Expedia Group announced two new partnerships this week. The travel tech giant is linking up with Air Miles and Afterpay.
Air Miles, Expedia said in a release, has chosen Expedia Group as its strategic lodging partner as it seeks to evolve its rewards program.
Shawn Stewart, president of Air Miles reward program, said that providing the best value to collectors remains their focus – and the partnership with Expedia should supplement that.
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“By partnering with Expedia Group as strategic lodging supplier for our new travel platform, we are able to provide extensive accommodation options to our collectors beyond what we already offer; being one of the most trusted names in the travel industry, it was a clear move for us,” Stewart said.
The partnership will allow customers access to Expedia Group’s supply across the world of 700,000 hotels and rental properties.
The decision to partner with Expedia Group comes as part of its new travel platform, which has been enhanced by a string of moves made by Air Miles since its acquisition by Bank of Montreal.
Alfonso Paredes, senior vice president of private label solutions at Expedia Group, said the partnership “taps into the natural evolution of loyalty programs” addressing customers’ desires for flexibility and more options.
“We have already seen strong booking interest during our soft launch and look forward to building more momentum as we bring advantageous accommodation offerings to Air Miles collectors,” Paredes said.
Expedia Group’s partnership with “buy now, pay later” company Afterpay has an Australian focus. The idea is to bring more flexibility to Australia-based travelers.
Beginning this month, Australians can book travel through Expedia and Afterpay in a co-branded experience, Expedia shared in a release. Aptly named “Pay in 4,” the new option will allow Australians to pay for their travel experiences in four installments.
Clayton Nelson, vice president of strategic partnerships and affiliates for Expedia Group, believes the partnership will allow travelers more space to book their “dream trip.”
“This collaboration reaffirms our commitment to growing and enhancing the traveler experience through cutting-edge technologies, empowering our partners to deliver great experiences to their customers and drive customer loyalty,” said Nelson.
The partnerships add to a list of B2B growth measures by Expedia Group including inking Walmart as a B2B customer and a partnership with Mastercard – both of which came after the company shared news in May of a 55% increase year over year in B2B revenue.
