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Club Carlson (the rewards program for the likes of Radisson Bu and Park Plaza) has launched a new promotion that gives members until 30 October to buy Club Carlson points with a 75% bonus thrown in. In essence Club Carlson members are being sold Gold Points for 0.4 cents each and this could be a promotion worth considering.
Buy Club Carlson Points For 0.4 Cents Each
Last month saw Club Carlson run a promotion with just a 30% bonus and I said at the time that most people shouldn’t bother buying points at that rate. Well, I hope you took that advice because this is a far better promotion and probably just about as good as we’ll see from Club Carlson if past promotions can be used to predict the future.
Headline Terms & Conditions
- You’re allowed to purchase a maximum of 40,000 Points per calendar year (excluding bonuses)
- No Club Carlson member may have more than a total of 40,000 Points per calendar year deposited to their account through the Purchase Option (excluding bonuses).
- The sales of Club Carlson Gold Points are processed by Points.com so there’s no opportunity to make the most of any travel/hotel bonus categories you may have on your credit cards (and you won’t get any bonuses for using a Club Carlson credit card either).
The Math
The first thing to note is that is doesn’t matter how many points you buy as you’ll always get the 75% bonus and the cost per point will always be 0.4 cents.
The maximum purchase is 40,000 points which, with a 75% bonus, would see you net 70,000 Gold Points for $280:
And that works out to 0.4 cents per point.
Should You Buy Points?
It’s not a coincidence that the maximum number of points you can end up with in this promotion is 70,000 as that’s exactly what a top Club Carlson property will cost…and I definitely think there’s value to be had here given the right conditions.
The Club Carlson properties in the Americas are mostly pretty poor so I wouldn’t look there for value but, if you’re thinking about heading to Europe during a busy period (like in summer), that’s when you could find yourself a good deal.
Take the Radisson Blue Hotel Champs Elysees in Paris as an Example:
A randomly selected night in July costs $502.20/night….and that’s the fully pre-paid rate with no changes or refunds allowed:
But, if you take a look at all the available rates, you’ll find that the same night can be booked for 70,000 Gold Points:
Not only would those 70,000 points only cost you $280 in this promotion (a saving of $222.20) but the Gold Points rate is fully cancellable up to 3 days before check-in.
You could even use any points you buy in this promotion to book the “points & cash” rate (just below the award night rate).
Here you’re essentially using 20,000 points and $396.47 to purchase a room costing, at best, $502.20 so you’re getting 0.53 cents of value out of every point that you bought for 0.4 cents – and the points & cash rate is refundable.
If Paris isn’t your thing how about London?
The May Fair hotel (reviewed here) is probably one of the best Club Carlson properties around and its location can’t be bettered if you’re looking to stay in the hear of the city. In July a night will set you back over $450….
….but you can pick up the same room on the same night for 70,000 points ($280 in this promotion).
If you absolutely have to stay in the U.S. then I’d suggest the Radisson Blu Aqua in Chicago. A midweek nigh can easily cost over $500 during busier times….
…but, once again, the same night can be booked for 70,000 Gold points.
Getting More Than 70,000 Points
Don’t forget that although individuals are limited to buying 40,000 points per calendar year (before bonuses), you can always buy points for more than one account and then combine the points into one account without haveing to pay a penny more.
Everyone at your address is allowed to have a Club Carlson account and members of the same household can pool their points without charge.
If you happen to have Club Carlson elite status you can add your points to anyone’s account (even if they’re not in your household) but you cannot freely receive points from outside of your household.
Bottom Line
As I seem to say whenever one of these promotions comes along…the math is the key to getting a good deal.
If you know where you’d like to visit then go check out how much a room costs for your preferred dates and, if it looks like buying points and booking that way will save you money, then go ahead and buy points in this promotion.
If you’re not sure where you’d like to visit or if it isn’t certain that the hotel you’re looking at will have award availability for the dates you want to visit then keep your money in your wallet and wait for a better time.
