The 2025 scorecard

The 2025 Freddie Awards were important for reasons that only become clearer when we look at what happened one year later.

Aeroplan established that its 2023 victory wasn’t a one-off. It returned as Program of the Year and added Best Elite Program and Best Promotion. Air Canada itself described the evening as a three-Freddie performance.

Caesars crossed from challenger to champion. After narrowly missing Program of the Year in 2022, Caesars won it in 2025 along with Best Promotion, Customer Service and Redemption Ability. MGM took Best Elite, making casino-born programs the winners of every major Americas hotel category.

Norwegian proved small programs can become repeat champions. Program of the Year in 2023. Program of the Year again in 2025. Its introduction of Spenn also won Best Promotion, just months after the shared Nordic currency launched.

ALL became genuinely global. Accor won Hotel Program of the Year in both Europe/Africa and Middle East & Asia/Oceania.

GarudaMiles announced what was coming. Three major airline wins in 2025 became an even larger Freddie performance in 2026.

And perhaps the best piece of Freddie foreshadowing belonged to Air India.

Maharaja Club won Up and Coming Program of the Year in 2025.

Twelve months later:

Program of the Year.

That’s why the Freddie Awards remain more interesting than a trophy case.

Sometimes the voters aren’t merely telling us who’s best.

They’re telling us who’s next.