Loyalty Register glossary
Blackout dates
Specific days or periods when members cannot redeem points for certain rewards, such as flights or hotel nights, usually at peak times.
Blackout dates are specific days or periods when a reward, pass or discount cannot be used. In loyalty programs they are the dates when members cannot redeem points for certain rewards, most often flights, hotel nights, car rentals and event tickets. They usually fall on peak dates such as major holidays, school breaks or big local events, when the same seat or room is still sold for cash.
Updated · By Loyalty Register Editorial TeamRelated terms
Where else is the term used?
Theme park annual passes often exclude busy days, and some parks call these “blockout dates”. Hotels may exclude negotiated corporate or group rates on high-demand dates. Employers use the phrase for periods when staff cannot take vacation, and companies use “blackout periods” for times when insiders may not trade their shares. The idea is the same in each case: a benefit that normally applies is switched off for a set window.
Why do programs use blackout dates?
To protect revenue on the busiest days. When demand is high, a hotel can fill its rooms with paying guests, so every award night has a real opportunity cost. Blocking awards on those dates keeps award costs predictable. They are also a simple tool for partners that supply rewards, such as an attraction that accepts points except on its busiest weekends.
How do blackout dates affect the value of points?
They lower it, often more than the number of days suggests. The blocked dates are usually the ones members most want, so a handful of days a year can exclude a large share of the trips members plan. Points that cannot be used when the member needs them are worth less, even though the earn rate and award prices have not changed. Members who repeatedly fail to find an award may stop trying, which raises breakage but shows up later in engagement and complaints.
How do they differ from capacity controls and peak pricing?
Blackout dates are a hard stop: no awards at all on those dates. Capacity controls release a limited number of awards per date. Peak pricing allows awards on busy dates at a higher points price. Many programs have moved toward peak or dynamic pricing, and some market the absence of blackout dates: Wyndham Rewards, for example, prices a standard free night at 5,000, 15,000, 30,000 or 45,000 points with no blackout dates. For members, a visible higher price is usually easier to accept than a refusal.
How should a program set them fairly?
Publish the full list in advance, ideally for the whole year, in the terms and at the point of booking. Keep it short and stable, and treat any addition as a change members are told about before it applies. Check partner contracts too: blackout dates set by a partner still shape how members judge your program.