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The Club Carlson Premier Rewards Visa Signature Card offers up to 20 free hotel nights after spending $2,500 on the card in the first 90 days.
The basic idea is:
- 50,000 Club Carlson Gold Points after first purchase
- 35,000 more Club Carlson Gold Points after spending $2,500 on the card in the first 90 days
- Earn 5 points per dollar on all purchases (and 10 on purchases at Carlson Rezidor hotels), so you’ll earn at least another 12,500 points from meeting the minimum spending requirement. After meeting the minimum spending requirement, you’ll have at least 97,500 Gold Points.
- Free nights at Radisson, Park Plaza, and other properties start at 9,000 Gold Points
- On award stays of two or more nights, you get the last night free as a cardholder. That means a two night stay at a 9,000 point-per-night property costs only 9,000 total points.
- That means 90,000 points is enough for 10 two-night stays (20 nights total.)
The Club Carlson Premier Rewards Visa Signature Card is a must have if you are traveling near the 1,000 participating Club Carlson hotels. No other card offers a free award night on all award stays of 2+ nights. I picked up the card in 2013 and don’t ever plan on canceling it.
At what hotels can you redeem Club Carlson Gold Points?
- How does the free night on award stays work?
- What can you do with 85,000 Club Carlson Gold Points?
- Why should some people put all their spending on the Club Carlson card?
- Why do I never plan on canceling my card?
What is Club Carlson?
Club Carlson is the loyalty program of Radisson hotels and several other brands with over 1,000 locations worldwide.
Here is a map of the worldwide destinations, which shows impressive coverage in North America, Europe, and India.
Racking Up Points
The Club Carlson Premier Rewards Visa Signature Card earns points at an extraordinary rate.
The sign up bonus is 85,000 points–50,000 after first purchase and 35,000 more after spending $2,500 in the first 90 days.
The card earns 5 points per dollar on everyday purchases. That means you’ll earn another 12,500 points as you meet the minimum spending requirement, bringing your total to at least 97,500.
Every year you renew your card for the $75 annual fee, you get 40,000 more bonus points. That’s like buying points for 0.19 cents each. This renewal bonus is one of two reasons I never plan on canceling my Club Carlson Premier Rewards Visa Signature Card.
Redeeming Points
Club Carlson hotels are divided into seven categories, and free nights range from 9,000 to 70,000 points for a Standard Room.
But cardmembers get a huge discount on awards.
If you book an award stay of 2+ nights, you get the last night free. This is the second reason I’ll never cancel this card. Put another way:
- 1 night awards have no discount
- 2 night awards have a 50% discount
- 3 night awards have a 33% discount
- 4 night awards have a 25% discount
As you can see, cardholders are best off booking a lot of two-night award stays with their Gold Points. The 97,500 Gold Points cardholders will have after meeting the minimum spending requirement are enough for 10 two-night stays (20 nights total) at Category 1 properties, which cost 9,000 points each after the last-night-free perk.
Since the lower category hotels stretch your points farther, I took a look at Category 1, Category 2, and Category 3 hotels for interesting properties. Category 1 has a ton of Indian properties and some properties in Eastern European cities that I might visit this summer like Sofia, Budapest, and Vilnius.
Category 2 has about twice as many hotels and many more interesting ones in cities like Berlin, Riga, and St. Petersburg that cost 15,000 points for two nights.
Category 3 cities include Abu Dhabi, Capetown, Lisbon, Cork, Prague, Cairo, Beijing, and Bangkok. They cost only 28,000 points for two nights.
To search for award nights, head to clubcarlson.com and select the Book With Points tab above the search box.
Your results will look something like this.
There are no blackout dates on Club Carlson awards. If a standard room is for sale, you should be able to book it with points. According this FlyerTalk thread, sometimes no award availability is shown online even when a standard room is for sale. In that case, you should contact the hotel and remind them of the policy. Most people have had success getting the award space released.
Status
The Club Carlson Premier Rewards Visa Signature Card confers automatic Gold status on the holder, which normally takes 35 nights or 20 stays to earn. Gold members get:
- free internet (all members do)
- 27 points per dollar on hotel stays
- 15% on food at certain hotel restaurants
- free upgrades where available
- early check in and late check out where available
- an in-room welcome gift
Fees
The Club Carlson Premier Rewards Visa Signature Card has a $75 annual fee that is not waived. That is swamped by the massive 85,000 point sign up bonus in year one, and the 40,000 point renewal bonus in subsequent years. I don’t like annual fees, but this one is worth paying.
The card has a 3% foreign transaction fee, so don’t use it abroad.
Bottom Line
The Club Carlson Premier Rewards Visa Signature Card has a massive 85,000 point sign up bonus and is the only card that offers the last night free on all award stays of 2+ nights.
