We have proof that HfP readers are keen to get travelling again

Last week was the 12th week that we have been running Head for Points from our various homes.

I’d managed the first 80-odd days without any problems, but last Monday I finally hit a bit of a wall.  On Wednesday I went back into our office – which is an 8-mile round-trip walk – for the day, just to get out of the house.

An 8-mile walk and a day ‘out’ put me in a better mood on Thursday.   And then, out of nowhere, an email popped up from Park Plaza Hotels, offering £99 stays at the five-star Park Plaza Westminster Bridge in London, and €89 stays (€97 with city tax) at the Park Plaza Victoria in Amsterdam.

I thought this was an impressive deal, although it was obviously restricted.  You had to stay by 30th September, and of course at present the Dutch Government isn’t even allowing UK residents to enter the country.  Luckily this was a fully refundable deal.

I popped it onto Head for Points during Thursday, although I didn’t expect much from it.  I probably wouldn’t have bothered at all if I hadn’t already discussed Park Plaza Westminster Bridge in an article earlier that day on the 100% bonus for buying Radisson Rewards points, which is still running if you’re interested.

Within an hour, however, readers were booking.  And they didn’t stop.

On Friday morning the article was emailed out – and booking went crazy.

By Sunday night, over £41,000-worth of rooms had been booked via the link in our article.  Many more readers will have booked direct, so the total will easily exceed £50,000.

This is, by any stretch, an amazing response.  Obviously, given that these rooms are refundable, quite a few will be cancelled in the end.  However, you couldn’t ask for a bigger vote of confidence in travel from the HfP readership than booking £50,000-worth of rooms across just two hotels in 48 hours.

The success of this deal has cheered me up considerably.  It is clear that the desire to travel is still as strong as ever amongst our readers, as is their willingness to jump on a good deal.

It’s ironic that this article is being published on the same day that the UK Government is introducing quarantine, effectively killing off both incoming and outgoing tourism.

Few people seriously believe that this will last beyond the end of June, however.  We look forward to sharing the best of the travel bargains with you as Europe, if not the rest of the world, starts to open up this Summer.

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How to earn Radisson Rewards points and status from UK credit cards (October 2022)

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 two free airport lounge passes.

• The Platinum Card from American Express (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 30,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 90,000 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.

EDIT: Until 25th October 2022, there is an exceptionally generous sign-up bonus on The Platinum Card. You will receive 60,000 Membership Rewards points – double the usual amount – and £200 to spend at Amex Travel. You need to spend £6,000 within six months to earn the bonus.

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 Gold 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.)