Important Update to "Time to Get off the Pot" post of 4/26/13

Today’s post is a prime example of how quickly things change in this hobby.  The information provided is meant as an update to my post dated 4/26/13 where I recommended the Club Carlson credit card for beginners.  There have been significant changes to the benefits of this card more commonly refered to as a devaluation.  I’ve been up front from the beginning that collected points should not be saved and this would qualify as reason #1; at any given time the rules change.  Club Carlson rather suddenly re-evaluated their reward program resulting with some hotels changing award categories. This change was not widely made known.  Those enrolled in their loyalty programs were not given much notice, less than 48 hrs to book properties taking advantage of the reward chart before changes.  While the devaluation increases the reward category (requiring more points for a free stay) on several properties it does downgrade hotel categories as well.  When these instances occur it is best to act quickly if you want to secure a particular property that has been affected.  Fortunately, none of my destinations planned for 2013/2014 have been impacted by the change.  My Bangkok reservation did increase in category  from a 2 to a 3 meaning the points for a free night went from 15K to 28K, an increase of 13K points per night. However, since my reservations were made in March and the devaluation takes effect today, May 1, 2013 my previously made reservations are being honored at the old category.  Club Carlson has 6 hotel reward categories starting at 9K points and rising to 50K.  Do I still believe this is a good value card, yes.  Mainly because Club Carlson members are still given a free award night when booking reward nights.  For my travel needs in the immediate future I can leverage the card to receive maximum benefits. Will I renew the card and repay the annual fee when it comes do, probably not.  

This link will take you to a detailed reward chart listing all properties affected by the change and only you can decide if the value is still worth the cost of the credit card fee.