Good afternoon everyone.  I just received this email from Expedia regarding changes to the Expedia OneKey loyalty program for when you book a VRBO stay. Starting on May 22, 2025 (1 month from today), the amount of OneKeyCash you earn on a VRBO stay will depend on your tier status:

• Platinum & Gold: continue to earn 2%
• Silver: will now earn 1%, down from 2%
• Blue: will no longer earn OneKeyCash on VRBO bookings, down from 2%

Here is the full email from Expedia:

Here are the current OneKey Membership Tiers and the definitions of Trip Element.

Since that is a lot of text, I asked ChatGPT to summarize this section for me:

Tier Qualifications

• • Blue: Entry-level for all new members
  • Silver: Earned by collecting 5 Trip Elements in a calendar year
  • Gold: Earned by collecting 15 Trip Elements in a calendar year
  • Platinum: Earned by collecting 30 Trip Elements in a calendar year

Trip Elements are earned through eligible travel bookings over $25 (excluding taxes, fees, coupons, or OneKeyCash) and must be completed to count.

What Counts as a Trip Element?

• • Flights: 1 Trip Element per completed ticket (roundtrip or multi-city)
  • Hotels: 1 Trip Element per room, per completed night
  • Vacation Rentals: 1 Trip Element per completed night
  • Cars: 1 Trip Element per completed rental day
  • Activities: 1 Trip Element per completed ticket or roundtrip transport
  • Packages: Based on each eligible completed component
  • Cruises: 1 Trip Element per cabin, per night

Timing & Duration

• • Trip Elements are counted from Jan 1 to Dec 31 each year.
  • If a trip spans two calendar years:
    • Multiple Trip Elements are pro-rated between years.
    • Single Trip Elements are applied to the year the trip ends.
  • Once earned, tier status is valid for:
    • The rest of the current year
    • The next full calendar year
    • Until Feb 28 of the following year

Based on that information, if you do not complete 5 qualifying Trip Elements each year by December 31, you will stay in the Blue Tier, where you will not earn any OneKeyCash on VRBO stays after May 22.  I am not a fan of Expedia and have not booked a VRBO stay in many years, so these changes will not impact me.  But if you book 1-4 VRBO stays per year, you will no longer earn OneKeyCash unless you have other qualifying Trip Elements.  If you have any questions about these changes, please leave a comment below.  Have a great day everyone.