I was reluctant to post that article earlier this morning due to the shady tactics going on at Loyalty Lobby, SYD. But since you’ve done so, let me offer some insights.
For anyone signing up or even registering via the Loyalty Lobby link, please be aware that they invisibly route your web browser through several websites before landing you at IHG.com. Along the way, your browser has had tracking cookies added, but most importantly whenever you make a booking via IHG.com, you are doing so on behalf of your new “Travel Agent”, LoyaltyLobby.
Their IATA Travel Agent code is forcibly entered into all bookings you make and they receive significant kickbacks for each booking you make (sorta like Pointhacks with all of their credit card offerings). But what’s worse is the difficulty with trying to remove the code from your browser. Each browser has different ways to edit/delete individual cookies, some far more difficult than others. And that’s assuming you even understand what a cookie is and how to remove it. You can of course uncheck that Travel Agent toggle section if you remember when making a booking, but it will return every time for new bookings unless you manually adjust your browser cookie settings.
The newly embedded Travel Agent code which is enabled by default and requires manual intervention to turn off, will also invalidate any cash back transaction you make via the likes of Cashrewards and ShopBack etc.
