Conference and Event Planning – The Road Warrior’s Guide to Loyalty Rewards


There are advantages and disadvantages to every job. Most Road Warriors will agree that one of the best parts of a job that requires frequent travel is the loyalty rewards that come along with it. Because when you travel a lot for work, you have to find the silver lining.

Being away from our family and friends can take its toll, but being able to take advantage of the perks will go a long way. And whether it`s a family trip to Disneyland or some gift cards to go shopping,

Conference and Event Planning – How Does Your Company Handle Loyalty Rewards?

Policies vary from company to company. The smart employer knows how hard their team works and the sacrifices they make being away from home. But unfortunately there are some companies that collect the loyalty rewards without letting those that earn them use them. BIG MISTAKE. Huge.

Constant travel is difficult enough without a short-sighted greedy employer missing the big picture. It can result in resentment and a higher employee turnover.

The smart employer recognizes that those who travel deserve a reward for the extra hours spent in airports, hotel rooms and taxi cabs while being hundreds of miles from home. This generally results in a higher employee retention which is a financial bonus for everyone.

Conference and Event Planning – Loyalty Rewards…Why Bother?

There are literally thousands of loyalty reward programs out there. Almost every industry offers them as a lure to attract new clients while bringing existing clients back time and again. Airlines, hotels, restaurants, retail stores, movie theaters, banks, credit cards, gas stations, even bakeries and coffee shops have joined the club! But it’s not just about customer retention. Loyalty Rewards are a huge business and your data is collected, analyzed and sometimes sold to market research companies.

Due to travel and local programs, my husband and I belong to over 25 different loyalty reward programs. Except for a select few, most are free to join. And because we believe that, if your shopping there anyways, you might as well belong and actually get something (like a reward) for shopping there anyway.

Conference and Event Planning – How to Manage Your Loyalty Rewards

We use a spread sheet to track our programs and include web links, balance, and membership numbers and pass codes. That way either of us can access any of the programs at any time. And if we see we are close to something we want, we can either look at transferring points or maximizing the use of that program until we achieve what we want.

Conference and Event Planning – Maximize Your Loyalty Rewards

Whether you’re flying, staying in a hotel or buying shampoo, join that program!! Even if it’s a onetime stay or purchase, many programs allow you transfer their points into other programs. Hilton allows you to transfer their own Hilton Honors points into airline miles with participating airlines.

If you have control over your own bookings, try to fly with the same airline, stay at the same hotel chains and use the same credit card. Stay aware of your programs. Visit the web sites and be sure you know about any specials and bonus days. Sign up for the contests and incentives. You’ll be amazed by how quickly it adds up.

When cashing in your points, some items have a better “dollar value“ than others. With an airline or hotel, you’re usually getting a better value for your “points” if you book a trip or room than if you redeem for merchandise or gift cards.

But it’s also about getting what you want or need. My husband and I had so many hotel points that there was no way we could use them all up. We combined a few of the programs and decided on a beautiful digital SLR camera. And we still had enough points from our other programs to book a trip so we could use the camera!

The smart Road Warrior knows how to make the best of an ever changing situation. And Loyalty Rewards can help take the sting out of being away and perhaps treat your family to something special.

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