Free airport fast track security with Mastercard
Mastercard has launched a new initiative to its cardholders in Europe, which offers airport fast track security, dining discounts and more.
You can check more details and sign up here. If you are eligible, you are entitled to complimentary fast track service at select airports globally, the list of which can be found here. The following UK airports offer such benefit:
- Aberdeen
- Bristol
- Edinburgh
- Glasgow
- Liverpool
- London Gatwick
- London Luton
- Newcastle
- Southampton
With quite a few other locations across Europe and China.
You can pre-book the fast track security for free if you manage to create an account. In addition, even more airports have restaurants that offer dining discounts, which means you can get say 20% off your bill by scanning a QR code.
Airport transfer is another advertised benefit, although I doubt you can get it for free. These benefits are provided by Dragon Pass, and it’s in fact a well-established business model in China, so they are expanding their credit card partnership to other territories.
Here comes the problem – the website doesn’t tell you which cards are eligible, and there’s no way to tell except for trying it yourself. So far only two UK-issued Mastercard have successful reports:
- Curve
- Currensea
However, it seems that even if you have the right card, you have to be very lucky to be accepted. I have no clue what the trick is. I thought it might be related to the BIN (first 6-digits), but even cards with the same BIN end up differently.
The UK cards appear to come with three complimentary fast track visits per year. Interestingly, there are successful reports from Chinese cards too, with even more generous offer:
- Bank of China – four complimentary visits annually
- China Merchants Bank – unlimited visits
- SPD Bank – unlimited visits with one guest
Amusingly, upon registration the website suggests that the card issuing country is Belgium or Spain, which is obviously wrong. It’s unclear which cards are actually intended for this program, but their backend system is definitely buggy.
If you have a Mastercard, whether issued in Europe or not, you may want to give it go and be in for a surprise. I’ve tried all my UK and US cards and nothing works unfortunately 🙁
(H.T. Headforpoints)
TAP Portugal business class sale: UK to Brazil / Mexico / US from £1200
TAP Portugal has brought back its attractive business class (Executive) sale to the Americas. The price isn’t as good as the last time but it’s still a decent deal.
You can check out the offer page here. Here’s a summary:
- Book by October 2
- Travel between September 19 and June 30, 2023
- Christmas / New York / Easter periods are excluded
- Depart from London or Manchester
The deal is valid for departures from mainland Europe as well, for example Spain, France and Germany. Spain had some very cheap fares (€999) in the last promotion, but I didn’t see anything particularly attractive this time.
These are the headline fares:
- From £1249 – Cancun
- From £1249 – Brazil (Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia etc)
- From £1359 – US and Canada
There are two kinds of business class fares – Executive and Top Executive. The latter is more expensive, but flexible and accumulates more miles.
Here are some examples:
London – Cancun October 2 – October 8 (link)
London – Rio de Janeiro January 19 – January 29 (link)
London – Toronto December 8 – December 12 (link)
You can add a stopover in Lisbon or Porto, which will affect the final price. Buying from an online agency is usually slighter cheaper than from TAP Portugal directly, but that would potentially lead to a headache if the flight schedule changes, so it’s your call.
15 Best Radisson redemptions in UK & Europe
Radisson Rewards doesn’t get much attention nowadays, after they ceased all the ludicrous promotions and made a total mess when having to split the program into two and eventually sold the Americas one.
However, Radisson does have some decent redemption opportunities in the UK and Europe, which we will talk about today. If you have the UK Amex Platinum or Gold card, you can transfer your membership rewards points to Radisson Rewards at an impressive 1:3 ratio.
You could view Radisson’s hotel directory here, although it’s not very easy to navigate.
1. Radisson Collection Royal Mile – 60,000 points
Edinburgh can be very expensive in the summer (especially August due to the Military Tattoo), and 60,000 points is a bargain for a five star hotel. However, I stayed here once when it was still a Quorvus (what a weird name), and frankly I wasn’t impressed at all.
2. Radisson Blue Hotel Cardiff – 30,000 points (Review here)
The Park Inn used be a better option, but both properties cost 30,000 points now under the new pricing system and Radisson Blu is obviously a fancier hotel. Their room is very basic, but the price is great for a busy night in central Cardiff.
Honourable Mention: Radisson Blu Liverpool is also at 30,000 points.
3. Park Inn by Radisson York – 30,000 points
York is a small town but extremely popular with tourists. Its town centre has acquired a few more hotels in recent years such as the Hampton and Hotel Indigo, yet a Saturday-night stay is usually still eyewatering expensive, when 30,000 points is really a steal.
4. Blackpool FC Stadium Hotel – 15,000 points
It’s a Radisson Individuals hotel, a newly adopted concept copied from the likes of Autograph Collection and Curio. The hotel is built within the football stadium which means some of their rooms feature pitch view, a fun experience similar to the Marriott hotel at Twickenham.
