Club Carlson & New Partner

Club Carlson is making a big push to enter the "big boy" hotel club. There latest change is adding Southwest as a partner that you can transfer Club Carlson Gold Points to Southwest's Rapid Rewards program.

The transfer rate isn't anything to jump-up and down about:

• 2.,000 Gold Points     =    250 Rapid Reward Points
• 50,000 Gold Points    =    8,000 Rapid Reward Points
• 100,000 Gold Points  =    18,000 Rapid Reward Points

While I will most likely not being transferring points any time soon, this option might be helpful for those trying to get Southwest's Companion Pass. 

What is Southwest's Companion Pass?

The companion pass is Southwest's hidden gem of their frequent flyer spender program. The companion pass acts as a buy 1, get 1 free offer. If you have the companion pass, you deem someone your companion, and they fly free when you buy a ticket or redeem points. Flying to New Orleans, your companion comes free. Redeeming points for a trip to Seattle, your companion comes along.

How does one get the Companion Pass?

One needs to earn 110,000 Rapid Reward Points in a calender year.

That sounds hard/ impossible, right?

Not really. In the past, Southwest has had a Chase Personal and Business credit card that earn 50,000 miles after spending $2,000 in three months. If you get both cards, and hit the minimum spend, you will have 100,000 Rapid Reward Points. This will leave you 10,000 points shy of the companion pass. It is important to note, that in the past the credit card sign-up bonus has counted towards the companion pass . . . will that stay the situation is unknown...so proceed with caution. 

Can you now see how this transfer offer might be helpful? Transferring 50,000 points will net you 8,000 Rapid Reward points, 2,000 points shy of the Pass. Maybe you earn 50,000 points with one of Club Carlson's big offers last year and value the option of having your wife, kid, best friend travel free for a year; instead of one night at a $400 night hotel.

If the cards come back, I am going to jump on them this time. My hope is to travel more (possibly by airplane) to college football games this year and next. The Companion Pass will help Chris and I get Cash-Back Boy and Limited Credit Boy to the games. Instead of buying three tickets, we only need two, reducing the cost of the trip.

A new transfer option like this might not make sense to everyone, but the addition of each new option, opens new doors for us points addicts. With so many doors being closed to us in the game now a days, its nice for once a new and somewhat valuable one being opened.