The Complete Guide to the Choice Privileges Rewards Program 2023

Choice Hotels is a hospitality franchise company that includes more than 7,500 hotels under a dozen distinct brands with nearly 650,000 rooms in more than 40 countries and territories. Properties can be found in Asia, Australia, Canada, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe, Mexico, and the US.  

Brands include economy, midscale, upscale and extended-stay properties under the brands Ascend, Cambria, Clarion, Comfort Inn and Comfort Suites, Econo Lodge, Everhome Suites, Sleep Inn, Rodeway Inn, Suburban Extended Stay Suites, MainStay Suites, WoodSpring Suites and Quality Inn.

Choice acquired Radisson Hotel Group Americas in 2022 adding 624 hotels with over 68,000 rooms under the following hotel brands to its portfolio: Radisson Blu, Radisson, Radisson Individuals, Park Plaza, Radisson RED, Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Park Inn by Radisson, Radisson Inn & Suites and Radisson Collection. The acquisition added more upscale and upper-midscale hotel choices, especially on the West Coast and in the Midwest.

Choice Privileges Rewards

Like other big hotel chains, Choice has a rewards program that provides perks and free nights to loyal guests. The program is free to join and gives you access to member-only rates and other benefits when you earn elite status.

There are three elite status levels beyond basic membership in the Choice Privileges program. You need to stay 10 nights to earn Gold, 20 to get to Platinum and 40 nights to earn Diamond.

Choice also has a rollover benefit where you can roll over nights once you have achieved status for the year to help you reach a higher status the next year. The number of nights that can be rolled over varies by status. Details are in the chart below.

Choice also offers an elite status match, so if you have status with another hotel chain Choice will give you a similar status in its Privileges rewards program. If you stay at a Cambria property and are elite in another program, you can jump to Diamond Elite. To get your status matched, you just need to send a screenshot of your status elsewhere. More details can be found here.

Perks and Benefits

If you don’t already have status in another hotel program that you can match to become a Choice elite, you become a Member when you join the Choice program and that gives you access to exclusive rates when you book directly.

You’ll also get an extra reward for weeknight stays that you can change for every stay if you like. If you are a US resident and your stay includes at least one night from Sunday to Thursday, you can request 400 Choice points, 100 airline miles, a discount of 20 per gallon of gas through Fuel Rewards, a $5 Starbucks card, $3 Uber trip credit or $2.50 Amazon credit. Elite guests who stay at luxury Cambria properties will receive 250 bonus points on check-in.

You earn 10 reward points per dollar spent at the hotel, and if you are an elite member, you get a bonus. Gold elites earn a 10% bonus, Platinum members earn a 25% bonus and Diamonds get a 50% bonus. Gold, Platinum and Diamond Elite members can also request early check-in, late checkout and reserved parking where available. You’ll also get a dedicated customer hotline and an elite welcome gift on arrival.

Platinum and Diamond Choice Privileges elite members also get Avis Preferred Plus status in the car rental company’s loyalty program. Avis customers need to normally complete 12 rentals or spend $5,000 dollars in a calendar year to earn that status.

Partners That Help You Earn More Points

You can also earn points in the Choice Privileges rewards program by booking with the hotel company’s travel partners. For example, If you book car rentals with Avis or Budget, you can get up to 25% off and earn up to 1,000 points at participating locations. Choice also offers discounted rates on more than 155 ships on over 20 cruise lines, and Choice Privileges members can earn five points for every dollar spent on the price of the cruise. 

One of the quickest ways to earn extra points beyond hotel stays and travel partners though is to sign up for the Choice Privileges Visa Signature card issued by Barclays. It’s a no-annual-fee card and it comes with a 32,000-point bonus after spending $1,000 in the first 90 days. That bonus is good for up to four free nights. You can earn another 8,000 points annually if you spend $10,000 on the card.

It also comes with Gold elite status so you’ll get the perks that come with that tier. Using the card to book stays will also boost points earned by an extra 5 points per dollar spent at hotels in addition to the 10 points per dollar that members earn. Everything else earns 2x points. As long as you hold the card, your Choice Privileges points won’t expire. 

There are a few other ways to build your points balance including shopping through the hotel chain’s portal, which features hundreds of retailers. You can also get 500 points for every friend you refer who books a stay or by taking surveys.

You can exchange rewards earned with Amtrak, American Express Membership Rewards or Diners Club. Amex points exchange at a 1:1 ratio per 1,000 points, and 1,250 Diners Club reward points can be exchanged for 2,400 Choice Privileges points.

Points expire if you don’t complete a qualifying activity within 18 months of earning them, but spending on credit cards counts, shopping in portals and redeeming rewards count as activity in addition to hotel stays.

Reward Redemptions

Many people like to earn points for business travel and use them for vacations. Reward nights start at 8,000 points for stays at thousands of properties worldwide in any type of accommodation from budget-friendly properties to upscale resorts. More than 1,000 locations offer stays for 8,000 points or less if they have been discounted. If you have at least 6,000 points you can combine them with cash for a stay.

You can also redeem your points with Bluegreen Vacations, Choice Hotels vacation ownership partner, for stays in spacious accommodations in places like Orlando, Myrtle Beach and Las Vegas.

If you belong to a partner airline or rail program and you need to boost your balance to get an award ticket, you can exchange your Choice points for miles with Aeroplan, Alaska Mileage Plan, Amtrak Guest Rewards, Club Premier, United Mileage Plus and Qantas Frequent Flyer.

Choice also partners with Spirit and a few other carriers. The points do not transfer at a 1:1 ratio (e.g., many are 5,000 points for 1,000 miles) so the rate is not good, but it may make sense if you have some orphan points or need to top off your mileage balance. To transfer points, just link your airline mileage account to your profile. You can also choose to earn points directly with one of those programs instead of Choice.

You can also redeem points for golf gear, including equipment and apparel, or you can choose to better your community or help those affected by disasters like wildfires or hurricanes by donating to the American Red Cross.

If you are interested in the Choice Privileges Rewards program, you may find the Guide to Best Western Rewards program of interest.