Cleartrip, a Flipkart company, has launched Elite, a new loyalty programme designed to address common travel anxieties. According to reports from Business Standard, the programme offers no membership fee and no tiers, making it different from conventional loyalty programmes. Travellers can unlock Elite benefits after making two bookings within 12 months. The programme is positioned to help travellers avoid uncertainty around changing travel plans and reduce compromises on hotels after spending heavily on airfare. As reported by Flipkart, the programme was officially launched on September 15, targeting customers who travel around 3-5 times a year rather than only frequent flyers.
The programme's most notable feature is the ₹9 domestic flight date change benefit, which allows eligible members to modify flight bookings for significantly reduced costs compared to standard airline charges. According to Cleartrip, this benefit could be particularly useful for travellers whose plans are uncertain, as it allows them to change the date of an eligible domestic flight booking for ₹9 instead of paying the usual applicable airline change charges and fare differences alone. For example, if a traveller books a domestic flight for December but later needs to move the trip by a few days, the ₹9 benefit could make the date-change component significantly cheaper. The programme includes a ₹5,000 holiday voucher for holiday packages, subject to eligibility requirements, and provides up to 100 SuperCoins cashback on eligible flight and hotel bookings, linking the loyalty proposition with the wider Flipkart ecosystem. Elite members can also receive up to 20% discount on three eligible hotel bookings, potentially saving travellers thousands of rupees on accommodation costs. According to Cleartrip's Chief Growth and Business Officer Manjari Singhal, similar flexibility products in the market typically cost around ₹400-500, while airline rescheduling charges can be higher.
According to Business Standard, Flipkart Gold and Myntra Insider members will receive Elite benefits by default without completing the two-booking eligibility requirement. This provides immediate access to the programme for existing members of Flipkart's and Myntra's loyalty ecosystems. This means eligible members of those programmes can access the Cleartrip Elite proposition without first making two qualifying bookings. The programme eliminates the need for separate membership fees or reaching higher spending thresholds to unlock additional benefits, making it accessible to a broader customer base. As reported by Cleartrip, this approach aims to encourage customers to book earlier, as uncertainty around travel plans can lead to delayed bookings when changing flights involves significant charges.
As reported by Business Standard, Elite members will receive priority 24×7 customer support, which could be particularly useful for travellers dealing with changes or problems outside normal business hours. The company plans to make the programme more personalised over time, using customers' travel behaviour and preferences to provide support before, during and after trips. According to Cleartrip, the exact level of priority and the services covered will depend on the programme's terms, with artificial intelligence potentially used to provide more tailored recommendations and support before, during and after trips. This approach aims to reduce travel pain points and help customers make fewer compromises on hotel and travel choices.
According to Business Standard, the headline benefits come with specific terms and conditions that travellers must understand before using them. Key considerations include which domestic flight bookings qualify for the ₹9 date-change benefit, whether fare differences must be paid separately, which hotels are eligible for discounts, maximum discount limits, validity and redemption conditions for the ₹5,000 holiday voucher, and terms governing SuperCoins cashback. The terms governing SuperCoins cashback, how the two-booking eligibility period is calculated, and other programme specifics will determine the actual value proposition for frequent travellers. The company said Cleartrip eventually plans to expand the programme beyond conventional loyalty rewards, with greater personalisation based on customers' travel behaviour and preferences. The ₹9 flight date-change option is available as a separate flexibility product for eligible bookings, with specific terms and conditions that will determine the actual value proposition for frequent travellers.
