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Radisson Rewards is adding a Las Vegas hotel redemption option, Treasure Island

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Radisson Rewards is adding a Las Vegas redemption option.

Las Vegas used to be, surprisingly, a very difficult place to use your hotel loyalty points with most of the ‘strip’ hotels not carrying international brands.  And, let’s be honest, if you want a proper Las Vegas experience you need to be on the ‘strip’.

In recent years all this has changed.  Hyatt has partnered with MGM, which lets you earn and burn at hotels including Bellagio.  IHG Rewards Club has partnered with the Venetian and Palazzo which are part of the ‘InterContinental Alliance’ sub-brand.  Hilton’s Waldorf Astoria recently took over the Mandarin OrientalThe Cosmopolitan is part of Marriott’s Autograph collection.

Radisson Rewards is now joining the party.  The Treasure Island casino hotel is rebranding as Treasure Island – TI Hotel & Casino, a Radisson Hotel. 

The hotel will be bookable for cash via the Radisson website later this year and will join Radisson Rewards early in 2020.

Of course, you need to remember one thing about Las Vegas redemptions.  Cash rates vary wildly, with weekend rates usually being substantially higher than weekdays, assuming there are no major conventions on.  If you are visiting midweek – which is what I recommend – cash may be a better deal.

PS.  Slightly shockingly, because of what I said above, an IHG press release this week said that The Venetian in Las Vegas is the most popular IHG Rewards Club redemption.  Taking Tuesday 8th October as a random example, however, it is $220 including taxes or 70,000 points.  This is a terrible deal given my standard 0.4p per point IHG valuation.


How to earn Radisson Rewards points and status from UK credit cards

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:

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.)

Comments (187)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • ChrisC says:

    BA better be behaving honestly with the pilots because if they aren’t and it’s just a plan by BA to push the strike past the bank holiday and 100 anniversary weekend they will have an even unhappier workforce to contend with.

  • Brighton Belle says:

    Can an enthusiast explain the attraction for Las Vegas. I’ve been twice and it seemed full of witless gamblers eager to prove maths and statistics wrong. Good luck with that.

    • Shoestring says:

      not an enthusiast

      but I get the impression it could be quite fun if you like bright lights, hotels, party atmosphere and cheap food (from what I can gather) – plus I guess there are some non-gambling Las Vegas attractions as well

      you wouldn’t catch me in Benidorm or Blackpool, either

      • Sussex bantam says:

        Shoestring is right – as usual- if you want a brilliant over the top experience I think Vegas is the best place in the world. Clearly not an ounce of “authenticity”about it but who cares when you’re having so much fun ??

        We went frequently before kids and had a superb time without doing any gambling at all.

      • RussellH says:

        Do not be so ready to knock Blackpool. I thought I would hate it – until I actually went. Yes, it is tacky and much of the place is very severely rundown and tatty as well. But there are patches of attractive nostalgia, the illuminations are still something to see, the promenade can be wonderfully dramatic in November. Take the tram up to Fleetwood for some fish…
        The new tram system is really good, though the old ones were an attraction in their own right.
        Only sensible place to stay, though, is the Hampton.

        • Lady London says:

          New Premier Inn supposed to be OK at Blackpool too?

          Tbh I used to have to travel to Blackpool once or twice a year and although I agree with you there are still patches of light, I find it a profoundly depressing place. The drug problem can be a bit obvious and it reminds me of a couple of places I passed through in Czechoslovakia not long after the end of Communism.

        • Liz says:

          We visited Blackpool recently during the hot spell of weather. Agree lots of tacky stuff but we enjoyed the walk along the promenade in the glorious sunshine, went up the tower for the first time, had afternoon tea in the famous ballroom and went up to the top of the tower, Madam Tussauds was really good where you can have a drink in the Rovers Return and have a photo op with Ant & Dec, we sat at the sunset lounge at the end of the north pier and had a cold beer – you can enjoy some of the good bits and leave the rest. We enjoyed it!

      • Chrisasaurus says:

        Its crass and in most parts vulgar and it’s most certainly over the top, but its unique too and beneath the veneer of that there are great shows to be seen, there is good food, and the over the top thing makes it is a tourist attraction in its own right.

        Now tell me whether I’m referring to LV or Dubai.

    • Alex M says:

      Cirque de Soleil (or whatever the spelling is) alone is enough to go to Vegas. Plus other shows. Plus half a dozen of national parks nearby.

      • RussellH says:

        We saw Cirque de Soleil in Newcastle/Tyne. No need to go to Vegas for that.

        But last time we were there – just to pick up a hire car – we discovered a brilliant Alpaca knitwear shop in Boulder City, not far away. Back home, I checked the prices in our localish Alpaca shop – it would almost have been cheaper to fly back to Las Vegas at least in Y.

    • The Savage Squirrel says:

      Sitting on a little island in the Maldives for a week would bore me witless no matter how luxurious a beach house I was in or how much “value” I was achieving for the points. Each to their own.

