Why Choice Hotels Should Be on Your Radar

In the global hotel chain industry, Choice Hotels and its rewards program Choice Privileges are often overshadowed by larger hotel chains such as Hilton, Marriott or Hyatt. However, in recent years, Choice Hotels has been steadily improving its hotel portfolio and its rewards program, making it a real player in the hotel rewards industry.

In 2022, Choice Hotels completed an acquisition of the Radisson Hotels in the Americas, greatly expanding the range of hotel brands at which Choice Privilege members can earn hotel points. (Radisson hotels outside the Americas remain with Radisson Hotel Group.) And, in 2023, the Choice Privileges program unveiled two new co-branded credit cards (issued by Wells Fargo), thus expanding the ways that Choice Privileges members can earn points for everyday spending.

The often-overlooked Choice Privileges program also has favorable award pricing that often provides several cents per point in value. By identifying these sweet spots and taking advantage of occasional promotional rates on certain award stays, Choice Privileges members can maximize the value of their rewards, which we’ll explain in-depth later in this article.

Let’s take a look at why the Choice Privileges program should be on every traveler’s radar.

What Brands Are Part of Choice Hotels?

In August 2022, Choice Hotels absorbed the Radisson portfolio of hotels in the Americas, expanding the number of brands and properties under its corporate umbrella. Today, the Choice Hotel portfolio includes over 7,400 properties, ranging from luxury hotels to budget motels. Here are the brands currently owned and operated by Choice Hotels:

Choice Privileges members can earn points at any of the hotel brands listed above, which are located all over the United States and in many international destinations, meaning there are many opportunities to earn rewards with this program.

Plus, Choice Hotels has a large diversity of options from upscale brands like Cambria Hotels and Ascend Hotel Collection to budget properties like Rodeway Inn and Econo Lodge. And, with so many different brands under rewards program, it’s easy to find good-value award night redemptions using the Choice Privileges loyalty program whether you’re looking for a luxurious stay at a resort or just trying to save some money on a business trip.

Let’s take a look at how to earn and redeem Choice points and where the Choice Privileges rewards program really shines.

Choice Privileges Elite Status

The Choice Privileges program now has five status tiers: Member, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, and Titanium—with lowered requirements.

Choice Privileges Member Status

As soon as you sign up for the Choice Privileges program, you’ll achieve Member status. This status tier includes these perks:

• Access to lower Member-only rates
• Earn Your Extras on qualifying stays on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday nights. This perk allows you to choose to earn either extra Choice Privileges points, airline miles with one of the participating frequent-flyer programs, fuel savings or a gift card from one of the participating vendors.
• Double Your Extras when staying at Cambria Hotels properties
• A $10 redeemable credit for the Cambria marketplace, restaurant or bar when staying at Cambria Hotels

Member status also earns you 10X points per dollar spent at qualifying properties. This does not include taxes, restaurants or other incidental charges.

Unfortunately, you also won’t earn points at WoodSpring Suite properties or at any properties in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway or Sweden.

Choice Privileges Gold Status

You can achieve Gold status by completing 5 qualifying nights in a calendar year. Qualifying nights include award nights and nights that earn Choice points. Alternatively, you can achieve Gold status automatically by signing up for the Choice Privileges® Mastercard®, which has no annual fee.

In addition to all of the perks offered at the Member status tier, Gold status comes with the following perks:

• 10% points bonus
• Early check-in and late checkout (when available)
• Elite reserved parking (when available)*
• Discounts at certain theme parks*
• Elite customer hotline
• Elite welcome gift*

*Available only in the United States and Canada.

With the 10% bonus, you will receive 11X points per qualifying dollar spent with Choice Hotels. This means that you would get a 6.6% return on your spending.

If you tend to stay at Choice Hotels-owned properties often, then it’s a great idea to sign up for the Choice Privileges® Mastercard®. This card doesn’t charge an annual fee, which means that it’s completely free as long as you pay off your balance monthly. And, it automatically boosts you to Gold elite status, which helps you earn more Choice points and receive special on-sit perks at Choice Hotels locations.

