Club Carlson Special Report

Just after I got through complaining in this month's Points and Miles post that I was disappointed by recent offers from the hotels, airlines, and credit card companies, along comes the best offer in quite a while. So good, it's worth a special post so you can take advantage of its time-sensitive registration.

Club Carlson is the loyalty program of Carlson Rezidor Hotels. Its brands include Radisson and Radisson Blu, upscale and luxury hotels in North America and Europe; Country Inn and Suites, mid-scale hotels in North America; as well as Park Plaza and Park Inn.

Carlson has been aggressively expanding and upgrading its properties the last few years and its points promotions have often been the most generous, as it seeks to become as well known as the major players such as Hilton, Starwood, and Marriott.

To take advantage of these offers, you first have to be a member of Club Carlson. It's simple to join, and if you use this link (courtesy of The Points Guy), you might even get a 4500 point sign-up bonus.

The following information comes courtesy of The Loyalty Traveler, who received advance information directly from Club Carlson:

• For the first 100 000 Club Carlson members who register for the offer, a stay at any Radisson or Radisson Blu between May 15 and July 15 will earn 50K bonus points.
  
• For the first 35 000 Club Carlson members who register for the offer, a stay at any Country Inn and Suites between May 15 and July 15 will earn 44K bonus points.
  
• For the first 20 000 Club Carlson members who register for the offer, a stay at any Park Inn between May 22 and July 22 will earn 44K bonus points.
  
• If you are not among the limited number of registrants, you will still receive 15K bonus points for registering and staying.
  
• Members can register and earn all three bonuses.
  
• Registration opens at 1:01 a.m. E.D.T. on May 15 for the Radisson and Country Inn offers, and on May 22 for the Park Inn offer.
  
• The registration pages with full terms and conditions are here: http://www.radissonbignightgiveaway.com/, http://www.sogocountry.com/, http://www.parkinnoneplusone.com/.
  

I plan to register for the Country Inn promotion first and then the Radisson. There are only two Park Inn locations in Canada, in Montréal and Vancouver, so achieving this bonus is not realistic for me. Since my wife is also a Club Carlson member, we will both register.

We will look for properties with rates less than $100 per night (I've already found a Radisson and Country Inn for under $80). This is called "mattress running". We're simply looking for the cheapest way to stay a night in order to get the points (if you actually need a hotel stay somewhere, all the better).

Staying one night at each brand will earn us a combined 200K points. That's assuming rates of $100 with taxes included, because Club Carlson awards 20 points per dollar and 1000 points for booking online.

So we've spent $400 to get 200K points; what will that get us?

For 9K points per night, 22 nights at the Radisson Hotel Orlando - International Drive in Orlando, FL. That works out to $18 per night.

Or the Country Inn and Suites in Scottsdale, AZ for 15K points. 13 nights at $30 per night. Breakfast included.

Some of the best value is found at the highest redemption level of 50K points. You can live like Bev Oda, staying at luxury hotels in New York, Paris, and London for $100 a night, and no taxes.

Offers like this don't come along all that often, so I'll be taking full advantage to build up my bank of Club Carlson points to use for stays in warm-weather locations next winter.

Follow me on Twitter: @AeneasLane

Points and Miles: March

I didn't post anything on points and miles for February. The middle month of a quarter generally doesn't have much new happening and I had just returned from Florida and was posting about that. But things are beginning to heat up as we head into spring, so here are some offers you can use if you have a March break coming up.

Aeroplan

• Until April 30, when you link your Costco and Aeroplan numbers, you'll earn 50 bonus Aeroplan miles.
• Earn double Aeroplan miles at Esso stations. Until April 9.

Best Western Rewards: Best Western, Best Western Plus, Best Western Premier.

• Stay three separate times before April 8 and earn a free night plus 1000 Aeroplan miles. Register here.

Club Carlson: Radisson, Country Inns & Suites, Park Inn, Park Plaza.

• Until March 16, earn triple Club Carlson points on every stay, including food and beverage charges.
• Save up to 25% and earn 1500 bonus Club Carlson points per day with this offer from National Car Rental. Until June 15.

Hilton HHonors: Hilton, DoubleTree, Embassy Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Inn, Homewood Suites.

• Register to earn a bonus of 1000 points per night or 5000 points per weekend. Valid until March 31.
• Hilton HHonors is unique in that you can set your earning preference to "double-dip": points plus points, or points plus miles in the airline program of your choice. Choose Delta SkyMiles and get 2012 bonus miles with any two-night stay. Choose American Airlines AAdvantage and earn double miles for any stay or US Airways and get triple Dividend Miles. All offers expire March 31.

