Choice Privileges hotel loyalty program guide

Choice Privileges is the rewards program for Choice Hotels, which includes brands such as Cambria Hotels, Comfort Inn, Sleep Inn and Econo Lodge. Since Choice Privileges fully integrated Radisson Rewards Americas into its program in 2023, Choice Hotels now also includes brands like Radisson, Radisson Blu and Park Plaza in North America, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean.

We’ve seen disappointing devaluations to the Choice Privileges program recently, including the removal of the 35,000-point award night pricing cap for Choice Hotels properties and the increase in Preferred Hotels & Resorts award rates. Still, it’s possible to get significant value from Choice Privileges promotions and find good-value award night redemptions using Choice points.

This guide will explain what you need to know about the Choice Privileges program. As TPG is written with a mostly U.S.-based audience in mind, I’ll discuss the Choice Privileges program as it applies to U.S. residents.

Elite status

Choice Privileges offers four status tiers. You’ll become a Member once you sign up for a free Choice Hotels membership. Beyond that, you’ll find three Choice Privileges elite status tiers: Gold, Platinum and Diamond.

Choice Privileges Member

When you sign up for a Choice Privileges membership, you’ll automatically get Member status and the following benefits:

• Earn 10 points per dollar spent at most Choice Hotels properties
• Access to Member rates and promotions
• Receive Personalized Weeknight Benefits (also known as Your Extras) on stays that include a Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday night

Choice Privileges Gold

You’ll earn Choice Privileges Gold status after completing 10 qualifying nights in a calendar year. Only reward nights and nights that earn Choice points count toward elite status, and some stays at extended-stay brands earn fewer qualifying nights. However, one easy way to snag Gold status is to have the no-annual-fee Choice Privileges® Mastercard® (see rates and fees), which offers cardmembers 10 elite night credits each calendar year.

On top of the benefits available to Choice Privileges Members, Gold members also get the following perks:

• Earn 11 points per dollar at most Choice Hotels properties (due to a 10% bonus on top of what Members earn)
• Welcome gift at participating hotels
• Early check-in and late checkout, when available, at participating hotels
• Room upgrades (as determined by each hotel at check-in and subject to availability) at Cambria and Ascend Hotel Collection brands worldwide, and Radisson, Radisson Blu, Radisson RED, Radisson Collection, Radisson Individuals and Park Plaza brands in North America, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean
• Elite reserved parking, when available, at participating hotels in the U.S. and Canada
• Up to nine elite rollover nights per calendar year
• Elite customer hotline
• Status match to PENN Play Advantage

Choice Privileges Platinum

You’ll earn Choice Privileges Platinum status after 20 qualifying nights in a calendar year. One easy way to maintain Platinum status is by having the $95 annual fee Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard® (see rates and fees), which gives cardholders 20 elite night credits each calendar year.

On top of the benefits available to Choice Privileges Gold members, Platinum members also get the following perks:

• Earn 12.5 points per dollar at most Choice Hotels properties (due to a 25% bonus on top of what Members earn)
• Up to 19 elite rollover nights per calendar year

Choice Privileges Diamond

You’ll earn Choice Privileges Diamond status after 40 qualifying nights in a calendar year. Of course, if you have the Choice Privileges® Mastercard® or Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard®, you’ll get elite night credits each calendar year as a cardholder perk. That means you won’t need to stay as many nights to secure Diamond status.

On top of the benefits available to Choice Privileges Platinum members, Diamond members also get the following perks:

• Earn 15 points per dollar at most Choice Hotels properties (due to a 50% bonus on top of what Members earn)
• Complimentary breakfast for you and one registered guest at participating hotel restaurants during stays at Radisson, Radisson RED, Radisson Blu, Radisson Collection, Radisson Individuals and Park Plaza properties in North America, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean
• Guaranteed room availability when you call at least 48 hours before your stay at participating Ascend and Cambria hotels worldwide and Radisson, Radisson RED, Radisson Blu, Radisson Collection, Radisson Individuals and Park Plaza hotels in North America, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean
• Up to 39 elite rollover nights per calendar year
• Status match to PENN Play Preferred

How to earn Choice points

There are many ways to earn Choice Privileges points. Here’s a quick overview of how you can earn Choice points.

