What Plusgrade does

Plusgrade is a privately held Canadian travel technology company founded in 2009 and headquartered in Montreal that operates a global ancillary revenue and loyalty commerce platform serving more than 250 travel brands across airlines, hospitality, cruise, passenger rail, and financial services in 54+ countries. The company's white-label, cloud-based platform is deeply integrated into airline Passenger Service Systems (PSS), hotel Property Management Systems (PMS), cruise reservation systems, and rail booking engines, and combines a proprietary Bid-to-Upgrade auction technology with AI-powered pricing, intelligent targeting and decisioning engines, and a loyalty currency retailing platform acquired through the 2022 purchase of Points International for approximately $385M.

The product portfolio spans core ancillaries (Premium Upgrade, Seat Blocker, SpeedPass for airlines; StayExtend, StayPlus, Front Desk Tool for hospitality; cruise cabin upgrades; rail seat upgrades) alongside loyalty commerce capabilities (Buy/Gift/Transfer/Reinstate Miles, Subscribe to Miles, cross-program points exchange). Plusgrade generates revenue primarily through transaction-based fees on the incremental ancillary revenue it unlocks for partners, supplemented by subscription revenue from loyalty programs such as Flying Blue's Subscribe to Miles and Finnair Plus's Avios subscription. The commercial model is structured as zero-risk with no upfront cost to partners, with Plusgrade often acting as Merchant of Record while revenue is shared on a transaction basis.

The company pursues a sales-led, enterprise go-to-market motion targeting global travel brands via dedicated account teams and offices in Toronto, New York, London, Dubai, Tel Aviv, and Singapore. Growth has been executed through a combination of organic expansion and acquisitions — UpStay in January 2023 and Oaky in October 2025 — building a unified hospitality upsell platform. Backed by General Atlantic and CDPQ following the March 2024 strategic growth investment, Plusgrade reported generating over $2B in new revenue opportunities for partners in 2025 and delivering more than 11M customer experiences in 2024, while continuing to expand its geographic footprint into the Asia-Pacific loyalty market through partnerships such as China Airlines' Dynasty Flyer program in February 2026.

Name

Plusgrade

Legal name

Plusgrade Inc.

Website

https://plusgrade.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Plusgrade is a Montreal-based travel technology company that provides a white-label ancillary revenue and loyalty commerce platform to 250+ airlines, hotels, cruise lines, rail operators, and financial institutions across 54+ countries, earning transaction-based fees on incremental revenue generated for partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Travel Ancillary Revenue Software

NAICS

Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320), All Other Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services (561599)

akta.pro primary industry

Travel Deal, Loyalty & Subscription Platforms (BPAMAIAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Interlining, Codeshare & Settlement (Proration/Revenue Accounting) (THALABAI), Cruise Reservation & Booking Engines (THALADAF), Billing, Subscription & Entitlement Management (IAP orchestration) (MPAFAJAC)

Keywords

• Ancillary revenue platform
• Loyalty commerce solutions
• Travel technology software
• Cabin upgrade bidding
• Hotel upselling platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Transaction-based ancillary revenue (upgrade sales): Plusgrade earns a take rate or transaction fee on ancillary revenue generated through its platform. Travel brands pay Plusgrade a share of the incremental ancillary revenue unlocked through premium upgrades, seat blocking, speed pass, and other ancillary products. The company acts as Merchant of Record in many configurations, with revenue flowing directly to the travel partner.
2. Loyalty currency retailing (Points): Plusgrade's Points business unit generates revenue from loyalty commerce services including Buy/Gift/Reinstate Miles, Subscription services (e.g., Avios subscription for Finnair, Subscribe to Miles for Flying Blue), and exchange/transfer services between financial institutions and travel loyalty programs. Revenue is generated through transaction fees on points/miles sold and subscriptions.
3. Hospitality upsell platform: Revenue from hotel upselling solutions including Premium Upgrade (room upgrades), StayExtend (early check-in/late check-out), and StayPlus (add-ons like spa, dining, amenities). Plusgrade charges a transaction fee on incremental revenue generated from these upsell products.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Plusgrade provides a white-label, cloud-based ancillary revenue and loyalty commerce platform that enables airlines, hotels, cruise lines, passenger rail operators, and financial institutions to monetize unsold premium inventory through dynamic upgrade bidding, seat blocking, amenity upselling, and loyalty currency retailing. The platform integrates via APIs into airline PSS, hotel PMS/CRS, cruise reservation, and rail booking systems, leveraging AI-powered targeting engines and collective intelligence from 250+ partners to optimize offer timing, pricing, and conversion on a transaction-based commercial model.

