Good morning everyone, I hope you had a great weekend.  Yesterday, I redeemed my Club Carlson domestic free night certificate and wanted to share the process with you. A few years ago, I wrote How to Book your Club Carlson Worldwide Free Night Certificate, but I did not have the opportunity to earn and redeem a domestic free night certificate until just recently.  Fun fact, there are 4 different Club Carlson credit cards currently available, all with different perks, elite status, free anniversary points, and annual fees.  But the one thing that is the same on all the credit cards is the ability to earn a free night certificate valid at any domestic Club Carlson property after spending $10,000 or more on the Club Carlson credit card during your card member year.  For the record, I currently have the US Bank Club Carlson Premier Rewards Visa Signature Credit Card and the US Bank Club Carlson Business Rewards Visa Signature Credit Card.

Here are the complete terms and conditions of the free night certificate, but here are the highlights:

• You earn 1 free night certificate when you spend $10,000 or more during your card member year
• The free night certificate will post to your account 6-8 weeks after the annual fee posts
• The free night certificate can only be used in the United States (which is a major bummer since the best Club Carlson properties are international)
• The free night certificate is valid for 12 months (the certificate is redeemed as soon as you book your stay, so as long as you book your stay before the certificate expires, you are fine)

To view your free night certificate, log into your Club Carlson account and click the My Account link.

Scroll down to the My E-Certs section to view your free night certificate.  Keep track of the expiration date.  To use the free night certificate, copy the code.

Enter the city and dates you want to use your free night certificate and click the More Options link.  Then select E-Cert from the Rate Type drop down menu and then paste the code into the text box.  Then click the Search button.

You will see a list of eligible hotels to use your free night certificate at.  Select the hotel that you want and click the Book Now button.

Your free night certificate should cover all/most of the total price of the stay.  For some reason, the free night certificate does not cover the $2.00 in taxes.  Do not upgrade to a better room, upgrades are not included in the free night certificate.  Select your bed type and click the Continue button.

Fill in your personal information, including the credit card number, check the box at the bottom and click the Confirm Reservation button.

Congratulations, you just redeemed your free night certificate and your hotel should be free (or almost free in my case).

If you go back to your My Account page, you will see the new reservation listed and your E-Cert should be gone.  I assume if you cancel the reservation, the free night certificate will be automatically redeposited back into the My E-Certs section (but I did not verify if this is true).

You will also receive a confirmation email from Club Carlson with details of your hotel stay.

Lastly, if you need to combine, transfer or send Club Carlson points from one account to another, read Instantly Combine or Transfer Club Carlson Points with a Simple Call.  If you have any questions about Club Carlson free night certificates, please leave a comment below.  Have a great day everyone!