Choice Privileges Platinum Status

You can achieve Platinum status by completing 15 qualifying nights in a calendar year. You can also automatically achieve Platinum elite status by signing up for the Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard®, which has an annual fee of $95.

In addition to all of the perks offered at the Gold status tier, Platinum status comes with the following perks:

• 25% points bonus
• Up to 19 elite rollover nights per year
• Ability to enroll in Avis Preferred Plus, which includes perks like complimentary upgrades and a dedicated customer service line

With the 25% bonus, you will receive 12.5 points per qualifying dollar spent with Choice Hotels.

If you stay at Choice Hotels properties frequently, then signing up for the Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard® (despite its $95 annual fee) in order to automatically achieve Platinum elite status might make sense. With enough stays, the 25% points bonus might earn you enough points to offset that annual fee. We recommend doing this calculation based on your own spending.

Choice Privileges Diamond Status

You can achieve Platinum status by completing 35 qualifying nights in a calendar year.

In addition to all of the perks offered at the Platinum status tier, Diamond status comes with the following perks:

• 50% points bonus
• Up to 39 elite rollover nights per year

With the 50% bonus, you will receive 15 points per qualifying dollar spent with Choice Hotels.

Choice Privileges Titanium Status

You can achieve Platinum status by completing 55 qualifying nights in a calendar year.

In addition to all of the perks offered at the Diamond status tier, Titanium status comes with the following perks:

• Receive an annual coupon for 50% off a Reward Night stay at select properties. It is good for a redemption for 1 room for up to 7 nights at participating properties.

Status Matching

If you’re already a member of another hotel loyalty program, it’s worth looking into Choice’s status match program. For instance, if you already hold Hilton Honors Gold status or Marriott Bonvoy Gold status, you should get catapulted straight to Choice Privileges Platinum status (since it requires only 20 qualifying nights).

If your status is matched between January and June, you will remain at that status for the rest of the year. If your status is matched between July and December, you will remain at that status for the rest of the year and the entire following year. To maximize the amount of time you’ll have to reap the benefits of the status match, we recommend applying in early July.

Unfortunately, you can apply for a status match only once in a lifetime. So, you should apply for a status match only if you believe you’ll be booking several stays at Choice properties in the upcoming year.

To apply for a status match to the Choice Privileges program, you can visit the status match page on the Choice Privileges website and follow the instructions there.

How to Earn Choice Privileges Points

While the most straightforward way to earn Choice points is by booking stays at Choice Hotels properties, there are several other ways to quickly rack up points as well. For example, you can earn Choice points by renting with two of the world’s largest rental car companies, both of which are Choice partners. You can also earn points on everyday purchases with Choice’s two co-branded credit cards.

Here are some of the most effective ways to earn Choice points.

Hotel Stays

Of course, you’ll earn Choice points every time you complete a qualifying stay at a Choice Hotels property. You’ll earn 10X points per dollar if you’re a general member, 11X points with Gold status, 12.5X points with Platinum status and 15X points with Diamond status.

However, in most parts of the world, you will earn points only on the cost of the room and not on restaurants, taxes or other incidental charges. In the Asia-Pacific region, you will earn points on the cost of the room as well as incidental charges, such as taxes, restaurants, bars, laundry and phone calls.

As mentioned before, you won’t earn any points at WoodSpring Suite properties or at any properties in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway or Sweden.

Choice Privileges occasionally offers promotions in which you can earn even more points than normal for hotel stays, so keep an eye out for those.

Credit Cards

One of the most effective ways to earn Choice points is to sign up for one of the two Choice Privileges co-branded credit cards (both of which are issued by Wells Fargo). With these two credit cards, you can earn Choice points on every purchase you make, every day. Plus, you’ll also receive elevated spending bonuses in certain categories as well as special perks at Choice Hotels brands.

