Choice Hotels International is one of the largest hotel brands, with more than 7,000 properties in over 40 countries and territories. Accommodations range from extended-stay and economy options to upscale full-service hotels. Show
As a Choice Privileges member, you can earn points toward free nights at Choice Hotels, but did you know that you can use them to book more than hotel stays? Here are the Choice Hotels transfer opportunities worth knowing about. Transfer your points to airline partnersChoice Hotels partners with a number of top airline brands, allowing you to exchange your Choice Privileges points for frequent flyer miles. Current airline partners include:
You'll need at least 5,000 Choice Privileges points for an airline miles transfer, unless otherwise specified. For North American airline partners, including AeroMexico, Air Canada, Alaska, American, Spirit and United, 5,000 Choice Privileges points will get you 1,000 frequent flyer miles. Southwest Rapid Rewards is an exception; you'll need 6,000 Choice Privileges points to redeem for 1,800 Rapid Rewards points. 🤓Nerdy Tip The ratios for international airline partners vary. With the OK Plus program at Czech Airlines, the same 5,000 points to 1,000 miles ratio applies. But if you're exchanging Choice Privileges points for Velocity or Qantas rewards, the ratio is 20,000 Choice Privileges points to 8,000 frequent flyer points. Compared to the ratio of other transfer programs, this redemption opportunity isn't the best. If you're a Chase Ultimate Rewards® member, for instance, points can be transferred to airline partners at a 1:1 ratio (for the most part). With Choice Privileges transfers, you're getting as bad as a 5:1 ratio and at best 2.5:1 with some international transfers. If you're thinking of using your Choice Privileges points for flights through an airline partner, you'll want to plan ahead. It can take two to six weeks for airline rewards to post to some frequent flyer accounts once you complete a transfer redemption. Points can be redeemed through your Choice Privileges account online or by calling 888-770-6800. Move your points to AmtrakYou can also opt to use your Choice Privileges points for train fare. Choice Hotels partners with Amtrak Guest Rewards, allowing you to transfer points back and forth between programs. The minimum number of points required for Amtrak Guest Rewards redemptions is quite a bit higher compared to airline miles redemptions: You need at least 32,000 Choice Privileges points to redeem for Amtrak fares. Those rewards will get you 5,000 Amtrak Guest Rewards points, which is a 6.4:1 transfer rate. To redeem Choice Privileges points for Amtrak Guest Rewards, you'll need to log into your Choice Privileges account, then link your Amtrak account. Once you transfer points to Amtrak, you can book rail fares to more than 500 destinations in 46 states. If you've banked some Amtrak Guest Rewards, you can also transfer them into the Choice Privileges program. You actually get a better transfer ratio moving points this way, since 5,000 Amtrak Guest Rewards points is equivalent to 15,000 Choice Privileges points. You can transfer points into the program by logging into your Amtrak Guest Rewards account. The bottom lineChoice Privileges offers flexibility in how you can use the points you've earned beyond booking hotel stays. However, you'll generally get the best value for your points by using them on lodging at eligible properties. Understanding the program's travel partners can help you make the most of your rewards, especially if you need a handful of points for an airline award flight where your Choice points can be of use. With over 7,000 properties in 40 countries, you have a lot of choices with Choice Hotels. The chain includes mostly midscale brands with an abundance of properties in the United States. Its Choice Privileges rewards program offers value to guests who frequently stay with the chain, including:
Through our research, we found that the average value of Choice points is around $0.011 each. There are an abundance of ways you can earn Choice points, too, as Choice Privileges is a partner of multiple bank loyalty programs that allow you to transfer their points to Choice points. In our opinion, redeeming points for Choice Hotels or vacation rental stays is their best use, although there are also other ways to redeem Choice points.