Priority Club Rewards: Intercontinental, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites.

• See the lists of bonus codes at these sites: Priority Club Insider,Rewards Canada, and flyertalk.
• Get up to 35% off a Hertz rental and earn double Priority Club points with these codes. Valid until June 30.
• Until April 30, earn double points on every qualifying stay, beginning with the second one. See the tip at the bottom of this post for a strategy to maximize this offer.

Starwood Preferred Guest: Sheraton, Four Points, Westin, W, Le Meridien, Aloft, Element, St. Regis.

• Through April 8, register here to earn a bonus of twice the Starpoints for stays of two nights, triple points for stays of three nights and longer.

Tip: If you'll be staying several nights at an IHG property (Holiday Inn, etc.) on your vacation, you'll want to earn the double points for that. So make that first stay a one-nighter. If you're flying, book a "Stay and Park" package at an airport location. If you're driving, make Holiday Inn your choice for an overnight stop on the road south. The same strategy will work with the "Stay three times, get a free night" offer from Best Western, if your third stay is at a Best Western on your return drive north.

Follow me on Twitter: @AeneasLane

Points and Miles: December

This month sees one insanely lucrative promotion and numerous other offers to kick off the winter holiday season.

To mark the opening of the new Radisson Blu in Chicago, Club Carlson is giving away 50K Club Carlson bonus points to the first 50,000 Club Carlson members to register and complete a stay at a Radisson by December 30. Even after the first 50,000 spots are gone, you can still earn 15,000 bonus points for the stay. What will 50K Club Carlson points get you? There are relatively few Carlson properties available at 9K points per night, but lots at 15K. So, stay once at a Radisson and earn 3-4 free nights at many Radisson or Country Inns and Suites locations. And if you book and stay on points at any Club Carlson hotel by January 31, you'll earn a 9K rebate, essentially staying for free at some properties. It looks like Carlson really wants to become a major player in North America.

With this offer code, enjoy a welcome credit at Hyatt Hotels of up to $150. Good for services such as drinks, meals, or spa treatments. Or, if you're a Costco member, get a 10% rate discount and $25 a day hotel services credit. Book with this code (tip of the hat to Ric, the Loyalty Traveler). And finally, CAA/AAA members enjoy a 10% discount and complimentary breakfast. The offer code is here. All offers are valid until February 29.

Starwood is offering special rates for Ontario and Québec residents for weekend stays before December 31. Here's the offer page. And there are other deals available, depending on the property. You can check them out here.

You could save up to 33% and earn 1,000 bonus Hilton HHonors points with Hilton's December Sale. Details are here.

I've not mentioned A Club, the loyalty program of Accor hotels, a European chain, before. Accor does have several Novotel properties in Canada as well as Sofitel locations in Montréal and in major U.S. cities. With this offer, get the third night free when you pay for two nights, plus earn triple points. And via this page, you can instantly become an A Club Platinum member, which entitles you to a host of elite benefits. If you're planning an Accor hotel stay in the next year, it would be worth the few minutes it takes.

Until December 12, when you convert hotel points to Aeroplan miles, earn a 20-25% bonus. This could be a good deal if you have an immediate need for Aeroplan miles, but as I pointed out in a post a few weeks ago (What's a Point or Mile Worth?), hotel points can be more valuable because, unlike flight redemptions, there are no taxes or fees payable when you redeem for a free room night. You do the math.

I'm sure when you're holiday shopping you're consoling yourself with the thought that, when the credit card bills arrive in January, at least they'll also bring a blizzard of points and miles. OK, maybe I'm the only one. But have you considered not only earning points and miles with your holiday gift-giving, but giving points and miles as gifts?

Petro-Canada is offering 50% more Petro-Points on purchases from its convenience stores. That includes items such as lottery tickets and gift cards. Guys, do your Christmas shopping when you fill up. Offer's good until January 2.

And when you order magazines as a gift, or even for yourself, from Rogers Magazine Service, receive up to 1,000 Aeroplan miles via this offer.

For yourself, or as a gift, you can buy Starwood Preferred Guest Starpoints for 20% off until December 31. Can be a good deal, because sometimes you can get a hotel room for less by paying with points than with cash. Also good for topping up an account to redeem for an award or to keep your account active.

You can also purchase Club Carlson points for yourself or to give for US$7 per 1,000 (plus GST/HST for Canadians).

