Guide to the Radisson Rewards Program (2019)
Hotel Strategies, Hotel Loyalty Program Reference Guide
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Due to the drop in travel, Radisson has made some temporary adjustments to their loyalty program.
- Free night certificates that would have expired between March 1st and July 31st will be extended until Jun 30th, 2021.
- Your 2020 elite status will be automatically extended for 2021.
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Quick Guide
- Radisson Reward points are worth about .4 cents each. A night at one of their nicer hotels might require 40-50,000 points. How Much are Hotel Points Worth?
- It is hard to take advantage of the Radisson Rewards program in the United States. They don’t have that many hotels, and hardly any of those are really nice. But, if you travel to Northern Europe, where their hotel collection is more useful, it is a much more interesting program.
- If you do have good opportunities to take advantage of Radisson Hotel Group hotels, they offer a nice collection of credit cards. Not only do you get a bunch of points when you sign-up, you can get 40,000 points every year you renew the card. This easily covers the cost of the annual fee, and you can take advantage of automatic Gold status (or 15 nights credit towards higher level status), on an ongoing basis.
- You can also earn a free night certificate for every $10,000 per year you spend on the credit card (up to 3 per year). But their free night certificates can only be redeemed at Radisson-family hotels within the United States. Because of the scarcity of high-end domestic hotels, it is hard to get good value from these certificates.
Radisson Brands
Radisson Rewards is not one of the more useful hotel programs in the North America. However, it is strong in Europe, particularly Scandinavia, England, and Germany.
Free Night Certificates
Every year that you have the Radisson Rewards credit card, you’ll earn 40,000 points, good enough for a free night in a mid-category hotel.
In addition, for every $10,000 you spend on the card over the course of the year, you'll get a free night certificate (up to maximum of 3), that you can use at any of their US locations.
Unfortunately, most of the Radisson Hotel Group's nicest hotels are in Europe. Unless you regularly travel to one of the few US locations that have super nice Radisson hotels, it is hard for many people to get good value from these certificates.
There are three different Radisson Rewards cards, so you could possibly earn up to 9 nights per year. Depending on the card you use, you’ll earn 1x to 5x points on your spending, worth from .4 – 2%. So for each $10,000 you spend, you’ll be giving up $50–200 in rewards compared to a general-purpose reward card. With annual-fees ranging from $0 - $75, the best value is the Premier Rewards card, with a $75 fee and $50 worth of lost rewards per certificate.
For more information about Radisson Free Night Certificates see our detailed guide.
Award Chart
If there are “standard” rooms available, you can always book them with your points.
| Category | Room | Premium | Cash & Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9,000 | 13,500 | 5,000 + cash |
| 2 | 15,000 | 22,500 | 5,000 + cash |
| 3 | 28,000 | 42,000 | 5,000 + cash |
| 4 | 38,000 | 57,000 | 10,000 + cash |
| 5 | 44,000 | 66,000 | 10,000 + cash |
| 6 | 50,000 | 75,000 | 15,000 + cash |
| 7 | 70,000 | 105,000 | 20,000 + cash |
Cash and Points Awards
Cash and points reservations aren't always available. When they are, they are sometimes a good option. The required cash co-payment is different for every hotel, and there are no fixed rules that determine the value you would be getting from your points. You need to evaluate each reservation on a case-by-case basis. Sometimes, the best option is a normal award reservation, sometimes the best option is cash and points, and sometimes the best option is to pay for the reservation, and keep your points for a later date.
Acquiring Points
Acquiring last minute points
You can purchase up to 40,000 points per year, in 1,000-point increments, for .7 cents per point, and receive another 40,000 points purchased by another member. Radisson Rewards frequently offers point purchase promotions that drop the cost of buying points. During better promotions, it can be worth stockpiling some points for later. But, credit card signups are still the best way to easily collect a bunch of points. Acquiring More Hotel Points When They are On Sale.
Earning points from your stays
You can earn 20 points for every dollar spent at Radisson Hotel Group hotels. Silver, Gold, and Platinum members earn bonuses of 10%, 25%, or 75% on stays. You can earn points on up to 3 rooms. However, you'll only earn status credits for a single room.
