GUIDE: Is MeliáRewards the Right Hotel Loyalty Programme for You? Earning, Redeeming & Status Benefits Explained

The MeliáRewards loyalty programme has gained plenty of traction in recent years. There are now over 17 million active members, fueled by complimentary Gold status via the American Express Platinum card/AMEX Centurian, an expanding global footprint beyond Spain, additional high-end hotels, and valuable loyalty benefits. The portfolio may not be as large as big names like Hilton and Marriott, but Melia is a compelling alternative or secondary option.

Here’s everything you need to know about MeliáRewards: from the different status levels and their benefits to the most effective ways to collect and redeem points. This article is part of our series covering popular hotel loyalty programmes.

The Meliá Hotels Portfolio

• Meliá International is a Spanish hotel group with 350+ properties in 40+ countries, with plenty of hotels in Cuba, Germany, Croatia, Brazil and Portugal and a steadily expanding portfolio across Europe, the Americas, Asia and the Middle East.
• There’s been a real push towards luxury hotels in recent years, with 60% of rooms aimed at the premium market and 64% of hotels being Premium and Luxury Brands (including 80% of those in the pipeline). 
• Most brands carry the Meliá name, making them easily recognisable.
• In London, you have ME London (West End), Meliá White House, and Meliá London Kensington.

The portfolio is made up of Luxury, Premium and Essential brands:

How the MeliáRewards Loyalty Programme Works

Sign up for MeliáRewards here >>>

MeliáRewards has four status levels. Here’s what you need to know:

MeliáRewards White

Requirements: Instantly, when you sign up for Melia Rewards

Benefits include:

• Instant discount – up to 20% OFF
• 10 points per €1/$1 of the total booking. You can earn points for up to 2 rooms.
• Free WIFI
• 2,000 bonus points for signing up
• A birthday gift (usually a one-category room upgrade or an additional 20% off voucher off the advertised rate)

Discount vs Booking.com

It’s worth noting that although 20% off is offered, you should also check other booking portals, especially if you don’t have Meliá status. I had previously booked a stay on Booking.com because the rate was lower than what was offered on the Meliá site. However, if you do this and you have status, your benefits will not be recognised.

MeliáRewards Silver

Requirements: 2 stays, 5 nights or 10,000 points

• Earn 11 points for every €1/$1 of the total booking.
• Complimentary breakfast for a travel companion

Breakfast

This benefit only applies to room-only rates. When you buy breakfast, your travel companion eats for free. The downside is that no status levels provide complimentary breakfast for the status holder.

MeliáRewards Gold Status

Requirements: 15 stays, 30 nights or 60,000 points OR have the AMEX Platinum Card/AMEX Centurian

• 13 points for every €1/$1 of the total booking.

• Priority access on arrival

• Late check-out is available until 2 pm at holiday hotels and 4 pm at city hotels (unless the hotel is fully booked). Many members report that this benefit is often not provided, so it’s worth contacting the hotel in advance if this is something you’d like.

• Three discount vouchers for 20% off stays – redeemable in one calendar year. 

These benefits are often inconsistent, likely due to the sheer number of people with AMEX Platinum and Meliá Gold status.

Discount Vouchers

When your status upgrades, this does not give you more discount vouchers. These renew when your account renews. Although most Meliá benefits are based on availability, the discount vouchers are definitive and can save a tidy sum if you’re booking a high-end hotel. It goes without saying that you should use your vouchers on the highest value room of the membership year.

MeliáRewards Platinum

Requirements:  50 nights, 30 stays or 150,000 points

Earning Platinum status is no easy task. You must have been a Meliá Gold member for 10 consecutive years and stayed 500 nights. Used to come with Priority Pass, but has since been withdrawn.

• 14 points for every €1/$1 of the total booking.
• Room upgrades are subject to availability. You can select this option during online check-in, or, if unsuccessful, at the hotel.
• Access to the hotel’s VIP area, such as ‘The Level’

Once you’ve stayed Platinum for 10 years and stayed at least 500 nights during that period, you will be rewarded with ‘Platinum for Life’

Room Upgrades

This is not just one category; sometimes the app shows the option to upgrade by two categories when checking in online.

Other Things to Note 

• In Europe, everything is done in Euros, including calculating the number of points earned or needed to redeem. Outside Europe, this is in USD, which works out to be a better value.
• Unlike many hotel loyalty programmes, Meliá has a soft landing. If you don’t meet the requirements, you will be downgraded one status level. This means, if you make it to Platinum, you can enjoy the benefits of different status levels for years to come. The other programme where this is the case is Accor.
• Melia may have just revamped their app, but many people report issues with the app and website, including loading times, missing stays, and numerous errors. I certainly came across the message ‘oops I can’t find this page’ a few too many times when researching this article.
• Not all hotels participate in MeliaRewards. Seeing the name ‘Melia’ in a hotel name doesn’t automatically mean you can earn and spend reward points, or get status benefits. For example, some Affiliated by Meliá hotels do not offer points earning or redemption. Select resorts under the Paradisus and ZEL banners (particularly newly launched or partially owned properties) often don’t take on the loyalty scheme straight away.
• Points expire after 12 months of inactivity.

