I don’t quite know how it happened, but it seems like one of this blog’s main beats is Allegiant Air. It started with my ever-expanding review of the airline and has continued as my dad recently learned what happens when one of the sporatically-scheduled flights the carrier offers gets canceled. Now, I have the pleasure of telling you about Allegiant’s new loyalty program, Allways Rewards.
The airline is billing this as the first loyalty program designed specifically for leisure travelers. While I can’t speak to whether or not that’s accurate, the simplicity of Allways Rewards definitely does appeal to those less interested in chasing status and more interested in saving money.
Here’s how it works: Allways Rewards members will earn 1 point for every dollar they spend, with this earning rate increase to 2 points per dollar if you spend more than $500. Then, these points can be redeemed at a rate of 1¢ per point. So, if you book a flight for $300, you’d earn 300 points, which could be redeemed for $3 in the future. On that note, Allegiant says there is no minumum requirements for redemption. Furthermore, there are no blockout dates or redemption fees.
Although those are the very basics of Allways Rewards, there are a few other interesting aspects I want to point out. For one, Allegiant mentions that the points will be earned by the person buying the tickets instead of being issued to each individual traveler on an itinerary. That’s good news as we won’t need to keep track of separate frequent flier numbers and can essentially pool our rewards — but I’m sure it won’t be everyone’s favorite approach. Another item that caught my eye is that points can be redeemed alongside vouchers and promo codes, which is nice. Finally, according to their press release, Allways members will soon (“later this year”) earn 5% off all airfare purchased at Allegiant.com.
I should also mention that the Allegiant World Mastercard will be getting a design refresh to take on the Allways Rewards branding. Compared to the current card design, I think this new version looks pretty darn good. Plus, the airline says that credit card customers will automatically be enrolled in the new program.
As someone who’s a self-proclaimed fan of Allegiant Air, the new Allways Rewards sounds like an absolute win. While I’ll admit that I do love earning status, this program makes a ton of sense given the airline’s main market. Of course, I’ll need to see how this program works in practice — and will await the new discount coming soon. Rest assured that, when I do get to try out Allways Rewards for myself, I’ll be adding my thoughts to my Allegiant Air review.