When Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG) quietly rolled out its new loyalty program, World360 Rewards, last month, the travel giant made one thing unusually clear: connectivity isn’t a “nice-to-have” perk anymore — it’s essential. And to deliver that promise, FCTG has partnered with Hubby eSIM, bringing global mobile data to travellers across more than 200 destinations. Hubby eSIM Flight Centre eSIM

For a program designed to get Australians travelling more often — and more seamlessly — this move signals where loyalty programs are headed: toward utility, not just upgrades and free coffees.

What World360 Rewards Members Actually Get

World360 Rewards covers Flight Centre, Travel Associates and Cruiseabout, and its Member Plus tier (priced at $249 AUD per year) now includes a complimentary Hubby eSIM. That gives members instant access to World360 Rewards-branded connectivity as soon as the plane lands, without the SIM-hunting chaos at arrivals halls.

But beyond connectivity, Member Plus is pitched as a “value-laden” offering. Members earn points across more than 300 eligible partners — from retail to travel — and redeem them on travel products already available on the market. Unlike many points systems that restrict rewards to specific fare classes or small slices of inventory, World360 Rewards lets travelers earn on “every flight, every fare class, every airline,” according to James Kavanagh, FCTG’s leisure CEO.

The addition of a built-in eSIM takes the offering from traditional loyalty perks into something closer to an all-in-one travel utility kit: book a trip, earn points, and stay connected — all through a single ecosystem.

Why Hubby eSIM Is a Strategic Fit for FCTG

Hubby eSIM co-founder Boris Bijlstra summed up the core logic behind the partnership: “Reliable mobile internet is something travellers rely on from the moment they land.” And he’s right — data has become as fundamental as accommodation and airport transfers.

By integrating eSIM connectivity into loyalty benefits, FCTG is doing two clever things:

1. Removing friction — No extra purchase steps, no tech anxiety, no roaming surprises.
2. Building habitual usage — Members associate connectivity directly with their World360 Rewards membership, not an external provider.

For Hubby eSIM, this opens the door to a massive, established audience of Australian travellers who already trust Flight Centre as their travel agent of choice. It’s scale, credibility, and distribution — all in one move.

The Loyalty Landscape Is Changing — Fast

What’s interesting here is what this partnership signals about the broader travel loyalty industry.

For the past decade, airlines and travel retailers have relied heavily on points multipliers, exclusive sales, and tiered status benefits. But with traveler expectations shaped more by tech — instant access, seamless onboarding, personalised perks — loyalty programs are shifting toward services that solve real travel headaches.

Connectivity is one of the biggest of those headaches.

Travel SIM kiosks are notoriously overpriced. Roaming fees remain unpredictable. And travellers are increasingly aware they can buy data plans online — yet many still find the process confusing or last-minute.

By bundling an eSIM directly into a paid membership, World360 Rewards is following a global loyalty trend: offer high-utility perks that improve the travel experience, not just the booking process.

We’ve already seen similar moves:

• Revolut’s Ultra plan includes global data roaming allowances through selected eSIM partners.
• Airalo’s Discover+ membership quietly tested loyalty-style benefits tied to frequent travellers.
• T-Mobile USA’s “Coverage Beyond” packages data benefits with airline Wi-Fi partnerships.

Flight Centre’s approach takes it further: connectivity isn’t an add-on — it’s a core pillar of its premium membership tier.

Hubby eSIM’s Growing Reputation in the eSIM Ecosystem

Hubby eSIM’s role in this partnership also reflects the company’s rising profile. While not as globally prominent as Airalo or Holafly, Hubby has positioned itself as a white-label-friendly provider, making it appealing for brands that want their own branded travel connectivity solution.

World360 Rewards-branded eSIMs are a textbook example of this.

Hubby supplies the tech and infrastructure; Flight Centre keeps the customer relationship. It’s the same model we’re increasingly seeing with hotels, airlines, fintech apps, and travel agencies that want to offer connectivity without becoming telecom operators themselves.

As the eSIM market grows — expected to surpass 7 billion active eSIM-enabled devices by 2030 (GSMA Intelligence) — partnerships like this are becoming the norm rather than the exception.

Conclusion: Why This Partnership Matters — and What It Signals for the Industry

Flight Centre’s integration of Hubby eSIM isn’t just an interesting perk; it’s a signal of where travel loyalty is evolving. Utility-driven benefits are replacing old-school status flexes, and connectivity sits at the heart of that shift.

Compared with other players, this move positions FCTG ahead of the curve. Few traditional travel agencies are offering built-in, global eSIMs as part of their loyalty tiers — especially ones usable in 200+ destinations. Competitors like Expedia, Booking.com or even Qantas Loyalty have tiptoed around connectivity partnerships but haven’t fully embedded them as a membership cornerstone.

Sources from GSMA, McKinsey’s Travel Loyalty Outlook (2024), and Phocuswright all point to the same trajectory: travellers value real-time utility more than aspirational perks. And connectivity ranks consistently among the top three “must-haves” for international travellers.

Hubby eSIM gets scale and visibility; Flight Centre gets differentiation in a crowded loyalty landscape; members get meaningful value the moment they land.

This partnership works because it solves a real traveller problem — and in today’s loyalty economy, that’s exactly the direction the industry is heading.