Table of contentsHow do you join Choice Privileges?Choice Privileges is free and easy to join. Simply head to choicehotels.com and click "Sign In or Join." Click "Join Free Now" to be taken to a page where you can sign up. If you already have a Choice Privileges number, this is also how you can enable your online account. You'll need to provide Choice with your personal information, including your name, email, address, email and phone number. You'll also set a username and password. Alternatively, download the Choice Hotels app on your smartphone and click "Join Now, It's Free" to create an account by following the prompts. {"backgroundColor":"gray","content":"\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Ch3\u003EHow do you join Choice Privileges?\u003C\/h3\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EChoice Privileges is free and easy to join\u003C\/strong\u003E. Simply head to choicehotels.com and click \"Sign In or Join.\" Click \"Join Free Now\" to be taken to a page where you can sign up. If you already have a Choice Privileges number, this is also how you can enable your online account. You'll need to provide Choice with your personal information, including your name, email, address, email and phone number. You'll also set a username and password.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAlternatively, download the Choice Hotels app on your smartphone and click \"Join Now, It's Free\" to create an account by following the prompts.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E","padding":"double"} How much are Choice Privileges points worth?We peg the value of Choice Privileges points at $0.011 each, based on our research. You'll generally get better value if you're booking properties during peak times when prices are high. Rather than organizing properties by tier, Choice Privileges uses a dynamic pricing model where the price of reward nights varies depending on the property and date. In general, you can expect the cost of a reward night to be higher when cash rates are higher. Reward nights start at just 6,000 points, with most properties requiring at least 8,000 points. Prices can get as high as 35,000 points per night, except in the Asia-Pacific region where you'll see all-inclusive hotels with free nights that cost up to 75,000 points.
How do you know if using Choice points is worth it?To determine the value you're getting from your points, you'll want to divide the total cost of the stay (including taxes) by the number of points required. If the result is around 1.1 cents per point — our average value of Choice points — then using points is probably worth it. If the value is substantially less, such as just 0.6 cents per point, you might want to save your points for a better redemption. Cash price of hotel stay (including taxes) / Number of points required = Point value for that specific reservation {"backgroundColor":"ice","content":"\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Ch3\u003EHow do you know if using Choice points is worth it?\u003C\/h3\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ETo determine the value you're getting from your points, you'll want to divide the total cost of the stay (including taxes) by the number of points required. If the result is around 1.1 cents per point \u2014 our average value of Choice points \u2014 then using points is probably worth it. If the value is substantially less, such as just 0.6 cents per point, you might want to save your points for a better redemption.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"ShortcodeAlign--root ShortcodeAlign--center\"\u003E\n \u003Cdiv class=\"ShortcodeAlign--container\"\u003E \n \u003Cdiv class=\"ShortcodePullquote--root\"\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\"ShortcodePullquote--text ShortcodePullquote--black\"\u003E\n Cash price of hotel stay (including taxes) \/ Number of points required = Point value for that specific reservation\n \u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E","padding":"double"} Which hotels are part of Choice Privileges?Choice Privileges includes several Choice Hotels brands. Brands range from stylish upscale offerings to budget motels. The vast bulk of the properties in the Choice Hotels portfolio are solidly in the midscale to upper-midscale range. One of the biggest downsides to Choice Hotels is the lack of luxury brands or properties. If your typical travel style is 5-stars-or-bust, Choice isn't your program. Another thing to consider is the limited international footprint compared to other chains, as Choice only has properties in approximately 40 countries worldwide. To compare, Hilton has properties in 122 countries. Choice Privileges hotels
Show All Rows Pros and cons of Choice PrivilegesAs with any hotel loyalty program, Choice Privileges is a good fit for some but not for others. There are some clear strengths and weaknesses. Pros
Cons
How to earn Choice rewards pointsEarning Choice Privileges points is remarkably easy given the variety of credit card points that can transfer to Choice rewards. You can also earn points by staying with Choice Hotels or Bluegreen Vacations, their vacation rental partner, or booking a stay through one of their partner casino hotels across the country. There are a variety of even more ways to earn Choice points. You'll earn a base rate of 10 points per $1 spent at Choice Hotels properties, excluding taxes and incidental charges. If you have Choice Privileges elite status, you'll enjoy a slight bump to the earning rate.