Hotel stays

One benefit of Choice Privileges membership is that you’ll earn 10 points per dollar on your room rate at most participating Choice hotels. Elite members earn 10% to 50% bonus points based on their status tier.

However, taxes and incidental charges usually won’t earn points. You also won’t earn points at WoodSpring Suites properties or in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden. Stays of seven nights or longer at MainStay Suites, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel and Everhome Suites earn 5 points per dollar, up to 30 nights. (Subsequent nights won’t earn any points.)

You usually won’t earn Choice Privileges points unless you book directly with Choice Hotels or one of its properties. Specifically, the Choice Privileges rules and regulations state that you can only earn points on stays booked through:

• The toll-free express reservation line
• The Choice Hotels website or mobile app
• Directly with the hotel (except for Ascend Hotel Collection all-inclusive resorts and casino locations)

Most stays booked through these methods are eligible to earn Choice points. However, the following types of stays aren’t eligible:

• Rooms using an ineligible rate plan
• Room rates below $40 per night
• Certain hotel-initiated promotions
• Reward night stays and Points Plus Cash reservations
• Complimentary rooms and rooms paid for as part of a convention or meeting
• Rooms booked through a travel agent or third-party online retailer, including online travel agencies, wholesale packages and group tours
• Stays booked using the employee discount or the friends, family and associate discount
• Stays for which you don’t show or fail to stay at least one night in the room you booked

You can earn extra points during stays through select Choice Privileges promotions.

Credit card spending

If you frequently stay at Choice Hotels properties, you may want to get a cobranded Choice Privileges credit card. You can earn Choice points with both cobranded cards as follows:

• Choice Privileges® Mastercard® (no annual fee; see rates and fees): 5 points per dollar on stays at participating Choice Hotels properties and on Choice Privileges point purchases; 3 points per dollar on purchases at gas stations, grocery stores, home improvement stores and phone plan services; 1 point per dollar on other purchases
• Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard® ($95 annual fee, see rates and fees): 10 points per dollar on stays at participating Choice Hotels properties and on Choice Privileges point purchases; 5 points per dollar on purchases at gas stations, grocery stores, home improvement stores and phone plan services; 1 point per dollar on other purchases

Related: Best hotel credit cards

Transfer points from other programs

You can also earn Choice points by transferring rewards from the following transferable currencies:

Buy Choice points

Buying Choice points is another way to boost your Choice Privileges balance. However, the cost per point varies depending on how many points you purchase and whether there is a discount offer. Without a discount offer, Choice points typically cost 1.03 cents each when you purchase at least 10,000 points per transaction.

Related: Current buy points and miles promotions

Earn with partners

With a Choice Privileges membership, you can earn Choice points with the following partners:

Earn when planning events

You can earn Choice Privileges points when you host events at Cambria Hotels, Radisson Collection, Radisson Blu, Radisson, Radisson RED, Radisson Individuals, Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson and Country Inn & Suites by Radisson hotels in the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean. See eligible hotels with meeting space on this Choice webpage.

When you associate your Choice Privileges member number with your group’s reservation, you’ll earn 3 points per dollar (up to 150,000 points) on meeting space, guest rooms, and food and beverage charges.

How to redeem Choice points

Now that you know how to earn Choice Privileges points, let’s consider the different ways you can redeem Choice points. You’ll usually get the most value when you use Choice points for hotel stays, but there are other options.

Redeem for a free night

Choice Hotels properties aren’t aligned into categories, and there’s no set award chart. However, you can find the current and upcoming redemption rates on each property’s webpage.

