Index
Booking platforms
Booking direct, through agencies or portals, and what each channel earns.
Guides 12
- Hotel booking channels: check points, elite nights and benefitsWhen hotel bookings through a brand, travel agency, corporate channel or OTA earn loyalty credit and receive elite benefits.
- Hotel direct booking and loyalty benefits: check eligibility firstCheck whether a hotel reservation earns points, elite nights and on-property benefits before choosing a brand channel, agency or package.
- How to add a hotel loyalty number to an OTA bookingAdding a hotel loyalty number to an OTA booking does not by itself earn stay credit. Compare Hilton, IHG and Marriott channel rules and claim deadlines.
- How to book partner award flights: online or by phoneUnited MileagePlus partner awards on Virgin Australia, Turkish Airlines, Thai Airways and TAP: book online or by phone, not at the airport.
- How to check hotel elite benefits on OTA bookingsHow hotel loyalty programmes treat elite benefits, points and qualifying nights when a stay is booked through an online travel agency.
- How to claim booking platform rewards for business travelWho earns the reward when a business trip is booked: company loyalty accounts, individual traveller accounts, and the rules on paying and crediting.
- How to claim missing booking-platform rewardsWhat to check when Booking.com Genius progress or Qatar Airways Privilege Club Avios does not post, including claim windows and exclusions.
- How to earn airline miles and status credit on OTA ticketsHow ticket stock, fare class and the operating carrier decide whether a ticket bought through an online travel agency earns airline miles and elite credit.
- How to earn booking rewards on mobile app bookingsHow Booking.com Genius levels and app benefits work, which bookings count toward progress, and how American Airlines AAdvantage cash and miles works in its app.
- How to handle booking platform cancellations and refundsHow cancellation deadlines, prepaid versus flexible rates, no-show charges and refunds work on booking platforms, and which rules decide the outcome.
- How to read booking platform price display and feesLearn how Booking.com shows prices, taxes and charges, what crossed-out prices mean, and how to check the final amount before you book.
- How to redeem booking-platform rewards at checkoutHow rewards are applied at checkout on travel booking platforms: minimum redemption thresholds, award-rate steps, exclusions and combining limits.
Checklists 2
- How to earn booking platform rewards: a checklistA source-checked checklist for earning Booking.com Genius, Marriott Bonvoy and IHG One Rewards credit, from account eligibility and rate rules to posting and exceptions.
- How to read booking-platform rewards terms: checklistSix checks for booking-platform reward terms: eligibility, tier thresholds, expiry, exclusions, cancellation and account country, with worked examples.
Comparisons 5
- Booking-platform loyalty programmes comparedHow Booking.com Genius tiers, discounts and lifetime rewards work, how they sit alongside hotel programme points, and which platform schemes the sources checked do not cover.
- Booking-platform rewards vs airline miles: how to chooseBooking-platform rewards and airline miles are separate balances: how each is earned on flights, what airline miles buy, and where booking-site balances fit.
- Booking-platform rewards vs hotel loyalty: what each givesA sourced comparison of Booking.com Genius rewards and Marriott Bonvoy hotel loyalty: how each earns, what it gives and where the limits are.
- How to compare booking-platform rewards earning ratesWhat Booking.com Genius actually gives you at each level, which bookings count toward progress, and why a percentage discount is not the same unit as a points balance.
- OTA vs direct booking total costHow to compare an OTA booking with a direct hotel booking after member rates, loyalty earnings, taxes and fees, cancellation terms and platform credit.
Glossary terms 20
- What are booking-platform rewards on activities?How online travel agency rewards apply to tours, tickets and attractions, using Booking.com's Rewards & Wallet, Genius levels and booking criteria.
- What are booking-platform rewards on guest bookings?Who earns booking-site loyalty rewards when one person books and another travels? How Booking.com Genius progress attaches to the booking account.
- What are booking-platform rewards on multiple rooms?How Booking.com Genius counts a multi-room reservation as one booking toward progress, how the three levels unlock, and which discounts and stay perks apply.
- What are booking-platform rewards on packages?How Marriott Bonvoy treats all-inclusive package charges as Qualifying Charges, with conditions and exclusions.
- What are booking-platform rewards on taxes and fees?Booking-platform rewards are calculated on an eligible booking value, not the full price paid, so taxes, resort fees and service charges may be excluded.
- What are booking-platform rewards redemption fees?How Booking.com applies Genius discounts and Wallet rewards at checkout, which taxes, supplier charges and card fees stay payable, and the limits.
- What is a booking-platform loyalty programme?Booking-platform loyalty programme explained: how OTA membership schemes such as Booking.com Genius combine member pricing, booking-based tiers and rewards.
- What is a booking-platform rewards qualifying booking?A booking-platform rewards qualifying booking is a reservation that meets an OTA rewards programme's published conditions for earning or progress.
- What is a booking-platform rewards redemption for packages?Glossary definition of booking-platform rewards redemption for packages, with sourced facts from Trip.com's packages page on flight and hotel packages.
- What is a direct-booking requirement?Direct-booking requirements tie loyalty points, elite credit or benefits to booking through a hotel, airline or approved channel. See cited examples.
- What is an online travel agency (OTA)?An online travel agency sells flights, hotels and packages as an intermediary. Learn how OTA bookings affect hotel points, elite credit and member rates.
- What is booking-platform rewards account eligibility?How Booking.com Genius account eligibility works: free sign-up with an email, levels set by completed bookings, and which reservations count.
- What is booking-platform rewards combinability?Whether Booking.com Wallet Credits, vouchers, Genius discounts, coupon codes and hotel points can be combined at checkout, and what limits stacking.
- What is booking-platform rewards country availability?A glossary definition of booking-platform rewards country availability, with Booking.com Genius discounts at participating properties and on select rental cars.
- What is booking-platform rewards posting?How booking-platform purchases turn into spendable rewards: when points and tier credit post, which channels and rates qualify, and the claim windows.
- What is booking-platform rewards redemption for activities?Eligible Capital One cardholders can redeem rewards for event tickets, sometimes split with a card, but event eligibility, card rules and refund limits apply.
- What is booking-platform rewards redemption for flights?Booking-platform rewards redemption for flights means spending a travel site's own loyalty currency, such as Trip Coins, against an air booking.
- What is booking-platform rewards redemption for hotels?How booking-platform rewards such as Booking.com Wallet credits and vouchers are applied to hotel stays, with limits and exclusions.
- What is booking-platform rewards tier qualification?Booking-platform rewards tier qualification is the booking activity a platform counts toward the next rewards level, measured over a set window.
- What is rewards redemption on vacation rentals?Booking.com Genius discounts can apply to vacation homes and apartments, but only at participating properties, and the discount excludes taxes and fees.