Choice Privileges isn’t a very discussed topic in the points and miles world, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t for you. It is a great hotel loyalty program that is a big hotel group with some great sweet spots in its redemption structure.
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Continue reading to see if this is the hotel rewards program for you!
Table of Contents
Choice Privileges Quick Facts
| Personal Credit Cards | Barclaycard Choice Privileges Visa Signature Card |
| Business Credit Cards | N/A |
| Redemption Options | Redemption Options Hotel nights Points Plus Cash Vacation rentals Timeshare rentals Cruise vacations Gift cards Transfers to travel partners Charitable donations |
| Value Per Point | $0.006 average |
Choice Hotel Group Portfolio
Choice Hotels encompasses thousands of properties in dozens of countries and territories. Brands include:
- Ascend Hotel Collection
- Cambria Hotels
- Clarion Hotels
- Comfort Inn
- Comfort Suites
- Econo Lodge
- MainStay Suites
- Quality Inn
- Rodeway Inn
- Sleep Inn
- Suburban Extended Stay Hotels
- Woodspring Suites
Although Choice Hotels is better known for its budget brands like Econo Lodge and Comfort Inn, the hotel group is working on improving its overall image. That includes higher-tier hotels like Cambria and Ascend as well as increasing brand standards.
Choice Privileges Elite Status
Choice Privileges has four levels of status:
| STATUS | REQUIREMENTS | POINT BONUS |
| Member | 0 nights / 0 stays | No point bonus |
| Gold | 7 nights/calendar year | 10% |
| Platinum | 15 nights/calendar year | 25% |
| Diamond | 25 nights/calendar year | 60% |
As you move up in status, you’ll unlock more benefits:
- Gold: access to the Elite Customer Service Hotline
- Platinum: Avis Preferred Plus membership
- Diamond: Complimentary room upgrade, where available
Other hotel loyalty programs offer free breakfast with elite status. Unfortunately, that’s not the case with Choice Privileges.
For stays between Sunday to Thursday night in the United States or Canada, you’ll receive a Your Extra bonus. Choose from:
- 400 Choice Privileges points
- 100 airline miles
- $0.20/gallon in Fuel Rewards
- $2.50 Amazon.com credit
- $5 coffee card
- $2.50 Uber trip discount
- Earn Double Your Extras when you stay at any Cambria® hotel. Choose from a $10 coffee gift card, $5 Uber credit, $5 Amazon gift card or 800 bonus points.
Simply select your preference in your Choice Privileges account settings to receive this perk. To check if this offer is still current, click here.
Earning Choice Privileges Points
Earn 10x Choice Privileges points when you book a stay with Choice Hotels. It doesn’t matter if you stay at a budget brand or a higher-tier property, you’ll earn a flat rate of ten points per dollar.
Please note, you must register with Nordic Choice Club separately in order to earn points at Choice Hotels in the following countries:
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- Iceland
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Norway
- Sweden
Barclaycard Choice Privileges Visa Signature Credit Card
| Welcome Bonus | 50,000 points (spend $1,000 in 90 days) |
| Ongoing rewards | 15x points at eligible Choice Hotels* 5x points on Choice Privileges points purchases 5x points on Choice Privileges gift card purchases 2x points on all other purchases |
| Elite status | Automatic Gold status |
| Annual Fee | $0 |
Choice Privileges has seven rental car partners that give you Radisson points. Some even offer rate discounts and free upgrades.
| Alamo | 300 Radisson points per rental per day |
| Avis | 750 Radisson points per rental Up to 25% off base rates |
| Budget | 750 Radisson points per rental Up to 25% off base rates |
| Enterprise | 300 Radisson points per rental per day |
| Europcar | Up to 1,800 points per rental |
| National | 300 Radisson points per rental per day Up to 25% off base rates |
| Sixt | 750 Radisson points per rental Up to 15% off base rates Free upgrade for Choice Privileges Gold members |
Meeting planners can earn Choice Privileges points for hosting meetings and events at participating Choice Hotels properties. If you book meetings with at least ten hotel rooms per night, you’ll earn 4x Choice Privileges points on meeting expenses. That includes meeting rooms, guest rooms, and food and beverages.
Avis & Budget. Save up to 25% off base rates on car rentals and earn 1,000 Choice Privileges points per rental car.
Cruises by Cruise411. For a limited time, earn 5x Choice Privileges points on your cruise vacation.
Bluegreen Resorts. Earn 25,000 Choice Privileges points when you book a Bluegreen Explorer Getaway.
Transfer partners. You can also transfer to Choice Privileges from: Aeromexico Club Premier, Air Canada Aeroplan, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, Amtrak Guest Rewards, Qantas Frequent Flyer and United MileagePlus.
| PRODUCT | POINTS |
| Merchandise from Choice Privileges Online Mall | Varies |
| Quicken Loan new home loan or refinance | 50,000 points |
| 1800flowers or 1800baskets gifts and treats | 15x points |
Earning Choice Privileges Points With American Express Membership Rewards®
You can transfer American Express Membership Rewards® points to your Choice Privileges account. For every 1,000 Membership Rewards points, get 1,000 Choice Privileges points.
Credit cards that earn Amex Membership Rewards include:
Redeeming Choice Privileges Points
As a Choice Privileges member, you have a variety of options when it comes time to redeem your points: free nights, gift cards and more.
