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Brightline — Florida's homegrown high-speed rail service — made quite a splash in 2023 when it launched service from Orlando's International Airport (MCO) to South Florida, with sleek stations in central locations that make travel easier in the region.
Now, Brightline has launched its own loyalty program, aimed to reward travelers for using the service and make them think twice about traveling by other means, like car or air. Let's dig into the details of the announcement.
Where Brightline Operates
Brightline services Orlando and South Florida locations like West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami. It is also constructing new stations close to Orlando's cruise port of Port Canaveral and eventually expanding service to Tampa. Commercial train service does exist between South Florida and Tampa currently, but Amtrak's unreliable service and infrequent departures make it impractical for most travelers.
Earning Points in Brightline's New Loyalty Program
Through Brightline's new program, members earn 5 points per dollar on all train tickets, multi-ride packs, daily and monthly parking, baggage fees, pet fees, and SMART or PREMIUM upgrades for the account holder. Taxes and fees are excluded from points earning, as well as travel agent tickets, corporate-allocated rides, and complimentary tickets.
The person purchasing the various items earns the points, so if you have family traveling with you on Brightline, all points earned can be pooled in one account for easy redemptions. To start earning, you can sign up on Brightline's website.
Limited-time bonus points promotion
To celebrate the launch of the program, Brightline launched its first earning promotion. Members will earn triple points on all eligible purchases. That means you'll effectively earn 15 points per dollar on all purchases between now and June 3, 2025. Parking purchases must be made before May 4, 2025, to be eligible for this promotion.
The website mentions that rides to Orlando and premium cabin trips earn more points, but it appears the triple points promotion supersedes any bonus earnings for fares at this time. In the future, we could see triple points earned on only the most premium fares, for example.
Points are posted to your account 48 hours after travel and expire after 12 months of inactivity. Past rides before joining Brightline Rewards are ineligible for earning points, which makes sense.
Redeeming Brightline Rewards Points
When it comes time to redeem your points, you'll do so at checkout for your next purchase. There is no minimum balance needed to redeem. So, if you have points, you're always able to get some sort of discount on your next ride — even if the points only pay for part of the purchase.
Eligible redemptions include train tickets, upgrades, baggage fees, pet fees, daily parking, multi-ride packs, and monthly parking. Cancelling a trip booked with points — either fully or partially — results in your used points being returned to your account balance.
Unfortunately, according to Brightline's terms and conditions, the “number of points required for train tickets is dynamic and indicated at the time of booking.”
Other benefits
There are a few nice perks for joining Brightline Rewards besides earning points. If you show your Brightline Rewards account at the Mary Mary bar or Mrkt shop in Brightline stations, you'll save 10% on your purchases. This represents a nice savings on that pre-ride meal or beverage if you don't have lounge access with your ticket.
Brightline One Million Point Sweepstakes
Brightline is also launching a sweepstakes to celebrate the launch of the program, with one million points in total prizes awarded. The sweepstakes ends on May 30, 2025, at 11:59 PM EST, with winners announced on or about June 2, 2025. The prizes include:
- 100,000 points (1 winner)
- 50,000 points (2 winners)
- 25,000 points (5 winners)
- 10,000 points (10 winners)
- 5,000 points (20 winners)
- 2,500 points (30 winners)
- 1,000 points (50 winners)
- 500 points (82 winners)
Our Take
Brightline Rewards is a smart addition for a growing rail service that’s already reshaping travel in Florida. Earning points on nearly every purchase — including parking and upgrades — makes the program genuinely useful. And it's especially nice that there are no redemption minimums. The triple points promo and million-point sweepstakes make it even more enticing for early adopters to sign up.
Still, with dynamic pricing on redemptions and a relatively short points expiration window, the program isn’t without caveats. That said, if you plan to ride Brightline even once or twice in the next year, signing up for Brightline Rewards is a no-brainer.
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