Guide To Choice Privileges | Bankrate

Choice Hotels International’s franchises include more than 7,400 hotels in more than 45 countries and territories. Choice Hotels might be best known for its value brands — such as Comfort Hotels, Sleep Inn, Quality Inn and Econo Lodge — but the chain also offers extended-stay hotels like MainStay Suites and luxury properties through its Ascend and Cambria brands. Plus, in 2022, Choice added more than 600 hotels from Radisson Hotels Americas to its portfolio.

Choice Hotels also has a rewards program, Choice Privileges. Here’s everything you need to know about it.

Choice Privileges basics

Choice Privileges is the loyalty program for the hotel brands under the Choice Hotels International umbrella. Like other hotel loyalty programs, members can accumulate points by staying at hotels, engaging with the chain’s partner programs or using an eligible credit card.

Frequent guests can earn status up to the chain’s top-tier elite status level, Diamond, which includes perks like a 50 percent points bonus, early check-in, late checkout and a welcome amenity, among others. Gold, Platinum and Diamond members can also roll over a select number of nights per year.

Points can be redeemed for free hotel nights, a discounted hotel stay through the points plus cash program and a variety of gift cards, plus several other travel and non-travel options.

Pros and cons of Choice Privileges

Pros

• Choice offers numerous budget-friendly options.
• Points can be transferred from several major banks at a good ratio.
• Award nights generally offer solid value for your points.

Cons

• Luxury hotel options are limited.
• The best value might only be found in destinations you might never visit.
• Elite benefits don’t measure up to other programs.

Who is Choice Privileges best for?

Choice Privileges membership is best for someone who travels a lot and prefers to stay in Choice hotels. Since the chain focuses primarily on value brands, and since most of its properties are located in the United States, the program is best for someone who typically travels domestically on a limited budget. However, you’ll find exceptional value in certain regions of the world, like Northern Europe for example.

How to earn Choice Privileges points

Choice Privileges points can be earned in several ways:

Hotel stays with Choice properties

As a member of Choice Privileges, you’ll earn up to 10X points per dollar on eligible stays. Stays costing under $40 per night, reward night stays and rooms booked with third-party travel agencies will not earn points. Additionally, some extended-stay brands offer 5X points per dollar (instead of 10X points per dollar) on stays of seven nights or more.

Elite members will earn even more on hotel stays through the program’s elite points bonus. Here’s what members can expect to earn:

• Gold elite members earn 10 percent more points
• Platinum elite members earn 25 percent more points
• Diamond elite members earn 50 percent more points

Spending with an eligible credit card

Choice Hotels International offers two credit cards through Wells Fargo: the Choice Privileges® Mastercard® and the Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard®.

The Choice Mastercard earns 5X points spent at eligible Choice hotels, 3X points at gas stations, grocery stores, home improvement stores and phone plans and 1X points on all other purchases. You’ll also get automatic Gold elite status.

The Choice Select Mastercard charges a $95 annual fee, but boosts earnings to 10X points spent at eligible Choice hotels and 5X points at gas stations, grocery stores, home improvement stores and phone plans. Other purchases earn the same 1X points. You’ll also get automatic Platinum elite status, 30,000 bonus points on your account anniversary and a statement credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®.

Another notable benefit of both cards is cellphone protection, which applies when you pay your monthly phone bill with the card. This protection covers repairs or replacement of your cellphone, with a limit of $800 per claim and a maximum of two claims per 12-month period. Note that a $25 deductible applies and this benefit does not cover lost phones.

Renting a car with Avis or Budget

When you rent a car with Avis or Budget, you can get 35 percent off base rates just by being a Choice Privileges member. In addition to this discount, you can earn 1,000 Choice Privileges points on eligible rentals.

