Brightline is shortly changing into a fan favourite in relation to getting across the state of Florida. Now, for the primary time, it’s launching its personal rewards program.
The Florida-based rail line runs high-speed trains from Terminal C at Orlando Worldwide Airport (MCO) in Central Florida to Miami, overlaying 235 miles between 3 and three 1/2 hours, and making round a half dozen stops alongside the best way.
We have tried out the service a number of instances over time, and it has been an thrilling story to cowl: a first-of-its-kind, non-public, intercity rail service in America.
Associated: The way forward for high-speed rail in America? This is what it was like taking Brightline
On Friday, the corporate introduced its personal loyalty program known as Brightline Rewards, which is able to provide prospects methods to earn and redeem factors on practice rides all through the Sunshine State.
The corporate deliberate to formally unveil the brand new loyalty program at an occasion later Friday morning in Miami.
“Our friends have at all times been on the heart of every thing we do,” Brightline Florida CEO Patrick Goddard informed TPG. “Brightline Rewards is the subsequent step in recognizing their loyalty.”
Brightline Rewards
Brightline Rewards will provide frequent riders the chance to earn factors on every thing from practice tickets to meals and drinks bought within the firm’s station lounges — or on board its trains.
The bottom fee might be 5 factors per greenback spent on eligible Brightline purchases. A novel twist in comparison with the airline loyalty applications so many people are accustomed to: You may earn factors on a number of tickets. Whoever purchased the tickets will get the factors. So, for those who e book a practice trip for your self and a few relations you’d earn all of the factors.
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You may start incomes factors on purchases after you choose in to the Brightline Rewards program beginning Friday.
TPG’s Nick Ewen already enrolled, and instantly earned 500 Brightline Rewards factors in his new account as you possibly can see within the screenshot beneath.
Observe that Brightline doesn’t, as of now, plan to award factors retroactively on earlier purchases.
Triple earnings this spring
To kick off the brand new loyalty program, Brightline is providing triple earnings for a restricted time. Between now and June 3, you’ll earn 15 factors per greenback spent on eligible purchases.
Advantages stretch past factors
As a part of the brand new program, Brightline Rewards members will even get particular financial savings in stations and obtain unique entry to offers, sweepstakes and occasions, the corporate mentioned.
That features 10% off for members at Mary Mary bars and Markt shops present in Brightline’s stations.
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CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY
In an extra perk, loyalty members will even get early entry to the flash gross sales the corporate sometimes holds for its practice tickets.
Redemptions with Brightline Rewards
What are you able to do with Brightline’s new factors? There are a number of choices.
Brightline Rewards members can redeem factors for practice rides. The corporate plans to supply choices for whole award bookings (in different phrases, a “free” trip) and a cash-and-points possibility, just like what a number of airline and lodge loyalty applications provide to prospects who haven’t got sufficient miles or factors to cowl a whole reserving.
What number of factors does it take for a redemption?
Now, the massive query: What number of factors will a practice trip price?
Brightline plans to make use of dynamic pricing, the corporate informed TPG.
Meaning the variety of factors you may want for a redemption will differ from one reserving to the subsequent. In consequence, what number of factors you may want for a redemption will depend upon a number of elements, together with the kind of seat and the recognition of journey dates.
For the sake of demonstration, listed here are particular examples the corporate offered.
- A brief-haul trip between Miami and West Palm Seaside: For an instance fare of $35, you’d want roughly 3,500 factors to completely cowl the reserving.
- An extended trip between Miami and Orlando: For a $75 fare, you’d want roughly 7,500 factors to cowl the trip.
That is round one cent in worth per level, in each instances.
We discovered related worth on redemptions we searched by way of Brightlien’s reserving channels.
This is a trip from Orlando to Miami. For the most cost effective Good ticket (Brightline’s base fare), you can go for the $39 fare — or a redemption of three,900 Brightline Rewards factors.
There aren’t any factors minimums to redeem, no blackout dates and no hidden guidelines.
One factor to notice, nonetheless, is that your Brightline Rewards factors will expire after a yr of inactivity.
