The original goal of Expedia Rewards was to create a more engaging and rewarding experience by integrating gamification into the loyalty ecosystem, transforming routine travel planning into moments of motivation and delight. Early design concepts explored interactive elements like progress meters and personalized challenges tied to tier milestones and booking behaviors.

During this phase, the idea of a tier-based “status preview” was introduced, showing users how close they were to unlocking exclusive perks. Ultimately, the focus was on using travel-related achievements, such as trip streaks, destination badges, and reward progress animations, as the core mechanism for driving engagement, helping users feel a sense of momentum as they ranked up through Expedia’s tier system.

Legacy

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