Miles and Points Recap: Club Carlson Promo, 45K Points Offer on Wyndham Card, My Delta/Alaska Partnership “Oops” and More

This is a brief news recap from last week. For faster updates, follow Miles For Family on Twitter or check the feed on the right side of the blog.

1) I got an email from Club Carlson about their  promo “Free Fridays.” Register here 

So, is it worth pursuing? It depends. I absolutely don’t believe it’s mattress run worthy. However, if you have plans to stay in one of Club Carlson properties during the eligible period, why not collect the reward? I would probably consider switching to Club Carlson if you just need an overnight stay somewhere.  I do believe that “free Friday night stay” perk is more valuable than points, at least in theory.

Note these terms: “Friday E-Certs are valid for reservations on a single Friday night at any Quorvus Collection, Radisson Blu®, Radisson RED, Radisson®, Park Plaza®, Park Inn® by Radisson and Country Inns & Suites By CarlsonSM hotels worldwide for stays between October 6, 2017 and January 26, 2018.  Separate reservations may be made for additional nights before and/or after the Friday night reservation. The Friday E-Certs will expire on January 26, 2018 and cannot be extended.”

This is a bit of a bummer, so once again, I would only pursue this promo if you have hotel plans anyway. There are some decent Club Carlson hotels in US and worldwide, like these few properties that cost 70,000 points per night:

Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel, Chicago
Radisson Blu Mall of America
Radisson Blu Minneapolis Downtown
Radisson Martinique on Broadway

The one in Chicago gets really good reviews. My family has stayed in an oceanfront Radisson property in Melbourne, Fl and enjoyed it a lot.  In fact, we are going there again in just  few weeks. I thoroughly enjoyed our recent stay in  Radisson Blu Schwarzer Bock Hotel, Wiesbaden (about 30 minutes from Frankfurt airport), and would return there in a heartbeat. You can see category listings here

With Club Carlson chain, it’s hit or miss. Some hotels are great, others are quite mediocre. The program definitely has its uses, you just need to be strategic about accumulating Club Carlson points. My rule:  Don’t overpay or go out of your way. It rhymes!

So, basically, if you can make this promo work with your existing plans, you might  do quite well. Emphasis on “might” because the expiration window is very short and free night is only valid on Friday. Also, award and points+cash rates don’t qualify. I’m sitting this one out.

2) Dirt cheap rates to Europe on Wow Air, summer is included. Details on DDG I’ve never flown with this airline, but at this price you can’t really go wrong! Just do your research ahead of time and be aware of extra fees. If the route and dates work for you, why not save your miles and simply pay cash?

3) US Bank $200 checking bonus by DoC. A very good (and easy) deal, especially if you happen to have a US Bank credit card, which will waive your monthly fees. If you are a bank bonus “virgin”, I recommend you start with this one. See my recent post on why I pay attention to bank offers.

4) The sign-up bonus on Wyndham co-branded credit card (with $75 annual fee) has been increased to 45K points after spending $2,000 within the first 90 days of account opening. You can find details and a working application link on this page I definitely think it’s a good offer, but there are some serious caveats. Namely, that Wyndham website is a nightmare to deal with. That being said, there are some excellent deals to be had as long as you don’t mind  hassle. See this post for additional information and few  things to consider. Hat tip to DoC

5) The increased offers on Delta co-branded credit cards are set to expire on July 5th. See more details in my Hot Deals page. Are these offers a good deal, especially for those who live near Delta hubs? Most definitely. Are they likely to come back at some point? Probably.

6) Speaking of… This is a little embarrassing, but I wanted to mention something. In my post on Tuesday I’ve said that I’m planning to redeem Alaska miles on Delta flights. Oops! Brain freeze alert. Can’t be done, folks.

Image courtesy of num_skyman at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I completely forgot that Alaska/Delta partnership has been terminated few months ago. Sorry, guys, I do make mistakes sometimes. I appreciate when you call me out on them, so don’t ever hesitate to do so. This is yet another reminder that bloggers (yes, that includes me!) are not perfect and make stupid mistakes on occasion. So don’t take my words as gospel and  always do your own research, OK?

Have a good weekend, everyone!

Click here to view various credit cards and available sign-up bonuses