Club Carlson launches a semi-secret 25% Avios transfer bonus

What the heck is going on with Avios and the semi-secret 25% bonuses on hotel points transfers?

You may remember, on June 22nd, I wrote this article.  I had been emailed by Hyatt and offered a 25% bonus if I transferred my Gold Passport points to Avios by 15th July.  Weirdly, this promo was not on the BA or Hyatt websites even though it appeared open to all.

I wrote that I expected this to be the start of the semi-regular ‘25% bonus on all hotel transfers’ promotion which British Airways runs.  But silence followed ….

Then, yesterday, a few people reported receiving the following email from Club Carlson, the Radisson / Park Inn / Park Plaza chain:

Dear XXX,

Convert your Gold Points^® to Avios before 31st July 2013 and earn 25% bonus Avios with British Airways Executive Club (e.g. exchange 8,000 Gold Points and receive 1,000 Avios + 250 bonus Avios).

Then, use your Avios to fly to your dream destination sooner than you thought.

Click on the link below and select ‘Airline Miles’ to convert your points.

Now, what have the Club Carlson people been smoking?!

8,000 Club Carlson points no longer gets you 1,000 Avios!  Since Carlson secretly devalued its airline transfer deal a few weeks ago, 8,000 Carlson points only gets you 800 Avios points!

However, let’s forget all this for a minute and concentrate on the positive news!

When you click on ‘Terms and Conditions’, you see this:

This promotion is only open to Eligible Participants.  An Eligible Participant is a person aged 18 or over and is a British Airways Executive Club (“BAEC”) Member (membership terms and conditions apply) and is enrolled and registered with one of the participating hotel partner loyalty programmes.

Eligible Participants will receive 25% more BAEC Avios (“Bonus Avios”) when they convert Qualifying Hotel Loyalty Points into Avios during the Qualifying Period.

“Qualifying Period” is between 1 July and 31 July 2013.

What this means to me is that this offer IS part of a wider promotion, involving multiple hotel chains.  What I don’t understand is:

Why we have only seen two versions of it so far (from Hyatt and Carlson)?

Why the offer – despite not being targetted – is only being emailed to certain people?

Why the Hyatt version had a 15th July closing date?  Was this a typo?

 All very odd.  If you receive any similar emails from other hotel schemes, please do forward them to me at rob [at] headforpoints.com

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How to earn Radisson Rewards points and status from UK credit cards (April 2025)

Radisson Rewards does not have a dedicated UK credit card. However, you can earn Radisson Rewards points by converting Membership Rewards points earned from selected UK American Express cards.

These cards earn Membership Rewards points:

• American Express Preferred Rewards Gold (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 20,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 60,000 Radisson Rewards points. This card is FREE for your first year and also comes with four free airport lounge passes.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

• The Platinum Card from American Express (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 50,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 150,000 Radisson Rewards points

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

• American Express Rewards credit card (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 10,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 30,000 Radisson Rewards points. This card is FREE for life.

Membership Rewards points convert at 1:3 into Radisson Rewards points which is a very attractive rate.  The cards above all earn 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent on your card, which converts to 3 Radisson Rewards points.

Even better, holders of The Platinum Card receive free Radisson Rewards Premium status for as long as they hold the card.  It also comes with Hilton Honors Gold, Marriott Bonvoy Gold and MeliaRewards Gold status.

We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here. You can apply here.

Got a small business?

You can get free top-tier Radisson Rewards VIP status with the new Capital on Tap Pro Visa credit card for small business. Clck here to apply.

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review