Research
Only 101 of 217 profiled programmes name their own currency
116 of the 217 programmes profiled here call their currency nothing more than points or miles. 101 give it a name of its own, and 6 of those names are shared by more than one programme, which is where a currency stops being a label and starts being an asset.
The finding
116 of 217 profiled programmes describe their currency with a generic word: points, miles, cash back, or nothing at all. 101 give the currency a name of its own. The distinction matters because a named currency can be carried between brands, sold to a partner and recognised by a member away from the till, and an unnamed one usually cannot.
| Generic label | Programmes | Share of all profiled | |---|---|---:| | points | 81 | 37 percent | | miles | 28 | 13 percent | | none (perks) | 3 | 1 percent | | none | 2 | 1 percent | | Miles | 1 | 0 percent | | cashback | 1 | 0 percent |
Six names recur across operators, covering 17 of the 217 between them:
| Currency | Programmes | |---|---:| | Avios | 6 | | Membership Rewards points | 3 | | personalized deals/points | 2 | | DISCOVERY Dollars | 2 | | none (personalized offers) | 2 | | Scene+ points | 2 |
Named currencies are not spread evenly. Airlines holds 24 of them, 24 percent, and the three biggest sectors hold 55.
Sharing changes what the unit does. A name under several operators is what a coalition settles in, and it is why somebody who has never flown an airline can still hold its balance.
Method
Each profiled programme has one recorded currency name. A name is counted as generic when it is no more than points, miles, cash back or none. Everything else counts as named. Named currencies were then grouped to find those appearing under more than one programme. The sample is 217 programmes, collected 2026-09-29.
What this does not show
A generic label does not prove a programme lacks a distinct currency: some operators simply describe it plainly on the page this register read. The count of shared currencies is a floor rather than a ceiling, because a partner network reaches many brands this register does not profile. Nothing here measures what any currency is worth, how it is earned, or whether it can be transferred.
Raw data
Every currency name is on the programme profile it belongs to, one per page, and the programme listing can be filtered by sector to reproduce any subtotal on this page.