Earning Choice Privileges Points: The Complete Guide

Choice Privileges is an interesting hotel rewards program. It offers opportunities for valuable redemptions as well as some frustrating limitations.

If you’re aware of these limitations but ready to jump in, or have used Choice points to good effect in the past and are looking to earn more, you’ve come to the right place.

Here we explain all the (useful) ways to earn Choice Privileges points, including tips for how to maximize these methods, and which ones to avoid. Thankfully, Choice’s program is more straightforward than behemoths like Hilton and Marriott, so you won’t need an advanced degree in travel rewards to get started.

Hotel stays

Since Choice Privileges is a hotel loyalty program, the most straightforward way to earn points in the program is by staying at its hotels. Choice currently features 22 brands in its portfolio:

Many of these brands fall in the “budget” category, but a few offer plusher digs, including Radisson Blu and Cambria.

The earning structure is the same at all brands, however: You earn 10 Choice Privileges points for every dollar spent at Choice hotels (so long as your membership account is applied to the booking). Charges such as taxes, fees and room bills also earn points.

So if you spend $100 total on a hotel room, you’ll earn 1,000 Choice points. Easy peasy.

But hold the lemon squeezy — there are a few exceptions:

• Room rates below $40 and those booked through a travel agent (including online travel agents like Expedia and Orbitz) do not earn points.

• Rooms booked through the corporate travel portal Egencia are generally eligible for earning points, at a flight rate of 1,000 points per night.

• Complimentary nights (like those booked using points) don’t earn any points.

Elite status bonus

But that’s not (quite) all. Choice elite status holders get an extra bonus on top of the 10 points per dollar:

• Gold: 10% bonus (11 points per dollar spent).

• Platinum: 25% bonus (12.5 points per dollar spent).

• Diamond: 50% bonus (15 points per dollar spent).

So a Diamond elite member spending $100 at a Choice hotel would earn 1,000 base points and 500 bonus points, or 1,500 total.

Credit cards

Here’s another area where Choice’s program is nice and simple. Choice offers two credit cards: one with an annual fee and one was a $0 annual fee.

Choice Privileges® Mastercard®

The Choice Privileges® Mastercard® is best for travelers who want to earn Choice points on everyday spending without committing to an annual fee. The Choice Privileges® Mastercard® earns 5 Choice Privileges points per dollar spent at Choice Hotels and 3 points per dollar spent at gas stations, grocery stores, home improvement stores and phone plan services. Cardholders earn 1 point per dollar on all other purchases.

Eligible new cardholders can enjoy a sign-up bonus: Earn 40,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months - enough to redeem for up to 5 reward nights at select Choice Hotels® properties. Additional fees may apply.

Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard®

On the other hand, the Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard® is better for frequent Choice travelers. The card has an annual fee of $95, but the benefits at Choice Hotels is more substantial. Cardholders earn 10 Choice Privilege points per dollar spent at Choice Hotels and automatically receive Platinum elite status with 20 elite night credits per year.

The card also earns 5 Choice Privilege points per dollar on purchases at gas stations, grocery stores, home improvement stores and phone plans, and 1 point per dollar on everything else.

The card also offers the following sign-up bonus: Earn 60,000 bonus points when you spend $3,000 in purchases in the first 3 months - enough to redeem for up to 7 reward nights at select Choice Hotels® properties. Additional fees may apply. Plus, cardmembers receive a 30,000-point anniversary bonus each year they renew the card.

» Learn more: Is the Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard® worth its annual fee?

Transfer partners

You can transfer points from three other credit card reward programs to Choice Privileges at the following ratios:

• American Express Membership Rewards: 1:1 ratio (1,000 Membership Rewards = 1,000 Choice points).

• Citi ThankYou Rewards: 1:2 or 1:1.5, depending on the card.

• Capital One miles: 1:1.

Choice points are worth about 0.8 cent each; that's less value per point than you would get if you redeemed any of these credit card points within their respective travel portals.

Referrals

This unique feature of the Privileges program might be the simplest way to earn points. Choice offers a referral program that lets you earn 500 points for each friend who signs up for a Privileges account and completes a points-earning stay. As a bonus, they’ll also receive 500 points after completing the stay.

Go here to learn more and to refer your fellow point-hunters.

Partners and promotions

Choice Privileges offers some point promotions and deals with partners. The most notable is the opportunity to earn up to 1,000 points and up to 25% off base rates per rental car reservation with Avis or Budget.

It’s not worth going out of your way just to earn a few extra points, but if you’re using these partners already you might as well attach your Choice Privileges membership and earn them.

Buy points

Choice partners with Points.com to sell points directly. We generally caution against such purchases, as they’re often a terrible deal, but it’s worth comparing the cost of paying with cash or with points-from-cash for any given reservation.