HT: Lucky @ one mile at a time
I am not a big proponent of purchasing miles or points – unless you are in need of some to top off your account in preparation of a trip. In that instance, it can be worth it. In the case where you are buying just because it seems like a good deal, you may actually be costing yourself more than an outright ticket (especially when you factor in miles you are not going to earn since award trips do not earn miles).
Every so often, though, a travel provider will have some type of deal in play that actually makes sense to purchase points or miles. One of those instances is now with Club Carlson. I have written before about Club Carlson and what a great deal they provide with their co-branded credit cards. They are not that strong in the USA, but they have a great presence in Europe and Asia. I mentioned last year how I had wished I had points for my Dubai Marathon trip. There is a great Radisson Blu hotel right near the start/finish line for the Dubai Marathon. For the Iceland Marathon, there are three Club Carlson properties in Reykjavik. The one I chose only required 13,500 points for two nights (thanks to their last night free on award stays for cardholders) – this hotel was going for $250 each night! That puts the actual value of that stay at 3.7 cents per point.
Thanks to One Mile At a Time, I learned about a two-month (it ends October 15th) long promo that Club Carlson is running that allows you to receive a bonus when purchasing points. The cost to purchase these points is $7 per 1,000 points. The bonus scale looks like this:
[table “” not found /]Obviously, the best deal is the 31,000 – 40,000 points. If you max out your account with what you can purchase, you will receive 60,000 points for $280. While that is a lot of money, if you have redemption plans in the future, it can actually save you money. In the case of my hotel in Iceland, you could get 5 nights there for $280. If you paid cash, it would cost you $1,250! In the case of my hotel for Dubai, 60,000 points would get you enough for two nights. It would cost you $500 to stay there at a cash rate.
Summary
Is this a good deal? It can be! If you have upcoming travel and you would benefit from staying at a Club Carlson brand hotel, this could save you some money. The lower range Club Carlson hotels are still pretty nice so this many points can give you a bunch of free nights! If you would rather not purchase these points, you can get from 60,000 to 85,000 points by applying for the different cards below. I do not receive a commission for these cards.
- Club Carlson Credit Card Premier Rewards from US Bank (85,000 total bonus points) –application link (I do not receive a commission from this card)
- Club Carlson Credit Card Visa Signature from US Bank (60,000 total bonus points) – application link (I do not receive a commission from this card)
- Club Carlson Credit Card Business Rewards from US Bank (85,000 total bonus points) –application link (I do not receive a commission from this card)