The following table includes all of the information that you need about these two Choice Privileges co-branded credit cards:

In addition to the benefits listed above, both of these cards also offer Mastercard® World Elite Benefits, which include the following:

• Access to 24/7 concierge service
• Access to Mastercard® Travel and Lifestyle Services, a suite of benefits, amenities, preferential treatment and premium travel offers
• Access to Mastercard Golf, which includes a network of TPC Clubs, domestic and international golf travel packages, golf schools and more
• Auto rental collision damage waiver up to $50,000 per claim
• Trip cancellation and interruption insurance up to $5,000 per covered traveler per trip and up to $20,00 per year
• Lost baggage reimbursement up to $2,000 per bag and up to $3,000 in total for all covered travelers per trip
• $1,000,000 worldwide automatic common carrier travel accident insurance

If you’re familiar with these types of waivers and insurances, you’ll know that they could potentially save you hundreds or thousands of dollars annually. For instance, with the auto collision damage waiver provided by these two cards, you can deny the insurance offered by the auto rental company and save yourself hundreds each time you rent a car. All you have to do is pay for the rental with your Choice Privileges co-branded credit card and you’ll be covered.

Both of these cards provide wonderful value for their annual fees. So, if you do tend to stay at Choice Hotels locations often, then signing up for one of these two cards could be a great decision.

Earn Points with Partners

Choice Hotels has several partnerships with companies that allow you to earn Choice points by spending money with them.

First of all, Choice Privileges program members can receive exclusive discounts and earn Choice points when renting a car at participating Avis or Budget locations. These bonus offers change over time, but the most recent offer was up to 35% off base rates and 2,000 Choice points. If you want to take advantage of this deal, you need to provide your Choice Privileges number and use specific offer codes when you book, which you can find on the Avis-Choice Privileges partnership webpage.

You can also earn 1,000 Choice points when you sign up for your first delivery with Vinesse Wines, a wine delivery subscription service that caters to your specific taste in wine. You will also earn 7X points on all subsequent deliveries, which is equal to a 4.2% return on your spending.

Another great way to earn Choice points is through the Golf by Choice program, which offers discounts and Choice points when you book tee times or purchase golf equipment or apparel. Gold status members earn 10% more points; Platinum status members earn 15% more; and Diamond status members earn 20% more.

You can also earn up to 5X points per dollar spent with Cruise411, an agency that works with more than 30 cruise lines.

Transfer Points from Other Programs

Certain rewards programs allow you to transfer points into the Choice Privileges program. This can be helpful if you want to boost your Choice points balance or top off your balance to purchase a specific redemption.

For example, you can transfer American Express Membership Rewards points or Capital One Mils to Choice Privileges at a 1:1 ratio in increments of 1,000 points. The transfer occurs instantly.

You can also transfer Citi ThankYou Points to the Choice Privileges at a 1:2 ratio if you have the Citi Prestige Card, the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card or the AT&T Access More Card from Citi. If you have any other Citi credit card, your ThankYou Points will transfer to the Choice Privileges program at a 1:1.5 ratio. So, if you tend to book hotel stays with Choice Privileges often, then signing up for a Citi ThankYou credit card might be a great idea. Transfers from Citi ThankYou Rewards to Choice Privileges typically occur instantly.

For those who don’t want to commit to the Choice Privileges program but want to make an occasional redemption through the program, transferring points from one of the aforementioned credit card rewards programs is probably the best option.

Earn Points with Choice Privileges Mall

Similar to many other rewards programs, Choice Privileges has its own online shopping portal, known as the Choice Privileges Mall. If you’re looking to build up your Choice points balance, it’s worth checking the Choice Privileges Mall before making any online purchases.

You’ll earn Choice points whenever you make a purchase with a participating merchant. The rate depends on the specific merchant.

Refer a Friend

When you refer a friend to the Choice Privileges program and they complete their first eligible stay, both you and the friend will earn 500 bonus points each. There’s also no limit on the number of referrals.