Product overview

Plusgrade is an ancillary revenue platform providing a portfolio of solutions for the global travel industry. The platform operates across air, hospitality, cruise, rail, and financial services sectors with over 250 travel partners and 2,500+ hotel properties. The core products include Premium Upgrade (bidding/purchasing for upgrades across all industries), Seat Blocker (economy seat blocking for air), SpeedPass (priority airport services), StayExtend (early/late check-out for hospitality), StayPlus (amenity upselling for hospitality), and Loyalty Currency Retailing/Loyalty Commerce Platform powered by Points. The 2025 Product Lineup expanded the portfolio with 15 new products including SeatShop, Day of Travel Upgrades, Front Desk Tool, Loyalty Personalized Pricing, Subscription, Instant Upgrade Upsell, Cross Airline Upgrades, In-Stay Offers, Pay with Points, Status Advantage, and Private Cabanas. Plusgrade acquired Points (loyalty commerce, 2022), UpStay (hospitality ancillaries, 2023), and Oaky (hospitality upselling, 2025) to build out its capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Points: A Plusgrade company that helps make loyalty program currencies more useful for members, giving them innovative ways to get, move, and keep their points and miles while driving revenue for travel companies.
• UpStay
• Oaky by Plusgrade

Products and services

• Premium Upgrade The most widely adopted next-generation revenue upgrade solution, enabling passengers to bid for or purchase a premium upgrade across air, hospitality, cruise, and rail industries. Premium Upgrade generates approximately 4x more offers submitted compared to fixed pricing and enables revenue optimization through intelligent offer selection for travel partners.
• Seat Blocker Enables Economy passengers to block the seat or row next to them, creating a long-term stream of ancillary revenue from unsold inventory in the airline cabin.
• SpeedPass Offers travelers priority check-in and boarding, expedited security access, with a mobile-first design and gamified time-savings estimates for airline passengers.
• StayExtend Enables hotel guests to customize stay duration by monetizing early check-ins, late check-outs, and stay extensions, integrated with 25+ PMS, CRS, and channel management platforms.
• StayPlus Upsells hotel guests on amenities including spa visits, dining reservations, amenity rentals, fitness classes, and tour excursions, delivering 48% increase in ancillary revenue and 2.5x more upsell transactions per Plusgrade partner data (2025).
• Loyalty Currency Retailing Enables loyalty program members to Buy, Gift, and Reinstate points/miles while driving customer satisfaction and high-margin retail revenue for travel loyalty programs.
• Loyalty Commerce Platform Gives loyalty program members the ability to exchange, earn, and redeem points/miles on ancillaries through white-label third-party or co-branded channels, powered by Points. Includes Subscribe to Miles subscription services for partners like Flying Blue (Air France-KLM) and Finnair Plus.

Quantifiable outcome

• 225%+ upgrade revenue increase in first year of Plusgrade implementation for a European flag carrier
• +15 more outcomes

Named customers33 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration23 records