And a final thought: one of the nicest things you can do with your points and miles is to give them away. While most plans either don't permit, or charge an exorbitant fee for, transferring points or miles to someone else, they do allow you to book rooms and flights for others. And most plans allow you to make a charitable donation from your points or miles account.

Merry Christmas.

Follow me on Twitter: @AeneasLane

Points and Miles: October

All the major hotel chains have now launched their fourth quarter promotions. If you're planning a Thanksgiving getaway, or a cross-border shopping trip, you might also refer to Points and Miles: September for the chains that were first out of the gate with their offers last month.

Country Inn and Suites by Carlson offers a free night if you complete a two-night stay by December 1. Various terms and conditions apply, so read them carefully. And a car rental from Avis could get you 9K Club Carlson points. Here's the link with the code you'll need.

You're probably not familiar with Wyndham Rewards, but you may recognize many Wyndham Hotel brands: Ramada, Super 8, Days Inn, Howard Johnson, Travelodge. Every stay through November 18 earns double points or miles, and every second stay gets you a $20 VISA gift card. Registration is required via this link.

Priority Club is the loyalty program of Intercontinental Hotels (Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Hotel Indigo, Crowne Plaza). You earn 10 points for every dollar spent. To redeem for a free night at a Holiday Inn or Holiday Inn Express usually requires 15K points, but some hotels offer "Pointsbreaks" specials for only 5K points a night. Here's where to find hotels offering Pointsbreaks. Until December 31, Register to earn 500 bonus points per night. Your bonus will be doubled or tripled if you stay at more than one brand. There are lots of other bonuses available. Find them here. The bonuses can add up quickly: two paid nights at Holiday Inn can easily earn you a free night.

Unfortunately, there are few Hyatt Hotels in Canada. Until November 15, receive 5K bonus Hyatt Gold Passport points after every three nights you stay. Combined with the regular 5 points per dollar earned, that's enough for a free night at many Hyatt hotels.

The airline space presents a couple of interesting offers. If you're a Royal Bank customer and collect RBC Rewards points, until November 30, earn a 30% bonus when converting RBC Rewards points to American Airlines AAdvantage miles. And, only until November 15, RBC is offering up to $350 in WestJet dollars for signing up for its WestJet RBC MasterCard.

If you'd subscribe to the magazine anyway, and the price is right, Rogers magazine service is offering 250 Aeroplan miles when you add a magazine to your account. Gift subscriptions also qualify.

And finally, CIBC has taken over the Petro-Points MasterCard and is offering 15K as a sign-up bonus. Petro-Points aren't worth much: 15K points will get you a $10 gas card. You do save 2 cents a litre at the pump, earn points for your spending, and receive a monthly 5K ($3.33) bonus if you spend over $1,000.

The card is no-fee, and there is a calculator on the site to let figure out how you'd do. My own calculations show that I'd save about $4.00 a month on gas and earn a $10.00 gas card about every other month, giving the card a value of a about $120.00 per year, or a return of about 1%. That represents a lost opportunity of several hundred dollars compared to several other cards I know and use that offer a 2% return and whose points can sometimes be leveraged for even greater value.

If you spend a lot (over $25K per year), especially on gas, the 2 cent a litre discount could increase the card's value to the $250-$300 range. But there's still the lost opportunity cost to consider. If you're putting that much spending on a credit card, a travel rewards card that offers double points or miles for gas, grocery, drug store, and travel purchases could be worth your while, even if it comes with a fee.

It just goes to show that there's no one right rewards program for everyone. How much you spend, where you spend, and what kinds of rewards you're after all determine what's best for you.

You can now follow me on Twitter: @AeneasLane

Late Summer 2011 Travel and Points Offers

Now that August is here it's time to take a look at the travel and points offers available for late summer getaways. Summer being peak travel season, there aren't a lot of great offers out there right now: better offers will come along in the fall. But here are the best of what's available.

Instead of points, Hyatt Gold Passport members can register to receive 2,500 Aeroplan miles per stay. The offer is good until September 30.

Until September 30, earn double points or double miles for stays at Hilton hotels (including Hampton, Doubletree, and Embassy Suites). You must register here. If you're a Delta SkyMiles collector, you can earn triple miles with this link.

And you just might find a good deal, because participating Hilton properties are offering up to 40% discounts if you book by August 22 and stay by September 5. Here's the offer page.

