Hotels.com Rewards Is Back: What the New Scheme Means for UK Travellers
Hotels.com is scrapping One Key for UK members and reverting to a scheme much closer to its original rewards programme. The transition begins on 8 April 2026 and will complete by 8 May 2026, with accounts switching over on a phased basis during that window. If you used Hotels.com heavily before One Key arrived in 2024 and abandoned it since, this is worth paying attention to — though the new scheme is not a straight return to the old one, and there are some meaningful differences worth understanding before you rebook.
A quick history
The original Hotels.com Rewards programme was genuinely popular. For every 10 nights you booked, you received a free night worth the average pre-tax cost of those 10 stays — effectively a return of around 10% on your spend. The scheme also let you book rooms for anyone and earn the credit yourself, which made it unusually useful for business travellers booking on behalf of colleagues.
Hotels.com Rewards Is Back: What the New Scheme Means for UK Travellers
Hotels.com is scrapping One Key for UK members and reverting to a scheme much closer to its original rewards programme. The transition begins on 8 April 2026 and will complete by 8 May 2026, with accounts switching over on a phased basis during that window. If you used Hotels.com heavily before One Key arrived in 2024 and abandoned it since, this is worth paying attention to — though the new scheme is not a straight return to the old one, and there are some meaningful differences worth understanding before you rebook.
A quick history
The original Hotels.com Rewards programme was genuinely popular. For every 10 nights you booked, you received a free night worth the average pre-tax cost of those 10 stays — effectively a return of around 10% on your spend. The scheme also let you book rooms for anyone and earn the credit yourself, which made it unusually useful for business travellers booking on behalf of colleagues.
In mid-2024, Hotels.com replaced it with One Key — a combined scheme across Hotels.com, Expedia, and Vrbo. The return on hotel bookings dropped to around 2%, and a large number of previously loyal users stopped booking through the platform almost immediately. By early 2025, Vrbo had withdrawn from One Key, removing one of the main arguments for launching it in the first place. Hotels.com has now admitted the change was a mistake and is bringing back something closer to the original — albeit not identical.
How the new Hotels.com Rewards works
| Detail | What you need to know |
|---|---|
| The reward | £100 Hotels.comCash for every 10 eligible nights — a flat amount, not based on average spend |
| Minimum spend per night | £75 including taxes. For multi-night bookings, the average nightly rate must be £75 or more — some nights above and some below will not qualify if the average falls under |
| Using Hotels.comCash | Can be spread across multiple future bookings — no need to use the £100 in a single stay. No blackout dates, no minimum spend restrictions. Also usable on Expedia and Vrbo bookings |
| Posting timeline | £100 posted to your account within 3 to 35 days of completing your 10th night |
| Hotels.comCash expiry | Remains active as long as you make at least one eligible booking every 12 months |
| Nights paid with Hotels.comCash | Do NOT count toward your next 10-night target. Save your Hotels.comCash for stays under £75 or use it in addition to a cash payment |
| Existing OneKeyCash | Converted to Hotels.comCash at full value when your account transitions. Nothing is lost |
| Transition date | Phased between 8 April and 8 May 2026. You will receive notice when your account switches |
| Pre-transition bookings | Bookings made before your account switches do NOT earn under the new scheme. See below |
| Status tiers | Silver, Gold, and Platinum tiers return. Gold and Platinum unlock select discounts, room upgrades where available, and in-stay perks at VIP Access properties |
How it compares to the old scheme
The key difference from the original Hotels.com Rewards is that the £100 reward is a flat amount regardless of what you spent across those 10 nights. Under the old scheme, the free night was worth the average pre-tax cost of your 10 stays, so high spenders received proportionally more. Under the new scheme, 10 nights at a £200-per-night hotel earns exactly the same £100 as 10 nights at a £75-per-night hotel.
The maths works in your favour if your average nightly spend is below roughly £100 before tax (approximately £120 including VAT). At that level or below, the flat £100 return equals or beats the old 10% model. Above it, you are receiving less back than the original scheme would have paid. For the kind of high-spend bookings where you might be considering a luxury property, the new scheme is a weaker proposition than the old one — and is likely to lose out to booking direct through a hotel loyalty programme or via a cashback route.
The pre-transition booking catch
This is the most important practical point. Any bookings you have made with Hotels.com before your account transitions to the new scheme — even if those stays take place after your transition date — will not earn Hotels.comCash under the new structure. If you have upcoming bookings on a cancellable rate and the price has not changed, it is worth cancelling and rebooking after your account switches over, to ensure those nights count toward your £100 target. Non-refundable bookings cannot be rebooked, so those nights will not earn under either scheme once the transition completes.
Is it worth using again?
For regular travellers booking mid-range hotels in the £75 to £120 per-night range — business travel, airport hotels, city breaks on a budget — the new Hotels.com Rewards is a reasonable proposition and substantially better than One Key was. The flexibility to spread the £100 across multiple bookings is a genuine improvement over the old free night model, which required using the full reward in one stay.
For higher-spend bookings — luxury hotels, premium city properties, international resort stays — booking direct through a hotel loyalty programme will generally deliver more value. Hilton Honors, Marriott Bonvoy, and IHG One Rewards all offer meaningful elite benefits (upgrades, breakfast, lounge access) that Hotels.com cannot match, and the points earn on those stays adds up considerably more than a flat £10-per-night equivalent at a £200+ hotel.
The scheme is also less compelling than it was for business travellers booking expensive rooms. The original scheme’s value scaled with your spend; this one does not. If you are regularly booking rooms at £150 a night or more, compare the Hotels.com return against direct booking and a good cashback card before defaulting to the platform.
Hotels.com Rewards returning is genuinely good news for the segment of travellers it suits — those booking regularly in the £75 to £120 per-night range who want a simple, no-fuss reward. The flat £100 for 10 nights is easy to understand, flexible to use, and a significant step up from One Key’s near-worthless 2% return. But it is not the scheme that made Hotels.com famous. High spenders and points collectors are better served booking direct with a hotel loyalty programme. If you have existing Hotels.com bookings on cancellable rates, rebook after your account transitions in April or May to ensure those nights count.