As an example, the Comfort Inn & Suites Zion Park Area has a nightly rate of $193 before taxes and fees in our sampling above. A regular Choice privileges member would earn 1,930 base points for this booking, while a Diamond member would earn 2,895 points (taxes do not earn base points). Staying at a Choice Hotels property on a weekday night earns you a perk through the "Your Extras" program. Any U.S. stay that includes at least one Sunday through Thursday night will provide a choice from the following:
The Your Extras for stays at Canadian locations differ slightly. You can't earn Fuel Rewards or an Uber trip discount. Tim Hortons is swapped out for Starbucks. At other international locations outside the U.S. and Canada, you can only choose between 400 Choice Privileges points or 100 airline miles. To make a "Your Extras" selection, visit your online profile page. Choice Hotels International has partnered with Barclays to issue the The Choice Privileges® Visa® Card. The card has a welcome offer worth up to four free nights and offers perks such as complimentary Choice Privileges Gold elite status. You can Earn 5 points per $1 spent at eligible Choice Hotels. Earn 2 points per $1 spent on all other purchases. Earn 5 points per $1 spent on the purchase of Choice Privileges® points or Choice Hotels gift card purchases. One of the best features of the card is its $0 annual fee. One of the best features of the Choice Privileges program is how many bank programs partner with it. You can transfer points from three popular rewards programs to Choice Privileges:
Having multiple bank partners means you can earn Choice rewards points from many different cards.
Bluegreen Vacations is a time-share company that operates several dozen resort properties within the U.S. and one in Oranjestad, Aruba. You can search choicehotels.com directly to book some resort properties, which will earn you 10 points per dollar like any other Choice property. You can also enjoy a three-night stay with Bluegreen vacations for just $199 and earn either a $100 Mastercard gift card or 20,000 Choice Privileges points.
Choice Hotels partners with 22 casino hotels in a dozen states where you can earn 10 points per dollar when you stay with any of them. Unfortunately, you can't redeem points at casino hotel properties. Earn 5X Choice points per dollar spent on a cruise when booked through choiceprivilegescruises.com or via phone at (800) 596-0451. The cruises offered are on a variety of cruise lines, including Carnival, Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean, to many destinations. You must provide your Choice Privileges number at the time of booking.
How to use Choice Privileges pointsWith all the ways to earn Choice points, you'll want to know how to get the best value from them. Redeeming Choice points for free nights is the easiest as you can easily book a free stay through choicehotels.com. There are other ways to redeem Choice points, but you'll find that free hotel and vacation rental stays provide the best value. Choice hotels free nightsSavvy traveler tip: One of the only major downsides to Choice Privileges is that you can only make reward reservations within 100 days of travel. Be prepared to be flexible with Choice points, since you can only confirm your plans three months ahead of time. {"backgroundColor":"gray","content":"\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"ShortcodeIcon--root ShortcodeIcon--margin-bottom\"\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\"ShortcodeIcon--icon ShortcodeIcon--medium ShortcodeIcon--blue ValuePenguinIcon--airplane\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\"ShortcodeIcon--content\"\u003E \u003Cstrong\u003ESavvy traveler tip:\u003C\/strong\u003E One of the only major downsides to Choice Privileges is that you can only make reward reservations within 100 days of travel. Be prepared to be flexible with Choice points, since you can only confirm your plans three months ahead of time.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E","padding":"double"} Choice doesn't publish an award chart and instead provides a range of award prices. The number of points required for a free night at a given property can vary throughout the year. Reward nights start at just 6,000 points and top out at 35,000 points in most regions. In the Asia-Pacific region, you may see prices as high as 75,000 points per night. To know how many points are required for a free stay, you'll have to search a particular destination through choicehotels.com or using the Choice mobile app. The best deals are often hotels in popular destinations during peak times. As an example, MLB Spring training is a favorite time to visit the Phoenix area, and hotel prices are typically elevated. Choice points are an excellent way to cut the cost of a