Capital One is now offering a Delta SkyMiles World MasterCard to Canadians. There is a 25K miles first purchase bonus, and each dollar spent earns one SkyMile. The card has a $120 annual fee. There is also a no-fee Gold MasterCard which earns one SkyMile for every $2 in purchases. All the details on both cards can be found here.

Until the end of the year, Starwood (Sheraton, Westin, Le Meridien, Four Points, Aloft, W) hotels across Canada are offering the third night free when you pay for two nights during holiday long weekends. This link has the promo code you need when booking.

You'll receive 500 Continental OnePass miles for every $100 Best Western travel card purchased by August 31. All the details are here. And you have until September 30 to transfer American Express Membership Reward points to Continental OnePass. After that date, OnePass is ending its association with American Express as part of its merger into United's MileagePlus program.

Club Carlson (Radisson, Country Inn & Suites) lets you earn double points (40 points per $1 spent, including food and beverages) for stays up to September 15. Free nights begin at only 9K points, so a two-night stay could earn a free night. Registration is required.

Check back for the second part of A Week in Washington coming up in a few days and the regular summer cocktail recipe on Thursday.

Early Summer Points and Travel Deals

Given the cool, wet weather here in Southern Ontario this spring, it may seem premature to be thinking about summer getaways, but the airlines and hotel chains have sent some tempting offers my way recently than you might want to factor into your coming vacation planning.

Choice Hotels is offering enough bonus points after two stays to provide you with a free night at over 1,500 of their lower tier properties. Registration is required, and be sure to read the terms and conditions. Stays between May 19 and August 11, 2011 qualify. Click here for details.

Like most hotel points programs, Choice Privileges points can be traded for airline miles, generally at a rate of 5:1; that is, 5K Choice points for 1K airline miles. But until June 6, 2011, if you transfer Choice points to United Mileage Plus, you get twice the miles. Here's a link.

So if you signed up for that no-fee Choice Privileges MasterCard I told you about last month, you could not only be turning your credit card spending into free hotel nights, but faster free flights as well. And since United is a Star Alliance partner with Air Canada, you can credit flights on Air Canada to Mileage Plus (and vice-versa) and use Mileage Plus miles to fly on Air Canada or any other Star Alliance partner airline.

Country Inn and Suites has extended its Spring Getaway Offer until May 31. Stay twice and be rewarded with a $30 Amazon.com or Amazon.ca gift card as well as 3,000 bonus Club Carlson points. U.S. hotels also throw in a $5 T.G.I. Friday's coupon. Country Inn and Suites offer reasonably priced accommodation and include free wireless and buffet breakfast. Most locations are in the U.S. To book this offer, click here.

From May 16 through August 15, 2011, Priority Club (Holiday Inn and associated brands) lets you earn double points starting with your second stay. You can register for this offer here.

Priority Club Insider maintains an extensive list of other bonus codes here. Registering for multiple offers has sometimes meant that I have earned almost enough points for a free night with just one paid stay at a Holiday Inn. It's always worth the effort.

And Priority Club also offers some "Pointsbreaks" properties at only 5K points, one-third the usual 15K points required for a free night. You can find the list here. Bookmark the site, because the eligible properties change every month or so.

The excellent Rewards Canada website has made its "Choosing a Travel Rewards Credit Card" comparison chart more extensive and much easier to use by splitting it up into five separate charts based on the type of card. If you're a Canadian looking for the best travel reward credit card for you, you need to start your shopping here.

Finally, did you know that you can earn Aeroplan miles for subscribing to your favourite magazines? Rogers Magazine Service offers 250 Aeroplan miles for each subscription if you go through their portal. The prices seem to be in line with other offers, but for comparison purposes, I value Aeroplan miles at about 1.5 cents each.

More Spring 2011 Points Offers

Thought you might enjoy a break from all the election news, so here you are:

Until June 30, Hilton Hotels is offering 1,000 bonus Hilton HHonors points with each night's stay. That's in addition to the regular points and airline miles you earn. Hilton's plan is unique in that members "double dip", earning both for each stay. You must register for the promotion here.

If your plans include several nights in hotels over the next few months, Hyatt hotels is offering 10K bonus Hyatt Gold Passport points after you stay five nights, and an additional 5K bonus points for every two nights you stay beyond five. That's on top of the regular earning rate of five points per dollar spent. Free nights begin at 5K points, with most hotels being in the 8K and 12K point categories. So a week at a Hyatt property could get you two or three free nights. You must register here.

