Choice Privileges^® Visa Signature^® Card — Full Review [2024]

Update:The Choice Privileges^® Visa Signature^® Card is no longer available for new applicants. The Choice Privileges^® Mastercard^® and Choice Privileges^® Select Mastercard^® are currently available.

Great Card If

• You are a frequent traveler
• You enjoy staying at Choice Hotels
• You want the opportunity to earn a ton of points

Don’t Get If

• You prefer staying at hotels outside the Choice portfolio
• You want to earn frequent flyer miles

Earning Categories, and Points

Earn 15x points at participating Choice Privileges locations (10x points as a member of the Choice Privileges loyalty program plus 5x points for using the Choice credit card to pay).

Buy additional points or Choice Hotels gift cards and get 5x points per dollar. All other purchases are worth 2x points.

The Choice Privileges program works like most loyalty programs. You can redeem points for complimentary nights, upgrades, and a variety of other rewards.

Points don’t expire as long as you use them every 18 months. There’s no limit to how many points you can earn and no blackout dates either.

The card also comes with an introductory APR offer for balance transfers. If you have other cards with higher interest rates, transferring balances can save you big!

Bottom Line: Get a decent sign-up bonus, earn 2x-15x points for purchases, and enjoy an intro rate on balance transfers with the Choice Privileges card.

Elite Status and Anniversary Bonus Points

As a card holder, you are automatically awarded Gold elite status. Otherwise, you would need to stay 10 nights in a calendar year to qualify.

With Gold status, you can book free award nights 50 days in advance and earn 10% bonus points on eligible stays!

Also, every year that you spend at least $10,000 on your card by your account anniversary date, you get 8,000 bonus points!

Bottom Line: Get automatic Gold status and benefits with the Choice Privileges card. Plus, earn 8,000 points for spending $10K before your anniversary date.

Choice Privileges Program

The new Choice Privileges program is designed to help you earn free nights, instant rewards, and dream getaways quickly and easily.

Members get exclusive rates, including at least 2% off the hotel’s best available rate. Book stays at the following Choice Hotel brands directly at choicehotels.com or through the Choice Hotels mobile app:

Check out Choice Privileges rules and regulations here.

Bottom Line: Choice Privileges program members receive exclusive rates, and when you use your Choice Privileges card for stays you will get additional points for your stay!

Best Way To Maximize Choice Privileges Points

The trick to getting the most value out of the Choice Privileges card is to use it in as many ways as possible. For example, you can earn 10 points per dollar (plus card points) when you book a vacation rental.

Choose from villas, condos, homes, cabins!

The following are other strategies you can use to earn more Choice points:

Tip #1: Get airline rewards for each qualifying hotel stay. You must provide your membership number for the airline frequent flyer program at check-in.

The table below shows Choice Privileges airline partners participating in the program.

See terms and conditions for more information.

Tip #2: Earn Amtrak Guest Rewards points when you stay at a Choice Hotel. Pick one of 2 options:

(1) Earn a straight 250 Amtrak Guest Rewards points (and no Choice Privileges points).

-or-

(2) Use “Your Extras” to earn both Choice Privileges points AND 100 Amtrak Guest Rewards points on qualifying stays.

“Your Extras” provides instant bonus perks when traveling midweek. These bonuses are in addition to any points or promotions. Use them for your current stay or save them for later.

In addition to Amtrak Guest Rewards, you can choose from the following options:

See here for Canadian and International options.

Choose your “Extra” preference in your online account under the “Your Extras” tab. (You MUST make the choice before check-in and cannot change your preference for that stay.)

Then, book a midweek stay (Sunday-Thursday nights).

Tip #3: Take a cruise to earn points. For a limited time, get 5 Choice Privilege points per dollar on over 155 ships and more than 20 different cruise lines. See here for additional details.

Tip #4: Transfer or Exchange Points from Choice Privileges partner programs.

Tip #5: Shop the Online Mall and earn at least 1 point per dollar for all purchases. There are more than 900 participating retailers.

Tip #6: Become a member of other partner programs such as LifeLock, e-Rewards, or Vinesse Wine Club and earn points. Close on a new home loan or finance an existing mortgage by June 2017 and receive 50,000 bonus points!

Tip #7: Need more points? You can buy them! Purchase up to 50,000 points per year and then redeem them for Choice Privileges Rewards.

Best Way To Redeem Choice Privileges Points

The redemption system for the Choice Privileges card can be a little confusing. Let’s take a closer look at your opportunities for redemption.

Option #1: Redeem points for digital gift cards through ChoiceHotels.com or the mobile app. Gift cards will be sent to your email address within 48 hours.

Redeem 16,000 points for a $50 gift card to over 80 restaurants and retailers. You can even give the card to someone else.

“Experiential Rewards” are also available for race car driving, dinner cruises, spa days, and more.

Option #2: With a minimum of 5,000 points, you can shop with any of the following online vendors:

Option #3: Gift points to friends and family. Each cardholder can give up to 50,000 points annually.

Option #4: Redeem points for magazine subscriptions at the Mags for Points website.

Option #5: Redeem points to make a cash donation to a charitable organization. Find a complete list of participating organizations here.

Option #6: Transfer points to airline miles for domestic and international travel.

Soon cardholders will be able to initiate transfers online, but for now you’ll need to call 888-770-6800. Allow 2-6 weeks for transferred miles to post.

Option #7: Redeem points for cruise credit on over 155 ships and 22 different cruise lines.

Credit will be used toward the purchase of your cruise. Call 800-596-0451 for details and to book your cruise.

Option #8: Enjoy Free Reward Nights for 6,000 to 35,000 points (75,000 in Australia). There are more than 1,500 hotels that require 8,000 or fewer points. No blackout dates apply.

Flex Rewards. Get free nights for fewer points during the week or on weekends when you take advantage of Flex Rewards. Redeem points for discounted reward nights at more than 1,500 properties.

When you log into the Choice Privileges site, you’ll be able to see the number of points needed for a free night by date on each hotel property page. Choose “Special Rate” from the drop-down menu to select “Choice Privileges Reward Night.”

Option #9: Don’t have enough points for a Reward Night? Just use Points Plus Cash and combine 6,000 points with cash instead. Points Plus Cash is available at any property that offers Reward Night point levels of at least 8,000 per night.

You can’t earn Choice Privileges points, airline miles, or Amtrak Guest Rewards points for Points Plus Cash stays. The maximum number of points you can purchase through Points Plus Cash per calendar year is 250,000.

Option #10: Save points by booking Flexible Free Nights at participating Choice Hotels. The number of points needed to redeem for this offer varies depending on the day of the week.

Book through ChoiceHotels.com, use the mobile app, or call 800-4CHOICE.