Difference between revisions of "Radisson rewards credit cards"
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<li>'''In addition, for every $10,000 you spend on the cards each year, you'll get a free night certificate, that you can use anywhere in the US''' (Up to 3 certificates per card per year.) Spending is based on the first 12 months from your account opening date, and every 12 months thereafter. Assuming you can get decent use from the Radisson Reward points you would earn, for every $10,000 you spend (by using the Radisson Reward card instead of a good general-purpose reward card), you'll miss out on about $50 per year in rewards. The 5x Radisson rewards you'd earn are valued at {{Value|Radisson|5}} cents per dollar, which is close to what you could get with another card. Earning the certificates on the "regular" and "no annual fee" cards is much more expensive, because you'll only earn 3x and 1x points per dollar, respectively.</li> | <li>'''In addition, for every $10,000 you spend on the cards each year, you'll get a free night certificate, that you can use anywhere in the US''' (Up to 3 certificates per card per year.) Spending is based on the first 12 months from your account opening date, and every 12 months thereafter. Assuming you can get decent use from the Radisson Reward points you would earn, for every $10,000 you spend (by using the Radisson Reward card instead of a good general-purpose reward card), you'll miss out on about $50 per year in rewards. The 5x Radisson rewards you'd earn are valued at {{Value|Radisson|5}} cents per dollar, which is close to what you could get with another card. Earning the certificates on the "regular" and "no annual fee" cards is much more expensive, because you'll only earn 3x and 1x points per dollar, respectively.</li> | ||
| − | <li>'''You could theoretically earn up to | + | <li>'''You could theoretically earn up to 9 certificates per year''', by spending $30,000 on each of the three cards. But you probably couldn't get approved for all three cards, the opportunity cost for the certificates beyond the 6 you could earn on the Premier and Business cards would be considerably higher, and you'll wind up with a ton of additional Radisson points.</li> |
<li>'''Despite the low cost, and the ability to easily earn multiple certificates, this is the least interesting free night certificate available from a credit card'''. Certificates can only be redeemed within the United States, and Radisson Hotel Group is a European-centric hotel chain that has great options in Europe, but a weaker collection of hotels in the United States. Furthermore, most of the American hotels are concentrated in their less expensive brands. There are only a handful of high-end Radisson Reward Group hotels in the US, where you can maximize the value of this certificate, and those are sometimes considerably less nice than those from other brands.</li> | <li>'''Despite the low cost, and the ability to easily earn multiple certificates, this is the least interesting free night certificate available from a credit card'''. Certificates can only be redeemed within the United States, and Radisson Hotel Group is a European-centric hotel chain that has great options in Europe, but a weaker collection of hotels in the United States. Furthermore, most of the American hotels are concentrated in their less expensive brands. There are only a handful of high-end Radisson Reward Group hotels in the US, where you can maximize the value of this certificate, and those are sometimes considerably less nice than those from other brands.</li> | ||
Revision as of 23:15, 3 June 2020
U.S. Bank Credit Cards, Hotel Credit Cards
U.S. Bank Webpage Radisson Webpage
Business Version Available
Guide to the Radisson Rewards Program
Send comments or suggestions to editor@travelstrategies.com or leave a comment below.
Annual Fee
$75
Current Offer
120,000 points ($3,000 initial spend) Offer LinkTypical Signup Offer
85,000 Radisson Rewards points: 50,000 on first purchase, plus 35,000 more with $2,500 initial spend
($210 net value, .09/$)
Signup Bonus ChartBonus Categories
10x Radisson Purchases (≈4%)
5x Everywhere Else (≈2%)
3% Foreign Transaction Fee
If you frequently travel in northern Europe, or you are otherwise able to take good advantage of Radisson Reward Group hotels, you should get the Radisson Premier or Business card. You'll get 40,000 points every year, automatic Gold status, and the opportunity to earn up to 3 additional free night certificate (good in the US only). This is a valuable set of benefits considering the annual fee. However, most people will find it is hard to take advantage of Radisson hotels frequently enough to make the card worthwhile.
Covid Enhancements
Free night certificates that would have expired between March 1st and July 31st will be extended until Jun 30th, 2021.
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Radisson Rewards Credit Card Options
There are three different Radisson Reward credit cards.
| Premier | Business | No Annual Fee | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal signup bonus | 85,000 | 85,000 | 30,000 |
| Initial spending requirement | $2,500 | $2,500 | $1,000 |
| Automatic elite status | Gold | Gold | None |
| Earning rate at Radisson Hotels | 10x | 10x | 3x |
| Earning rate elsewhere | 5x | 5x | 1x |
| Renewal Points | 40,000 | 40,000 | None |
| Value of Renewal Points | $160 | $160 | $0 |
| Annual fee | $75 | $60 | $0 |
| Official Webpage | View | View | View |
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 rno-annual-fee version. The same is true, if you are just interested in the signup bonus. Due to its lower annual fee, the business version is the slightly better option. But it can only be applied for in-branch. Unlock Extra Reward Points with Business Credit Cards.
