Choice hotels rewards program

Rental car partners: Earn up to 2, bonus points for booking with Avis or Budget. Book a cruise: Earn 5 points per dollar when booking a cruise through Choice Privileges Cruises. Golf by Choice: Golfers can earn points for amounts spent on golf equipment, apparel, tee time reservations and more through the Golf by Choice program. Choice Privileges Mall: Make purchases at over merchants through the dedicated shopping portal to earn bonus points. Take surveys through e-Rewards: Enroll in e-Rewards and complete surveys to earn bonus points, including points for your first survey.

Refer a friend to Choice: You can even earn bonus points for referring a friend to the rewards program. The rate for buying Choice Privileges points is typically 0. However, Choice Hotels will periodically offer bonuses or discounts on buying points. Get points through Daily Getaways: One of the best ways to stock up on points is through the Daily Getaways promotion offered yearly by the U.

Travel Association. The purchase rate has varied over the past few years, but members can typically purchase points for under 0. Understandably, these promotions sell out quickly. Transferring points between loyalty programs rarely is a good deal. But, it can work in a pinch when you need to top off your account for a redemption.

However, you have other options if needed. You can redeem your points for hotel stays at most of Choice Hotels' 7, properties. Award rates technically start at just 6, points per night, but those rates can be hard to come by. In the U. Award night rates generally top out at 35, points per night, but there are exceptions: Choice Hotels in the Asia-Pacific region can go as high as 75, points per night.

And, while their terms haven't been updated yet to reflect this, the program charges as much as , points per night for all-inclusive resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean. A property may be 20, points per night on weekdays in the fall and jump to 30, points per night on weekends during the winter.

And, it makes it impossible for us to share the best redemption options, as rates are constantly changing. The company likely does this to gauge how popular a hotel will be before setting award rates.

You can redeem your Choice Privileges points by transferring them to a variety of other loyalty programs, including:. However, you can also redeem your Choice Privileges points for vacation rentals, cruises, magazine subscriptions and gift cards, or even donate your points to charity. Frequent Choice Hotels guests will earn bonus points and other elite perks after just 10 nights spent at its properties or seven nights in The elite benefits are quite minimal and not especially valuable.

All Choice Privileges elite members receive early check-in and late checkout, a welcome gift at check-in, access to elite reserved parking and access to an elite customer hotline. Elite members can also redeem points for gift cards and roll over excess elite nights to help requalify the next year. Save for the elite point bonus amount, the benefits of the three tiers are fairly similar.

Earn Gold elite status after 10 qualifying nights at Choice Hotels properties. Platinum elite status requires 20 qualifying nights. If you have elite status with another hotel brand, you may be able to shortcut your way to elite status with the program by requesting a status match.

When this status match is offered, all you need to do is email a request with your name, Choice Privileges number and proof of elite status with another program. Currently, you can also jump to top-tier Diamond elite status by matching your elite status and then completing just one stay at a Cambria hotel. The Choice Privileges program may not be the most luxurious hotel loyalty program around; however, there are plenty of reasons to not ignore it completely. You can easily rack up points through promotions and deals like Daily Getaways.

Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of , including those best for:. Choice Privileges brands. Ascend Hotel Collection. Cambria Hotels. Sleep Inn. Clarion Pointe. MainStay Suites. There's no annual fee, you'll earn 5x points for every dollar spent at eligible Choice Hotels on top of the 10x points you'll earn as a Choice Privileges member and for every dollar spent purchasing Choice Privileges points, plus 2x points per dollar on all other spending.

Read more: There are different types of credit card rewards — but this is the best one. You'll get a ratio when you transfer American Express points or Capital One miles to Choice, while it's a It's also possible to transfer points from Diners Club ClubRewards at a It's free to sign up for a Choice Privileges account, which offers savings through members-only rates and the ability to earn 10 Choice points per dollar on qualifying stays.

Choice Privileges Visa Signature Card members earn an additional 5x per dollar, while those booking points-earning stays in the Asia-Pacific region earn 10x points on eligible purchases like taxes, restaurant and bar service, laundry, and phone calls as well. Either way, you'll only be able to earn points on stays at the following Choice brands :.

Thanks to a recent partnership with Penn National Gaming, Inc. Read more: I haven't paid for a hotel room in 10 years — here's how I stay for free. While all Choice Privileges members save with exclusive member rates and receive Your Extras perks, those with Gold, Platinum, or Diamond elite status have access to extra perks like elite gift cards, early check-in and late checkout, preferred parking, a dedicated customer service hotline, and an elite welcome gift at check-in.

Platinum and Diamond members also receive Avis Preferred Plus membership for car rentals. Status matches are available if you're an elite member of another hotel loyalty program. Read more: 11 credit cards that get you hotel elite status just by having them in your wallet.

Note that while in members only needed to stay seven nights to earn gold status, 15 nights to earn platinum status, and 25 nights to earn diamond status, starting in , you'll need to stay 10, 20, and 40 nights, respectively. If you've reached elite status by the end of you can rollover eligible nights that'll count toward next year's status, meaning you'll remain at your current elite status level through and have a leg up on reaching the next level.

