Through December 31, members of Club Carlson (formerly GoldPoints Plus) can earn 9,000 points on qualifying Avis or Budget rentals of three or more days.
Normally, program members earn 750 points per Avis or Budget rental, so the bonus amounts to an extra 8,250 points.
The Avis deal also includes a 25 percent discount (use discount coupon code MUHA013); the associated Budget discount is 20 percent (discount code U106506).
Deal or No Deal
Club Carlson free nights start at 9,000 points, so the total number of points earned for three-day rentals is enough for an award night at Category 1 hotels.
Points can also be converted into miles in 25 airline programs, including those of American, British Airways, Continental, Delta, Frontier, United, and US Airways. The conversion rate is 250 miles for every 2,000 points, so 8,000 points will convert to 1,000 airline miles.
I currently put the average value of a frequent flyer mile at around 1.2 cents, which translates into just $12 for those 1,000 miles. A free night, on the other hand, could be worth as much as ten times that, even at a modest Category 1 hotel.
This is a solid offer, as long as you elect to take the bonus in points. For mileage-earners, the value is paltry.
