As a few of you know, there are some changes coming to Club Carlson starting March 15th (say it ain’t so!). Club Carlson has been one of the most generous hotel loyalty programs since its inception. It’s only fair that they take a little bit back. After all, the program wouldn’t be profitable if they continue to give give give.

Even with the upcoming devaluation and category changes, it still manages to offer supremely great value – especially if you hold the Club Carlson Premier Rewards Visa Signature card. Cardholders get 2-4-1 award redemptions. Meaning if a hotel costs 44,000 points per night, you can get TWO nights for that amount of points instead of just one – an amazing value no matter who you slice it.

They also offer Points + Cash redemptions. The question is, as a cardholder, do you still get the 2-4-1 deal on the points side? 

The answer: NO.

Though it would be awesome to get, I tried to price out a Points + Cash award for two nights and found that, as a cardholder, I was still charged points for both nights.

Even still, I’d  get 30 points a dollar for the cash side of the booking – ~7,800 points earned back, which kind of offsets things. Cash + Points can still be a great value depending on the circumstances. As with everything, I’d recommend taking case-by-case.

Bottom line

I’m still a bit new to the Club Carlson program and wondered if I could get the second night free, since I have the Club Carlson Visa, with a Points + Cash award redemption. The answer: no, but I’d still get a nice amount of points back from the cash side.

Long live the Club Carlson program. One of my favorite programs, second only to Hyatt.

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