visit. After accounting for taxes, the value here is 1.4 cents per point. Note, you should check the reward night details to see if the price varies over the length of the stay. In the four-night stay below, the price increases to 25,000 points for the weekend night: Stay Twice, Get a Free NightChoice has run its "Stay Twice, Get a Free Night" promotion multiple times over the years. Most recently it ran during Spring 2021. The promotion offers a "free night" after every two stays at participating hotels. The award is actually a total of 8,000 points, enough for a free night at the cheapest properties. The exact number of points awarded varies, as Choice will account for any points you earned from those stays and make up the difference. However, the promotion will provide a minimum of 5,000 additional points. Registration is required to participate. {"backgroundColor":"butter","content":"\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Ch3\u003EStay Twice, Get a Free Night\u003C\/h3\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EChoice has run its \"Stay Twice, Get a Free Night\" promotion multiple times over the years. Most recently it ran during Spring 2021. The promotion offers a \"free night\" after every two stays at participating hotels. The award is actually a total of 8,000 points, enough for a free night at the cheapest properties. The exact number of points awarded varies, as Choice will account for any points you earned from those stays and make up the difference. However, the promotion will provide a minimum of 5,000 additional points. Registration is required to participate.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E","padding":"double"} Vacation rentalsYou can redeem Choice points for free nights at Bluegreen vacations resorts, starting at 16,000 points per night. In some cases, this can provide excellent value, even better value than at Choice properties. Bluegreen vacations resorts are located in popular destinations like Orlando, Las Vegas, Myrtle Beach, Wisconsin Dells and Williamsburg. Alternatively, you can take up Bluegreen vacations on an offer where you can redeem 16,000 Choice points for a two-night stay. You do have to listen to a two-hour timeshare presentation during your vacation, however. Points and cashChoice provides the option of using a combination of both points and cash for stays. If you have at least 6,000 points but don't have the required number of points, you can use the Points Plus Cash option. This can actually be a good deal, as the taxes and fees are not assessed. (You are essentially spending 6,000 points per night and purchasing the remaining required points from Choice.) For the Cambria Hotel New York — Chelsea example in the table above, a Points Plus Cash booking would give you a value of 1.4 cents per point. You'll have to compare prices to determine the value of a particular stay, but you definitely can get above-average value from your points using Points Plus Cash. Transfer partnersIn addition to free hotel and vacation rental stays, you have the option of transferring your Choice Privileges points to a handful of airline partners. While many airline miles are worth more than Choice Privileges points, the transfer ratio makes these redemptions a poor value. For example, we estimate the average value of United miles at 1.4 cents when booking peak economy international travel. If you trade 5,000 Choice points for 1,000 United miles, you're giving up $55 in Choice hotel stays for $14 in United flight value. This effectively makes your Choice points worth just shy of 0.3 cents each. Redeeming for free nights is better.
Transfer of points between Choice Hotels and Amtrak used to be an option. However, this option was abruptly discontinued in summer 2021. Other ways to redeem Choice Privileges pointsIf you have Choice points but the travel redemption options don't interest you, the good news is that there are a handful of other ways to use Choice Privileges points. The bad news is that these options offer a value of just 0.3 to 0.5 cents per point. We don't recommend redeeming points in these ways, as the value is better when booking hotel stays.
Choice hotels membership levelsChoice Privileges rewards their members with perks the more often they stay with the chain. Loyal patrons of Choice Hotels who stay a sufficient number of nights each year can find themselves earning Gold, Platinum or even Diamond elite status, with increasing benefits. Choice Privileges Visa cardholders also enjoy complimentary Gold elite status. We'll break down how to qualify for each elite level, what benefits you can enjoy and how valuable Choice elite status is. How to qualify: Sign up for the Choice Privileges program.
How to qualify: Stay at least 10 nights per calendar year or be a Choice Privileges Visa cardholder.
