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Radisson and Finnair have just launched a surprising new partnership, allowing members to move points between programs and take advantage of an elite status match. Neither Radisson Rewards nor Finnair Plus are the most popular hotel or airline loyalty programs. However, it's often these niche partnerships that bring the most value to travelers.
Let's dive into the details of the new Radisson Rewards and Finnair Plus partnership, including how you can convert your points and complete the status match.
Radisson Rewards and Finnair Plus Launch Reciprocal Partnership
If you're unfamiliar, Finnair is the flag carrier of Finland and one of the oldest continuously operating airlines in the world. Its loyalty program, Finnair Plus, adopted Avios in early 2024, which means you can freely move Avios earned through other programs like British Airways, Iberia, and Qatar to Finnair.
Meanwhile, Radisson Rewards offers more than 1,100 hotels in 100 countries worldwide. However, Choice Privileges merged with Radisson Rewards Americas, so any Radisson hotels in the U.S. or Latin America are not part of the current Radisson Rewards portfolio.
In other words, this new partnership between Radisson Rewards and Finnair Plus might not be hugely popular for U.S. travelers, but it can certainly provide value under the right circumstances.
Status match
Finnair Plus elite status members can take advantage of an instant status match to Radisson Rewards. Here's how those tiers convert:
- Finnair Plus Silver and Gold members match to Radisson Rewards Premium status
- Finnair Plus Platinum and Platinum Lumo members match to Radisson VIP status
Radisson Rewards Premium status typically requires five nights or three stays, and comes with a variety of benefits, including:
- A free room upgrade to the next room category
- Early check-in and late check-out
- Up to 20% discount on bookings
- Select your favorite hotel and receive benefits like access to a priority waitlist, reserve a specific room at the property, and free luggage storage
- 24-hour premium assistance
Meanwhile, Radisson Rewards VIP requires 30 nights or 20 stays, and comes with all the benefits of Radisson Rewards Premium, plus:
- Complimentary upgrades, including up to suites
- 15% discount on food and beverages
- Free breakfast for two
- Exclusive VIP access at hotels (excluding Prize by Radisson Hotels)
- Free express ironing
- 24-hour VIP contact center
Unfortunately, this status match doesn't work both ways. If you hold Radisson elite status, you cannot match to Finnair elite status.
To complete the status match, head to the Radisson page on the Finnair Shop website.
Related: Current Status Match Opportunities with Hotel Programs
Convert points between Radisson Rewards and Finnair Plus
While the status match is great news for Finnair elites, the ability to transfer points between these programs leaves a bit to be desired.
You can convert Finnair Plus Avios to Radisson Rewards points at a 3:5 ratio. In other words, 3,000 Avios equates to 5,000 Radisson Rewards points. If going the other way, you can convert Radisson Rewards points to Avios at a 10:1 ratio, so 10,000 Radisson Rewards points equal just 1,000 Avios.
To put this into context, AwardWallet users typically redeem Radisson Rewards points for 0.41¢ apiece. While we don't have enough data to estimate how much value AwardWallet users get from Finnair Avios, users redeem British Airways Avios for 2.55¢ apiece and Iberia Avios for 2.86¢ apiece, so we know that Avios are highly valuable. Thanks to Finnair's award chart, it's clear you can get similar value from Finnair Avios.
Even if we used a conservative 2¢ apiece value for Avios, converting 3,000 Avios (worth roughly $60) into 5,000 Radisson Rewards points (worth roughly $20.50) doesn't make much sense. Similarly, converting 10,000 Radisson Rewards points (worth roughly $41) into 1,000 Avios (worth roughly $20) again doesn't seem worthwhile.
There are no stipulations as to how often you can exchange either way, but the minimum amount per exchange is 1,000 Avios.
Related: Airline and Hotel Expiration Policies: How to Save Your Miles
Bottom Line
The new partnership between Radisson Rewards and Finnair Plus is certainly interesting. While the points transfer leaves a bit to be desired, the status match opportunity for Finnair elites is fantastic. If you can match to top-tier Radisson VIP, you'll get suite upgrades and free breakfast at Radisson properties worldwide, which adds real value to your stay.
To transfer points or match your status, you'll need to link your accounts by providing your Radisson Rewards number and your Finnair Plus number through the Finnair Shop portal.