Your Choice Privileges points never expire so long as you’re an active member. That means you need to do at least one of the following every 18 consecutive calendar months:
- Earning points
- Redeeming points
- Purchasing points
- Referring a friend
 The Platinum Card® from American Express offers 100,000 Membership Rewards Points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on the Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. You'll earn: • 5X Membership Rewards Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year. • 5X Membership Rewards Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. This card comes with an annual fee of $695 (See Rates & Fees), but you cardholders can enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member and Additional Centurion Cards only. Terms Apply. Terms Apply. |
 The American Express® Gold Card offers 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months. Terms apply. You'll earn: • 4X Membership Rewards Points on Restaurants, including takeout and delivery • 4X Membership Rewards points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X). $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings and earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations. Enrollment required. This card has an annual fee of $250 with no foreign transaction fees (See Rates & Fees). Terms Apply. |
 The Business Platinum Card® from American Express has a welcome offer of 120,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with your Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Plus, 0% Intro APR for 12 months from the date of the account opening on purchases eligible for Pay Over Time. After that, your APR will be 15.74% to 23.74% based on your credit worthiness and other factors as determined at the time of account opening. You'll earn: • 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com. • 1.5X Membership Rewards points on eligible purchases at US construction material & hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else, on up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year. • 1X points for each dollar you spend on eligible purchases Get $200 Airline Fee Credit: Get up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year toward baggage fees and more at one qualifying airline. This card does come with a $695 annual fee. (See Rates & Fees) Terms Apply. |
 The American Express® Business Gold Card offers 70,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $10,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Gold Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership. You'll earn more rewards: Get 4X Membership Rewards® points on the 2 select categories where your business spent the most each month** (**4X points apply to the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these 2 categories each calendar year.*). In addition, you'll get an airline bonus; 25% points back after you use points for all or part of an eligible flight booked with Amex Travel, up to 250,000 points back per calendar year.* This card does carry a $295 annual fee, but no foreign transaction fees. (See Rates & Fees) Terms Apply. |
Get award nights at Choice Hotels in all 50 states and 40+ countries and territories, starting at just 8,000 Choice Privileges points. However, you can only book 100 days in advance – for all Choice Hotels properties. That might be a dealbreaker if you like to plan your vacation well in advance, especially with no guarantee of room availability.
Don’t have quite enough for a free night? You can still get a discounted stay at a Choice Hotels property with just 6,000 points using Points Plus Cash.
For just 16,000 Choice Privileges points, you can book a two-night stay at a participating Bluegreen Vacations property (and get a $50 gift card to boot). Options include up to three-bedroom suites with a full kitchen and a washer and dryer.
Use your Choice Privileges points for a cruise vacation with more than 155 ships and 20 cruise lines to choose from.
| CRUISE CREDIT | POINTS REQUIRED | VALUE PER POINT |
| $250 credit | 85,000 points | $0.003 |
| $500 credit | 160,000 points | $0.003 |
Use your Choice Privileges points toward restaurant and retailer gift cards (login required) or subscribe to a variety of magazines and newspapers.
Exchange your Choice Privileges points for airline miles or points from a travel partner:
- Aeromexico Club Premier
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
- Amtrak Guest Rewards
- Qantas Frequent Flyer
- United MileagePlus
Turn your points into cash donations to non-profit organizations like Boys and Girls Clubs of America and the American Red Cross.
Choice Privileges Tips & Tricks
We have compiled some tips and tricks to help you earn bonus rewards and maximize your Choice Privileges points:
By downloading the Rewards app, you can:
- Plan trips
- Manage reservations
- Manage Your Extras rewards
- Check your points balance
- Redeem rewards
Preferred Hotels & Resorts. This collection of over 500 independent hotels worldwide include some of the most luxurious properties you can book with your Choice Privileges points. Award nights range from just 25,000 to 55,000 points per night.
Families. Plenty of Choice Privileges properties have multi-room suites that are perfect for families. These can cost quite a bit in cash. But in points, it’ll cost the same as a standard room. Unique to the Choice Privileges program, the number of points required for an award night at each property is fixed – regardless of the room size.
Europe. A lot of Choice Privileges properties offer superb point value in European city centers and popular destinations. Especially when compared to other hotel chains. What’s more, complimentary breakfast is often included.
Why should you keep 6,000 points in your Choice Privileges account? Simple. You must have a minimum of 6,000 points to see what kinds of rooms – standard, deluxe, suite, etc. – are available. This tip is a must if you’re looking to use your points for suites.
With less than 6,000 points, you can search for award nights availability at any specific hotel. But you won’t be able to see what kinds of rooms are open for award booking.
If you have elite status with another hotel loyalty program, you can apply for a status match by emailing Choice Privileges.
If you’re matched anytime between January and June, your status will be good for the remainder of the calendar year. If you matched from July to December, you’ll have that status until the end of the following calendar year.
If you stay at a participating Cambria Hotels property, you’ll get a free “nightcap” amenity. Choose one of the following when you check-in:
- Face mask
- Shower burst spa product
- Custom-blend chamomile lavender tea
- $5 beverage voucher for the hotel bar or grab-and-go market
- 250 Choice Privileges points
If you don’t frequently stay at Choice Hotels, it might make sense to choose to earn airline miles or Amtrak Guest Rewards points for your hotel stay, as opposed to Choice Privileges points.
Keep an eye out for promotions like 1,000 Air Canada Aeroplan miles or 1,000 Amtrak Guest Rewards points per stay.
Bottom Line
The Choice Privileges program has a lot to offer, but it also comes with a few drawbacks:
PROS
- 7,000+ properties
- Higher-end hotel options
- High earning potential
- Your Extra bonus
- Nightcaps at Cambria Hotels
CONS
- Low point value
- Points expire after 18 months of inactivity
- Booking for award stays starts 100 days before your arrival date
- No free breakfast with elite status
Choice Privileges is a great choice for families, because all rooms – from standard to suite – at a particular hotel have the same award pricing. You can also find sweet deals in Europe and other tourist destinations. Plus with the option to match status, Choice Privileges might be worth signing up for.
However if you realize that this is not the reward program for you, feel free to check out our latest list of the best credit card bonuses.
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