      Authentic it isn’t but for the non-gambler it’s one of the world’s largest concentrations of Michelin starred restaurants (10 on a single 4 mile stretch of road), of spectacular resorts in general, of theatrical shows of all varieties, and of high-end shopping (apparently – no interest to me).

      Be grateful for the witless gamblers – they’re subsidising your room rate – Vegas hotel rooms are generally cheaper than similar rooms in any other comparrable city.

      • Rob says:

        Absolutely. Pick the right midweek day and you can get the deal of your life, in terms of room size and quality.

    • Lady London says:

      A great lady I knew who had an exciting early life flying round Africa and India in the 1940’s-60’s discovered Las Vegas when she was over 80, went back there three times and said it was like ‘Disneyland for adults’.

    • Lady London says:

      And if you work out a system for winning apparently they’ll drive you out of town (or worse).

    • Doug M says:

      It’s an odd place, and changing. The days when gambling supported everything else are behind them, gambling obviously still important, but many more shows, golf and other entertainments available now. The new half built Las Vegas stadium will host the UNLV college team, and the Raiders of the NFL when they move from Oakland. Vegas is changing.
      It’s a nice place to book end a tour of Arizona, Utah and incredible sights offered at Grand Canyon, Bryce, Arches and the many many other wonderful things to see in that part of the USA. I like to gamble, but I think of it as entertainment, not investment.

    • ankomonkey says:

      There are, of course, also those who go there to be married by someone dressed up as Elvis Presley.

      • Lady London says:

        Still good enough for Rachel Riley and Pasha, apparently. Not sure if they had someone dressed up as Elvis though.

      • Liz says:

        Our neighbours son got married in Vegas in April by Elvis. They got accepted on a reality show where the only thing they had to buy was the wedding dress! Watched it on the TV!

  • Dimitri says:

    I got an email for a ‘special bonus’ just for me whereby the offer is at 50% more bonus points. And now this page offers 100%. I feel extra special now for receiving a lower offer.

  • Rtid says:

    O/T – i have maxed out my BA Black Amex (2-4-1 just triggered) and BA Gold card (Welcome points banked) – however i have some large spends coming up. Any suggestions as to what other Avois reward cards i could get? if not, i’ll just continue on my Amex Gold card and get the point per point or whatever it is until my Black Amex completes is year, then i’ll work towards another 2-4-1

    • Shoestring says:

      you can still apply for many cards, you just won’t get the sign-up bonus

      you may still get referral bonuses

      if your Gold card is a charge card (ie not a credit card) you could qualify for the 20K upgrade to Plat incentive

      but for Avios earning on spend, you may just as well continue to spend on Gold until you hit £15K (to get the extra 10K MR points)

      otherwise consider other loyalty cards such as Virgin

      • Matt says:

        +1 for spending on the gold card up to 15k.

        The Amex spg card offers an effective rate of 1.25 avios per pound if you transfer in chunks of 60000 bonvoy points (20k spend).

        If you are happy with hotel rewards instead of miles, trigger the free night on the IHG premium card with 10k spend (MasterCard not Amex).

      • Nick says:

        Amex IT is not infallible. I still get sign up bonuses that I shouldn’t.

        • Harry T says:

          Tell me more, Nick. Sounds like you’ve found the magical money tree.

      • Nick_C says:

        If Rtid spends £15k of the Gold card, they will get 25000 MRs. If they spend that £15k on BAPP, they will get 22500 Avios. Unless they want the flexibility of MRs over Avios, I’m not sure it is worth going for the £15k spend, paying a renewal fee, and claiming a pro rata refund just to get an extra 2500 Avios.

        If Rtid has a partner / spouse, refer them for a BAPP, get them to get a supplementary card, and start earning a second 241 voucher.

        • Shoestring says:

          BAPP is more expensive (fee) than the Gold card

          • Genghis says:

            The Gold is now our Amex card. Will keep for a year in my name and then move to my wife (to keep almost fee free). My churning days are over. Amex, you win.

          • Doug M says:

            Over or reduced? Keeping for a year, and then moving to wife, isn’t that churning? Assume after that second year she’ll refer you and you’ll have main card again.

          • Genghis says:

            Yeah. Fair enough. Still 90% reduced though.

        • Harry T says:

          @Genghis @Shoestring – not interested in earning a 241 voucher with the BAPP?

          • Shoestring says:

            can’t use it except in Europe until about 2022/23, so hardly worth the fee and opportunity cost

            though I did enjoy my 5hr tour of the 4 Oneworld business lounges in T3 LHR 🙂 – courtesy IB90K

            still – £195 or fraction thereof whilst I get to £10K? business lounges has to be the main advantage of trading up to [cheaper] Business tickets in Europe

          • Harry T says:

            Fair enough! I am yet to experience the delights of those lounges.

            As my partner and I are not big spenders, I’m thinking a 241 may be our only way to fly as a couple using redemption seats. It’s too hard to generate enough Avios/air miles with the Amex changes to fly together long haul without a 241.

