We all love a considered customer service experience – and perhaps the odd recognition for our loyalty to a business. This is why memberships and members programs are such a popular pathway for both us as the customer, and businesses who are trying to build a relationship with their audience. We, the customer, receive perks and benefits, and the business is rewarded with our loyalty.
In a world where nearly every store, hotel or restaurant has its own membership program, there are a few that rise above the rest thank to the holistic experience they offer. A truly great members-only program understands that we want to feel valued, not simply like cattle queuing up to to get a free-drink coupon.
From unique experiences, dedicated members’ spaces, concierge services and of course, members-only rates, these are some of the most exclusive and best value programs that will make you feel like far more than just a number in spreadsheet.
The most powerful loyalty program in the country, and the one that orders the rest of an Australian’s travel life. While Bronze and even Silver access tiers are reasonably pedestrian, most of the value sits above Gold. Platinum meanwhile unlocks the international First lounges, Emirates and oneworld upgrades that actually go through when requested, and the kind of recovery on a missed connection that other airlines no longer attempt.
Platinum One sits an echelon above for the small number who do the kind of flying it takes to qualify, and the invite-only Chairman’s Lounge sits above everything. Never publicly advertised, Qantas grants it at its discretion to politicians, business leaders, and individuals whose travel patterns warrant it. The first rule of flight club of course is nobody talks about flight club: discretion during travel is the whole point. If you fly Qantas more than 40 times a year, this is your ticket to a new level of service.
The benchmark for what an automotive loyalty program can be. Lexus knows that car ownership should feel like membership rather than a one-and-done transaction. Encore and Encore Platinum (the tier reserved for LX, LS and LC owners) deliver complimentary loan cars from the wider Lexus fleet, valet servicing, dining experiences, airport lounge access and curated access to events that range from Australian Open hospitality to private chef dinners at Lexus’s own venues. As a Lexus owner you’ll also get chauffeur pick-ups and drop-offs when you book stays at some luxury hotels, Raes Byron Bay and Jacaklope Mornington Peninsula are just some examples.
The value proposition is not the loan car, useful as it is. It is that Lexus has built the program as a continuous thread through ownership rather than another useless points scheme. Encore is not why people buy a Lexus. It is why they buy their second and third one.
The hardest-working travel membership for anyone who flies enough internationally to care about the four hours between flights. Allowing you glide-through entry to more than 1500 lounges in 145 countries, Priority Pass nets you welcome peace from the travelling masses.
While it can be purchased standalone, the savvy traveller almost always has it bundled through a premium credit card. Think Amex Platinum, Citi Prestige, Westpac Altitude Black. The Plaza Premium network at Sydney and Melbourne is genuinely good, but the international coverage is where the membership pays for itself.
Capella sits at the rare end of the global hotel market, with properties in Australia, Singapore, Bangkok, Sydney and Ubud, among others. Its Discovery program is the loyalty layer for a brand that knows its members back-to-front. Members receive room upgrades, late checkout, credits toward in-house dining or spa, and most importantly what the program calls “personalised experiences” curated by the “culturists” the property.
The Sydney property opened in 2023 and remains one of the better-regarded city hotels in the country, with a heritage listing and a quiet anti-spectacle that suits certain travellers and not others. Discovery membership is complimentary. The asset that matters is the relationship with the property, not the program itself.
The retail tier that genuinely matters in luxury fashion online. EIP, short for Extremely Important Person, is Net-a-Porter’s invitation-only top-tier customer program, granting first access to new collections, priority on limited-edition pieces and capsule collaborations, dedicated personal shoppers and same-day delivery in select Australian cities.
Qualification is not published but is widely reported to require annual spending in the high five figures. The value, again, is not the perks themselves but the priority. EIP customers get first right of refusal on statement luxury pieces that typically have the public queuing to purchase. For Australian customers who shop Net-a-Porter as their primary source for European designer pieces, the program is genuinely the difference between owning and missing out. The same logic applies to MR PORTER for menswear.
The most useful premium card on offer to Australians who can apply for one. The annual fee sits at $1,450, which sounds aggressive until you account for the $450 in annual travel credit, complimentary domestic and international travel insurance, a Priority Pass with unlimited visits attached, and access to the Amex Centurion lounges at Sydney and Melbourne airports that consistently outrank the Qantas equivalents on the same concourse.
The hotel layer is where Platinum earns its keep. Members receive automatic Hilton Honors Gold, Marriott Bonvoy Gold, and access to the Fine Hotels and Resorts program, which delivers pricing offers, room upgrades, breakfast for two and US$100 property credits at participating properties globally. For Australians who travel four or more times internationally a year, the card is genuinely the right answer.
The card above the card is Centurion. By invitation only, Amex itself historically won’t be drawn on how to achieve an invite, or how much it costs. What Centurion members are paying for however is not the metal. They are paying for the on-call-from-anywhere concierge, which is genuinely capable of arranging the unarrangeable.
Saint Haven wellness clubs often have waiting lists for memberships, sometimes you even need a referral. But if you can get a membership, you’ll have access to state-of-the-art gym facilities, bathhouses amenities (including hot pools, saunas and ice baths), fitness classes, co-working spaces, lounge and relaxation area and an on-site restaurants and bars
This is a category of membership that nobody knew they needed five years ago. This unique wellness centre has redefined the idea of the ‘third space’ for those Australians in pursuit of an intuitive and intimate solution that understand the demands of modern life. It’s a space designed for ritual rather than commerce or performance. Your mind and body will thank you.
This global travel and dining membership has only recently launched in Australia. Your membership grants you access to preferential rates, perks and unique experiences across more than 80 destinations. This subscription service created by Ennismore is not your typical membership. Rather than rewarding you for visiting the same places, this is a membership that incentivises you to visit new ones. For example, subscribers can get 50 per cent off stays at hotels that have just opened, they can also get 20 per cent off if its the first time they’ve stayed at that hotel. Australia has a new wave of Dis-Loyalty connected properties – think Hyde Perth, Mondrian Gold Coast, 25hours Hotel Sydney, The Olympia and Hyde Melbourne Place – so this is a membership worth paying attention to.
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