Factors look to have a base worth of 1 penny per level.
“Brightline Rewards was designed with our friends in thoughts,” mentioned Barbara Drahl, Brightline’s senior vice chairman of promoting and industrial technique. “We’ve deliberately made it actually easy to enroll, actually easy to hitch, easy to earn and to redeem.”
Redeeming factors for ‘extras’
Drahl additionally identified that Brightline has no minimums for reaching factors to redeem. To that finish, the brand new program will permit members to redeem smaller sums of factors for ancillary gadgets like baggage, concessions or upgrades to the premium automobiles.
“As quickly as factors are awarded after the trip is taken, a visitor can use these factors proper again into their subsequent improve, or buy, or baggage, or any form of ancillary merchandise,” Drahl.
The way to redeem Brightline Rewards factors
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It needs to be pretty easy to redeem your Brightline Rewards factors:
- Factors could be utilized throughout checkout when reserving by way of the Brightline app or web site. You need to use factors towards practice tickets, upgrades, baggage charges, pet charges, each day parking, multiride packs and month-to-month parking. Visitors will see the choice to redeem factors on the cost display screen.
- Members can present their Brightline Rewards digital card (within the app or saved in a cell pockets) for 10% off at Mary Mary and Mrkt within the station.
- To see your factors whole, log in to your Brightline account on the web site or app and head to the Brightline Rewards part beneath “My Account.” You may see your present factors stability, pending factors and full transaction historical past.
Brightline companions
Whereas Brightline does not have companions the place you possibly can earn or burn Brightline Rewards factors, a minimum of up to now, the corporate is teaming up with a number of company companions, together with Loews Resorts, Marriott Bonvoy and Main League Baseball.
Only one instance?
Brightline friends obtain an unique $100 food-and-beverage credit score mechanically utilized when reserving at these two Loews Resorts places:
The way to be part of Brightline Rewards
You may join a Brightline account on-line or obtain the app.
It is free to hitch. Present customers can create or log in to their Brightline account after which decide into Brightline Rewards.
After I logged into my account on the app, I used to be instantly prompted to enroll, as you possibly can see within the screenshots beneath.
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Brightline Rewards enrollment immediate. BRIGHTLINE
As soon as enrolled, members earn factors on qualifying purchases made by way of the Brightline app or gobrightline.com.
To study extra or enroll, go to gobrightline.com/rewards.
As soon as you’ve got enrolled, it is best to get 500 factors mechanically added to your account.
Brightline Rewards sweepstakes
To kick off this system, the corporate is launching a sweepstakes with a 1 million-point giveaway. Visitors who enroll in Brightline Rewards by Might 30 might be mechanically entered to win considered one of tons of of prizes of factors in increments starting from 500 to 100,000. The corporate additionally informed The Factors Man:
“A second manner for Brightline Rewards Members to win a bit of the a million factors giveaway is the Brightline Rewards Touring Wall. Making its method to every Brightline station, the wall of envelopes comprises rewards starting from 500 factors to meals and beverage reductions. The Brightline Rewards Touring Wall will make its method to every Brightline Station between now and April 14.”
Backside line
Brightline has unveiled a enjoyable new loyalty program known as Brightline Rewards. Now you can earn factors on practice journey on Brightline, and the corporate mentioned you possibly can count on to see extra companions and methods to earn unveiled later this yr. Among the many offers they’re engaged on are interline agreements with airways.
Goddard, the corporate’s CEO, mentioned they wish to have a “first-class” loyalty program that might be acquainted to airline loyalists. This might finally additionally embody varied elite tiers, sooner or later.
There are many thrilling issues forward for this progressive practice firm.
“We’ve for years been making an attempt to transform folks from driving their automobiles to taking the practice,” mentioned Goddard. “That is simply one other manner for us and an efficient manner for us to create loyalty and to create adherence to our service in a market that in any other case is car-dependent. It is actually about creating an incentive for folks to attempt Brightline in the event that they have not carried out so earlier than, or in the event that they’re already riders, to trip extra steadily.”
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