On July 18, 2023, the Choice Privileges and Radisson Rewards Americas programs will be merging. That means you have until July 17 to freely transfer points between Choice Privileges, Radisson Rewards Americas, and Radisson Rewards. I’m sure I’m not the only one who is trying to decide what to do, so let’s talk a bit more about that.
The Radisson Rewards & Choice Privileges points transfer deadline
If you haven’t been following along, it can be tough to keep track of the situation between Choice Privileges, Radisson Rewards Americas, and Radisson Rewards. So let me simplify it as much as possible:
- In the summer of 2021, we saw Radisson Rewards split into two, with a separate loyalty program for the Americas; this was because the Chinese government essentially owns Radisson, and the United States has restrictions around data the Chinese government can access, necessitating the creation of a new program for the Americas
- In the summer of 2022, Choice Hotels acquired Radisson Hotel Group Americas, meaning that Radisson’s properties in the Americas nowadays have nothing to do with Radisson’s non-Americas properties
- As of July 18, 2023, the Radisson Rewards Americas program will cease to exist, and will be merged into the Choice Privileges program, with all points transferring at a 2:1 ratio (so you’ll get half as many Choice Privileges points as Radisson Rewards Americas points, reflecting that these currencies have different values)
- Through July 17, 2023, you can transfer points for free at a 1:1 ratio between Radisson Rewards Americas and Radisson Rewards
In other words, through July 17 you have the option of freely transferring points between all three programs. As of July 18, there will be no connection between Choice Privileges and the Radisson Rewards (non-Americas) program.
Should you choose Choice Privileges or Radisson Rewards points?
Over the years I’ve racked up ~436K Radisson Rewards points in the non-Americas program. I acquired these mostly with Radisson Rewards’ credit card, as the card offered an annual bonus of 40,000 points (the card has since been discontinued). I had the card for around a decade, so over time those points added up!
So now I have to decide whether I’d rather have 436,000 Radisson Rewards points (in the non-Americas program) or 218,000 Choice Privileges points. I can’t say I’m particularly passionate about Choice Privileges or Radisson Rewards, so off the bat I don’t have a particularly strong preference here.
That being said, while I can still be talked out of it, I’m leaning toward transferring all my points to Choice Privileges. Why?
- The Radisson Rewards program (non-Americas) had a brutal devaluation in October 2022, and now has dynamic award pricing, greatly limiting the ability to get outsized value with points
- Personally I value Choice Privileges points at 0.7 cents each and value Radisson Rewards points at 0.3 cents each, so based on my valuations, it seems that Choice Privileges points would be the better option (even accounting for the 2:1 transfer ratio)
- In terms of converting points into airline miles, it’s a wash between the programs; Choice Privileges points transfer to airline miles at a 5:1 ratio, while Radisson Rewards points transfer to airline miles at a 10:1 ratio
- If I transfer points to the Radisson Rewards program, I won’t have any properties in the Americas to redeem at, while Choice Privileges would give me access to properties globally (Radisson properties in the Americas, plus Choice properties globally)
- Choice Privileges has a cool partnership with Preferred Hotels & Resorts, which is a group of over 500 luxury independent properties around the globe, and you can redeem points there for 25,000 to 55,000 points per night
The only real reason that I’m considering keeping the points with Radisson Rewards is because the brand’s non-Americas properties are sometimes useful. For example, Radisson Rewards has hotels in lots of markets where you don’t otherwise find many chain hotels, including in many large African cities. That could be useful, but for me is probably still too niche of a reason for keeping points there.
I’m not committed to transferring these points to Choice Privileges, but that’s what I’m planning on doing. If anyone has a different take, I’d love to hear it!
How to transfer points between Radisson Rewards programs
Transferring points between Radisson Rewards and Radisson Rewards Americas is super easy and generally instant. Here’s how this works, through July 17, 2023:
- At this link you can move points from Radisson Rewards to Radisson Rewards Americas
- At this link you can move points from Radisson Rewards Americas to Radisson Rewards
There’s no cost to transfer points between accounts in the same name, and the process is easy. Once you have an account with both programs, just follow this link, and log into your Radisson Rewards account (the non-Americas one).
Once on the next page, you’ll be asked how many points you want to transfer, and you’ll be asked to enter your Radisson Rewards Americas account number. While I had 436,000 points, the transfer page only allowed me to transfer up to 420,000 points. However, I was able to make a subsequent transfer for an additional 16,000 points.
After submitting the transfer request, I refreshed my Radisson Rewards Americas account, and the points immediately posted there.
By the way, I was happy to see that I didn’t have issues with this, given that one account has my first name as “Ben,” while the other has my first name as “Benjamin.”
Then you can also transfer points between Choice Privileges and Radisson Rewards Americas, so see my guide to that here.
Bottom line
With Radisson Rewards Americas being merged into Choice Privileges as of July 18, 2023, the clock is ticking on being able to transfer points between Radisson Rewards and Radisson Rewards Americas. Personally I’m planning on transferring all of my points to Choice Privileges, given the limited value that the Radisson Rewards program offers.
But before I make a final decision, I’m curious to hear what others are planning, and if there’s anything obvious I’m missing.
What’s your plan with any existing Choice Privileges and/or Radisson Rewards points?
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