Elite members will need to keep their accounts active by completing qualifying activities every 18 months — like earning or redeeming Choice Privileges points, using the Choice Privileges Visa Signature Card , or transferring flexible points to Choice — or else face the forfeiture of status and earned points.

Those with Choice Privileges elite status can earn benefits like bonus points, preferred parking, and late checkout and early check-in. If you're an elite member of another hotel loyalty program, you'll also be able to earn Diamond elite status with Choice Privileges after staying at least one night at a Cambria Hotels property thanks to the Diamond elite status jump perk.

Active duty, reserve, and retired military personnel automatically receive lifetime Gold elite status by signing up for a free Choice Privileges account — as well as 2, bonus points after their first points-eligible stay. Read more: The best credit cards for the military offer hundreds of dollars in perks, and active-duty members can have annual fees waived.

Check the Choice Privileges website to stay on top of bonus points promos. In the past, there have been promotions to earn 2x points on qualifying stays, and be sure to check for bonus points packages that let you pay a little more each night for an extra 1, or 2, Choice Privileges points.

If you don't plan on redeeming points for hotel stays, opt to earn points toward airline miles — just enter your frequent flyer info and set your points-earning preference to airline miles.

Note that airline miles cannot be earned by staying at all-inclusive resorts through the Ascend Hotel Collection or casino hotels through Penn National Gaming, Inc. Read more: Guide to the best airline credit cards. You can earn 5x points by booking qualifying rooms with more than 20 cruise lines through Choice Privileges Cruises , giving you access to perks like onboard spending allowances, instant savings, and discounts for additional guests.

You can also earn 1, Choice points by signing up for deliveries with Vinesse Wines plus 7x points on future shipments , or 50, Choice points by using Rocket Mortgage to refinance or purchase a home. Read more: Online shopping portals are an effortless way to earn bonus cash back and travel rewards — here's how they work.

Golf lovers can earn up to 10x points by booking tee times, 1, points by enrolling in Tathata's Golf Training Courses, and 3x to 6x per dollar by shopping for golf gear through the Golf by Choice program. Groups booking meetings and qualifying events at least 10 rooms booked on one night can earn 3x points per dollar up to , points per event on conference rooms, hotel accommodations, and on-property catering at participating Cambria hotels as part of the Planner Rewards program.

You can pick up bonus points by completing your first survey within three months of signing up for a free E-Rewards account. You can buy up to , Choice Privileges points for yourself — or up to , Choice Privileges points for friends and family members — per calendar year. Read more: Here's when I'm ok with using my hard-earned points and miles on friends and family — and when I'm not.

Note that this is the only way to give family and friends points, as the Choice Privileges program forbids points pooling and transfers between members.

It's a win-win when you refer a friend to join the Choice Privileges Program and they complete their first eligible stay. You'll each earn Choice points, plus it counts as a qualifying event to keep your account active.

Whether you're planning a romantic getaway, family vacation, dream honeymoon, or an epic solo trip, you can use Choice Privileges points to book everything from extended stays and roadside motels to luxury casino hotels and resorts on the beach. Here are some examples.

Read more: How to book an all-inclusive vacation with credit card rewards. Since redemption rates vary by hotel and date, you may end up with a great deal, especially if you value convenience over luxury.

Be aware that you can only reserve award stays that have a check-out date within days of your trip. And unlike other loyalty programs, there's no award chart and there are no categories, so you'll have to go through each hotel's website to see exactly how many points are needed for a free night.

Use the Points Plus Cash perk, available to Choice Privileges members with at least 6, points in their account, to pay with the points you have while essentially purchasing enough points to make up the difference. Select "Reward Points" under the special rate menu while searching for your hotel, choose the Points Plus Cash tab, then pay a set combination of points and cash, which will vary by hotel and date.

While these bookings won't earn you any points, you'll be refunded solely in Choice points if there's a cancellation. To redeem Choice Privileges points for flights, use the Choice Hotels Rewards Exchange to transfer them to airline partners at the following rates :. Note that you may need to call Customer Service at and provide them with your frequent flyer number to complete your airline redemption.

Those who prefer train travel can transfer 32, Choice Privileges points to get 5, Amtrak Guest Rewards points. Read more: If you have more points and miles than you know what to do with, consider donating them to charity. Note that you're limited to two gift card transactions within a hour period and they'll arrive in 2—4 weeks.

You can also redeem Choice points for tee times and other golf gear through the Golf by Choice program, or for magazine subscriptions for Real Simple, Cosmopolitan , and In Style , among other titles. Those wanting to join AARP can exchange 5, points for a one-year membership or 12, points for a three-year membership.

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This does not influence whether we feature a financial product or service. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the Personal Finance Insider team. We occasionally highlight financial products and services that can help you make smarter decisions with your money. Please note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed, or may no longer be available.

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