Guide to Choice Privileges
Key takeaways
- Choice Privileges is a hotel loyalty program that allows members to earn points and perks by staying with Choice hotels
- A few ways to earn Choice Privileges points include hotel stays, eligible car rentals and spending with a co-branded Choice credit card
- The hotel loyalty program also offers three tiers of elite status through which members can earn points bonuses, exclusive member rates and more
Choice Hotels International’s franchises include more than 7,000 hotels in more than 40 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, the company recently 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.
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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.
That isn’t to say that there isn’t room for luxury travelers in the Choice Privileges program. For instance, the upscale Ascend collection includes more than 350 hotels (either currently open or under development).
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
In February 2023, Choice Hotels International and Wells Fargo announced the new Choice Privileges® Mastercard®*, which will replace the discontinued Choice Privileges® Visa Signature® Card*. The Choice Privileges Mastercard is set to launch this spring. It will earn 5X points spent at eligible Choice hotels; 3X points at gas stations, grocery stores and home improvement stores; 3X points on phone plans; and 1X points on all other purchases. It will also come with automatic Gold elite status.
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.
Completing surveys
Choice Privileges has partnered with e-Rewards to offer members the opportunity to earn points by taking surveys. You can receive 500 points for completing your first survey.
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 start at just 8,000 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.
Gift cards
Choice offers the option to redeem points for gift cards. You can choose from places like Amazon, Applebees, Best Buy, Lowe’s and Target. Like many other loyalty programs that offer gift card redemptions, these redemptions usually offer a lower value.
Donations
Choice Privileges points can be redeemed for donations to a handful of charitable organizations, including the American Red Cross and Boys and Girls Clubs of America.
Transfers to Choice Privileges partners
Choice Privileges has a handful of partners, including Alaska Mileage Plan, Amtrak Guest Rewards, United MileagePlus, Aeroplan, Aeromexico Club Premier and Qantas Frequent Flyer, among others.
Magazine subscriptions
You can redeem Choice Privileges points for magazine subscriptions through MagsforPoints. Some magazines include Fortune, Midwest Living, Cosmopolitan and HGTV magazine.
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.
How does Choice Privileges compare to other programs?
Here’s how Choice Privileges compares to other hotel loyalty programs:
| Hotel loyalty program | Average point value* |
|---|---|
| Choice Privileges | 0.6 cents |
| Best Western Rewards | 0.6 cents |
| Hilton Honors | 0.6 cents |
| IHG One Rewards | 0.7 cents |
| Marriott Bonvoy | 0.7 cents |
| Radisson Rewards Americas | 0.4 cents |
| World of Hyatt | 2.1 cents |
| Wyndham Rewards | 0.9 cents |
*Average point value for Choice Privileges provided by The Points Guy; all other points valuations provided by Bankrate
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:
| Benefits | Member | Gold | Platinum | Diamond |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nights required (per calendar year) | 0-9 nights | 10 nights | 20 nights | 40 nights |
| Exclusive member rate | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Your Extras | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Theme park discounts | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Elite points bonus | N/A | 10% | 25% | 50% |
| Early check-in | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Late check out | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Elite reserved parking | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Rollover nights | Up to 9 nights | Up to 19 nights | Up to 39 nights | |
| Elite customer hotline | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Elite welcome gift | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Avis Preferred Plus | ✓ | ✓ |
Choice Privileges partners
Through Choice’s partner network, you may be able to earn, redeem or transfer Choice Privileges points. Here are the program’s partners:
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- American Express Membership Rewards
- Capital One miles
- Citi ThankYou points
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- Alaska Mileage Plan
- United MileagePlus
- Aeroplan
- Aeromexico Club Premier
- Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Spirit
- Velocity Frequent Flyer
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- Amtrak Guest Rewards
- Avis
- Budget
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Top credit cards for earning Choice Privileges points
Choice Hotels currently offers one co-branded credit card with Wells Fargo, but that’s not the only option for earning Choice Privileges points with a credit card. Capital One miles, American Express Membership Rewards and Citi ThankYou Rewards are all partners of Choice Privileges. So if you have a credit card that earns transferable rewards in one of these programs, you will be able to transfer your rewards to Choice Privileges.
Choice Privileges Mastercard
The Choice Privileges Mastercard is a natural choice for someone who frequently stays at Choice hotels. The card earns 5X points on stays at eligible Choice hotels; 3X points at gas stations, at grocery stores, at home improvement stores and on phone plans; and 1X points on all other purchases. This card also includes automatic Gold elite status.
One notable benefit of the Choice Privileges Mastercard is the card’s 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.
Citi Premier Card
The Citi Premier® Card, which comes with a $95 annual fee, earns 3X points on restaurant, supermarket, gas station, hotel and air travel purchases, along with 1X points on all other purchases. Interestingly, it may be more profitable to use the Citi 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.
The Citi Premier also comes with a welcome bonus of 60,000 points after spending $4,000 within the first three months. Plus, for a limited time, earn a total of 10 ThankYou® Points per $1 spend on hotel, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi TravelSM portal through June 30, 2024. 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.
Amex EveryDay Credit Card
If you’re looking for a no-annual-fee credit card that offers transferable points, take a look at the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card*. The card offers 2X points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $6,000 per year, then 1X points) and 1X points on all other purchases. You can also earn 10,000 points after spending $1,000 on purchases within the first three months of card membership.
Other notable card benefits include car rental loss and damage insurance, access to the Global Assist hotline, the ability to transfer points to Amex travel partners — Amex Membership Rewards points transfer to Choice Privileges points at a 1:1 rate — and the chance to earn 20 percent more points on purchases when you use your card 20 or more times in a billing period (additional terms apply).
Frequently asked questions
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Choice Privileges points will expire if you cease to be an active member of the program. Choice considers you an inactive member after 18 consecutive months with no activity on your account.
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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.
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Yes, you can buy up to 250,000 points per calendar year. The chain also occasionally runs promotions offering discounts on points purchases.
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*The information about the Choice Privileges® Mastercard®, Choice Privileges® Visa Signature® Card and Amex EveryDay® Credit Card has been collected independently by Bankrate.com. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.
