As you are probably well aware by now, Club Carlson put in place some major changes to their co-branded credit card. Up until June 1, 2015, you could receive a free night on EVERY SINGLE reservation you made using your points as long as the stay was 2+ nights. This was an unbelievable benefit of the card and unfortunately they have done away with it.
While losing an amazing benefit is by no means fun, they did replace it with a different opportunity to earn a free night at a Club Carlson hotel. This benefit is not nearly as good, but it is still something and can still possibly make getting/keeping the card worthwhile. To earn the free night, you must spend $10,000 on your Club Carlson credit card during your account year (not calendar year). For some, this might be a lot to put on a card, but if you have high spend and value the free night certificate, then this card can be beneficial for you.
The Good…
- The free night certificate doesn’t expire for 12 months after it is deposited into your account
- You can earn one free night per Club Carlson credit card you have since when opening them they create different accounts for you. I know many people have been able to get approved for multiple cards in the past, so this could allow you to spend $10,000 on each card and receive multiple free nights within the year.
- The points you receive upon account renewal more or less pay for the annual fee (assuming you have one of the cards with the annual fee), so the free night certificate is an added bonus.
The Bad…
- The terms state that it will take about 6-8 weeks after renewing your card, so keep that timeframe in mind if you are looking to make a reservation shortly after your account renewal. Although I have a feeling that it actually will not take that long.
- The certificate is valid for a standard room for Club Carlson properties only located in the UNITED STATES. Unfortunately, most of the better and more expensive Club Carlson properties are found outside the US. Although, there are a handful of good expensive properties. Or if you have the no annual fee version of the card, even redeeming for an inexpensive Country Inn & Suites (for example) will still provide some value!
- You will need to track your spend as Club Carlson does not do this for you on your account.
Overall, I am still on the fence on whether or not I am going to keep this card. I personally have the business version of the card which costs $60 a year. With that I do get 40,000 points annually which is worth probably $125 give or take. While the points do pay for the annual fee for most (with no expiration date), I think I might be done with Club Carlson. I’ve burned most of my points prior to June 1 and not sure I am looking to continue to earn more points or pay another annual fee. I do have until next February to decide, so I’ll be sure to keep you abreast of my decision then. However, I can tell you with confidence that I will not be dedicating $10,000 worth of spend to this card on an annual basis. Chances are when I stay at Club Carlson properties they will be outside of the United States and I hate being tied down to a certificate with an expiration date if there are not high chances that I will actually use it.
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I got the card in April. If I’ve spent $10K since opening the card, do I receive the free night this year, or 6 – 8 weeks after I renew the card next year?
@Ian – I am still not clear on how they are working it. I’ve called Club Carlson to inquire and get a different answer every time.
T&C says that you have to pay an annual fee and spend $10K in prior 12 months.
I am also in the same boat. My renewal was in April, so I wanted to know as well how they award this free night this year.