It earns an incredible 5 points per dollar on all purchases. When you consider this earning rate in conjunction with the last-night-free perk, you can see why for many people this card offers the best return on every day spending.
Just $1,800 in spending on the card would earn 9,000 points which is enough for a two-night hotel stay. No other hotel card offers a return like that.
Plus the 97,500 points you’ll have after spending $2,500 in the first 90 days is enough for 20 free hotel nights. Enjoy all those free nights with automatic Gold status.
Your Take
How have you used your points earned from the Club Carlson Premier Rewards Visa Signature Card?
Just getting started in the world of points and miles? The Chase Sapphire Preferred is the best card for you to start with.
With a bonus of 60,000 points after $4,000 spend in the first 3 months, 5x points on travel booked through the Chase Travel℠ and 3x points on restaurants, streaming services, and online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs), this card truly cannot be beat for getting started!
Editorial Disclaimer: The editorial content is not provided or commissioned by the credit card issuers. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of the credit card issuers, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the credit card issuers.
The comments section below is not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all questions are answered.
Just thought I better point out a misconception that gets people all ticked off: no blackout dates does not mean that if a standard room is for sale, it has to be available for points. It means that at some point, at least one room had to be available for points, but if that room or rooms was/were booked, then there will be no reward rooms available. No black out dates does not mean the same as no capacity controls.
Just thought I better point out a misconception that gets people all ticked off: no blackout dates does not mean that if a standard room is for sale, it has to be available for points. It means that at some point, at least one room had to be available for points, but if that room or rooms was/were booked, then there will be no reward rooms available. No black out dates does not mean the same as no capacity controls.
If I am new to credit cards will getting new ones now affect my credit score more than later on in life?
Applications for a new credit card have a small negative inquiry on your credit that totally falls off within two years.
Getting approved for new cards increases your total credit line. This decreases the ratio of how much credit you’re using to how much you have. This helps your credit score.
New accounts decrease the average age of your credit lines, which hurts your score at first. But as those accounts age, this effect reverses and having the old accounts helps your score.
The people who have been in the miles/points world for years have maintained their great credit scores.
Because I’ve never missed a payment on any card, but after applying for the BA Visa and Amex Serve (dont know if this affects score or not) my credit score went from 757 to 738 so I was a little surprised at how much it fell….
As Scott mentioned, it will take an initial hit, but give it a month and it should jump back up, possibly even higher than it was before. The pressure from Scott with all of these crazy sign-up bonuses resulted in me signing up for 5 cards last month. My score went down to a lowest of 728 among the three bureaus. A month later, however, and my Experian is a 747 and Transunion and Equifax are both 767 and 762, respectively. No i’m about to get this Carlson and probably the two Southwest Cards. I’ve been successful in convincing my landlord to take my credit card through paypal, so meeting these spending limits hasn’t been that difficult for me. I also never use cash for anything. All my purchases go on my cards and then are immediately paid off once I see them post. Hope all this help, and thanks Scott for your wealth of information.
If I am new to credit cards will getting new ones now affect my credit score more than later on in life?
Applications for a new credit card have a small negative inquiry on your credit that totally falls off within two years.
Getting approved for new cards increases your total credit line. This decreases the ratio of how much credit you’re using to how much you have. This helps your credit score.
New accounts decrease the average age of your credit lines, which hurts your score at first. But as those accounts age, this effect reverses and having the old accounts helps your score.
The people who have been in the miles/points world for years have maintained their great credit scores.
Because I’ve never missed a payment on any card, but after applying for the BA Visa and Amex Serve (dont know if this affects score or not) my credit score went from 757 to 738 so I was a little surprised at how much it fell….
As Scott mentioned, it will take an initial hit, but give it a month and it should jump back up, possibly even higher than it was before. The pressure from Scott with all of these crazy sign-up bonuses resulted in me signing up for 5 cards last month. My score went down to a lowest of 728 among the three bureaus. A month later, however, and my Experian is a 747 and Transunion and Equifax are both 767 and 762, respectively. No i’m about to get this Carlson and probably the two Southwest Cards. I’ve been successful in convincing my landlord to take my credit card through paypal, so meeting these spending limits hasn’t been that difficult for me. I also never use cash for anything. All my purchases go on my cards and then are immediately paid off once I see them post. Hope all this help, and thanks Scott for your wealth of information.
Maybe i’m dense, but should this be 18,000 points, not 9,000?
On award stays of two or more nights, you get the last night free as a cardholder. That means a two night stay at a 9,000 point-per-night property costs only 9,000 total points.
…making it a total of 15 nights, not 20 as stated, “That means 90,000 points is enough for 10 two-night stays (20 nights total.).”
Category 1 costs 9,000 points per night. A two night stay should cost 18,000, but you get the last night free on award stays of 2+ nights as a cardholder, so a two night stay costs 9,000. That means 10 two-night stays costs 90,000.
