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

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Alex Miller
Alex Miller's image

Alex Miller

Founder & CEO

301 Published Articles

Countries Visited: 34U.S. States Visited: 29

Founder and CEO of Upgraded Points, Alex is a leader in the industry and has earned and redeemed millions of points and miles. He frequently discusses the award travel industry with CNBC, Fox Business...
Edited by: Kellie Jez
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Kellie Jez

Director of Operations & Compliance

6 Published Articles 1237 Edited Articles

Countries Visited: 10U.S. States Visited: 20

Kellie’s professional experience has led her to a deep passion for compliance, data reporting, and process improvement. Kellie’s learned the ins and outs of the points and miles world and leads UP’s c...

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Choice Privileges® Visa Signature® Card

Choice Privileges® Visa Signature® Card

U.P. Rating
The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.
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  • $0

  • 16.99%, 21.74%, or 26.74% variable

Choice Privileges® Visa Signature® Card

For those who frequent Choice Hotels, this card offers the opportunity to accumulate points quickly. Points can be redeemed for free stays, gift cards, and more.

U.P. Rating
The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.
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Summary

You love to travel, and your favorite place to stay when you’re away is always a hotel from the Choice Portfolio.

With more than 6,300 hotels to choose from in over 35 countries, it’s easy to find a room you’ll love no matter where you go.

Sign up for the Choice Privileges® Visa Signature® Card, and you’ll earn loads of points on your stays. Plus, you’ll earn points on all of your everyday purchases too!

Redeem those points for rewards like additional night stays and more. All for doing something you do anyway!

Card Details

Card Snapshot

Welcome Bonus & Info

  • 8,000 anniversary bonus points every year you spend $10,000 or more on purchases with your card by your account anniversary date – enough points for up to 1 FREE NIGHT!
  • 2 points per $1 spent on everyday purchases
  • 15 points per $1 spent at eligible Choice Privileges locations with your Choice Privileges® Visa® Signature Card and Choice Privileges membership
  • 5 points per $1 spent on eligible purchases of Choice Privileges points or Choice Hotels gift cards

Customer Service Number

302-255-8990

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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:

  • Ascend Hotel Collection
  • Cambria Suites
  • Clarion Hotel
  • Comfort Inn
  • Comfort Suites
  • EconoLodge
  • Mainstay Suites
  • Quality Inn
  • Quality Inn
  • Rodeway Inn
  • Sleep Inn
  • Suburban Hotels

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.

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North American Airline Partners

International Airline Partners

Aeroplan: 500 miles/stay

AirBerlin TopBonus: Up to 500 miles/stay

American Airlines AAdvantage: 250 miles/stay

Czech Airlines OK Plus: 250 miles/stay

Aeromexico Rewards: 250 miles (400 km)/stay

Air New Zealand Airpoints – varies

Southwest Rapid Rewards: 1,200 points/stay

Qantas – varies

Free Spirit Spirit Airlines: 250 miles/stay

Velocity Frequent Flyer – varies

Alaska Mileage Plan: 250 miles/stay

 

United MileagePlus: 250 miles/stay

 

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:

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Reward Options

 

500 Choice Privileges points

100 airline miles

fuel rewards ($0.20 per gallon)

$2.50 Amazon credit

$5 coffee card

$2.50 Uber trip discount

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.

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Transfer…

And Receive…

1,000 Membership Rewards

1,000 Choice Privileges points

5,000 Amtrak Guest Rewards

15,000 Choice Privileges points

1,250 Diners Club/Club Rewards

2.400 Choice Privileges points

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:

  • Amazon
  • Club Penguin
  • E-Campus
  • Facebook
  • Heels.com
  • Runescape
  • Vudu
  • World Golf Tour
  • iTunes

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.

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Airline

Transfer Ratio

Aeromexico Rewards, AirBerlin TopBonus, Air Canada Aeroplan, Alaska Mileage Plan, American Airlines AAdvantage, Czech Airlines OK Plus, Spirit Airlines Free Spirit, United MileagePlus

5,000 pts = 1,000 miles

Southwest Rapid Rewards

5,000 pts = 1,800 Rapid Rewards points

Air New Zealand Airpoints

20,000 pts = 50 Airpoints

Virgin Australia Velocity Frequent Flyer

20,000 pts = 3,000 Frequent Flyer points

Qantas Frequent Flyer

20,000 points = 3,000 Frequent Flyer points

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

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Choice Privileges Points

Cruise Credit

85,000

$250

160,000

$500

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.

The information regarding the Choice Privileges® Visa Signature® Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Choice Privileges card? Is it worth it?

The card allows you to earn points for purchases and redeem them for rewards in the Choice Privileges program.

Earn 15 points per dollar for stays at Choice Hotels as a Choice Privileges member and Choice credit card holder.

Also, earn 5 points per dollar for purchasing Choice Hotels’ gift cards and 2 points per dollar for all other purchases.

Because it is a Visa Signature card, you receive a variety of shopping, entertainment, and travel perks, including $0 fraud liability and access to concierge service 24/7.

If you stay at Choice Hotels on a regular basis, you can find considerable value from the card.

Is there an annual fee for the Choice Privileges card?

No, the card does not have an annual fee.

Does the Choice Privileges card have a sign-up bonus?

Yes, typically it does. See the card summary table above for the current sign-up bonus info.

Is there a 0% introductory APR offer with the Choice Privileges card?

Yes, typically. See the card summary table for the current offer.

How do I enroll in the Choice Privileges reward program?
How do you redeem points for rewards with the Choice Privileges card?

To redeem points for rewards, log into your Choice Privileges account. You can find out which redemption options you qualify for and make the redemptions from your account.

Where can I view my Choice Privileges statements?

Access your online account to see your Choice Privileges statements. Click on “Stay Activity” to select the statement period you would like to view, and then click “Go.”

Do points earned with the Choice Privileges card expire?

Points don’t expire as long as you are an active Choice Privileges member. You must have at least 1 qualifying activity every 18 months to maintain active status and retain accumulated points.

Are there travel partners associated with the Choice Privileges Rewards Program?

The Choice Hotels include the following: Quality Inn, Sleep Inn, Ascend Hotel Collection, Suburban Hotels, Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Mainstay Suites, Clarion Hotel, Suburban Hotels, EconoLodge, Cambria Suites, and Rodeway Inn.

North American Airline Partners include: United, Alaska Airlines, Southwest, Club Premier, Spirit Airlines, American Airlines, and Aeroplan.

International Airline Partners include: AirBerlin, Czech Airlines, Qantas, Virgin Australia Velocity, and Air New Zealand.

Is there a foreign transaction fee for using the card internationally?

Yes, there is a 3% foreign transaction fee when you make international purchases.

Which is better, the Choice Privileges card or the Barclays Rewards MasterCard®?

The Barclays Rewards MasterCard® earns 2 points per dollar for gas, utilities, and grocery store purchases, plus 1 point per dollar for all other purchases. It does not have a sign-up bonus.

The Choice Privileges card earns 15 points per dollar for Choice Hotel stays, 5 points per dollar for purchases of Choice Hotel points and gift cards, and 2 points per dollar for all other purchases.

The decision about which card is better needs to be made based on how often you stay at Choice Hotels and whether you want a card that helps you rebuild credit, like the Barclays Rewards MasterCard®.

What is the login for the Choice Privileges card?

Log in to your account at the Barclays website.

Alex Miller's image

About Alex Miller

Founder and CEO of Upgraded Points, Alex is a leader in the industry and has earned and redeemed millions of points and miles. He frequently discusses the award travel industry with CNBC, Fox Business, The New York Times, and more.

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