— Travel Experiences —

Pay with Points for Upgrades

Turn points into premium seats: Introducing Pay with Points for Upgrades

Loyalty members aren’t just earning points—they want to use them. But many programs still limit redemption to flights, hotels, or merchandise. With Pay with Points, airlines can unlock a new high-value use case: upgrading the travel experience. Pay with Points gives loyalty members the ability to bid for or instantly purchase upgrades using their points and miles. It’s simple, seamless, and built for meaningful engagement.

Member selecting a points-based upgrade offer on mobile

Why loyalty redemptions matter for upgrades

According to Plusgrade’s global traveler research, passengers overwhelmingly prefer to redeem points for travel enhancements over other rewards. In fact, 86% of program members who’ve used upgrade services say they’d rather use points or miles than cash for a premium seat (Plusgrade Global Segmentation Study, 2024). This creates a clear opportunity: turn loyalty currency into a flexible, profitable upgrade option—without operational burden or tech debt.

What it does

Pay with Points allows members to:

Bid with points using a slider or fixed value
Buy upgrades instantly using loyalty currency
Access loyalty upgrade offers anytime,from post-booking to departure, across key touchpoints like Manage My Booking, Web Check-In, and airport kiosks.
Sign in seamlessly, view point balances, and confirm in seconds

The platform is built to support dynamic pricing, tier-based enhancements (via our Status Multiplier), and flexible fulfillment rules—all managed by the airline.

Why it works

It’s intuitive
Members see the option to toggle between cash and points on eligible upgrade offers.
It taps latent demand
Passengers with large points/miles balances and no plans to redeem get a fresh reason to engage.
It supports program goals
By driving in-house burn, it reduces liability and increases perceived value. Airlines retain control over pricing and fulfillment logic, which helps protect margins, and they benefit from lower payment service provider fees by keeping transactions in-house.

More value, less liability

Pay with Points helps airlines unlock more from their loyalty ecosystem, reducing liability, driving engagement, and delivering the upgrade experiences members actually want.

Ready to see the impact for yourself?

Request a demo or reach out to your Partner Success Manager to get started.

This webpage provides general information about our products/services. While efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, details herein may be subject to change. Please contact us for the most up-to-date information.