AI capability7 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• China AirlinescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 February 2026Plusgrade partnered with China Airlines to launch Buy, Gift, and Reinstate Miles for the Dynasty Flyer frequent flyer program, powered by Points. This marks Plusgrade's official entry into the Asia-Pacific loyalty market and represents the first time these capabilities are available in Dynasty Flyer.
• Ambassador Cruise LineminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 October 2025Ambassador Cruise Line partnered with Plusgrade to offer cabin upgrades on board and charter flights, giving travelers more ways to upgrade their journey.
• Oaky (acquired)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 October 2025Plusgrade acquired Oaky in October 2025, the award-winning hospitality upselling platform recognized as Best Upselling Software for five consecutive years. Oaky co-founder Erik Tengen became President, Hospitality Upsell at Plusgrade. The acquisition unifies two platforms into a single comprehensive solution spanning the entire traveler journey.
• Azerbaijan AirlinesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 August 2025Azerbaijan Airlines launched AZAL Upgrade, a cabin upgrade program powered by Plusgrade, giving passengers the option to bid for a premium seat.
• Finnair PluscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 July 2025Plusgrade's loyalty unit Points powers Finnair Plus's Avios subscription service, offering monthly and annual plans for members to automatically grow their Avios balance. This expands the existing partnership between Plusgrade and Finnair.
• ALL Accor (Accor Loyalty)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 June 2025Plusgrade and ALL Accor formed a strategic partnership enabling ALL Accor members to convert points from Bilt, Capital One, and Citi into Reward points, powered by Plusgrade's Points exchange technology. This partnership covers Accor's global network of over 5,500 hotels in 110 countries.
• Quark ExpeditionsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 May 2025Quark Expeditions partnered with Plusgrade to offer a Cabin Upgrade Program on two ships, enabling guests on polar region expeditions to bid for more spacious cabins.
• Atlantis DubaicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 May 2025Plusgrade partnered with Atlantis Dubai's two luxury resorts — Atlantis The Palm and Atlantis The Royal — to deliver an enterprise upselling platform enabling premium room upgrades, stay extensions, and exclusive experiences. Following a successful pilot, this partnership sets a new standard for upsell in ultra-luxury hospitality.
• Air AustralminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 March 2025Air Austral launched Ciel Plus, a Premium Upgrade program powered by Plusgrade, enabling eligible passengers to bid for an upgrade to Premium Economy.
• Capital One and JetBluecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 February 2025Plusgrade expanded its partnership with Capital One to enable cardholders to transfer rewards into JetBlue TrueBlue points. Plusgrade's exchange technology powers this rewards transfer program, giving Capital One cardholders seamless access to travel redemption.
• airBalticminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 December 2024Plusgrade and airBaltic partnered to create excellent travel experiences and new revenue opportunities for airBaltic passengers.
• Flying Blue (Air France-KLM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 November 2024Plusgrade and Flying Blue launched 'Subscribe to Miles,' a subscription service enabling members to automatically earn Miles monthly starting from €28 per month, with four flexible plans. This is an expansion of the existing partnership.
• Discover AirlinesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 November 2024Discover Airlines partnered with Plusgrade to launch upgrade bidding capabilities for premium cabin upgrades, giving travelers more flexibility to bid for premium seats before departure.
• Garuda IndonesiaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 August 2024Plusgrade expanded its partnership with Garuda Indonesia to offer ancillary revenue solutions to the Indonesian flag carrier.
• AirAsiaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 June 2024Plusgrade and AirAsia launched ZoneUp, an upgrade programme for AirAsia passengers.
• UpStay (acquired)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 January 2023Plusgrade acquired UpStay in January 2023, adding hotel upgrade and ancillary revenue solutions to Plusgrade's product roster. UpStay served hundreds of hotels in 17 countries and is now branded as Plusgrade Hospitality.
• Points (acquired)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Plusgrade acquired Points in 2022, bringing the leader in loyalty commerce under the same roof as Plusgrade's ancillary revenue business. Points powers loyalty currency retailing, exchange, and subscription services for airline and hotel loyalty programs globally.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• PROS Holdings: AI-powered pricing and revenue management software for travel and transportation, with optimization capabilities directly comparable to Plusgrade's AI-Powered Pricing engine.
• Yanolja Cloud: Hospitality and travel technology platform with hotel upsell, PMS, and distribution capabilities, increasingly competing with Plusgrade Hospitality (UpStay/Oaky) globally.

Direct peers

• Aimia Inc. Canadian-headquartered loyalty and data analytics company (former Aeroplan parent) directly comparable to Plusgrade's Points business in loyalty program ownership, analytics, and currency retailing.
• Nor1: Hotel upsell and ancillary revenue platform (acquired by Sabre) that competes directly with Plusgrade's hospitality upselling products (UpStay, Oaky, StayExtend, StayPlus) for the same hotel and resort customers.
• LoyaltyOne (Air Miles): Loyalty program operator and coalition loyalty platform that operates in adjacent space to Plusgrade's Points unit; relevant peer for loyalty commerce and currency retailing.
• IBS Software: Travel technology provider for airlines, hotels, and cruise with crew, passenger service, and revenue management systems that overlap with Plusgrade's airline and hospitality platform plays.
• Datalex: Travel retailing platform providing airline PSS-adjacent pricing, personalization, and merchandising solutions; competes with Plusgrade on AI-driven offer optimization for airlines.

Broad incumbents

• Sabre Corporation: Global GDS/PSS incumbent that owns Nor1 and competes in airline distribution, retailing, and hospitality technology; deeply integrated with the same airline and hotel customers that Plusgrade serves.
• Travelport (now part of El Corte Inglés): GDS and travel commerce platform serving airlines, hotels, and travel agencies with retailing and merchandising capabilities that overlap Plusgrade's airline and loyalty offerings.
• Amadeus IT Group: Major GDS/PSS provider with airline and hospitality technology suites including Altéa PSS, NDC, and revenue management; addresses the same airline/hotel IT spend pool as Plusgrade.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/plusgrade

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A3 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Plusgrade