This morning I was on the fence about using Delta miles for my husband and I to fly from Philadelphia to Minneapolis for the last of the four promotions from Club Carlson. This promotion is for their Park Plaza hotels and it runs until August 28. With just one stay we will each earn 50,000 bonus points, plus an online booking bonus and the points for our stays. The problem is there is only one Park Plaza hotel in the United States and it is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Then I received an email from my friend Ceil offering me a free round trip Southwest award ticket that was going to expire in a few weeks. Southwest does not fly direct to Minneapolis, but since I have a companion pass my husband flies free with me on Southwest. So for a total of $20 for the taxes and fees and my friend’s about to expire old Rapid Reward ticket we are going to Minnesota for a mattress run. Thank you Ceil! My husband and I will each earn 50,000 bonus points enough points for two free nights in Aruba or any of Club Carlson’s top hotels any where in the world. The cost for one night at the Park Plaza is $93.25 with tax. We have each reserved a room for the promotion even though we are only staying one night.

This Park Plaza hotel has a free shuttle from the airport and to the Mall of America. The mall has 520 stores, 50 restaurants and attractions including an aquarium, American Girl store, Nickelodeon theme park and a movie complex with 14 theaters with digital sound, digital images,3D and D-BOX motion seating. The Mall of America certainly seems to have a enough to explore for one day. We love to walk so this mall should be a good place for us to walk indoors in this summer heat if it is not to crowded. Certainly I am more excited about earning more than 100,000 Club Carlson points for one night in Minneapolis.