Club Carlson launches new Radisson / Park Inn / Park Plaza promotion

UPDATE – APRIL 2024:  This article is now out of date, but don’t worry.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 Radisson / Park Inn / Park Plaza group, has launched its Spring promotion.

It seems simple but comes with a twist.

The promotion runs from 9th January to 31st March and you MUST register in advance via this link.

This is what you will earn from your Radisson, Park Inn and Park Plaza stays during this period:

5,000 bonus Gold Points for 1 night

10,000 bonus Gold Points for 2 nights

20,000 bonus Gold Points for 4 nights

40,000 bonus Gold Points for 8 nights

100,000 bonus Gold Points for 20 nights

What could be simpler?

Except …..

You have to choose the target you want to hit when you register.  And you can’t change your mind afterwards.

Imagine that you think you will manage four nights but you can’t be 100% certain (the end of March is a long way off after all).  Should you gamble by selecting the 20,000 points bonus?  Or should you play it safe by selecting the 10,000 points bonus for two nights that you know you will definitely do?

I can’t decide if Carlson is being smart or clever here:

If people are conservative, they will select a target based on guaranteed stays which won’t generate Carlson any extra business!

If people push themselves with an ambitious target, Carlson should do well as it is ‘all or nothing’ – either the guest puts extra business their way or Carlson gets to pay out nothing for the stays already completed.

Is this promotion worth it?

Potentially.  I value a Club Carlson Gold Point at 0.33p, based on needing 70,000 points for a £200+ five star room in a major city.  5,000 bonus points per night means that you are getting an extra £17 of free stays for every night.  This is an impressive rate of return, especially if you are staying at cheap Park Inn properties.

You can do a lot better than 0.33p if you stay at cheaper hotels.  There are some Park Inn properties at 9,000 points per night where you will get nearer 0.66p of value – this would be a £34 return on every stay.  You will also be earning your base points as well.

More than most, whether this offer works for you is driven by how you redeem.  You can make your choice and register via this page here.  Pick carefully.

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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.)