Goldpoints Plus is now Club Carlson and it's offering an excellent promotion until June 15: stay twice and earn a free night. This can be an economical way to stay in an expensive city. Two low cost Country Inn and Suites stays can get you that free night at a Radisson. You must be a Club Carlson member and register for the promotion. You have until December 31, 2011 to use your free nights.

Choice Hotels, in conjunction with MBNA Bank Canada, is offering a no-fee MasterCard that lets you earn Choice Privileges points for every dollar you spend on it. There's also an 8K point sign-up bonus. Details and application form are here.

And speaking of credit cards, back in the fall I told you about the Starwood Preferred Guest American Express card. The card is still available with a 10K point sign-up bonus, but unlike last year, American Express is no longer waiving the annual fee of $120 for the first year (or for renewals).

So, as intended, I cancelled my SPG Amex card (I keep all my Starwood points). But when I called American Express, they offered me their new Gold Rewards card with 15K points as a sign-up bonus and no annual fee for the first year. So I accepted that offer. I earn one point per dollar spent on the card, two for spending on travel, gas, grocery, and drug store purchases. Amex Membership Reward points can be applied directly to your Amex bill for travel related spending, or converted to points with several hotel and airline partners (for example, one to one to Aeroplan). I'll keep you posted on what I see is the best way to "earn and burn" these points.

To conclude, Niagara Spring Flings is offering Ontario and New York residents a chance to win a getaway in the Niagara peninsula. There's also a downloadable "Perks Card" offering such things as free wine tastings (yum!). Check it out here.

Have a Happy Easter.

Spring 2011 Travel and Points Offers

Lately there has been a raft of offers as the spring travel season approaches. Here are some of them.

Until December 31, you'll earn 100 bonus Aeroplan miles when you join Park 'n Fly Rewards. You'll also earn 50% more Aeroplan miles each time you use Park 'n Fly.

Most airline miles expire unless you have activity in the account every 12-24 months. Delta Airlines recently announced that it has eliminated mileage expiration. Good news for the casual traveler. And remember, you can earn up to 2,000 Delta miles for a three-night stay at most Hilton hotels until March 31. All the details are in my January 6 post.

And while I don't usually recommend exchanging miles using Points.com because of the steep commission they extract, it can be worthwhile, if for example you need to keep points in a program alive, need only a few points to reach an award level, or have points in an "orphan" program. Until March 31, exchanges for Delta SkyMiles get you 50% bonus miles, which makes the pain a little less. Some of the programs you can exchange with are Esso Extra, Hbc Rewards, and Priority Club.

You do intend to participate in Earth Hour don't you? This year, it's between 8:30-9:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 26. And you won't just turn off your lights, right? You'll put on a sweater (better yet, snuggle with a friend) and turn down the thermostat a degree or two? To reward you for your virtuous behaviour, Starwood Preferred Guest will give you 100 Starpoints.

Country inns and Suites by Carlson has a Spring Getaway offer good until April 30 at participating hotels in Canada and the U.S. Stay two or more nights and receive a certificate code provided via email post-stay to redeem online for a US$30 Amazon Gift Card* or a C$30 Amazon.ca gift certificate, a T.G.I. Friday's offer (US hotels only), and 3,000 bonus Gold Points.

Choice Hotels' offer to triple your points after the second stay continues until April 13. Find the details here.

Best Western has been on the move lately. Though the world’s largest hotel chain, it lacked a clear image in many travelers’ minds because, unlike all other major chains, there was no way to differentiate among different quality levels of its properties. That’s all changed. Best Western has now rebranded itself into three quality tiers: Best Western, Best Western Plus, and Best Western Premier.

Not a member of Best Western Rewards? Join by April 11 via this link and get 250 American Airline AAdvantage miles when you set your earnings preference to AA. Then earn up to 1,000 AA AAdvantage miles per stay. There’s a similar offer for Aeroplan members here. Or, register and stay three times by April 11 at any Best Western in Canada or the U.S. and earn a free night with this offer.

You can also earn Best Western Rewards with a no annual fee MasterCard from MBNA. You may need to quote the code CJ4A to get a 20,000 sign up bonus. You can apply here.

And finally, need a way to keep track of all your points and loyalty programs in one place? I use Award Wallet. The basic service is free, and it securely tracks all your program balances and will even warn you about point expiry for the first three programs. For a small fee, it will monitor the expiration dates of all your programs. It even creates a trip itinerary for you by linking the numbers of your airline, hotel, and car rental loyalty programs. Very neat.

Happy trails.