Is it worth converting Radisson Rewards points to Avios or Flying Blue miles?

If you have some Radisson Rewards points, you may be wondering if it is worth transferring them to Avios, Flying Blue or SAS miles, which are the only three major programmes now supported.

The answer used to be ‘no’, but since the massive Radisson Rewards devaluation in 2022, a transfer to airline miles is no longer poor value.

Some hotel loyalty programmes, led by Marriott Bonvoy, are keen to promote the idea that you can turn your hotel points into airline miles. With Bonvoy, it’s actually not a terrible idea – you don’t lose much value.

I value a Marriott Bonvoy point at 0.5p. With a conversion rate of 60,000 Bonvoy points to 25,000 Avios or other miles, you are swapping £300 of hotel room for £250 of airline miles (assuming 1p value per mile). That is not a bad trade.

Radisson Rewards, on the other hand, desperately tries to stop you redeeming for anything except hotel rooms. After all, third party redemptions like miles cost it real money.

There are now just three airline partners:

• Avios (British Airways – not Iberia etc)
• Flying Blue (Air France / KLM)
• EuroBonus (SAS)

This is the page to convert your Radisson Rewards points to Avios or other airline miles.

Look at the conversion rates for Avios and Flying Blue:

• 2,000 points = 200 miles
• 50,000 points = 5,000 miles
• 100,000 points = 10,000 miles

Don’t ask why they even bother with the higher levels given that it is still 10:1.

SAS EuroBonus has a different rate of 7:1.

Is this a good deal?

Oddly, these days, it’s not too bad.

I value a Radisson Rewards point at 0.15p. This is a far lower value than three years ago, but that was before Radisson devalued hugely.

If you want to learn more about how Radisson Rewards works, have a look at our review.

On this 10:1 conversion rate, you are giving up 1.5p of hotel room to get 1p of airline mile. You are losing one third of the value of your points, but perhaps you are happy with that?

However, whilst Radisson points now have little value, they are easy to use. You simply get a discount on your next booking. There is no reward chart, no special availability.

If you think you may stay at another Radisson hotel in the next year or so, you might as well sit on your points. You’ll get 0.15p for them when you come to book.

The only exception would be if you knew that you’d get more than 1.5p per Avios when redeeming – which, admittedly, is possible if you are strategic.

You can learn more about Radisson Rewards on the Radisson site here.

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How to earn Radisson Rewards points and status from UK credit cards (May 2025)

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 Credit Card (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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

• The Platinum Card from American Express (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 50,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 150,000 Radisson Rewards points

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

• The 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 The Platinum Card from American Express in detail here and you can apply here.

Got a small business?

You can get free top-tier Radisson Rewards VIP status with the new Capital on Tap Pro Visa credit card for small business. Clck here to apply.

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review