Buy Radisson Rewards points for as low as 0.35 cents per point: Is it worth it?

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.

Radisson Rewards is offering a 100% bonus on Radisson Rewards points purchased by June 30, 2020. As reported by One Mile at a Time, this sale cuts the cost of Radisson points to 0.35 cents apiece, making it a good way to subsidize future hotel stays.

Here, we'll take a closer look at this buy-points promo and discuss when it's worthwhile to buy IHG points. But first, let's talk about buying hotel points during the coronavirus outbreak.

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Should I buy Radisson Rewards points now?

Radisson, in addition to other major hotel groups, is running this buy-points sale in the middle of the coronavirus outbreak. It's easy to see why — these companies need to raise capital in a time when hotel occupancy rates are at historic lows, and selling points on the cheap is an easy way for companies to get their loyalty members to prepay for hotel stays.

There's no doubt that many of these buy-points deals are a good deal, but that still begs the question: Is it a good idea to buy hotel points in the middle of a pandemic?

Only you can answer that question, but here are two things to keep in mind when you make your decision. The first is the state of the travel industry as a whole — travel a and airlines are hurting financially, and while we have faith in Radisson making it through this travel downturn, there's no way to guarantee this. If the hotel group did go bankrupt, there's a chance your newly-purchased points could be rendered worthless.

Further, you probably won't be using these points until the coronavirus outbreak is contained. Having points sitting in your Radisson account leaves them open to devaluation, so you should only purchase points if you're already booking stays for a late-2020 or early-2021 trip. Even then, there's no guarantee that it will be safe to travel, so familiarize yourself with the hotel group's change and cancellation policies before you buy points.

A closer look at Radisson's buy-points promotion

As discussed, Radisson Rewards is offering a 100% bonus on purchased Radisson points, dropping the cost-per-point to 0.35 cents apiece. The bonus and cent per point cost are the same no matter how many points you buy, so you're not locked into purchasing the maximum number of points.

Additionally, Radisson has raised purchasing limits from 80,000 points to 120,000 points. This doesn't include the bonus, so you can buy up to 240,000 Radisson Rewards points during this promotion. You'll spend $840 to max out the promotion.

If you're interested in buying points with the promotion, head to Radisson's buy points page and log into your account.

Is this Radisson Rewards promotion a good deal?

If you're confident that Radisson will make it through the coronavirus travel downturn unscathed, this deal gives you a good way to stock up on Radisson Rewards points on the cheap. In fact, at the 0.35 cents per point rate, you're buying points at a cheaper rate than TPG's most recent Radisson Rewards valuation of 0.4 cents apiece.

That said, you should only buy Radisson Rewards points if you're sure you can get more than 0.35 cents per point in value from your redemptions. A good way to gauge this is looking at the points cost of hotels you'd like to book and compare it to the cash cost; if it's cheaper to book with points, it's a good deal.

For example, say you want to stay at the Radisson Blu Edwardian Hampshire in London in late 2020. A prepaid weekend night in November costs $442 after-tax, or you can book with 70,000 Radisson Rewards points. You can buy these points for $245 during the promotion, giving you 0.63 cents per point in value and helping you save almost $200 by purchasing points instead of booking a paid stay.

Radisson Rewards points are hard to earn

Unfortunately, Radisson Rewards points are tough to earn. You can't transfer points from any major U.S. transferable points programs, so you're limited to spending on a Radisson Rewards cobranded credit card to earn points on everyday purchases.

This makes purchasing Radisson Rewards points even more attractive. With limited earning options, purchasing points on the cheap is by far the easiest way for U.S. travelers to earn Radisson Rewards points quickly and easily.

Which credit card should you use?

Radisson Rewards point purchases are processed by Points.com, so your purchase won’t code as travel. Unfortunately, this means you won’t earn a travel category bonus from travel rewards credit cards. Instead, you'll want to pay with a card that earns bonus points on all purchases, including:

• The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, which earns 2 Amex Membership Rewards points per dollar (a 4% return based on TPG’s valuations) on the first $50,000 per calendar year and then 1x thereafter
• Chase Freedom Unlimited, which earns 1.5% cash back on purchases

Note that the Chase Freedom Unlimited's cashback can become fully-transferable Ultimate Rewards points (up to a 3% return based on TPG’s valuations) if you also have an Ultimate Rewards-earning card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card.