Quicker Routes to Meliá Elite Status

Amex Platinum

If you hold the UK-issued American Express Platinum Card, you’ll receive complimentary Meliá Gold status as part of the travel benefits package. You can read more about this in our AMEX Platinum hotel status guide. The Platinum Card also occasionally offers Meliá cashback benefits, which can really add up, especially when combined with status benefits.

Meliá Shareholders Club

A little-known way to earn Meliá status is by owning Meliá shares. We’re not talking about massive amounts. You can achieve Silver MeliáRewards status if you hold at least one share and have maintained this holding for at least a year. You will be upgraded to Gold status with 1,000 shares and Platinum with 10,000 shares.

How to Earn MeliáRewards points

Some partners offer a fixed number of points per booking or a set number of points per €1 spent. Others award points based on your status level. This ranges from 10 to 14 points per €1.

Hotel Stays

You will earn 10-14 points per €1 spent on hotel stays. The estimated number of points is clearly shown on your booking. The higher the level of status you hold, the more points you receive from your booking. However, this is not a huge difference unless you’re spending large amounts on your room. For example, if a booking is £1,000 after taxes, the value of your points will be between £46.80 and £65.52, depending on your Meliá status.

Meliá Escapes

Meliá Escapes is run in partnership with Logitravel, which I have found excellent in the past for booking discounted cruises.

You can book your room, flights, car rental and transport and earn points on your entire booking. Activities are also available for booking at select locations.

In one recent example, a £2,812.59 trip would earn you 29,562 MeliáRewards points—equivalent to nearly £118 in redemption value at 0.4p per point (around 4.2 back in value).

Car Rental and Transport

• Sixt: 1,000 MeliáRewards points per day

• Enterprise: 10 MeliáRewards points per €1

• Europcar: Earn 10 MeliáRewards points for every €1

• Avis: You will earn points according to your MeliáRewards level. Avis also offers discounts to MeliaRewards members.

Restaurants

Earn points at a selection of restaurants and bars participating in the programme. Points can be earned in most hotel restaurants, with the number of points depending on the availability of special promotions in each hotel. The number of points depends on your loyalty status.

Shopping

You can earn points per €1 spent at over 1000 shops. Via MeliáRewards shopping. Here’s a snapshot of what you can expect:

Other Ways to Earn Meliá Points

Spa: Earn 10-14 points per €1, depending on your status level. Sometimes, promotions increase this amount. VAT paid is not included in the points-earning calculation. You can’t earn and redeem points at all Melia spas.

Weddings: 10 MeliáRewards points for every €1 spent when you celebrate your wedding day at a Meliá hotel.

Land of Fashion: 8 points per  €1 spent. Show your shopping receipts and your MeliáRewards number at the Info Point at each Village.

Bicester Collection: 5 MeliáRewards points for every €1/£1 you spend/5 points for every 10 yen spent in any of the two Villages in China.

KrisFlyer: This doesn’t relate to earning MeliaRewards points, but if you opt to earn KrisFlyer miles instead, there are often bonus offers. Each qualifying stay earns up to 500 KrisFlyer miles.

How to Redeem Meliá Reward Points

Yes, there was a devaluation in 2023, but there are still ways you can get more value out of your points. You can use points to cover stays (with no blackout dates), part-pay bookings from as little as 2,000 points, or redeem for extras like spa treatments, car hire, and even Amazon vouchers.  Here’s what you need to know:

Spending MeliáRewards Points on Stays

Unlike some chains, Meliá allows you to redeem points for all available rooms, including premium or upgraded types. Meliá employs a hybrid pricing model, where the point rate fluctuates based on demand, brand, room type, season, and destination. You can part-pay for your room with points starting at just 2,000 points. Sometimes this yields better value than paying 100% with points.

Paying with points can often be a more valuable option than paying with cash. All room types are available for payment with points, including ‘The Level Rooms’, Meliá’s premium room types, which offer more luxurious amenities and access to exclusive areas, such as ‘The Level Lounge’ (at select properties). Platinum members also have access to these areas, and if you’re lucky, you may be upgraded to a room on ‘The Level’ with your status.