Intro to Radisson Reward Points
- 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. However, if you frequently travel to Northern Europe, the they have a much more useful collection of hotels, and the program becomes more interesting..
Collecting the Signup Bonus
- Most people shouldn't bother getting this card, just for the signup bonus. After subtracting the annual fee and the opportunity cost of using the card for $point of spending, the calculated net value for the initial year is $85000 (Expression error: Unrecognized word "point". cents per dollar spent). That's good for about two nights at one of their nicer hotels, or up to 9 nights at their least expensive hotels That's pretty good, but there are several more lucrative U.S. Bank signup offers available, and it can be hard to get approved for each U.S. Bank credit card.
- You may be able to earn the signup bonuses from both the personal and business version of the card. If you have any kind of side business, you are entitled to apply for business cards. If so, you can earn the signups from either or both versions. Unlock Extra Reward Points with Business Credit Cards.
- While you can earn the signup bonus multiple times, you may just be better off keeping the card. Every year you renew the card, you'll get 40,000 points, rather than the 85,000 points you would receive with a fresh sign-up, but without needing to spend another $2,500 or getting another inquiry or your credit report. Of course, if you are really hardcore, you could cancel after receiving the signup bonus, wait a few months, and try to reapply to start the process over again.
After subtracting the annual fee, and the opportunity cost of using the card for $2,500 of spending, the calculated net value of the sign-up is $210 (8 cents per dollar spent). Your value may be higher or lower, depending on how much you value the points. How Much are Hotel Points Worth?
Radisson Rewards 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. That can be reason enough to get and hold onto the card.
- In addition, for every $10,000 you spend on the cards each year, you'll get a free night certificate, that you can use anywhere in the US (Up to 3 certificates per card per year.) Spending is based on the first 12 months from your account opening date, and every 12 months thereafter. Assuming you can get decent use from the Radisson Reward points you would earn, for every $10,000 you spend (by using the Radisson Reward card instead of a good general-purpose reward card), you'll miss out on about $50 per year in rewards. The 5x Radisson rewards you'd earn are valued at 2 cents per dollar, which is close to what you could get with another card. Earning the certificates on the "regular" and "no annual fee" cards is much more expensive, because you'll only earn 3x and 1x points per dollar, respectively.
- You could theoretically earn up to 9 certificates per year, by spending $30,000 on each of the three cards. But you probably couldn't get approved for all three cards, the opportunity cost for the certificates beyond the 6 you could earn on the Premier and Business cards would be considerably higher, and you'll wind up with a ton of additional Radisson points.
- Despite the low cost, and the ability to easily earn multiple certificates, this is the least interesting free night certificate available from a credit card. Certificates can only be redeemed within the United States, and Radisson Hotel Group is a European-centric hotel chain that has great options in Europe, but a weaker collection of hotels in the United States. Furthermore, most of the American hotels are concentrated in their less expensive brands. There are only a handful of high-end Radisson Reward Group hotels in the US, where you can maximize the value of this certificate, and those are sometimes considerably less nice than those from other brands.
However, if you travel enough, or have specific travel plans, you can get value from this certificate. For example, the Radisson Blue Aqua Hotel Chicago is a great hotel. And Radisson is planning on opening two new Radisson Blu hotels (in New York City and Anaheim). If you plan on visiting one of these locations every year, it can be worth the cost of keeping this card, and spending $10,000, to get a free night. But if you aren’t, most of our readers should stick to other options. Radisson Rewards Free Night Certificates.
Other Notable Benefits
- Radisson Reward Gold elite status. This entitles you to a room upgrade (upon availability), late checkout or early check-in, a welcome gift, and 72 hour guaranteed room availability. If you already have Gold status, you'll receive an additional 15 qualifying night credits, that you can use to obtain higher level status, instead. Radisson Rewards Status Benefits.
- Access to the Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection. As with all Visa Signature cards, you'll get access to Visa's luxury hotel program. Whenever you book one of the 900+ participating hotels, you'll receive a set of valuable benefits, including free breakfast, late check-out, and a $25 food and beverage credit. The Visa program has slightly weaker benefits than the other luxury hotel programs, but includes a larger number of more affordable hotel options and a best price guarantee. Take Advantage of Luxury Hotel Programs for Valuable Extra Perks.
- Access to Visa Signature Offers. Your card entitles you to a set of special offers available from Visa.
Bonus Categories
- You are better off making your Radisson purchases with a card that earns a high reward rate on all your hotel purchases. 10x Radisson points are valued at 4 cents per dollar. That's not as good as what you'd earn from a card that offers good bonus rewards on travel spending.Best Credit Cards for Travel Spending.
- 5x rewards on every purchase sounds good, but it is only worth about 2 cents per dollar. Radisson Reward points are only valued at about .4 cents each, so this bonus is about the same as a basic no-annual-fee general-purpose reward card, and Radisson Reward points are a lot less flexible than cash.