Bits: FREE 2-month Friends & Family Railcard, 25% off Radisson, Park Inn & Park Plaza

News in brief:

A FREE 2-month Friends & Family Railcard

The Sun has been giving away 125,000 Friends & Family Railcards this week.

They are only valid for two months, from 1st June to 31st July, but given that it will only take a few seconds to apply for one it is worth doing.  Remember that Heathrow Express and Gatwick Express tickets are included in railcard discounts.

The Friends & Family Railcard gives 1/3rd off adult rail fares and 60% off child fares when at least one adult (the named cardholder) and one child travel.

Note that you do not get a discount on First Class travel and a morning peak restriction applies for journeys in London and the South East on Mondays to Fridays.

All applicants will also receive a £10 discount code for the purchase of a 12 month Friends & Family Railcard.

Friends & Family Railcard.  You must enter the promotional code 3PL8 and WG64 where indicated.

The deadline to register is 3pm on Thursday.

25% off Radisson Blu, Park Inn and Park Plaza weekend stays

The three main Club Carlson loyalty scheme brands – Radisson Blu, Park Inn and Park Plaza – are running a special weekend break promotion.

The deal gets you a 25% discount on the ‘best flexible’ rate for nights between Thursday and Sunday at participating hotels.  You won’t get a discount as big as 25% because there are cheaper non-refundable rates already available, but it seems to offering savings.

On a test for Saturday 18th June, I found for London:

The May Fair @ £270 (cheapest standard rate £350)

Radisson Edwardian Kenilworth @ £149 (cheapest standard rate £159)

You can book any of the three brands via the Radisson Blu website here.  You must add promotional code CC25WKD.  Not all hotels are taking part so don’t expect to see a price for every property.

The booking deadline is 9th June and you must stay before 30th September.

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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.)