WASHINGTON, July 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — U.S. News & World Report today released its inaugural rankings of the Best Travel Rewards Programs.
The new rankings include the Best Airline Rewards and Best Hotel Rewards programs and provide quality, unbiased information to travelers looking to join a new program or consolidate existing rewards. Information about the programs, their membership tiers and their rewards can be viewed here.
Ten frequent flyer programs were evaluated for the 2013 Best Airline Rewards rankings. Frequent flyer programs were ranked based on a scoring algorithm that takes into account five components: the number of daily flights, geographic coverage, additional benefits, free flight options and the ease of earning a free round-trip flight. To be ranked, a program had to be offered by a U.S.-based airline.
The Best Airline Rewards program is:
The full list of the Best Airline Rewards programs is available here.
Sixteen hotel loyalty programs were evaluated for the 2013 Best Hotel Rewards rankings. Hotel loyalty programs were ranked based on a scoring methodology composed of five criteria: the number of participating hotels, brand diversity, geographic coverage, additional benefits and ease of earning free nights. To be ranked, the program must have properties located in the United States and must allow members to earn rewards and privileges when they stay at an affiliated hotel.
The Best Hotel Rewards program is:
The full list of the Best Hotel Rewards programs is available here .
About U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is a multi-platform publisher of news and analysis, which includes the digital-only U.S. News Weekly magazine, www.usnews.com and www.rankingsandreviews.com. Focusing on Health, Personal Finance, Education, Travel, Cars and Public Service/Opinion, U.S. News has earned a reputation as the leading provider of service news and information that improves the quality of life of its readers. U.S. News & World Report’s signature franchise includes its News You Can Use® brand of journalism and its annual “Best” series of consumer Web guides and publications that include rankings of colleges, graduate schools, hospitals, mutual funds, health plans and more.
Southwest’s program has never interested me because they aren’t in an alliance. Surprised they got first unless it’s because of that companion pass. I would have put UA first, AA second, US third because I value one way awards, online booking and lots of partners.
Seriously, BW’s program is 2nd place? LOL! Who voted for this?
@Tara, I was surprised too. I guess they have a very loyal following, but for the life of me, I can’t figure out why