Radisson Rewards Premier Visa Signature Card Review [2024]: Earn Free Hotel Nights

CREDIT CARDS - TRAVEL CREDIT CARDS
Learn how to earn free hotel nights and elite hotel status in this Radisson Rewards Premier Visa Signature Card review.
Updated Oct. 4, 2024
Fact checked

We receive compensation from the products and services mentioned in this story, but the opinions are the author's own. Compensation may impact where offers appear. We have not included all available products or offers. Learn more about how we make money and our editorial policies.

Editor's note
This card has been discontinued. For lucrative hotel reward options, see our list of best travel credit cards

If you travel frequently, carrying one of the best hotel credit cards can be an invaluable tool. You can earn bonus rewards from travel purchases and gain access to special perks. With the Radisson Rewards Premier Visa Signature Card, you can stay at hotels for free each year and receive complimentary elite status at more than 1,100 Radisson properties worldwide. 

This Radisson Rewards Premier Visa Signature card review will help you decide if this card is right for your wallet.

Automatic Gold status

Radisson Rewards Premier Visa Signature Card
4.0
info

Radisson Rewards Premier Visa Signature Card

Current Offer

Earn up to 85,000 points: 50,000 points after your first purchase, plus an additional 35,000 points after spending $2,500 in the first 90 days, for a total of 85,000 points

Annual Fee

$75

Rewards Rate

10X points at eligible Radisson hotels and 5X points on everything else

Benefits and Drawbacks
Card Details

In this Radisson Rewards Premier Visa Signature Card review:

Who should get the Radisson Rewards Premier Visa Signature Card?

Because the Radisson Rewards Premier Visa Signature card is a co-branded Radisson travel card, it’s a good option if you’re interested in hotel rewards. Specifically, this card is worth considering if you’re a loyal Radisson guest.

Every purchase with this card earns Radisson Rewards points, which are most valuable when redeemed for stays at Radisson hotels. Fortunately, Radisson properties are located all around the world, so it’s not difficult to find one while traveling.

With bonus points every anniversary year, complimentary elite hotel status, and travel insurance benefits, the Radisson Rewards Premier Visa Signature can offer cardholders a lot of value.

Card basics

Card type Travel
Credit card issuer U.S. Bank
Annual fee $75
Intro bonus Earn up to 85,000 points: 50,000 points after your first purchase, plus an additional 35,000 points after spending $2,500 in the first 90 days, for a total of 85,000 points
Reward rate 10X points at eligible Radisson hotels and 5X points on everything else
Recommended credit score Excellent, Good
Foreign transaction fee 3%

Radisson Rewards Premier Visa Signature Card benefits and perks

The Radisson Rewards Premier Visa Signature card has many useful benefits and perks, including:

  • A generous welcome offer: You can earn up to 85,000 points: 50,000 points after your first purchase, plus an additional 35,000 points after spending $2,500 in the first 90 days, for a total of 85,000 points of account opening.
  • Bonus points: Earn 10X points at eligible Radisson hotels and 5X points on everything else.
  • Renewal points and free nights: Receive 40,000 renewal points each year when you renew your card. Also, earn up to three free nights on your cardmember anniversary for every $10,000 (up to $30,000) you spend on purchases in a given year.
  • Complimentary Radisson Rewards elite status: Receive complimentary Radisson Rewards Gold status after activating and using your card. If you already have Gold or Platinum elite status, you will receive 15 qualifying nights toward obtaining or maintaining Platinum status.
  • Travel insurance: Receive travel insurance, including travel accident coverage, lost luggage reimbursement, and auto rental collision damage waiver.
  • Redemption options: Redeem your points a variety of ways, including for award nights, charitable contributions, airline miles, gift cards, TSA PreCheck, and Priority Pass membership.

Drawbacks to the Radisson Rewards Premier Visa Signature Card

  • Annual fee: The Radisson Rewards Visa card has a $75 annual fee. Although this is lower than many annual fees attached to travel credit cards, it still makes the card less desirable to some. However, if you can take advantage of the annual renewal points and everyday points earning, you can easily offset the cost.
  • Foreign transaction fee: Unfortunately, there is a foreign transaction fee attached to this card. If you avoid using this card on purchases abroad, you won’t have to worry about this fee.
  • Limited award availability: Award nights at Radisson properties start at just 9,000 points per night, but the availability is slightly lacking. Don’t expect to find this type of availability in general, let alone at prime Radisson resort locations.

Earning and redeeming Radisson Rewards points

Potential earnings in years one and two

Here's a look at how your points can add up with the Radisson Rewards Premier Visa Signature Card. To calculate these values, we used a point valuation of 0.004.

Remember, this is an estimation. The actual value will be determined by how much and in which categories you spend.

Year one earnings: $935

Year two earnings: $595

These values are based on the FinanceBuzz Credit Card Rewards Valuation Model, which looks at points earned via spending, the welcome offer, and the annual fee. For the purposes of this card, the assumption is that travel spending includes purchases outside the Radisson portfolio. If you do the bulk of your travel spending at Radisson properties, you’re likely to get more value from this card.