          • Alex says:

            In the same position as your Harry – My partner fortunately has no AMEX history so planning to get her started this year and should rack up a nice amount of points to use for F to SIN next year when combined with my points balance and a 241 voucher 🙂

          • Genghis says:

            I’ve had many 241s in my time. But with a child and no longer earning 500k avios a year (best guess is we’ll get 150-200k a year going forward) we’ll now keep things easy and holiday in Europe (indeed will prob burn remaining 241 for Europe), notwithstanding a trip to CPT in the new year.

          • Harry T says:

            @Alex – how fortunate! My partner got a free BA Amex before she met me, so she was only eligible for the Platinum bonus.

            @Genghis – I’m impressed you’re still going to be managing to earn 150-200k Avios a year without a sixth monthly churn cycle.

          • Scallder says:

            Genghis – not sure how old your little one is but a lot easier taking a smaller one long haul before they’re crawling moving about than when they’re crawling walking!

            Took our one to NZ at 9 months (took some SPL which would highly recommend if possible) and then East Coast of US at 18 months and the East Coast flights were so much more stressful as daughter was wanting to run around! Thankfully there was another baby in first so ours wasn’t the only one!

          • Shoestring says:

            many people don’t like the idea vs the hobby but it is still easy to buy (say) 300,000 Avios for not much more than £3000 and get good value from them when you redeem. Yearly limit for 2 partners would appear to be 2.4m (BA & IB, both twice a year on +50% promotion).

          • Lady London says:

            Belated congratulations Genghis !

  • Alan says:

    Sounds promising re BA!

    Re IHG – remember it’ll probably be mostly US customers redeeming there and they have a stupidly generous credit card so IHG points aren’t worth nearly as much to them!

  • Chelseafi says:

    Off to Vegas Nov staying at Cosmopolitan, booked room stay via Amex Travel earlier in year with the £200 CB, I’m only Bonvoy Gold, can I add the status to booking (can’t see how) can I check in at the express check in for status? Any advice much appreciated as haven’t been for 14 years now and heard how much it’s changed. Thanks

    • Mikeact says:

      How much are the resort fees ?

    • The Savage Squirrel says:

      Get ready to have to complain to Amex Travel re: resort fee if they haven’t been included in your rate. In the UK the price you see is what you pay, but not so at all in Nevada; so if you get charged extra, demand a refund off the UK agent.

    • Rob says:

      Unlikely a prepaid Amex Travel booking will qualify for points or status benefits, although obviously worth a try.

    • TM says:

      Ring the hotel and ask them to add the number to your reservation. They may say no, but most will oblige. You definitely won’t get points for third party booking, but should get the status benefits

      • Chelseafi says:

        Thanks for replies, don’t think I would get anywhere with regards to the resort fee, as it’s made very clear on the booking process and confirmation after booking that it excludes £136 resort fee due directly with the hotel? So is it illegal for AmexTravel to sell this way in UK? Thanks

        • Doug M says:

          I don’t think so. By being clear about it they’ve covered it. I’ve noticed that when you login as UK person hotels com now say a room is £200, then when you click through to purchase they charge £160 and say $50 due at hotel. Since they can’t control how a hotel in an entirely different legal jurisdiction charges, what else can they do?

          • Mikeact says:

            Is it not the case the resort fees are only chargeable against cash bookings, not reward bookings ?

          • ThinkSquare says:

            (Replying to Mikeact) It varies. Hilton don’t charge resort fees on reward bookigs; IHG do

          • Cam says:

            IHG do not appear to charge resort fees on points + cash bookings, at least in the US. In this case my confirmation said it had been included in the overall amount paid, but when I went to claim the daily food credit I was told there were no ‘taxes’ on an award stay, so as a tax this was not charged. I pointed out this was a fee, not a tax. Ultimately I agreed the fine print on the confirmation was ambiguous and I wasn’t out of pocket.

            Treating this as a ‘tax’ here worked fine, but it is more evidence that they use whatever characterisation is to their advantage.

    • Travel Strong says:

      You can use you gold status to check in in the ‘invited guest’ line, and skip the line as a ‘VIP’ at the wicked spoon buffet – without adding it to your reservation (just flash your card). You probably can get them to give you marriott bonvoy points instead of cosmo identity points ….. But I wouldn’t if you are spending a few nights there. Qualifying for sterling tier of identity is much more valuable and quite easy with a few nights credited to the programme.

    • Travel Strong says:

      Also if the resort fee’s are clearly advertised during booking process I would not rate chances of a refund from amex. If they had not been stated, that would be another matter though. Gambling or $20 at check in is usually the only chance of avoiding the resort fee!

  • Marcw says:

    I may just stay at home instead of going to Vegas with this crap exchange rate.

    • Lady London says:

      Yes but if you win then think how much more you would win ! 🙂

  • Ian says:

    OT:

    If any of you find yourselves sitting delayed in an airport on a train or on board a cabin with super fast internet: you could pass the time by watching this Pilot TV comedy my friends and I made: https://youtu.be/m4-f1Zn5gk8

    It’s about life working Front of House in a Theatre. Hopefully it’ll make you laugh.

    We’re currently crowdfunding to make some more episodes in September of this year so if you like it or know someone you think would, please share it.

    Thanks everyone,

    Ian

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