How to qualify: Stay at least 20 nights per calendar year
How to qualify: Stay 40+ nights per calendar year
Many of the primary benefits provided by Choice Privileges elite status are awarded at the Gold level. The primary benefits of Platinum and Diamond status consist of additional bonus points, additional rollover nights and Avis elite status. For the road warrior that stays frequently with Choice Hotels, the additional bonus points provide real value. However, given the lack of other benefits, there is not much incremental value above Gold. We don't suggest going out of your way to pursue it. You can easily get Gold status by having the Choice Privileges Visa card. Choice hotels status matchChoice Hotels offers an ongoing status match program for those looking to transfer their loyalty from another hotel chain. You must reside in the United States, Canada, or Europe to be eligible. If you match between January and June, your status will be good for the current calendar year. If you match between July and December, your status will be good through the end of the following calendar year. Choice does limit their Elite Status Match Program offer to once per account per lifetime, so make sure you will get real value from it before matching. To request a status match, you'll need to email [email protected] with the following information:
Proof can consist of a screenshot/copy of your other program's loyalty card with its expiration date or a screenshot/copy of the other program's current statement or account status page. Choice will respond to status match requests within seven to nine days. Choice Privileges FAQsCan I transfer Choice Privileges points?You cannot transfer Choice Hotels points to another member. However, you can transfer Choice Privileges points to five airline loyalty programs including Aeromexico Club Premier, Aeroplan, Alaska Mileage Plan, Qantas Frequent Flyer and United Mileage Plus. You may also buy up to 180,000 points per year for another program member. How many Choice rewards do you need for a stay?Choice Privileges reward nights start at 6,000 Choice Privileges points. Most rewards require at least 8,000 points and vary in price up to 35,000 points. However, some rewards in the Asia-Pacific region may require up to 75,000 points. How do I check my Choice Privileges points?You can check your Choice Privileges points balance by logging in to your account at choicehotels.com or through the Choice Hotels app. Your points balance will be shown in the upper right-hand corner of the page. Do Choice Privileges points expire?Choice Privileges points expire after 18 months of account inactivity. You must have at least one qualifying activity to maintain activity. Qualifying activity includes a point-eligible stay that earns points or miles, redeeming Choice Privileges points, earning points by using your Choice Privileges Visa® card, purchasing points and earning points through a refer-a-friend bonus. How do I find my Choice rewards number?To view your Choice rewards number, log in to your Choice Privileges account at choicehotels.com or through the Choice Hotels app. In the app, click on 'Profile' to see your member number. Using the website, click on your name in the upper right corner and then 'My Account' to be taken to the page that includes your Choice rewards number. How much does Choice Privileges membership cost?The Choice Privileges program is free to join. Can I buy Choice Privileges points?Yes, you can buy up to 250,000 Choice Privileges points per calendar year. The standard price is $12.80 per 1,000 points, although sometimes Choice Hotels runs points purchase promotions. What is the Choice rewards phone number?Call Choice rewards at (888) 770-6800 to redeem your Choice Privileges points. Phone representatives are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. What is the Choice rewards login?Visit choicehotels.com and click "Sign In or Join" to log in to your account. You'll have to provide your Choice Privileges account username and password to log in. The information related to The Choice Privileges® Visa® Card, American Express® Green Card, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, American Express® Business Gold Card and The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express has been independently collected by ValuePenguin and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication. For rates and fees of American Express® Gold Card, please click here For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, please click here Can I give my choice hotel points to someone else?Give a little (or a lot)
We've increased the number of points you can give! Now gift up to 180,000 Choice Privileges points annually to friends or family so they can get free nights or redeem for gift cards, dining rewards and more.
Can you use Choice hotel points for gift cards?Like most rewards programs, Choice Privileges lets you convert your points into gift cards. And like most rewards programs, this option doesn't offer great value. 16,000 points are needed for a $50 gift card, which shakes out to 0.31 cent per point.
Can you trade loyalty points?While you typically cannot transfer miles from one airline program to another, you can transfer between hotels and airlines, although this is not recommended in most scenarios. Most airlines, credit cards, and hotels allow transfers from one account to another, although some airlines charge fees to transfer points.
How much is 1000 choice points worth?The earning rate varies from 1 point per $1 to 26 points per $1. Buy points — You can buy a maximum of 250,000 Choice points per year. The standard price is $12.80 per 1,000 points (1.28 cents per point), which is above our average value.
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