Best ways to earn

The best way to earn points with the Radisson Rewards Premier Visa Signature is to book with and stay at Radisson properties frequently. When you make purchases at Radisson hotels, including hotel stays, you can earn up to 10X points. All other eligible purchases can earn up to 5X points.

Categories Rewards rate
Participating Radisson hotels 10X
All other eligible purchases 5X

Maximizing your redemptions

The Radisson Rewards program offers many different redemption options, but the most valuable and straightforward option will normally be for award nights at Radisson hotels.

Award night redemptions for a standard room will cost between 9,000 to 70,000 points, depending on the hotel category. If you can find award nights for 9,000 points, that’s four free hotel stays each year just from the 40,000 renewal points alone.

Radisson Rewards members can also redeem points for gift cards, TSA PreCheck, Priority Pass membership, and for airline miles from more than 35 airline partners. Most of the time, these types of redemptions won’t provide as much value as an award night at a Radisson property, so it’s best practice to avoid them unless there’s no other choice.

For example, you can redeem 125,000 Radisson Rewards points for a Priority Pass Standard Plus Membership worth $249. With this membership, you receive 10 free visits to Priority Pass airport lounges during the year. Or, for the same amount of points, you can stay eight nights at a 5-star hotel such as the Radisson Blu Resort in El Quseir, Egypt, which would typically cost at least $480.

Radisson Rewards Premier Visa Signature Card FAQs

Is the Radisson Premier Visa Signature a good card?

If you’re interested in free hotel nights at the Radisson family of hotels, the Radisson Rewards Premier Visa Signature can be a great card. Popular hotel chains in the Radisson collection include Park Plaza, Radisson Red, Radisson Blu, Park Inn by Radisson, and Country Inn & Suites. If you aren’t interested in hotel stays or earning hotel rewards, this card may not be the right fit for you.

What credit score do you need for the Radisson Premier Visa Signature?

You would likely need a good or excellent credit score to qualify for the Radisson Rewards Premier Visa Signature card. Good FICO scores start at 670; excellent scores start at 800. Ultimately, though, your approval is determined by U.S. Bank.

Do Radisson Rewards points expire?

Radisson Rewards points will expire if there is no points activity (earnings or redemptions) in your Radisson Rewards account for 24 months.

How much are 85,000 Radisson Rewards points worth?

The value of Radisson Rewards points will vary depending on what you use them for. You can use 85,000 points to stay nine nights in certain hotels — such as the Radisson Blu in Cairo, Egypt — for 9,000 points per night. If you were to pay cash for the same stay, it could cost at least $720.

Does the Radisson Rewards card help your credit score?

Credit cards can be a great way to help improve your credit score if you’re using them correctly. FICO credit scores are calculated using your payment history, credit utilization, length of credit history, new credit, and different types of credit. If you make your payments on time, keep your balance low, and keep your account open for many years, your credit score should benefit.

Other cards to consider

The Radisson Rewards Premier Visa Signature is an ideal card for travelers who enjoy staying at Radisson hotels. However, if you want a more flexible travel credit card with helpful benefits, you might consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. This card has no foreign transaction fees, includes Chase purchase protection, and has 1:1 point transfer options to 13 Chase Travel℠ transfer partners, including JetBlue, United Airlines, Marriott Bonvoy, and Hyatt.

If you want a card with unique travel perks and generous earning potential, the American Express® Green Card could be a good fit. This card offers up to $199 annual credit for CLEAR Plus membership and up to $100 annual credit for airport lounge access through LoungeBuddy. You can also earn extra points in multiple bonus categories, like 3X points on eligible travel and transit purchases, and at eligible restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S.; and 1X points on all other eligible purchases.

All information about American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by FinanceBuzz.

Automatic Gold status

Radisson Rewards Premier Visa Signature Card
4.0
info

Radisson Rewards Premier Visa Signature Card

Why We Like It

Earn up to 85,000 points: 50,000 points after your first purchase, plus an additional 35,000 points after spending $2,500 in the first 90 days, for a total of 85,000 points

See how these cards compare:

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
  • Generous welcome offer valued at up to $1,050 when redeemed via Chase Travel
  • High rewards on dining and bookings via Chase Travel
  • 25% more value when redeeming points for travel through Chase Travel
  • Up to $50 in annual statement credits for hotel stays booked through Chase Travel
  • Receive valuable travel protections like trip delay reimbursement and primary rental car insurance
American Express® Green Card
American Express® Green Card
  • Earn 40,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 6 months
  • 3X points at eligible travel and transit purchases, and at eligible restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S.
  • Up to $199 annually as a statement credit for CLEAR Plus
  • Up to $100 LoungeBuddy credit per year
  • See rates and fees | Terms Apply

Author Details

Ben Walker, CEPF, CFEI® Ben Walker, CEPF, CFEI®, is credit cards specialist. For over a decade, he's leveraged credit card points and miles to travel the world. His expertise extends to other areas of personal finance — including loans, insurance, investing, and real estate — and you can find his insights on The Washington Post, Debt.com, Yahoo! Finance, and Fox Business.