To refer a friend, sign in to your Choice Privileges account and follow the instructions on the referral page.

Buy Points

Buying Choice points can be beneficial if you want to top up your account to purchase a specific redemption or if there is a promotional offer that heavily discounts the points. The cost per point is going to vary depending on how many points you’re purchasing and whether there’s a discount.

Choice points must be purchased in increments of 1,000. Generally, you can purchase up to 50,000 points per transaction and can receive no more than 180,000 points per calendar year (whether you purchased the points yourself or they were gifted to you by another member). However, there are sometimes promotions that allow you to purchase larger quantities than that.

Planner Rewards

If you’re planning to host an event at a Choice Hotels property, you can earn 4X points per dollar on eligible charges, including hotel rooms, meeting rooms, food, beverages and equipment provided by the property. However, you won’t earn any points on taxes and other incidental fees.

To qualify for the Planner Rewards program, you must book at least 10 hotel rooms for a single night as well as a meeting room. If you want to make absolutely sure that you get the points, you should get a written contract from the property specifying that you’ll earn points through the Planner Rewards program.

How to Redeem Choice Privileges Points

Now that you know all the best ways to earn Choice Privileges points, let’s talk about the different ways that you can redeem them.

Free Nights

There are no separate categories for different tiers of Choice Hotels properties, and there’s no set award chart for free night redemptions. In fact, the cost of award nights can change from day to day for the same property.

Most award nights, though, cost somewhere between 6,000 points and 45,000 points. Some reward stays available through Choice Privileges offer excellent value per point whereas others offer subpar value per point, so it’s important to calculate the value of a redemption before making an award booking.

Luckily, the Choice Hotels website makes it easy to compare cash prices and points rates by clicking the “Show points” button above the results. Using this button you can divide the cash price of a stay by the number of required points for the same night to get the value per point of that redemption. In general, you want to try to get several cents per point to maximize the value of your Choice points.

There are also some not-so-great spots in this redemption structure. For instance, stays at AMResorts all-inclusive resorts usually cost between 30,000 and 95,000 points. It’s difficult to find good value at these high price points.

At certain properties, you can book premium rooms for the same amount of points as a standard room. However, you have to get them soon after the booking window opens before they fill up.

However, if you’re able to do this, it’s a great way to get more value out of your Choice points.

Later in this article, we’ll dive more in-depth about some sweet spots in the Choice Privileges program that tend to provide high value per point.

Booking Nights with Points Plus Cash

If you don’t have enough points to book a stay entirely with points (or you just want to conserve your points for a future redemption), you can also book nights with Points Plus Cash. However, you should be aware that you won’t earn any points on these bookings and these bookings are also not eligible to earn bonus points from promotions.

If you want to book using Points Plus Cash, simply search for a reward booking and then see if there is a Points Plus Cash option next to the reward night option. However, purchasing a reward night entirely with points is typically a better value than purchasing the same reward night with Points Plus Cash.

Exchange Points for Miles

Choice Privileges also allows you to exchange your Choice points for miles with 11 frequent-flyer programs and Amtrak. However, this typically results in a lower value than if you were to spend your points within the Choice Privileges program.

Here is the breakdown of the types of miles that you can exchange your Choice points for.

So, for example, you could transfer 10,000 Choice Privileges points to the United MileagePlus program and receive 2,000 United MileagePlus miles.

Some of the exchanges above can be done online while others can be completed only by calling Choice Privileges Customer Service at 1-888-770-6800.

As you can see, the exchange rates from Choice points to these other currencies are not favorable. So, you’re probably better off redeeming your Choice points within the Choice Privileges program unless you have a specific redemption in one of these other programs in mind.

Gift Cards

Choice Privileges also gives you the option to redeem your points for digital gift cards from more than 80 different retailers and restaurants. To do this, you will need to get the Choice Privileges app and choose the gift card you want to redeem for. Once you do that, the gift card will arrive in your email inbox instantly and will be ready to use. Note that you can redeem for only one gift card every 48 hours.