You’ll earn up to an additional 10 points per dollar, if you use your Radisson Rewards credit card. 10x Radisson Reward points are worth about 4 cents per dollar. This is a better return than you’ll get from a general-purpose reward card, but not as good as you can get from a card that earns one of the highest reward rates on travel spending. Best Credit Cards for Travel Spending.
Other ways to earn points
The best way to quickly earn a bunch of Radisson Reward points is by signing up for one or more Radisson Rewards credit cards. There are four different options. The normal signup bonus for the Premier Rewards and Business cards is 85,000 points ($2,500 initial spending requirement); the normal signup bonus for the regular Visa Signature card is 60,000 points ($1,500 initial spending requirement); and the normal signup bonus for the no-annual-fee card is 30,000 points ($1,000 initial spending requirement.) These cards are all issued by U.S. Bank, you should be able to periodically cancel them and re-apply. Credit Cards 101.
Other earning options. You can also earn points from purchases with Vinesse Wine Club and FTD. See all earning options.
Keeping your Points from Expiring
You can lose your points, if you go two years without any account activity. Our Keep Your Points from Expiring article provides more details about strategies for keeping track of upcoming expiration dates, and keeping your points alive.
Member Benefits
Award nights count towards earning elite status. Once you’ve hit an elite level, any extra nights will carry-over to the following year. For example, if you stay 22 nights, you’ll earn Silver status (after your 15th night), and will start the next year with 7 credits toward requalifying. Like most other programs, you won’t earn credit for nights booked through 3rd parties like Expedia. Boost Your Hotel Status.
| Club (entry level) 5% food and beverage discount, plus:
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| Silver (6 stays or 9nights) 10% bonus points on stays, 10% food and beverage discount, and adds the following benefits:
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| Gold (20 stays or 30 nights) 25% bonus points on stays, 15% food and beverage discount, and adds the following benefits:
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| Platinum (30 stays or 60 nights) 75% bonus points on stays, 20% food and beverage discount, and adds the following benefits:
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The Radisson Rewards credit card gives you automatic Gold Status. You won’t get free breakfast, but you will get a welcome gift and a possible room upgrade. If you already have gold status, you’ll get an additional 15-nights elite status credits instead.
The Radisson Rewards Credit Cards
There are four different Radisson Rewards credit cards: a regular card, a “premier” card, a no-annual fee card, and a business card. These cards are all issued by U.S. Bank, you should be able to periodically cancel them and re-apply to earn the signup bonus.
| Premier | Business | Regular | No Annual Fee | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Normal signup bonus | 85,000 | 85,000 | 60,000 | 30,000 |
| Initial spending requirement | $2,500 | $2,500 | $1,500 | $1,000 |
| Automatic elite status | Gold | Gold | Silver | None |
| Earning rate at Radisson Rewards | 10 | 10 | 6 | 3 |
| Earning rate elsewhere | 5 | 5 | 3 | 1 |
| Renewal Points | 40,000 | 40,000 | 25,000 | None |
| Value of Renewal Points | $160 | $160 | $100 | $0 |
| Annual fee | $75 | $60 | $50 | $0 |
Factoring in the value of the points you get when you renew the card, and the other benefits, if you are interested in holding onto one of these cards, you are better off with the premier or business card, rather than the regular version.
For every $10,000 you spend on the cards each year, you'll earn a free night certificate. (Maximum 3 per card per year). But, these certificates can only be redeemed at hotels in the US, and most of Radisson's nicer hotels are overseas. For someone that has an opportunity to stay at expensive Radisson Hotel Group hotels, this can be worthwhile. But most of our readers won’t have good enough opportunities to take advantage of it. If you trying to earn the certificate, you are best off with the premier or business version of the card, so you’ll earn 50,000 Radisson Reward points (rather than 30,000 or 10,000) on each $10,000 in purchases. Radisson Rewards Free Night Certificates.
The Premier and Business cards earn higher rewards for spending at Radisson hotels than a general-purpose reward card, but not as much as the cards that earns the very best reward rates on travel purchases. 10x Radisson Reward points are worth about 4 cents per dollar. The 6x points from the regular version of the card is still better than most general-purpose reward cards, but not better than most cards that offer bonus rewards on travel. Best Credit Cards for Travel Spending.
