tailor offers, communications, and experiences around what customers say matters most — rather than assumptions or inferred behaviour. Best practice starts with collecting feedback the right way.
Travel isn’t always smooth. What defines loyalty is how brands respond. Publicly engaging with verified feedback demonstrates accountability and care, and can turn dissatisfied customers into long-term advocates.
Travel loyalty programs are at a crossroads. Points are no longer enough. The brands that will win are those that put the customer voice at the heart of loyalty — not as a tactic, but as the foundation.
By embedding purchaser-verified feedback across the loyalty journey, travel brands move beyond transactions to build trust, recognition, and relationships rooted in real experience. That is loyalty built to last — and the future of loyalty in travel.
Feefo helps travel brands turn genuine customer experience into trusted insight, powering travel loyalty programs built on integrity, not assumption. Our platform collects purchaser-verified reviews, meaning every piece of feedback comes from a real traveller — giving you accurate data you can trust.
From improving guest experience to refining communications, pricing, and product strategy, Feefo helps brands uncover what truly matters to customers and act on it with confidence.
If you’re ready to build loyalty on real experience — not guesswork — get in touch to see how Feefo transforms your customer insight into measurable growth.