Via Frequent Miler this offer, that I last wrote about April 30, 2019, has returned.
Back in December 2018 there was a first-ever 100,000 point signup bonus offer for the Radisson Rewards Visa.
Now though there’s a 120,000 point offer after $3000 spend within 90 days. The link was included in a targeted email to some members, but anyone can apply off of it.
This card gives you,
- automatic Gold status in Radisson Rewards (and if you already have status, it’s 15 nights towards a higher level),
- a free night in addition to your points earned for every $10,000 spent on the card (up to 3 per year or $30,000 in spend)
- 40,000 points each year at card renewal when you pay your $75 annual fee
- earning of 10 points per dollar on eligible purchases at Radisson family hotel properties (not including prizeotel) and 5 points per dollar in eligible spend everywhere else.
Radisson RED Minneapolis
In general the chain isn’t my bag. Radissons, especially Radisson Blu properties in Europe, can be quite good though.
Great sign-up bonus but I would keep in mind that Radisson has announced their intentions to merge Radisson Rewards with the Jin Jiang (company that bought them) loyalty program later this year and there are just a ton of unknowns of how this is going to pan out for RR members. Could be good news but could also be horrible news!
So how many points is the average property redemption?
What do regular Radisson fans think of the 120,000 point offer?
I tried to apply for their cc multiple times and have been rejected while I have not had problems with other cards.
@Leonard….USBank seems to be difficult for some based on reports.
@dhammer53…why not look at their website? Average is different for everyone and some hotels can be had for 9k while others require 70k.
Does IHG still offer the 4th night free on redemptions?
Radisson Rewards integrating into Jin Jiang loyalty program beginning summer 2019
@traveller…I guess you didn’t read that I posted that as the first comment!
@traveller….I guess you missed that I posted that as the first comment.
@dhammer53. Well, stayed at Radisson blu Budapest last summer @15k/nt,now 28k. Bargain @15 but meh at 28.
Every Blu location we have stayed at that was 15k,28k,38k is now 70k/nt.
Absolutely a bad deal. Definitely am passing on this “first time ever” “deal”.
Thanks JohnnieD for being the one who finally answered the question.
Constructive criticism – if it’s worth blogging about, it’s worth at least giving the minimal details of what the “deal” means (Is a Radisson lowest tier 20,000 points/night or 140,000 points/night?).
Yes, I can go to the website and dig around and try to figure out what is what – but isn’t that the whole point of blogging? If I have to do all the legwork I’d do better to just read the Subject line in my email and ignore the rest of the article.
At minimum, a link to someone else who blogged about Radisson points usage?
@Jeff…so blogging is all about people being lazy and not wanting to do any of the research themselves? Awards and points are all subjective so what one person considers a good value is not considered as such by another…that is why I referred you to the RR website to see if you can get value out of the 120k points…but clearly that is not what you wanted. …you wanted someone else to tell you their opinion. JohnnieD doesn’t see value in the program anymore due to devaluations and that is understandable but I am sure there are others out there that can turn the 120k sign-up bonus into value…say maybe 2 x 50k nights in London, Rome or Dublin with another 20k left over after for another stay.
@JohnnyD.
That’s what I recalled. So unless someone is staying off the beaten path, this is only good for 1 night, maybe 2. Thanks for being helpful. Much appreciated.
@Christian, it appeared to be so. Have to wonder what they are looking for when they approve. I have been approved for every chase, Amex, Citi card I have ever applied for. even received recently a Capital one with a large credit line and I have an Amex Centurian. Never late in decades and responsibly use the cards. They have some nice and convienent properties (for the area) in Europe especially at the Zurich and Manchester airport where I have stayed. Not going to bother trying again. .
I still have over 500k Radisson Points and this card from back when it was Club Carlson, and they had the 2 for 1 on award nights. I stay in Radisson’s a lot through the year – So my thoughts….
1. The only real reason to EVER even consider getting this card, or utilizing the Radisson rewards program is if you visit Europe. They have an excellent footprint, with multiple hotels that have pretty much the best locations in every city I’ve visited. For award travel in Scandinavia – This program is essential. In terms of chains, Scandinavia is notoriously bad. with Radisson being the lone exception. We did 3 weeks all over Norway, Denmark, and some parts of Sweden – And stayed at Radissons exclusively. The major problem with the card: Is that it’s worthless for actual USE in Europe, as they charge rather high international exchange fee’s. Which means even on paid stay’s at Radisson’s in Europe, it’s not worth using their actual card.
2. The award chart is kind of shit. I visit Edinburgh, Scotland every year. That 120k points offered, would gain me a total of ONE free night there. There is nothing less then 70k points a night. (In fairness, Glasgow has some places at 44k a night) Same problem for Amsterdam, and lots of other major cities. If you wanna manufacture – It could make sense. But just the bonus alone may not get you a lot. Figure 70k for your average redemption, and 44k for your secondary cities.
3. They blackout dates. At one point I had over million points, and literally couldn’t use them because they were blacking out dates where they absolutely had availability. This is usually during high volume months in summer. Specifically for me, it was Edinburgh in August. I managed a workaround after a month or so of trying – But still. (I booked a week into three separate points stays, and paid for a night) Last year in Amsterdam they blacked out the dates and my workaround was just paying for a Marriot/SPG.
4. For domestic use: The price of Radisson’s is usually rather decent, where using points is kind of a waste. I usually use them in small non-leisure cities like Dothan, Alabama – Where I love the property, and they are pretty cheap. However, there are almost always better domestic options.
5. Again: Foreign Exchange Fee’s on the credit card.
Summary: The program is shit. The rewards chart is shit. However, If you’re specifically planning a European trip, especially in Scandinavia – This card could have some value. The Gold Status thing is also kind of nice. (I’ve gotten some free drink tickets, waters, later check out, etc..)