Expedia+: Using travel loyalty schemes to save on your holiday

It might still feel like we’re in the depths of winter, thanks to the frosty weather. But before you know it, the summer months will roll around.

And to a lot of us, summer time means only one thing – summer holidays. In fact, you might even be thinking about booking your summer break now. If you’re doing this, it might be worth taking a look at Expedia’s new travel loyalty scheme, Expedia+.

Can you really use this or other travel schemes to get a good deal on flights and hotel? Let’s take a look at what you can get with Expedia+.

What does Expedia+ offer?

Expedia+ lets you earn points on every flight, hotel and holiday package you book through its site. You just need to sign up through Expedia so if you’re not already a member, you’ll need to register.

Once you’re an Expedia+ member, you can start earning points straight away. For every £1 you spend on hotels, holiday packages with a hotel, flight and car hire packages, activities and certain car hire deals, you’ll earn two points. You’ll also earn one point for every £5 you spend on flights. If you book through the Expedia app, you can earn more points.

And you can boost your points by moving up the membership ‘tiers’ on Expedia+. The three membership tiers are:

•  +blue – the tier you are as soon as you sign up,

•  +silver – you’ll get this tier if you spend £5,000 or stay seven nights in a qualifying hotel, and

•  +gold – you’ll move up to this tier if you spend £10,000 through Expedia or stay 15 nights in a qualifying hotel.

If you’re a +silver member, you can get spa discounts and free drinks at certain hotels and you’ll also earn 10% more points. If you’re a +gold member, you’ll earn 30% more points, get free room upgrades and flexible check-in and check-out times at selected hotels, as well as the +silver benefits.

Is it the best deal?

You need to build up at least 3,500 points on Expedia+ to get any money off your next holiday – this is worth a £25 discount. As you can see, it could take quite a long time before you build up enough points to get a decent amount off.

If you usually use Expedia to book your holidays, it’s definitely worth signing up for Expedia+. After all, if you’ll spend on the site anyway, you might as well be earning points while you do this.

But that doesn’t mean you should definitely book your holiday with Expedia – it might not necessarily have the cheapest deals. If you’re booking a package holiday, have a look at what’s on offer from the other travel providers before you book – that’s companies like Virgin Holidays, First Choice and Thomas Cook.

How else you can save

Looking for the best package holiday deals isn’t the only way you can save on your summer break – check out these tips to get the most for your money.

•  If you’re booking flights and hotels separately, check out comparison sites to find the cheapest options. Skyscanner can help you find deals on flights and trivago compares the prices of different hotels.

•  Start saving for your holiday now if you’re struggling to afford the cost. Breaking up what you have to spend into smaller amounts can make it more affordable – and bring your dream destination that bit closer.

•  Cashback sites like TopCashback and Quidco can give you quite a bit of money back when you book flights through them – so take a look at the current offers before you buy.

•  Make sure you clear your cookies when you’re booking a holiday Some airlines will change the price of flights if you’ve been to the website before.