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One Key Rewards is the combined loyalty program for Hotels.com, Vrbo, and Expedia. It replaced Hotels.com's old loyalty program and has undergone several changes over the years. Basically, this unified program allowed members to earn OneKeyCash — the program's rewards currency — for all stays, activities, packages, car rentals, and even flights.
And more change is on the way, which tip the scales as negative. Beginning July 28, 2026, having One Key status will be more important than ever for earning rewards. According to Expedia this week, these are the upcoming changes, which we will break down in more detail below:
- You’ll earn up to 3% in OneKeyCash on all eligible non-flight bookings, including packages, on Expedia.
- You’ll no longer earn 0.2% in OneKeyCash on flights on Expedia.
- They will no longer be offering Hotel Price Guarantee on Expedia or Hotels.com.
Let's get into it.
Earn up to 3% in OneKeyCash on Eligible Non-Flight Bookings
Previously, all One Key members could earn 2% OneKeyCash on Expedia bookings. Starting July 28, 2026, earnings will now be based on loyalty tier within the program as follows:
- Blue: 1%
- Silver: 2%
- Gold: 2%
- Platinum: 3%
As a reminder, here are the qualifications to achieve each tier level. Note that the Rewards earning will be updated once it goes live in July.
As you can see, it will now require at least five trip elements to hit Silver status and earn the same 2% OneKeyCash as before. Platinum members with 30+ trip elements will now earn a higher 3%. Although Silver status is fairly easy to achieve, this reduction from 2% to 1% for Blue members is certainly bad news.
The earnings at VIP Access properties, as indicated above, will not be changing. You can see our detailed review of One Key Rewards and earning status here.
One Key to Scrap Rewards on Flights Booked Through Expedia
Although the earning rate of 0.2% on flight purchases through Expedia wasn't overly exciting, the removal of rewards altogether on flights is equally disappointing.
The Expedia Price Guarantee Is Going Away
The ability to submit a Price Guarantee through Expedia or Hotels.com is a nice feature, should you find a better price elsewhere. Effective July 28, 2026, that feature will be eliminated.
This is another gut punch for those who saved money this way.
Coming Soon: One Key Flight Delay Access
Sometime later this year, a new feature will launch — One Key Flight Delay Access. This will be for Gold and Platinum members, and will compensate travelers with a flight delay of at least 90 minutes with free lounge access or $20 in OneKeyCash should no lounge be available. This will be handy if you experience frustrating flight delays, but again, a higher level of status will be required to receive this perk.
Bottom Line
Starting July 28, 2026, Expedia will be changing several facets of its One Key Rewards program — and it's mostly bad news. The reduction in earnings for the lowest tier level and the removal of several key benefits is a bummer for those who took advantage of this rewards program. The flight delay benefit is nice, but not a huge win in the grand scheme of things.
Bottom line, this is another general disappointment from what was once a very solid rewards program.