Choice no longer caps award nights at 35,000 points, but most award nights still cost between 8,000 and 35,000 points. However, the window for booking reward nights is relatively short. Specifically, you can only reserve a room using points 100 days before planned arrival.

Since you can book premium rooms at some properties using the same number of points as standard rooms, you’ll want to snag these soon after the booking window opens.

You can book Points Plus Cash rates at some Choice Hotels if you see the option when you search for a reward night. You won’t earn points on the cash portion, as you’re effectively buying points with the cash copay. As such, ensure you’re buying points at a low enough rate to make doing so worthwhile. You’ll be refunded entirely in points if you cancel a Points Plus Cash booking, and you can buy up to 250,000 points per calendar year through these bookings.

You can also redeem Choice points for stays at participating Preferred Hotels & Resorts worldwide. Award nights at Preferred Hotels & Resorts properties cost between 20,000 and 87,000 points per night. Once you log into your Choice Privileges account, you can check availability and book through an online portal.

Redeem for special experiences

You can redeem Choice points for special access to concerts and sporting events, including college sports experiences and NASCAR tickets with special access. The Choice Privileges Experiences you can book with points change frequently, but you can see what’s currently available on Choice’s Experiences website.

Buy a gift card

You can redeem your Choice Privileges points for physical gift cards. For most types of gift cards, you can redeem 8,000 points for a $25 gift card, 16,000 points for a $50 gift card or 32,000 points for a $100 gift card.

Redeeming Choice points for gift cards usually only yields 0.32 cents per point, so I recommend using other redemption options that provide more value per point.

Related: What credit cards should you use to purchase gift cards?

Donate your points

There are currently six options if you want to donate your Choice Privileges points:

• American Red Cross, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, Executive Leadership Council, Hotels for Heroes and Operation Homefront: $5 donation for 1,000 points, $10 donation for 2,000 points, $15 donation for 3,000 points, $20 donation for 4,000 points and $25 donation for 5,000 points (0.5 cents per point)
• Polaris Project: $10 donation for 1,000 points, $20 donation for 2,000 points, $30 donation for 3,000 points, $40 donation for 4,000 points and $50 donation for 5,000 points (1 cent per point)

As you can see, donating your points provides a decent redemption value. If you choose the Polaris Project, which works to prevent and combat human trafficking, you’ll get a redemption value of 1 cent per point.

Related: The best credit cards to maximize your charitable donation

Exchange your points for miles

You can also transfer your Choice points to the following loyalty programs online through the Choice Privileges Rewards Exchange program:

• Aer Lingus AerClub
• Aeromexico Rewards
• Air Canada Aeroplan
• Air France-KLM Flying Blue
• Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
• British Airways Executive Club
• Iberia Plus
• Qantas Frequent Flyer
• Southwest Rapid Rewards
• Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
• United MileagePlus
• Velocity Frequent Flyer

You’ll usually need to transfer at least 5,000 Choice points, although the minimums vary depending on the program. The rewards should appear in your airline loyalty account within 48 hours, but it may take up to seven days.

You can also transfer Choice points to Spirit Airlines Free Spirit by calling Choice Privileges customer service. However, transferring Choice points to Spirit may take six to eight weeks.

Redeem for cruise credit

Finally, you can redeem Choice Privileges points for cruise credit from Cruises for Choice Privileges (powered by Cruise411). Specifically, you can redeem 85,000 points for a $250 cruise credit. This provides a redemption value of 0.29 cents per point. Or you can redeem 160,000 points for a $500 cruise credit, which provides a redemption value of 0.31 cents per point.

Award booking process

To use your Choice Hotels membership and book a reward night stay, go to Choice’s website and log in to your account. Then, enter your destination, dates, rooms and guests. Finally, before clicking “Find Hotels,” click on the drop-down for “Special Rate” and select “Use Choice Privileges Points Instead.”

Once you click “Find Hotels,” you’ll get a results list. You can filter these results by amenities, distance from your destination, brands and price range. You can also sort the results by relevance, price, distance, rating or discount.