Other earning options

You can also earn Choice Privileges points with the following options:

• Choice Privileges Eat & Earn (500 bonus points for enrolling)
• e-Rewards opinion panel
• Exclusive cruises (earn 5X points)

How to redeem Choice Privileges points

Choice Privileges points can be redeemed for:

Free nights at Choice hotels or eligible casino hotels

The most popular and best way to redeem Choice Privileges points is for free nights at Choice hotels or one of 20+ casino hotels and resorts. To redeem your points for a hotel stay, simply select “Reward Points” as your rate when searching for a hotel on Choice’s website. Hotel reward stays range from 8,000 points to around 35,000 points.

Don’t have enough points for a free night? No problem. With just 6,000 points in your account, you can combine your points and cash for a discounted stay.

Transfers to Choice Privileges partners

Choice Privileges has a handful of airline partners to transfer points to, however, it rarely represents good value. Here are the partners and the exchange rate of Choice points to the corresponding program.

Other redemption options

You can also redeem Choice Privileges points for the following options, although they generally represent poor value for your points:

• Gift cards
• Charitable donations
• Magazine subscriptions
• AARP membership
• Bidding for VIP experiences

How much are Choice Privileges points worth?

According to The Points Guy’s latest valuations, Choice Privileges points are worth 0.6 cents each on average. This puts Choice Privileges points on the lower end of our hotel points valuations, but remember that lower valuations can often be offset by how easily you can earn points.

Choice Privileges elite status

Choice Privileges offers three tiers of elite status: Gold, Platinum and Diamond. The biggest benefits of higher-level status are increased points earnings. Here are some of the benefits that come with each tier:

Transfer points to Choice Privileges

You can transfer many flexible points from other issuers to Choice Privileges points. Some issuers offer better transfer ratios than others. Here are the rates for issuers that transfer to Choice Privileges:

Top credit cards for earning Choice Privileges points

Choice Hotels currently offers two co-branded credit cards with Wells Fargo, but those aren’t the only options for earning Choice Privileges points with a credit card. If you have a credit card that earns transferable rewards in one of the above programs, you will be able to transfer your rewards to Choice Privileges. Here are a couple solid options.

Citi Strata Premier℠ Card

The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card, which comes with a $95 annual fee, earns 3X points on purchases at restaurants, supermarkets, gas and EV charging stations, hotel and air travel, along with 1X points on all other purchases. You’ll also earn 10X points on hotel, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel portal.

Interestingly, it may be more profitable to use the Strata Premier over the Choice Privileges Mastercard for Choice hotel stays since Citi ThankYou points transfer to Choice Privileges points at a 1:2 ratio. This means 1,000 Citi ThankYou points will transfer to 2,000 Choice Privileges points. However, one downside of this card is that it doesn’t offer travel insurance benefits that are common among competing cards, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.

Wells Fargo Autograph® Card

If you’re looking for a no-annual-fee credit card that offers transferable points, take a look at the Wells Fargo Autograph® Card. The card offers 3X points for purchases at restaurants, travel, gas stations, transit, popular streaming services and phone plans and 1X points on other purchases.

Other notable card benefits include car rental loss and damage insurance, cellphone protection and a solid intro APR offer. Wells Fargo Rewards points transfer to Choice Privileges points at a 1:2 rate, meaning you’ll be able to convert 1,000 Wells Fargo Rewards into 2,000 Choice Privileges points.

The bottom line

The Choice Privileges loyalty program offers solid value for budget-conscious travelers. The co-branded credit card offerings provide good rewards rates for everyday purchases and can help you easily accumulate points for hotel stays. However, those seeking more top-end luxury or substantial elite benefits may want to explore other hotel brands.

Frequently asked questions

• Do Choice Privileges points expire?
  

  Choice Privileges points will expire after 18 consecutive months with no activity on your account.

• Can you share Choice Privileges points with friends and family members?
  

  You can gift up to 180,000 points per calendar year to friends and family members. You can also use your points to book award stays for immediate family members.

• Can you buy Choice Privileges points?
  

  Yes, you can buy up to 180,000 points per transaction (unless otherwise allowed by a promotion). Each account can receive 180,000 purchased points per calendar year. Choice also occasionally runs promotions offering discounts on points purchases.