Marriott, Flipkart tie up for loyalty programmes; 2:1 conversion may raise value concerns

Mint

11 hours ago

Mumbai: Marriott International and Flipkart have announced a loyalty partnership, bringing together Marriott Bonvoy points and Flipkart's SuperCoins under a single exchange framework. The alliance enables members of the two programmes to earn and redeem rewards across platforms, converting shopping expenses into hotel stays and hotel points into online purchases.
The partnership connects two of the largest ecosystems, Marriott Bonvoy with its 159 hotels across India and a global portfolio of 30 brands, and Flipkart, which reaches over 500 million users nationwide. Together, the loyalty bases add up to nearly 700 million members.
'This is not a campaign or a programme. It is a first-of-its-kind loyalty integration, globally,' said John Toomey, chief commercial officer, Asia Pacific (excluding China), Marriott International. 'By linking accounts, members can access the benefits of both platforms. Flipkart users can earn Bonvoy points while shopping, and Marriott customers can redeem their points for purchases on Flipkart.'
At the heart of the integration is a two-way exchange: two Bonvoy points convert into one SuperCoin, and vice versa. This effectively halves the value in round-trip conversions. For instance, 100 SuperCoins become 50 Bonvoy points, but converting back yields just 25 SuperCoins.
Executives from both companies acknowledged the concern but emphasized that most users will convert in one direction based on their goals.'Consumers are used to exchanges across loyalty programmes provided the ratio is fair, and we believe this is fair,' Toomey said.
'A currency becomes more valuable when its utility extends beyond one platform,' Manjari Singhal, Flipkart's head of travel, added.
For Marriott, the tie-up is also a way to go beyond frequent travellers and deepen its presence in smaller towns. Flipkart's penetration into tier 2 and tier 3 cities gives Marriott access to customers who may not travel often enough to accumulate free nights but can now build value by linking everyday shopping with hotel stays.
'Infrequent travellers, who only book once or twice a year, can now use their points more meaningfully, even for smaller purchases,' Toomey said.
The partnership is live immediately and extends to Flipkart Travel and Cleartrip. International redemptions will be enabled in the coming months.
Both companies declined to put projections on revenue or cross-platform redemptions in the first year, calling the model experimental. Metrics will include new sign-ups, linked accounts, and frequency of transfers across platforms.
Marriott said India is now its fourth-largest market globally and 'a safe bet' for future growth, with domestic and outbound tourism expected to drive demand. Flipkart, meanwhile, is pitching the integration as part of its vision of building a cross-category rewards ecosystem.
Competitors like Taj's InnerCircle and ITC's Club ITC have strong domestic programmes, but Marriott executives argue their edge lies in Flipkart's reach. 'They don't have Flipkart. We do,' Toomey said.