Click “See Availability” for a property to view the available room types. You’ll generally see a selection of room types.

If you click “Rates & Details,” you’ll find a page where you can compare the award rate with cash rates. In this case, you’d get a redemption rate of 1.38 cents per point if you compare redeeming 35,000 points to paying $482 for a rate you can cancel until shortly before your stay.

If you click “Book Room” next to the award night option, you’ll reach a final page before confirming your booking. This page will provide useful information, including the cancellation policy and any additional fees you must pay on-site.

Maximizing Choice Privileges

Finally, here are several ways to get the most value from the Choice Privileges program.

Utilize promotions

The Choice Privileges program frequently offers promotions. One recurring promotion allows you to earn at least 8,000 points after every two stays. Based on TPG’s July 2024 valuations, 8,000 Choice points are worth $48.

This promotion usually requires a nightly rate of at least $40. However, you can maximize this promotion if you stay in one-night increments at inexpensive properties with a nightly rate of $40 or more.

Sweet spot redemptions

There are plenty of opportunities to get outsize value from Choice Privileges points. For example, in Europe and Japan, you can often book properties for 16,000 points or less per night.

Choice points can also provide good value in the U.S. For inspiration, check out the hotels currently featured as Choice Hotels Sweet Spot Rewards.

Lowest price guarantee

Choice’s lowest price guarantee applies when you book directly with Choice and then find a lower publicly available price within 24 hours of booking. You must have booked at least 48 hours before a 6 a.m. arrival on the first day booked, and you must complete the claim form within 24 hours of booking.

Within 48 hours of your claim, a Choice Hotels representative will contact you. If your claim succeeds, Choice will honor the lower rate for your stay. Plus, if you’re a U.S. or Canadian resident, you’ll receive a $50 reward card after your stay. (If you’re an international resident, you’ll receive the first night free.)

Get top-tier Choice Diamond status

If you have elite status with another hotel loyalty program, you can get top-tier Diamond status after one qualifying stay at a Cambria Hotel. To request Diamond status after your stay, email [email protected] with the following information:

• Your full name and Choice Privileges number
• Proof of elite status with another major hotel loyalty program
• A copy or screenshot of a folio/receipt from a points-eligible Cambria stay in the last 12 months

You can expect a response in three to five business days. If your request is approved, you’ll gain Diamond status for the rest of the year if your Cambria stay or your request was between January and June. You’ll get Diamond status through the end of next year if your Cambria stay and request are between July and December.

Related: Complete guide to current hotel elite status match and challenge offers

Frequently asked questions

How much are Choice Privileges points worth?

Choice Privileges points are worth 0.6 cents each based on TPG’s July 2024 valuations. This valuation considers the price at which we would buy Choice Privileges points and the redemption value we can usually get when redeeming them. However, as you can see from the above examples, the exact value you’ll get when redeeming Choice points will vary depending on your specific redemption.

How many Choice Privileges points do you need for a free night?

A Choice Privileges reward night usually costs between 8,000 and 35,000 points, although some nights may cost more points.

Do Choice Privileges points expire?

Choice Privileges points expire if you don’t earn, redeem or purchase Choice points for 18 consecutive calendar months.

Related: How to keep your points and miles from expiring

Bottom line

Over the years, I’ve received a lot of value out of the Choice Privileges program. From inexpensive nights in New York City to almost a month at an all-inclusive, earning and redeeming Choice points provided me significant value.

As is often the case with points and miles, the high-value redemptions you can get with Choice points have dwindled over the years. Still, I love redeeming as few as 8,000 points per night to stay in many Choice Hotels properties. Even a 35,000-point award night redemption can make sense in otherwise expensive destinations. Choice has also added some appealing sports and concert experiences you can book with points, which may provide outsize value in some cases.

However, Choice Privileges elite status provides relatively few benefits. So, if you’re looking for valuable elite benefits, you may want to consider a different hotel loyalty program.