kabarsula Active use of loyalty programs on the decline, Australia’s largest loyalty study reveals bandar SLOT INDONESIA

Active engagement with loyalty programs is on the decline, a recent behavioural study into Australia’s leading loyalty programs has revealed.  

Conducted by Honeycomb Strategy, The Science of Loyalty report ranked 60 Australian loyalty programs across travel, retail banking and paid programs on three measures: membership rate, engagement rate and impact on spend.

The study found that active use of loyalty programs sits at just 45 per cent – a year-on-year decline from 52 per cent in 2025.

Among the top 10 travel programs were Qantas Frequent Flyer, Velocity Frequent Flyer, Booking.com Genius, Accor Live Limitless (ALL), Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Emirates Skywards, Expedia One Key, IHG One Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honours.

Qantas Frequent Flyer held the highest membership rate for a travel loyalty program, at 44 per cent, followed by Velocity Frequent Flyer at 33 per cent and Booking.com Genius at 14 per cent.

Declining engagement 

However, the report stressed that membership rates do not necessarily translate into engagement. In 2026, Australians actively use just four loyalty programs on average, down from five on average in 2025.

Qantas Frequent Flyer engagement sits at 53 per cent, followed by Booking.com Genius at 50 per cent and Velocity Frequent Flyer at 45 per cent.

Getting consumers to sign up is just a fraction of the battle. The study found that 71 per cent of consumers surveyed expected an immediate reward upon sign-up, while 63 per cent lose interest fast without fresh value.

Honeycomb strategy Founder and study co-author, Renata Freund said that Qantas’ loyalty program runs on the behavioural principle that members feel losses more sharply than equivalent gains.

“Status Credits have historically reset each membership year, encouraging members to re-earn their tier annually. Even members who cannot realistically reach the next tier keep spending, because standing still means sliding backwards. Walking away does not just mean losing a tier, it means writing off years of progress.”

Access the full report here.