Club Carlson sent me a targeted email today with an elite member offer 20,000 bonus points after 7 hotel nights January 11 to March 31, 2016. This is a nice bonus, almost 3,000 bonus points per night, but you have to stay all 7 nights to earn any of the 20,000 bonus points.
Points & Cash award nights and free nights on points are not qualifying nights for this promotion. My question is whether 2-for-1 and 4-for-2 elite rates in Europe count for all nights stayed? I have seen some low rates lately using those discounts.
20,000 bonus points are equivalent to the points normally earned with $1,000 in base hotel spend in Club Carlson. I like the idea of earning a free bonus of 20,000 points for 7 nights with an equivalent value to spending $1,000 at hotels.
Even better than the industry promotion standard of double points is the potential to stay 7 hotel nights and earn 20,000 bonus points spending only about $500 in room rates at Club Carlson hotels.
Hey, Club Carlson points are worthless in 2016
One year ago, for a Club Carlson Visa member, 25,000 Club Carlson points bought a hotel room night at many of the high market segment Radisson and Park Plaza hotels around the globe. There were fantastic value hotel rate redemptions to be found.
My redemption value for 25,000 Club Carlson points averaged around $250 in room rates over the past 15 months with 24 reward nights, mostly in London. I stayed in central London for 12 nights spending 380,000 Club Carlson points on nights when those room nights priced over $5,000 USD. Of course London has lower priced hotels than $400 per night, but there truly are not a whole lot of hotel options in London at under $200 per night. London is the most visited city in Europe with over 16 million international visitors competing for the same hotel rate bargains.
380,000 points for $5,000 in hotel rooms is a very high $13 value per 1,000 Club Carlson points. Club Carlson sells points for $7 per 1,000 points. In reality, I give those 25,000 points per London hotel night a $250 per night value. And that really is the cost of a hotel room in London if you decide to go boutique and skip chain hotel travel.
High redemption value for Club Carlson points dropped precipitously in June 2015 when Club Carlson Visa members saw the one free award night per points redemption stay of 2 or more nights at any hotel worldwide benefit change to one free award night per cardmember year in the USA. Many of the hotels that were 50,000 point per reward night and 50,000 points for two reward nights for Club Carlson Visa members are now 70,000 points per night. The devaluation of Club Carlson points was the increase from 50,000 points with the Visa card member benefit for two reward nights to the current price of 140,000 points to stay at 14 of 17 Club Carlson hotels in London for two reward nights.
Certainly there are places where seven Club Carlson nights will be right around $500 at places averaging $60 to $70 per night.
Assume I spend $75 per night after tax for $525 to stay 7 nights and earn 20 base points on perhaps $450 in base spend. That is 9,000 base points + 20,000 bonus points + 3,150 Gold elite 35% bonus points + 5,250 credit card points. That is 37,000 points and around a $150 rebate value in points at many hotels for around $525 in hotel spend.
Club Carlson just moved up a level in my consideration of hotel stays for my travels over the next three months.
Club Carlson 20,000 points after 7 nights
Terms and Conditions
You must be a Club Carlson Silver, Gold or Concierge Elite member to participate in the “Extra 20,000 Points” promotion (“Promotion”). Promotion is available exclusively for the Club Carlson member and number associated with the email address to which the original Promotion invitation email was sent, is non-transferable and may not be resold, auctioned or bartered. Promotion is valid for Eligible Nights, as defined in the Club Carlson Terms and Conditions as further qualified below, between January 11, 2016 and March 31, 2016 (“Promotion Period”). Promotion registration and Promotion stays must all occur during the Promotion Period. To earn Promotion bonus Gold Points, you must register online for the Promotion at clubcarlson.com/stay7earn20k and provide your Club Carlson member number at the time of reservation or at check-in. Once registered, you will earn 20,000 bonus points after completion of 7 Eligible Nights at Quorvus Collection, Radisson Blu®, Radisson®, Park Plaza®, Park Inn® by Radisson and Country Inns & Suites By CarlsonSM hotels worldwide during the Promotion Period. Stays or nights paid for by redeeming points or by using Points + Cash are not eligible for this Promotion. You only need to register once, but you must register before checkout of the first Eligible Stay in order for that stay to count as a Promotion stay. Members can earn only one bonus during the Promotional Period (i.e., a maximum of 20,000 bonus points in this Promotion). Offer may not be combined with any other offer or promotion, may not be redeemed for cash or credit, and has no cash value.
Both the check-in and checkout dates of the stay must take place within the Promotional Period. Bonus Points will be credited to your account when the standard Gold Points are credited for the Eligible Stay and will usually be posted to a member’s account within 8 to 10 days after the activity through which they were earned.
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