Bits: win a Heathrow T2 lounge pass today, 75% bonus when you buy Club Carlson points

News in brief:

Win two passes for the United Club lounge at Heathrow Terminal 2

A reader has generously given me two United Club lounge passes that he does not need.  This is good news for anyone flying out of Heathrow Terminal 2 before 30th June.

The United Club lounge is easily the best in Terminal 2 – I reviewed it here and here.  In fact, it is probably the best mass-market lounge anywhere in Heathrow.

You do not need to be flying United Airlines in order to use these passes.  Because the United lounge is in the 2B satellite terminal, it helps if you are flying long-haul from Terminal 2 because you are likely to be going from 2B.  If you are flying short-haul then your flight is likely to be from 2A.  You can still use the United Club lounge but you need to factor in 15 minutes each way to walk through the tunnel to and from 2B.

The passes can also be used at any other United Club lounge globally, as long as you use them before 30th June.

If you are interested in winning the passes (UK residents only please, as I need to post them) please leave a random comment under this article.  The deadline is midnight tonight (Saturday) UK time.  Please only enter if you are sure you will have a flight out of Heathrow Terminal 2 by 30th June, otherwise you are depriving another reader.

If you don’t win this, we are planning another competition in the next week or so to give away lounge access vouchers – keep an eye on HFP.

75% bonus when you buy Club Carlson points

Club Carlson, the loyalty scheme for Radisson, Park Plaza and Park Inn, is offering a 75% bonus when you buy points, however few or many points you buy.

The link is here.  The offer runs until Monday 15th May.

This deal does potentially offer value if you redeem in the right places on expensive nights, although the fall in the value of the £ makes buying points in $ to use in the UK far less attractive than it was.

The maximum number of points you can purchase is 70,000 (40,000 + 30,000 bonus) for $280.  That is £218.

The key London hotels such as Park Plaza Westminster Bridge – a new London property with a pool and next to the London Eye, London Dungeon, London Aquarium etc – are 70,000 points per night, so £218.  I reviewed the hotel here.

The May Fair (which I reviewed here, and didn’t like much) is also 70,000 points.

At the more prosaic end of the scale, there are various Park Inn budgets hotels around the UK for 9,000 points per night.  Under this promo, 9,000 points would cost you just £29 based on the pro-rata price of 70,000.

Remember that you can also transfer American Express Membership Rewards points at the 1:3 rate if you need a few extra points for a planned redemption.  To be honest, if I had the Amex points I would use those rather than buy points even with a 75% bonus.  You are getting almost 1p per Membership Rewards point compared to buying the points directly.

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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.)