The news desk
Updates, decoded.
What changed and whether it matters — grounded in the numbers, not the press release. Subscribe via RSS →
249 of 249 tracker events have stories — the desk publishes hourly. Too fast? Pulse is the monthly rollup →
Marriott Bonvoy Merges SPG
Marriott merged SPG and Marriott Rewards, likely reducing point value. The unified program has a single points currency and category chart.
HDFC Diners 10X SmartBuy extended again, to September 2018
HDFC extended the Diners Club Black 10X SmartBuy programme through 30 September 2018, after it had been set to expire mid-year. The programme remains officially temporary, renewed one quarter at a time.
Etihad Guest kills award chart — dynamic pricing now
Etihad Guest moves to dynamic award pricing with no fixed chart, affecting redemptions on Etihad-operated flights. Cardholders will face uncertainty and potentially higher award prices during peak travel periods.
JetPrivilege kills JPMiles expiry — no expiry
JetPrivilege removed JPMiles expiry in 2018, with no expiry as long as members logged one activity every 18 months. This change made JetPrivilege the only major Indian loyalty programme with no mileage expiry, but its impact was limited by the airline's subsequent bankruptcy.
Air India privatisation attempt collapses — zero bidders
The government's sale of a 76% stake in Air India closed on May 31, 2018 with zero expressions of interest, despite 160 preliminary queries. IndiGo, Jet Airways, Singapore Airlines and Tata all walked away from the terms.
Marriott merges loyalty programmes — a 0% improvement
Marriott merged SPG, Marriott Rewards, and Ritz-Carlton Rewards into one programme on August 18, 2018, changing the redemption math for Category 1-7 SPG points. This merger led to a less generous redemption system for SPG points.
Etihad Guest quietly hikes own-metal award pricing
Etihad Guest raised redemption costs on its own long-haul flights — Perth-JFK in Business jumped from 179,030 to 200,002 miles — and added a new $50-per-segment surcharge on some Business and First awards.
Citi kills PremierMiles 10X — a 100% devaluation
Citi PremierMiles' 10X 'Extra' partner program has ended, reducing the card's value for travel spend. The program's demise leaves cardholders with limited rewards options.
JetPrivilege HDFC World Debit Card joining bonus gutted
From November 15, 2017 the JetPrivilege HDFC World Debit Card's joining bonus was cut 75%, from 2,000 JPMiles plus 1,000 RPs to 500 JPMiles, and its blanket 2 JPMiles/₹150 earn rate was restricted to specific categories with everything else dropping to 1 JPMile/₹150.
HDFC Diners 10X drops Amazon, adds CaratLane, extends to March 2018
HDFC removed Amazon.in from the Diners Club Black 10X SmartBuy list on November 1, 2017, adding jewellery retailer CaratLane (excluding gold coins) in its place. The programme itself was extended to March 2018.
JetPrivilege rewrites partner award chart into 13 global zones
Effective September 28, 2017, JetPrivilege replaced route-specific partner redemption pricing with a 13-zone global award chart — Sydney-Singapore in economy now runs 40,000 JPMiles.
HDFC guts Regalia and Diners Club Rewards — 60% haircut
HDFC Bank cut Regalia point value by 17% and Diners Club Rewardz by 60%, with the latter also losing unlimited lounge access. This resulted in a significant reduction in the rewards value for cardholders.
Amex Gold Charge Card raises the bar to earn Membership Rewards
From July 1, 2017, American Express raised the spend threshold on the Gold Charge Card's monthly transaction bonus — the 1,000 Membership Rewards points that previously required 4 transactions of ₹1,000 a month now demand more spend for the same reward.
GST rollout adds 3 points of tax to every card fee in India
GST replaced service tax on July 1, 2017, lifting the tax on card annual fees, late fees, forex markup and finance charges from 15% to 18%. On a ₹50,000 super-premium fee, that is ₹1,500 more in pure tax.
Jet Airways extends Jetstar Asia codeshare, earns JPMiles
Jet Airways extended its Jetstar Asia codeshare and, retroactive to March 26, 2017, made those Southeast Asia legs earn both JPMiles and Tier Miles when booked under a Jet Airways flight number.
KrisFlyer Devalues Premium Saver Awards by 30%
KrisFlyer devalued premium saver awards by 28-30% in 2017, removing the 15% online booking discount. This change increased the number of points required for premium cabin saver awards.
Taj InnerCircle and Shangri-La's Golden Circle join up
Taj Hotels and Shangri-La struck a first-of-its-kind 'Warmer Welcomes' alliance, giving InnerCircle and Golden Circle members reciprocal recognition and perks across each other's properties.
Hilton drops the second 'H': HHonors becomes Hilton Honors
Hilton rebranded HHonors to Hilton Honors on February 1, 2017 and paired the name change with a Points & Money slider for partial-points redemptions with no blackout dates, plus free points pooling with up to 10 other members from April.
Demonetization cuts cash use — 13% overnight
Cash usage fell by 13% and card spending jumped after the note ban, accidentally stimulating the reward points market in India. This led to more spend categories and issuers improving their card offerings.
Marriott buys Starwood — $13.3B deal
Marriott's $13.3B acquisition of Starwood created a 5,700-property empire, impacting Indian SPG loyalists who had hoarded points for redemption. The deal closed on September 23, 2016, and paved the way for a loyalty program merger in 2018.