Priceline Announces No Annual Fee VIP Rewards Visa Card
Priceline is one of the major online travel agencies (OTA) used by American consumers to find cheap travel. Consumers can book flights, rental cars, cruises and more — all in one convenient place. And now, Priceline is introducing their own credit card: the VIP Rewards Visa credit card.
Long before this new credit card, Priceline was originally made famous by giving people the ability to name their price for what they wanted to purchase. However, that feature was removed last year.
Black Friday Restaurant Gift Card Sales Show Huge Hunger for Fine Dining
In an examination of Black Friday restaurant gift cards sales, Paytronix Systems found that people are hopeful as they look forward to 2022, and expecting to be dining out more than ever. This year consumers snapped up gift cards from Fine Dining restaurants in greater numbers than Paytronix has seen since it started reporting Black Friday gift card sales in 2018. That huge lift, however, does not translate across all sectors. When quick service and fast casual brands are considered, gift card sales are up as compared with 2020, but still off their 2019 highs.
Overall, restaurants sold 22.6% more individual gift cards in 2021 as compared with 2020. When it comes to dollars loaded on those cards, the industry saw a 43% increase across all cards, which translates to an average increase of 16.6% in dollars loaded per card. When compared to pre-pandemic numbers, restaurants this year sold 22.3% fewer cards than in 2019 and loaded 19.1% less in funds.
Hilton Honors Sends Members to the 2022 GRAMMY Awards
Hilton Honors is providing members with the opportunity to head to Los Angeles for the 2022 GRAMMY Awards on January 31, 2022, with exclusive, money can’t buy packages only available on the Hilton Honors Experiences platform. Music lovers can rub elbows with some of the industry’s biggest superstars and be there to enjoy first-class live performances.
Members of Hilton’s loyalty program can bid on the one-of-a-kind Ultimate GRAMMY® Experience, beginning at 500,000 Hilton Honors Points. This package includes attendance to the GRAMMY Awards and the star studded after-party, in addition to a three-course dining experience at Jean-Georges Rooftop restaurant and a three-night stay at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills.
Noodles & Company to Donate Proceeds from Loyalty Orders on National Day of Giving
Noodles & Company, the national fast-casual brand serving globally-inspired noodle dishes made fresh to order, is paying it forward in a big way this National Day of Giving by investing in its team members.
This year on Tuesday, November 30, Noodles & Company donated $1 from every order placed by a Noodles Rewards member via the Noodles Rewards App or Noodles.com to the Noodles Foundation. In return, as a small gesture of thanks from Noodles, members will receive a free regular fountain drink reward to use on their next visit (valid for 14 days from issuance).
WestJet announces Karl Schuster as Executive VP and Chief Loyalty Officer
WestJet announced the appointment of Karl Schuster, as the airline's Executive Vice-President and Chief Loyalty Officer (CLO). Schuster will join the WestJet executive leadership team in early 2022, following the completion of the immigration process.
Schuster has over 19 years of loyalty experience, including six years as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Velocity Frequent Flyer, Virgin Australia's award-winning loyalty program. During his time at Virgin Australia, Schuster grew Velocity to be one of the largest loyalty programs in Australia, significantly increasing their annual revenue; increasing membership subscribers to 10 million, from their previous 5.3 million members; and growing partnerships with noteworthy brands across the country.