In general, redeeming for gift cards is not the best way to get the most value out of your Choice points. The gift cards available are usually either for $50 and cost 16,000 points or for $100 and cost 32,000 points. In both cases, you’d be getting a value of 0.31 cent per point, which is low.

You can get slightly more value by redeeming for Choice Hotels gift cards. You can get a $50 Choice Hotels gift card, implying a value of 0.36 cent per point. However, you’d be much better off just redeeming your points directly for a free night.

Magazine Subscriptions

Choice Privileges also gives you the option to redeem your points for subscriptions to 30 magazines. The cost in points is different depending on which magazine you choose.

Here are some of the popular options:

• 52 issues of TIME for 4,000 points
• 26 issues of People for 6,000 points
• 12 issues of Money for 2,500 points
• 12 issues of GQ for 2,000 points
• 12 issues of Golf Digest for 2,500 points
• 20 issues of Fortune for 5,000 points
• 24 issues of Better Homes and Gardens for 1,500 points

These subscriptions actually can offer solid value depending on which of them you choose. For instance, a one-year subscription to TIME currently costs $29 for 52 weekly issues. In this case, purchasing the subscription with Choice points would yield a value of about 0.73 cent per point, which is a better value than most other redemptions.

Golf by Choice

In addition to earning points through the Golf by Choice program, you can also spend points through the program as well by purchasing golf gear and apparel. However, redeeming this way typically yields a low value per point.

For instance, you can buy Cleveland Launcher HB Turbo Fairway Wood on Golf by Choice for 76,663 points. This same product sells on Amazon for about $160. That means that redeeming your Choice points this way would yield a value of 0.2 cent per point, which is low compared to other redemption options.

Cruise Credits

You can also use your Choice Privileges points to redeem for cruise credits. You can purchase a $250 cruise credit for 85,000 points (a value of 0.29 cent per point) or a $500 cruise credit for 160,000 (a value of 0.31 cent per point). This is also not a good way to achieve value.

Donate Your Points

Finally, if you think your points would be better used to help someone less fortunate, there are currently six charities that you can donate your points to:

• Boys & Girls Clubs of America
• Fisher House Foundation
• Operation Homefront
• The Executive Leadership Council
• The American Red Cross
• The Polaris Project

Choosing to donate your points usually yields a pretty solid value per point. For example, you can get as much as 1 cent per point for donating to the Polaris Project, which is among the highest values per point that you can get with any redemption option. Plus, you’ll be doing something good for the world.

As with gift cards, you can redeem points for only one donation every 48 hours.

Booking Award Nights

If you choose to redeem your Choice points for award nights (which is one of the best ways to get the most value per point), you can do so by logging into your Choice Privileges account and searching your destination, dates, number of rooms and number of guests.

Then, before clicking the “Find a Hotel” button, click on the “Special Rate” drop-down menu and select the “Reward Points” option.

Once you click the “Find a Hotel” button, you’ll be presented with a list of options that match your search preferences. You can then filter these options by amenities, distance from your destination, brands, price and guest ratings. You can also choose to view your options on a split-screen that shows you the hotel information next to the hotel’s location on a map.

Once you find an option that you’re interested in, you can click the “Show Availabilities” button to view the available room types. You can then compare the costs of each room type. In some cases, you may be able to get a premium room for the same price as a standard room, so it’s worth scrolling down to see the prices of premium rooms.

Once you decide which room you want to go with, you can click the “Book a Room” button to be brought to the final booking page. Here you’ll be asked to enter your email address, country, state, postal code and phone number. You can also view important information like the cancellation policy and any additional fees you’ll have to pay once you arrive.

Finally, to confirm your reservation once you’ve entered your information, you can click the “Make Reservation” button.

The Best Ways to Use the Choice Privileges Program

While there are many ways to earn and redeem Choice points, some ways of earning points are more effective than others and certain ways of redeeming your points yields a greater value per point.

