Here’s a quick look at some of the private currencies being used by various companies. Over the years BarterNews has reported on scores os such currencies…on our website we have a special section devoted to these secondary (or private) currencies. The link to the BarterNews website is found at the top of the page.

* Cendant Corp. is converging the individual loyalty programs of all its hotel brands under one umbrella called TripRewards. Under the new program members will have more than 140 ways to redeem points for free flights,
hotel stays and car rentals.

Travelers who were members of Cendant hotel brands including Days Inn, Ramada, Travelodge, and Howard Johnson are automatically rolled over to the new loyalty plan which offers increased redeeming opportunities. Before, members of one of the individual hotel loyalty programs mostly had only hotel-related redemption opportunities.

TripRewards will also offer a variety of non-travel treats like gift certificates to Burger King and Starbucks, KB Toys and Best Buy, or a $25 gift certificate in exchange for 5,500 points.

* Amtrak is taking a cue from the airlines and rolling out a new loyalty program. It will reward frequent riders with free travel certificates, which can be used or transferred to friends, family, or anyone else.

* New programs that reward doctors are starting to catch on in health care…and now patients are getting cut in on the deal, too. A group of major corporations (GE, Ford, UPS, P&G) are launching a pilot program to pay doctors in several cities bonuses of up to 10% in “CareRewards” points if they can prove better care for cardiovascular and diabetes patients.
Patients will earn points as well, and be able to redeem them for merchandise coupons, or time off from work. Bottomline: Still another “currency” is being introduced into the marketplace.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 9th, 2007 at 6:54 am and is filed under Best & Brightest Barter. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.