5. River Ness Hotel – 45,000 points
There are few choices when you want to stay at Inverness, and this newly-flagged Radisson Individuals gives you an option to spend your points. From online reviews I don’t think it’s a qualified four star as the service is very limited, but at least it’s a clean and cosy hotel.
6. Radisson Blu Waterfront Jersey – 45,000 points
Hotel chains are almost non-existent on the Jersey Island, and 45,000 points for a short weekend away in the summer is pretty decent.
7. Radisson Blu and Spa Sligo – 30,000 points
A good property in Ireland for a spa break it seems.
8. Park Inn by Radisson Dresden – 15,000 points
Radisson’s presence is very strong in Germany, but good redemptions are very rare in general (partly due to lower hotel rates in the country). Dresden’s Park Inn is one that I can find with some value.
9. Radisson Blu Resort Swinoujscie – 30,000 points
Apparently Swinoujscie is beach city near the Poland-Germany border. The hotel’s swimming pool looks very nice and its night rate easily passes the €200 mark in summer.
10. Park Inn by Radisson Budapest – 15,000 points
I stayed here for one night on a late-night arrival. The hotel is fairly remote and very basic, however for a one-night transition it’s acceptable when rates are high.
11. Park Inn Hotel and Spa Zalakaros – 30,000 points
It’s a family spa resort in Hungary which used to cost only 9,000 points at the beginning, but at 30,000 points it still seems to be a great deal.
Honourable Mention: Park Inn Sarvar Resort & Spa is a similar hotel in Hungary.
12. Radisson Blu Hotel Larnaca – 45,000 points
Cyprus almost seems be to a Virgin island when its comes to international hotel chains. 45,000 points is a good deal compared to the cash rate, and breakfast is included.
13. Metropolitan Hotel Sofia – 15,000 points
Both InterContinental Sofia and Hotel Sofia Balkan are very solid luxury hotels in the city. But if you are on a lower budget, the four-star Metropolitan Hotel could be on your list.
14. Royan Hotel Hagia Sophia Istanbul – 15,000 points
When in comes to great hotels, Istanbul offers you countless options but most of them are in the northern part of the city. If you are looking for something in the old town, this Radisson Individuals right by Hagia Sophia might be the right (and cheap) choice.
15. Radisson Blu Hotel, Kayseri – 15,000 points
Kayseri may not sound familiar to you, but tourists going for the hot air balloon experience usually have a stopover here first when in Turkey. This Radisson Blu is a five-star and ranked #1 on TripAdvisor. Breakfast is included for redemptions.
Accor promotion: Europe 500 points and China triple points
Accor is committed to a green initiative at select European properties, and is giving its members an incentive to stay with them by offering bonus points.
You can sign up to the offer here.
- Book by September 15
- Stay between August 15 and October 15
- Minimum two night stay
- Earn 500 bonus points per stay, up to three times
500 bonus points is equivalent to €10 when redeeming at Accor hotels. The page has a link to the list of participating hotels, which appears to be mostly Ibis, Novotel and Mercure in the UK and other European countries.
There’s an offer for Accor hotels in Greater China too.
- Register by October 9
- Book and stay by October 10
- Earn triple points for all stays up to 5 nights
Hyatt Europe offer: 2,500 bonus points or double elite qualifying nights
Hyatt has had different forms of promotion in different regions this quarter. The one in Europe has been going on for a while, but I didn’t find the registration link until recently.
There are two different targeted offers:
Stay between June 8th and September 5th at Hyatt properties in Europe, Middle East, Africa and Southwest Asia to participate.
If your account address is in one of these regions, you are likely to be eligible for one of the offers. Good news is that reward night counts too.
My review of Eurostar Business Premier Lounge, Paris
Eurostar departs from the Gare du Nord station in Paris, with a dedicated entrance on the second floor. After entering, you’ll pass the border control of France and UK, the security check and then you’ll be in.
On your left, you can take the stairs or lift up to find the Business Premier lounge, which is available to Business Premier / Carte Blanche guests, or Amex Platinum cardholders.
Unlike the London lounge, the Paris one occupies only one floor, but it pans out nicely. Once inside you see the main lounge area on your right.
Which is connected to the drink and snack area.
The selection of snacks is noticeably better than London. There is also a bar, which isn’t serviced at the moment.
The left part of the lounge is comprised of semi-private compartments, ideal as a workspace.
Some of the seats come with a view of the station.
Similar to its London counterpart, this lounge is a good place to chill and refuel a bit before your journey, but not really worth spending a lot of time in.
My review of InterContinental Paris Le Grand
My IHG free night voucher from the Creation card was expiring in December, and there was no high-end hotel left in the UK for me to try. For practical reasons I redeemed it at the InterContinental Paris Le Grand, although at hindsight I probably should have chosen the Kimpton instead, which is a new hotel with a swimming pool.
