Barclays US Consumer Bank recently released an excerpt from its points, loyalty and travel report, with the full report coming in August. The released findings show travelers prioritize miles and points to make today’s travel possible.

In today’s economic environment, miles and points are more important than ever, with 75 percent of loyalty and rewards program members saying they could not imagine taking the types of trips they want without having loyalty programs. Almost half (at 44 percent) claim earning travel rewards is more important than finding the lowest price.

Especially during economic uncertainty, travelers’ priorities include lower fees, at 52 percent; flexibility in mileage and point redemption, at 47 percent; and the ability to earn more miles and points, 46 percent.

Additional findings include:

• Compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic, 36 percent of travelers are more focused on accumulating rewards now, with 39 percent as focused on accumulating them
•  Factors that made travelers less likely to travel in the last five years: cancellations or delays, 36 percent; health concerns, 43 percent; and rising costs due to inflation, 50 percent
• 41 percent strategically use their credit card whenever possible to earn miles and points
• 44 percent use credit cards to maximize the rewards they earn when traveling

Barclays partnered with Wakefield Research to survey 1,000 U.S. adult travelers to understand attitudes, sentiments and behaviors toward travel loyalty and rewards programs, with data collected May 19–27. Travelers were defined as having traveled by air in the last 12 months and likely to travel again in the next 12 months.