Expedia One Key: Is There Value to Unlock?
Expedia One Key launched in 2023, merging the rewards programs of three brands: Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo. A rare breed (at least here in the US) of loyalty program that spans multiple brands, One Key aims to appeal to a wide range of travelers. Only Hotels.com had a rewards program prior and it was a generous one—offering one free night for every 10 you stayed, valued at the average price of those 10 nights. That’s essentially a 10% return—pretty rich in the travel rewards world.
Unfortunately, Hotels.com loyalists had to wave goodbye to that sweet deal when One Key took over and we don’t think their fully over it yet. So, does this new program unlock real value? Let’s find out.
Image Credit: Expedia.com
How it works:
One Key is free to join and rewards bookings made through Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo. Its currency, OneKeyCash, is earned at a base rate of 2% for hotels, rental cars, cruises, and vacation rentals. Flights, however? A measly 0.2%—yes, that’s one-fifth of 1%. Frankly, we’d have more respect if they just didn’t award earning for flights.
Expedia is trying to become your one-stop shop for all things travel, incentivizing you to book everything under their umbrella. The program also includes four membership tiers, determined by “trip elements,” which can be a bit confusing at first. Each of the following counts as one trip element:
One hotel night
One flight ticket
One car rental day
One cruise night
One home rental night
One activity ticket
You can mix and match however you like. Here’s how you’d hit Silver status (five trip elements):
Five hotel nights
Two hotel nights + three car rental days
Four cruise nights + one activity
Five Vrbo home rental nights
The minimum spend per trip element is just $25, meaning status isn’t tied to how much you spend—just how many elements you book. Someone could spend $125 on five activity tickets and reach Silver status, while another drops $2,500 on a five-night hotel stay and gets the same status. That’s a wild contrast from most travel rewards programs, which favor high spenders. But heck, it does make status easier to reach which is a plus.
Image Credit: Expedia.com
OneKey members may also see discounted pricing for select hotels, rental homes, or car reservations. And the website clearly shows how much OneKeyCash you’ll earn for each booking. Flights? They wisely don’t show your OneKeyCash potential earnings—probably because seeing 50 cents back on a $250 ticket is more depressing than realizing your “basic economy” fare doesn’t include a carry-on.
Image Credit: Expedia.com
How to Redeem:
OneKeyCash sits in your account, and tracking your earnings, tier status, and activity is simple.
For hotels, car rentals, home rentals, and activities, you can apply OneKeyCash as full or partial payment—nice flexibility.
Flights, however, require enough OneKeyCash to cover the entire ticket. Noticing a trend here? Expedia is practically screaming at you not to use this program for flights. Oblige.
What’s the Value?
Let’s state the obvious: One Key is a shadow of the former Hotels.com program. A 2% return vs. the previous 10%? Ouch. But to be fair, consistent 10% return in hotel rewards is practically a unicorn, unless you’re racking up elite-tier points with a major chain.
At Rewarded or Robbed, we look at all the benefits of a program when passing judgement. Here’s what stands out.
What You’ll Like:
✅ Transparent Return Value – 2% return value is small,, but at least you know exactly what your OneKeyCash is worth. No cryptic points systems where you have no clue what they’re worth until checkout. $100 is clear, 10,000 points is not.
✅ Higher Tiers, Higher Returns – Platinum members can earn up to 6% back at VIP properties, meaning the program gets more rewarding if you climb the status ladder.
✅ Hotel Night Savings – Members save 10%-20% at over 10,000 hotels worldwide. We did multiple searches and found legit discounts, especially across independent hotels, meaning the overall return can be much higher than 2% with the discounts factored in
✅ Easy Status Qualifications – One Key makes elite status way easier to achieve than other travel programs, unlocking extra benefits faster.
What You’ll Hate:
❌ Laughable (but we’re not laughing) Airline Rewards – Seriously, 0.2% back on flights? We recommend skipping Expedia for airfare unless you really need it to qualify as a “trip element.”
❌ No Hotel Chain Elite Status – If you’re after status with the big chains like Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, or Wyndham, One Key is not for you. Bookings here don’t count toward their elite programs.
🕵️♂️ ANY Fine Print?
Loyalty program fine print was practically invented by travel programs, so of course some.
The Good
✅ Earn for the Family – Whoever books the trip gets the rewards. A parent booking for the whole family? You get credit for all their flight tickets and activities, making elite status easier to obtain and consolidating the OneKeyCash.
✅ Expiration Policy – OneKeyCash doesn’t expire as long as you have some activity every 18 months.
✅ Flexible Redemptions – Partial redemption with OneKeyCash is allowed for hotels, short-term rentals, car rentals, and activities—you just pay the difference.
The Fair
⚖️ Earning Timeframes – Your OneKeyCash isn’t instantly available. It posts after your trip is completed, with wait times ranging from three days (for “pay now” bookings) to a long up-to 90 days for car rentals and “pay later” reservations.
The Bad
❌ Redemption Restrictions
No OneKeyCash for “pay later” reservations.
No partial payments for flights—you need enough to cover the entire ticket. Sigh, flight restrictions again.
OUR VERDICT:
If you are a very frequent traveler who loves staying at the major chains to maximize loyalty points and earn status, or primarily looking to book airline tickets, OneKey is NOT for you. You’ll get way better loyalty value booking directly via those programs.
But if you are not brand loyal, and like to mix up your type of travel (between hotel, home rentals, car rentals, cruising) then One Key does offer value. Is it huge return value? No. But it’s more than value than if you booked all those things separately, plus it’s transparent, easy to use and with few restrictions. Those are absolutely worth something.
Rewarded or Robbed?
For certain traveler types, yes...
⭐ Rewarded!
Leave us a comment! Do you agree or disagree? Any further tips about One Key?