The hotel is next to the Opera metro station, and just five minutes’ walk to the La Fayette department store. The proximity to the Opera is one selling point of the hotel.
The moment I entered the hotel, I was stunned by its beauty.
I’ve seen other properties of the same genres, e.g. Hotel Bristol in Vienna, but it’s the very first time I find one that demonstrates its abundant history and elegance, but doesn’t show a single sign of age.
The hotel is so huge that you can barely see the end of the corridor.
I’m upgraded to a King Premium Room, which is the largest non-suite rooms. However there are so many rooms at this hotel, and they vary a lot in shape and size even when belonging to the same category.
Entering the room, the first thing I see is the waldrobe.
Bathroom is on the right, with both a shower and a tub.
Bedroom is on the left.
The room is neat, but unfortunately after seeing the other areas of the hotel my expectations were very high. Although probably quite big in size, it feels like a lot of the space is just wasted.
As an Ambassador welcome gift, I’m offered a box of biscuits and some strawberries. There are three large bottles of mineral water to keep me hydrated!
There’s no espresso machine and I was just going to make peace with instant coffee, but then I couldn’t find anywhere a kettle…
I finished my toothpaste so requested one in the afternoon. It wasn’t in the room when I came back in the evening so I asked again, and still nothing arrived after one hour. I called again, and this time they finally sent someone.
At €45 per person, the breakfast price is very steep so I gave it a pass. For Ambassador members, Club Lounge access is sold at €120 per room (2pp) which I think is more than reasonable, as it includes breakfast, afternoon tea and happy hour (they’ve been serving oysters and prawns recently :)).
Spire members can choose between 600 points and a drink voucher. I asked for the latter and had a beer at the bar of Cafe de la Paix, which is the hotel restaurant.
Ambassador members also have €15 credit to use towards the bill. Before check-out I came again for a cup of coffee and a coke zero, which worked out perfectly at €15.
The hotel doesn’t have a swimming pool, and shockingly its gym is simply two interconnecting rooms put together…
Besides the toothpaste incident mentioned above, the front desk agent also made no mention of welcome drink, €15 credit or late check-out, and they very often had to confirm with colleagues to know how to do something. The staff don’t seem properly trained to me, at least not for the IHG program.
Quality of the guest room also doesn’t reflect the hotel rate. I do admire the beauty of InterContinental Paris Le Grand, but purely from an accommodation perspective I like the Renaissance Republique hotel more, evening before factoring in the price difference.
My review of Renaissance Paris Republique
I booked one night at the InterContinental Paris Le Grand hotel with my expiring IHG voucher, and was looking for another hotel to spend a couple of nights more. With the ongoing double elite night credit promotion my preference went with Marriott, and I was tempted to try the Prince de Galles hotel.
It’s very expensive though (in both points and cash), and they didn’t confirm my suite night award, so I cancelled my reservation. Seeing the overwhelmingly positive reviews on Flyertalk, I picked the Renaissance Republique Hotel instead.
The hotel is just a couple of minutes from the Republique square, which is a busy area with a lot of restaurants etc. Gare du Nord (Eurostar station) is about 20 minutes’ walk, and Pompidou (Soho of Paris) about 15.
The building has a small front which isn’t very noticeable. As you can see, the street facing rooms have these quirky submarine windows.
The lobby extends deep down and there’s a nice-looking atrium.
The hotel’s busy, and I only received a one-level upgrade to a Bobo Room. The receptionist told me it’s the best room of the hotel, which I just dismissed as a business pitch. But wow he’s not lying.
Entrance:
Bathroom on the left:
It’s got a massive bathtub and they are considerate enough to provide bath minerals as well.
And finally the bedroom:
The TV set is fixated to the bed frame, but unlike Hotel Indigo Kensington I think it’s a smart design here, as it creates the separation between the bedroom and bathroom / entrance. There’s also a control for withdrawing the TV into the cupboard.
Not sure what type of design the hotel is going for, but feels Scandinavian to me and very refreshing. I estimate the room to be between 40sqm and 50sqm in size, which is the same as the suites of the hotel. It is probably one of my favourite hotel rooms in the last few years.
The room is inner facing which doesn’t bother me. I prefer quietness to any view, if I have to choose.
Espresso machine and capsules are available. There is a bottle of mineral water on the table – I have to double check to make sure it’s drinking water as the packaging looks very similar to the SKII essence I’ve been using…
Breakfast is a small buffet.
There a few things, including omelettes and pancakes to order.
I’m not a big fan of the food here.
Gym:
All staff I’ve met during the stay are very nice, and they do their job to make sure you enjoy the stay. Although breakfast is disappointing, I love the room, staff and location of the hotel, and would highly recommend it.