Here are some of the best ways to maximize your use of the Choice Privileges program.

Take Advantage of Promotions

The Choice Privileges program frequently offers promotions that are a great way to rack up points quickly. From time to time, Choice will offer 8,000 bonus points if you book two stays within a certain time period. Since Choice points are valued at 0.6 cent per point, this promotion would yield $48.

Award Nights in Japan and Europe

Within the Choice Privileges program, there are plenty of opportunities to get strong value for your points on award bookings, especially in Europe and Japan, where it’s common to find rooms at well-located properties for 12,000 points or fewer.

For instance, you can book a room at the Comfort Hotel Tokyo Kanda in Tokyo for just 8,000 points. That’s the equivalent of paying about $48 for a room in the heart of Japan’s largest city.

Alternatively, you can also book a room at the Comfort Hotel Meunchen Sued, near Munich for just 10,000 points, which is worth about $60 for a room near one of the largest cities in Europe.

While Europe and Japan are the two regions where it’s easiest to find high-value redemptions, you can also find some great deals in the United States and in other parts of the world. For instance, you can book The L Hotel in Brooklyn, New York, for as few as 10,000 points. That’s equal to $60 and probably one of the cheapest options for accommodation you’ll find in New York City.

Lowest Price Guarantee

If you’re booking a stay at a property owned by Choice Hotels, it’s worth searching around to see if you can find a lower rate on another website for the same room. If you book directly with Choice and then find a lower rate somewhere else, Choice offers a lowest price guarantee if you can submit a claim within 24 hours of making your booking.

If your claim is approved, Choice will honor the lower rate for the entire duration of your stay. Plus, if you’re a resident of the U.S. or Canada, they’ll give you a $50 gift card. If you’re an international resident, they’ll give you the first night free.

However, you’re going to want to read the terms and conditions before submitting a claim as there are a number of restrictions and exclusions that apply. For instance, reservations made at WoodSpring Suites, Vacation Rentals by Choice, hotels in Las Vegas that include casinos and all-inclusive Ascend Hotel Collection properties are not covered by the lowest price guarantee.

Choice Diamond Status Match With Cambria Hotels

If you’ve already achieved elite status with another hotel loyalty program, you may be catapulted straight to top-tier Choice Diamond status after one qualifying stay at a Cambria Hotel property.

To do this, you’ll need to send an email to Status_Match@choicehotels.com with the following information:

• Your Choice Privileges membership number
• Proof of your elite status with another major hotel loyalty program
• The receipt from your stay at a qualifying Cambria Hotel property

You can expect a response between seven and nine business days. If your request is approved and you send in your request between January and June, you’ll receive Diamond status for the rest of the calendar year. If you submit your request between July and December, you’ll receive Diamond status for the rest of the calendar year and the entire next year. For this reason, we recommend submitting your request during the second half of the year.

There are some restrictions for which stays at the Cambria are eligible for Diamond status match. For instance, bookings through a travel agent, through a third-party online service and reservations that cost less than $40 don’t qualify.

The Bottom Line

While often overlooked for more popular hotel loyalty programs, the Choice Privileges rewards program offers some solid value. This is especially true if you take advantage of their frequent promotions and make award night redemptions in Europe and Japan.

However, if you’re looking for elite status benefits, the Choice Privileges elite status tiers don’t offer nearly as many perks as elite status tiers in other hotel loyalty programs. Still, if you can achieve top-tier Diamond status with just a single stay at a Cambria Hotel property, you might as well. Plus, you can also earn Gold status by signing up for the no-annual-fee Choice Privileges® Mastercard® or earn Platinum status by signing up for the Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard®, which has an annual fee of $95. So, in general, earning elite status with Choice Privileges is fairly easy, but the perks you’ll receive aren’t overly impressive.

All in all, signing up for the Choice Privileges rewards program doesn’t cost you anything and it could lead to getting some great redemptions. This is definitely a program worth looking into, particularly if you already stay at Choice properties frequently.