Get a 75% bonus when you buy Club Carlson points – ends 5pm

UPDATE – APRIL 2024:  This article is now out of date, but don’t worry.  We produce a monthly summary of the top hotel bonus point offers – please click HERE or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ menu above.

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Club Carlson, the loyalty scheme for Radisson, Park Plaza and Park Inn, is running a number of 24-hour flash sales for buying points.

Each flash sale will run for a 24-hour period and they will appear randomly between June 18th and June 27th.

All of the flash sales will offer the same deal – a 75% bonus, however few or many points you buy.

The link to the first flash sale is here.  You need to sign in to see the pricing.  It runs until noon New York time today, which means 5pm British Summer Time.

A lot of American frequent flyer sites are very excited about this deal.  They have one advantage that we do not, though.  If you hold the US Club Carlson credit card, you receive ‘one night free’ for every reward stay of two nights or more you book.  This effectively means that a 2-night stay is half price.

If you have one of these credit cards, a Club Carlson point is literally worth twice as much to you as it is to a UK resident.  There is no Club Carlson credit card of any sort in this country.

That said, this deal does offer genuine value for UK residents if you redeem in the right places.

The maximum number of points you can purchase is 70,000 (40,000 + 30,000 bonus) for $280.  That is £165.

The Mayfair, the most prestigious London hotel in the portfolio, is 70,000 points per night.  £165 is an excellent price for this hotel.

Even better value comes at properties like Park Plaza Westminster Bridge – a new London property with a pool and next to the London Eye, London Dungeon, London Aquarium etc.

A night is 44,000 points so you’d need 88,000 for a weekend break.  The extra 18,000 you need could be obtained by transferring 6,000 American Express Membership Rewards points at the 1:3 rate.  Looking at their pricing in late July (18 – 20) you would otherwise expect to pay £458 for a Friday and Saturday night.  £185 plus 6,000 Amex points is a steal in comparison.

This Park Plaza also has ‘Family Studio’ rooms which are available for redemption at 62,500 points per night.  My brother is staying in one of these in 10 days so I will try to take a look.  Given that the hotel has a pool and is next to a lot of family attractions, it is definitely one to consider if you have kids.

Carlson has devalued their award chart this year so I wouldn’t expect major changes in the short term.  That said, always be careful when investing in points without a specific use in mind.

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How to earn Radisson Rewards points and status from UK credit cards (April 2024)

Radisson Rewards does not have a dedicated UK credit card. However, you can earn Radisson Rewards points by converting Membership Rewards points earned from selected UK American Express cards.

These cards earn Membership Rewards points:

• American Express Preferred Rewards Gold (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 20,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 60,000 Radisson Rewards points. This card is FREE for your first year and also comes with four free airport lounge passes.

• The Platinum Card from American Express (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 40,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 120,000 Radisson Rewards points

• American Express Rewards credit card (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 10,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 30,000 Radisson Rewards points. This card is FREE for life.

Membership Rewards points convert at 1:3 into Radisson Rewards points which is a very attractive rate.  The cards above all earn 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent on your card, which converts to 3 Radisson Rewards points.

Even better, holders of The Platinum Card receive free Radisson Rewards Premium status for as long as they hold the card.  It also comes with Hilton Honors Gold, Marriott Bonvoy Gold and MeliaRewards Gold status.  We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here.

(Want to earn more hotel points?  Click here to see our complete list of promotions from the major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.)