Maybe i’m dense, but should this be 18,000 points, not 9,000?
On award stays of two or more nights, you get the last night free as a cardholder. That means a two night stay at a 9,000 point-per-night property costs only 9,000 total points.
…making it a total of 15 nights, not 20 as stated, “That means 90,000 points is enough for 10 two-night stays (20 nights total.).”
Category 1 costs 9,000 points per night. A two night stay should cost 18,000, but you get the last night free on award stays of 2+ nights as a cardholder, so a two night stay costs 9,000. That means 10 two-night stays costs 90,000.
If you want 6 nights in same hotel, is there any reason not to book 3 two night stays, if available?
That doesn’t work. The computer is smart enough not to give you a free night on back-to-back stays. But you could get two free nights on a six night stay by booking:
first two nights (one night free)
last three nights (one night free)
the third night (the only night of the six not covered by first two bookings)
Kim
IF your willing to move which is a hassle there could be a hotel a BLOCK away like in London or Nice where I’ve booked . But ask yourself is it worth the move which costs time but my hotel costs like $500 per nite. .
Cheers
If you want 6 nights in same hotel, is there any reason not to book 3 two night stays, if available?
That doesn’t work. The computer is smart enough not to give you a free night on back-to-back stays. But you could get two free nights on a six night stay by booking:
first two nights (one night free)
last three nights (one night free)
the third night (the only night of the six not covered by first two bookings)
Kim
IF your willing to move which is a hassle there could be a hotel a BLOCK away like in London or Nice where I’ve booked . But ask yourself is it worth the move which costs time but my hotel costs like $500 per nite. .
Cheers
Scott
Do you know if the discount can be applied to multiple rooms? If I book two rooms on points at the same time, would the last night free apply to both or are there any terms that would preclude this?
Thanks
It CANNOT be applied to multiple rooms. If you try to book two rooms for two nights, you will get one night free in one room.
Thanks Scott, that is good to know. Maybe I’ll have my wife apply for a card as well. Would you mind answering Kim’s question above (multiple two night stays)? Would the hotel treat those as one extended stay as they are back to back?
Scott
Do you know if the discount can be applied to multiple rooms? If I book two rooms on points at the same time, would the last night free apply to both or are there any terms that would preclude this?
Thanks
It CANNOT be applied to multiple rooms. If you try to book two rooms for two nights, you will get one night free in one room.
Thanks Scott, that is good to know. Maybe I’ll have my wife apply for a card as well. Would you mind answering Kim’s question above (multiple two night stays)? Would the hotel treat those as one extended stay as they are back to back?
[…] The Club Carlson Premier Rewards Visa Signature Card offers 85,000 bonus points after spending $2,500 on the card in the first 90 days. After meeting the minimum spending requirement, you have enough points for up to 20 free hotel nights as I explained in my review of the card. […]
[…] The Club Carlson Premier Rewards Visa Signature Card offers 85,000 bonus points after spending $2,500 on the card in the first 90 days. After meeting the minimum spending requirement, you have enough points for up to 20 free hotel nights as I explained in my review of the card. […]
[…] I initially got the Club Carlson Premier Rewards Visa Signature Card for its 85,000 bonus points and because it gives cardholders the last night free on all 2+ night at award bookings. Just meeting the minimum spending requirement is up to 20 free nights at Radissons! […]
[…] I initially got the Club Carlson Premier Rewards Visa Signature Card for its 85,000 bonus points and because it gives cardholders the last night free on all 2+ night at award bookings. Just meeting the minimum spending requirement is up to 20 free nights at Radissons! […]
Do you get the 40000 anniversary bonus points before you pay the annual fee or it waits til the annual fee is paid after the 1st year to post the 40000 anniversary points?
I don’t remember. Probably didn’t get the points until after paying.
Money First then POINTS .. Yes the banks trust us.
Do you get the 40000 anniversary bonus points before you pay the annual fee or it waits til the annual fee is paid after the 1st year to post the 40000 anniversary points?
I don’t remember. Probably didn’t get the points until after paying.
Money First then POINTS .. Yes the banks trust us.
So you get the card, get automatic gold status and now earn 27pts/$ on Carlson stays? So if a place charges $100/night, I can get credited 2700 pts? That really should be highlighted if that’s one of the benefits.
So you get the card, get automatic gold status and now earn 27pts/$ on Carlson stays? So if a place charges $100/night, I can get credited 2700 pts? That really should be highlighted if that’s one of the benefits.
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[…] The Club Carlson Premier Rewards Visa Signature Card comes with 85,000 bonus points after spending $2,500 on the card in the first 90 days, and the last night free on all award stays of 2+ nights though this benefit only applies to bookings made before May 31. Check out My Review of the Club Carlson Premier Rewards Visa Signature Card. […]