Great Card If
- You frequent Choice hotels multiple times per year.
- You know you’ll get more value than the annual fee.
Don’t Get If
- You want a card that earns flexible rewards.
- You seldom stay at Choice hotels.
Choice Privileges Select Card: Is It Worth It?
If you visit Choice hotels fairly often and want more value from these stays, then the Choice Privileges Select card could be a strong fit.
With it, you earn 10 points per $1 on participating Choice stays and receive automatic Platinum Elite status (which earns 25% bonus points), 30,000 bonus points each anniversary, a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit, cell phone protection, and more.
Choice Privileges Select Card: Top Benefits
Platinum Elite Status
By holding the Choice Privileges Select card, you receive automatic Platinum Elite status in the Choice Privileges loyalty program, which usually requires 20 elite qualifying nights each year.
With your Platinum Elite status, you receive:
- 25% bonus points (12.5 points per $1)
- Up to 19 elite rollover nights per calendar year
- Welcome gift at participating hotels in the U.S. and Canada
- Early check-in and late checkout, when available, at participating hotels
- Elite reserved parking, when available, at participating hotels
- Avis Preferred Plus status
Fast Track Elite Status With Card Spend
Cardholders can earn Elite Qualifying Credits for their day-to-day spend on their card to help them achieve higher levels of Choice Privileges elite status.
For example, if you wanted to increase the Platinum status that comes with your card to Diamond status, which comes with added perks like 50% bonus points and complimentary breakfast, you’d either need to earn 35 elite qualifying nights or use your card to help you earn 70,000 elite qualifying credits.
Anniversary Bonus Points
By holding the card, you receive 30,000 bonus points each year on your account anniversary, enough for a free night at any Choice hotel worldwide. We value Choice points at 0.6 cents per point, making 30,000 points worth $180. That easily offsets the card’s ongoing annual fee ($95), in our book.
Global Entry or TSA PreCheck Credit
You receive an application fee credit when you enroll for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck and pay with your Choice Privileges Select card.
If you’re unfamiliar with it, TSA PreCheck provides an expedited security experience at U.S. airports. Global Entry provides an expedited customs experience when you enter the U.S. from abroad, and it includes TSA PreCheck, so we always recommend travelers apply for Global Entry.
Cell Phone Protection
When you pay your cell phone bill with the Choice Privileges Select card, you receive up to $800 of cell phone protection toward accidental damage, with a $25 deductible and a maximum of 2 paid claims per 12-month period.
How To Earn and Redeem Choice Privileges Points
The best way to earn more Choice Privileges points is to use your card for as many purchases as possible, especially in the everyday bonus categories of gas stations, grocery stores, home improvement stores, and phone plan services.
But better yet, you earn 10x points on your Choice stays when you pay with your card, in addition to the 12.5 points you earn per $1 spent at Choice hotels thanks to your Platinum Elite status. That’s a total of 22.5 points per $1 spent.
Without question, the best way to redeem Choice points is for Choice hotel stays. We value Choice Privileges points at 0.6 cents per point, but you can get more value than that. If you need ideas on where to book your next vacation, read through our guide on the best ways to redeem Choice points.
Alternative Cards to the Choice Privileges Select Card
For a $95 annual fee, you could add a card that earns transferable miles with many airline and hotel partners, including Choice, and offers multiple additional redemption options.
Plus, the Capital One Venture card earns 5x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 2 miles per $1 on all other purchases. Additionally, it offers a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit.
Another card that you can transfer the points you earn with it to Choice is the Citi Strata Premier card. This ThankYou Points-earning card is great for travel and everyday expenses. Cardholders earn 10x points on hotels, rental cars, and attractions booked through Citi Travel, 3x points on airfare and non-Citi Travel hotel bookings, restaurants, grocery stores, and gas and EV charging stations.
Citi ThankYou Points are transferable to many airline and hotel programs, in addition to Choice, such as American Airlines AAdvantage and JetBlue TrueBlue. The Citi Strata Premier card also offers $100 off a $500 hotel stay booked through Citi Travel each year, no foreign transaction fees, and travel protection benefits, such as trip delay protection and lost or damaged luggage coverage.