The Meliá app often shows cheaper point rates than the website. Booking without points, the app can also give extra discounts

For example:

Meliá Alicante

For this Meliá Alicante booking, each point is worth just under 0.4p. Using 2,000 points + cash reduces the price t0 £151.78, making each point worth just over 0.7p

Hotel Don Pepe Gran Meliá

The cash price of £428 is already reduced by 24% from £565 simply by logging into my Meliá account. The pricing with points is just under 0.4p per point again. When booking flexible, semi-flexible, or non-flexible options, the pricing per point remains the same. When paying with cash and 2,000 points, the rate is reduced to £402.15, providing excellent value of 1.29p per point.

Converting Points into Miles

Iberia, Vueling, Aer Lingus and British Airways: 100 MeliáRewards points = 30 Avios. You can also set up automatic conversion (at the same rate) by selecting Iberia as your preferred partner. 

Air Europa Suma:  3 MeliáRewards points = 1 SUMA Mile. You can also transfer Air Suma Miles to Meliá at a rate of 4 MeliáRewards = 5 Air Suma Miles.

Vietnam Airlines:  5 points = 1 mile

BinterCanarias: 100-200 BinterMás points per night on qualifying stays, depending on the brand.

Connect Miles:  6 MeliáRewards points = 1 ConnectMile

There are often double-point promotions!

Other Ways to Spend MeliaRewards Points

Restaurant: 250 points = €1/$1. Extra service charges, including restaurant bills at Meliá’s own brand restaurants, can be paid for with points. You can pay with points even if you’re not staying at the hotel. Participating bars and restaurants should display a MeliáRewards message indicating that payments can be made with points, but if not, it’s worth asking. To pay with points, you just need to provide your MeliáRewards card number.

Spa: 50 points = €1/$1. Similar to restaurant redemptions, you don’t have to be staying at the hotel.

Avis Car Rental: This applies to rentals in Spain only. Rentals start at 7,130 points, depending on the car category, and can be as much as 42,000 points. Avis also gives exclusive discounts to Meliá members.

Amazon Gift Vouchers: 3,500 = £10. A few other shops, like Zalando, also offer vouchers.

Kathmandu Park: Use your points for tickets. One adult ticket costs 7,490 points, and a child ticket costs 5,310 points – This has a lower value than most redemption options.

Golf Fantasia (Palmanova): 18 holes = 3,420 points

Reduce Emissions: Use your MeliáRewards points and a small cash contribution to support certified sustainability projects. For example, 1 tonne CO₂ – £5 + 1,750 points or 20 tonnes CO₂ – £100 + 34,620 points.

Iyro: Purchase tickets. Minimum transfer is 500 points.

Gifting Points

Starts from 2,000 points. It’s not just the points, you can send a card, schedule a delivery time and include a personalised message.

Purchasing Meliá Points

Like many hotel loyalty programmes, you can purchase MeliaRewards points. This is at a rate of 1,000 points = €5. Considering that you can redeem points at the restaurant/spa for 250 points = €1 (100 points = €0.40), this represents a loss in value.

You can purchase up to 500,000 MeliáRewards points per year:

However, Meliá has previously run fantastic sales, where we’ve seen up to 30% off the cost, making it a better value for money to buy points to redeem on rooms/restaurants, etc., than paying in cash.

Once purchased, points will be in your account within 24 hours. It’s also important to note the expiry date of your points, which is 1 year after points were last earned or redeemed.

MeliáPro

If you’re managing bookings for clients or events, it’s worth knowing that Meliá Hotels International offers a dedicated programme. You must first sign up for MeliáRewards, and once you switch to MeliaPro, you can’t hold both memberships. It’s one or the other. Instead of the usual 20% off rooms with MeliaRewards, MeliaPro gives you a generous 36% discount. 

There are three tiers in the programme:

• Basic: For anyone who joins.

• Gold: When you’ve completed the MeliáPro training modules.

• Platinum: When you get a set booking volume within a calendar year.

You can also sign up for MeliáPro under the banner ‘Meliá for Corporates’. You’ll also gain access to various tools, including those for managing team travel.

You can earn 1 point/€ up to €100,000 spend, or 2 points/€ on bookings via MeliáPro.com.

Final Words

Meliá may not have the scale of many larger brands, but it offers a good range of luxury hotels and some great perks that come with status. While the website and app can have errors and some benefits are limited, the 20% off vouchers, points + cash redemptions, and higher earning rates at top tiers can deliver real value. With flexible redemption options across hotels, experiences, shopping, and even flights, MeliáRewards is quietly one of the more versatile schemes out there. 

MeliáRewards isn’t likely to replace your primary hotel programme, but as a secondary option, particularly with Amex Platinum Gold status, it offers meaningful value.

Sign up for MeliáRewards here >>>

Is there another hotel loyalty programme you’d like us to cover? Let us know in the comments below: