22 Best Ways to Earn Lots of Choice Privileges Points [2021]
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Choice Hotels is one of the largest hotel chains — however, with a focus almost exclusively on value accommodations, you very rarely see its properties in travel magazines, blogs, and the like.
Unfortunately, many associate getting “excellent value” with booking ultra-luxe hotels, especially if you’re using points. To this regard, Choice Privileges is one of the most underrated hotel programs in the world.
And with 7,000+ hotels spread out across more than 40 countries — including a unique partnership with Preferred Hotels and Nordic Choice Hotels — it’s extremely easy to redeem Choice Privileges points for phenomenal value.
If you are somehow able to accumulate lots of Choice Privileges points, you’ll find yourself footing a much smaller hotel bill when you’re traveling — and that’s what this guide is for!
In this piece, we’ll be exploring the numerous different ways you can earn Choice Privileges points. Let’s get started!
Table of contents
Table of Contents
Earning Points With the Choice Privileges® Visa Signature® Card
In today’s day and age, the best ways to earn lots of points is actually on your everyday spending, not while staying at a hotel or flying on a plane.
Choice Privileges is no exception, but you’ll definitely need to create an account with Choice Hotels’ loyalty program before thinking about anything else.
Start by Joining Choice Privileges
Joining Choice Privileges is as easy as visiting this link and filling out the online form! After you submit the form and create an account, you’ll be redirected to your new account page, which includes your member number.
Whenever you have any activity with earning Choice Privileges points, you’ll want to make sure you include your Choice Privileges number so that points credit to your account.
Once you earn the points, you can redeem them for gift cards, hotel stays, or transfer them to airlines!
Choice Privileges Card Welcome Bonus Points
The best (and only) card to earn Choice Privileges points directly is the Choice Privileges card. This particular credit card is issued by Barclays, and it offers these benefits:
- A welcome bonus of 32,000 to 64,000 Choice Privileges points
- Choice Privileges Gold status after activation
- An anniversary bonus of 8,000 points every year after spending $10,000 or more on purchases
- Earn 15 points per $1 spent at eligible Choice hotels
- Earn 2 points per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Points never expire when you use your card (this means that any purchase on this card is a qualifying transaction to reset your points expiration timer)
- Your points will still expire if you just hold the card and never make any purchases
- $0 annual fee
As you’ll find out, holding this card is incredibly valuable because of the ability to enjoy a hefty welcome bonus, earn up to 15 points per dollar on just credit card spending alone, and never have your points expire.
Category Bonus Points
The most logical way to earn Choice Privileges points with credit cards is to make a transaction on the Choice Privileges card. And although you might not use this card daily, it makes sense to use it when you are planning on staying at a Choice Hotels property.
This card earns a whopping 15 points per dollar at almost all Choice Hotels properties, which is worth around 9 cents per dollar, according to our points and miles valuations.
This includes the 10 points per dollar you’ll earn when you book a stay at Choice Hotels, so the card earns you a surplus of 5 points per dollar. On all other purchases, you’ll earn 2 points per dollar, which is worth around 1.2%.
Bottom Line: Although the Choice Privileges card earns just 2 points per dollar on most purchases, you’ll earn up to 15 points per dollar at eligible Choice hotels — a fantastic deal worth around 9% back!
Account Anniversary Spending Bonus
The Choice Privileges card has a cardmember anniversary bonus whereby you can earn 8,000 bonus Choice Privileges points after spending $10,000 in purchases every cardmember year.
You can only earn this anniversary bonus once per cardmember year, so keep that in mind.
If you happen to put a lot of spend on this card, particularly at Choice Hotels, this is an excellent way to get extra value from your existing spending!
Earning Points With Other Credit Cards
Although the Choice Privileges card is the only credit card option to earn Choice Privileges points directly, it may not always make sense to earn Choice Privileges points, given the relatively lackluster earning power for non-Choice Hotels spend.
American Express Membership Rewards Credit Cards
Amex Membership Rewards is one of the most incredible rewards programs in the world. With so many transfer partners (including Choice Privileges!) and so many ways to redeem Amex points for amazing value, there’s a lot to love about Amex Membership Rewards. Plus, there are many ways to earn Amex points easily!
Although it doesn’t really make sense to transfer Amex points to Choice Privileges at its 1:1 ratio, it can make sense if you’re just short of a required amount for a specific redemption in mind.
Recommended Amex Cards (Personal)
| The Platinum Card® from American Express - There's currently a new welcome bonus offer of This is our #1 card for accessing 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Priority Pass (enrollment required). We leverage ~$3,000+ in benefits and perks from the card every year. Terms Apply. For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum card, click here. |
| American Express® Gold Card - This card has a new welcome bonus of We love using this card as it earns 4x points at Restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery, plus, earn 4X points for Uber Eats purchases too, and 4x points at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per calendar year; then 1x. Terms Apply). There's no better card in our opinion if you eat out and/or shop at supermarkets regularly; and you'll have access to many benefits and perks. For rates and fees of the Amex Gold card, click here. |
Recommended Amex Cards (Business)
| The Business Platinum Card® from American Express - Right now, there's a new welcome bonus of See how we get $4,000+ in value per year by leveraging many of the benefits & perks, including access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide. For rates & fees of the Business Platinum, click here. |
| American Express® Business Gold Card - one of our favorite Amex business cards because we earn 4x points across the top 2 select categories that we spend the most money in each month, such as Facebook or Google ads. The 4x points applies to the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these 2 categories each calendar year. After that, you earn 1x. Terms Apply. The current welcome bonus is 70,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $10,000 on eligible purchases within the first 3 months of Card Membership. For rates and fees of the Business Gold, click here. |
| The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express - A super simple, no annual fee card that earns you 2x points on everyday business purchase, up to $50,000 annually. After that, then 1x. That makes for an easy 100,000 points per year. For rates and fees of the Blue Business Plus, click here. |
Capital One Miles Credit Cards
Choice Privileges will become a 1:1 transfer partner of Capital One Miles in 2021 (date undetermined).
Recommended Capital One Cards (Personal)
| Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card - This card is packed with lots of benefits and perks. Earn 100,000 bonus miles when you spend $20,000 on purchases in the first 12 months from account opening, or still earn 50,000 mile sign up bonus once you spend $3,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening. We recommend this as a no-brainer card if you even semi-regularly stay at hotels. |
| Capital One® VentureOne® Rewards Credit Card - This is an excellent card for those looking to earn 1.25x miles per $1 on every purchase. With a 20,000 mile sign up bonus (worth $200 toward travel) after spending $500 within the first 3 months and no annual fee, it's a strong choice. |
Earning Points with Choice Privileges Activity
In this next section, we’ll touch on the top ways to easily earn points with direct activity at Choice Privileges.
Choice Hotels Stays
On base-level stays at Choice Hotels properties, you will earn 10 points per dollar spent, as long as you’re booking an eligible rate. There are a few exceptions and distinctions that must be made about which hotel rates aren’t eligible to earn points.
Hot Tip: A new alliance in 2021 with Penn National Gaming, Inc. will offer reciprocal earning and redemption benefits for Choice Privileges members and members of Penn’s mychoice loyalty program.
WoodSpring Suites aren’t eligible for points accrual at all. Plus, several regions do not participate:
- Asia-Pacific region (except for Japan)
- Caribbean
- Central America
- Europe (specific countries — Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden)
- Middle East
- Mexico
As you can see, there are quite a few regions that don’t allow you to earn Choice Privileges points. The following Choice Hotels rates are also ineligible to earn points:
- Rooms booked at rates below $40 per night
- Certain hotel-initiated promotions
- Reward night stays
- Complimentary rooms
- Points Plus Cash reservations
- Rooms paid for as part of a convention or meeting
- Rooms booked through a travel agent or third-party online retailer, including online travel agencies, wholesale packages, group tours, and stays booked using the employee discount or the friends, family, and associate account (except certain Egencia rate plans)
In essence, you can only earn points if you make a reservation through Choice Privilege’s toll-free express reservation line (800-521-2121), the program website, the mobile app, or directly with the hotel.
You may earn points for up to 4 rooms per night at the same hotel, but the rooms must be in your name and the reservations must include your Choice Privileges member number. You will only receive elite status bonus points on 1 room per stay, and you must stay in one of the rooms with the rooms paid in full to earn the points.
Bottom Line: Overall, it’s important to pay close attention to the terms and conditions of Choice Privileges to ensure you’re not missing out on earning any points! But doing so will guarantee you earn at least 10 points per dollar on eligible rates.
Bluegreen Vacations
Bluegreen Vacations is a vacation ownership and timeshare company based in Boca Raton, Florida. Bluegreen Vacations is the official vacation ownership partner of Choice Privileges.
There are currently approximately 40 Bluegreen Vacations properties, all of which fall into the broader Ascend Hotel Collection brand, which is one of the most upscale brands in the portfolio.
While Bluegreen Vacations isn’t currently participating in the Choice Privileges programs, you can earn Choice Privileges points by booking a special timeshare presentation stay.
These promotions are typically structured as a massively discounted hotel stay whereby you attend an approximately 2-hour sales presentation and tour of the property you’re booking.
Objectively speaking, this is an excellent deal — if you can sit through a persuasive sales pitch that lasts around 2 hours while you’re at the resort. There are a few criteria to qualify for these deals. You have to:
- Have at least $50,000 in gross annual household income (income requirement may be waived if you’re 62 or older)
- Have a minimum FICO credit score of 600
- Have not filed for bankruptcy or been adjudicated bankrupt or insolvent within the last 7 years
When you book your stay, you’ll usually be able to choose an extra bonus — a prepaid gift card or Choice Privileges points. And you can often get as much as 20,000 Choice Privileges points on top of an excellent deal for a resort stay.
Book All-Inclusive AMResorts
AMResorts is a collection of posh all-inclusive resorts spread out across Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean that offers a world of indulgence, including limitless dining options, luxurious accommodations, endless activities, live entertainment, unlimited premium drinks, and exceptional service.
With resorts ranging from adults-only to family-friendly and everything else in between, you’re bound to find a resort that fits your needs.
One of the best parts about this arrangement is that you’ll earn 10 points per dollar at these resorts as well, just like all other Choice Hotels! Additionally, there are often resort offers that will award you bonus points, up to 50,000 points in some instances!
These resort offers are some incredible deals that often include points, a free night, guaranteed room upgrade, welcome amenities, resort credits, and much more.
However, it’s important to note that you won’t receive any Your Extras or on-property elite status benefits when you book AMResorts stays.
Choice Privileges Elite Status Bonuses
Choice Privileges, just like most other hotel brands, has elite status/membership tiers that come with a slew of benefits. And although it’d be easy to see the immense value from its elite tiers, we’ll be focusing on the elite point bonus.
| Benefits | Member | Gold | Platinum | Diamond |
| Qualifying nights per calendar year | 0 to 6 | 7 to 14 | 15 to 24 | 25+ |
| Exclusive member rate | X | X | X | X |
| Your Extras | X | X | X | X |
| Double Your Extras and $10 Cambria Credit at Cambria Hotels | X | X | X | X |
| Elite point bonus | 10% | 25% | 60% | |
| Elite gift cards | X | X | X | |
| Early check in and late checkout | X | X | X | |
| Elite reserved parking | X | X | X | |
| Rollover nights | Up to 9 nights | Up to 19 nights | Up to 39 nights | |
| Elite customer hotline | X | X | X | |
| Elite welcome gift | X | X | X | |
| Avis Preferred Plus | X | X |
Depending on your specific Choice Privileges status level, you will earn elite bonus points on your stays. Currently, the elite point bonus is broken down as follows:
- Member (0-6 nights per calendar year): No bonus
- Gold (7-14 nights per calendar year): 10% bonus
- Platinum (15-24 nights per calendar year): 25% bonus
- Diamond (25 nights per calendar year): 60% bonus
As you can see, achieving top-tier Choice Privileges Diamond status is much easier than other hotel brands — it only requires 25 nights!
If you can swing that, you’ll receive a sweet 60% bonus on your points earnings. That means that you can earn up to 16 points per dollar on Choice Hotels stays, and that number goes up to 21 points per dollar if you have the Choice Privileges card.
Earning 21 points per dollar is equal to a 12.6% return, according to our valuations!
Choice Privileges for Business Meetings and Events
When you’re traveling with Choice Hotels, you can earn a ton of points by utilizing event-ready spaces at select U.S. and Canada properties for your meetings or events via the Choice Privileges Planner Rewards program.
You will earn 3 points per $1 on eligible charges, including meeting space, guest rooms, and food and beverages with no minimum spend requirement!
You can earn a maximum of 150,000 Choice Privileges points through this program, which equates to a maximum of $50,000 in spending as a meeting planner.
“Qualifying Events” are at least 10 rooms on a single night reserved by the meeting planner. Whether you’re booking a wedding, sports travel, or corporate travel, you’ll rest assured that your transactions will earn Choice Privileges points.
You’ll also have the convenience of using the Choice Hotels Group Management Platform, which allows you to easily manage, edit, and review reservations in 1 place when you book 10+ rooms.
Hot Tip: Don’t book your next big event until you see what kind of bonus points you could be earning at major hotels worldwide! We’ll show you how to maximize your earnings in our article on how to earn points and status by holding business events.
Choice Privileges Car Rental Partners
Choice Privileges has exclusive partnerships with car rental companies. And while the list may grow or shrink from time to time, its main car rental partners are Avis and Budget.
When you book your Avis or Budget car rental, you have the potential to enjoy 2 unique benefits:
- A discount off of your base rate (up to 30% off)
- The ability to earn Choice Privileges points on your rental (up to 2,000 points)
To book your car rental with Avis, you will need to enter the Avis Worldwide Discount number O418908 and coupon number MUHA009 to receive the discount.
To book your car rental with Budget, you will need to enter the Avis Worldwide Discount number T134904 and coupon number MUHZ003 to receive the discount.
Choice Privilege Cruises
Choice Privileges Cruises is a partnership with Cruise411 whereby you can book cruises directly and earn Choice Privileges points. You can book cruises on the following partners:
- Carnival Cruise Line
- Celebrity Cruises
- Disney Cruise Line
- Norwegian Cruise Line
- Princess Cruises
- Royal Caribbean International
You’ll earn 5 Choice Privileges points per dollar spent on Choice Privilege Cruises, plus any other available deals like cruise credits, discounts, and more.
Hot Tip: Earning points is great, but make sure you’re getting the best deal! We detail the best websites to book cruises at the cheapest prices.
Earn Points With Special Offers
Golf by Choice
Golf by Choice is a unique program set up by Choice Privileges to use and earn Choice Privileges points for golf-related activities. There are 3 main areas where you can earn Choice Privileges points:
- Shopping for golf equipment and apparel
- Booking tee times
- Using golf apps
To find the Golf by Choice shop, you’ll need to follow these steps:
- Visit the Golf by Choice website
- Click the orange button that says Sign In
- Enter your Choice Privileges login information
- You’ll be redirected to the Golf by Choice catalog, where you can shop for golf merchandise
You can buy anything from golf clubs to shoes and even apparel. You’ll earn 4 Choice points per dollar with every Golf by Choice purchase.
You can also earn Choice points by booking tee times. To do this, you’ll want to follow the steps above to shop for golf merchandise, then:
- Scroll down to the GolfNow section
- Click the button that says Reserve Now
- Book tee times as you wish
When you book tee times any various courses around the world, you can earn 4 Choice points per dollar.
Lastly, you’ll be able to earn 250 Choice Privileges points when you sign up for either the GolfLogix’s GPS app or the $49.99 annual subscription — if you do both you’ll earn 500 points total! And with the Tathatha Golf app’s $199.99 annual membership, you will receive 1,000 points.
All golf-related points will be posted within 45 days of your purchase.
Shop at the Choice Privileges Online Mall
Choice Privileges has a merchandise portal called the Choice Privileges Mall, where you can shop at select retailers, including tons of nationwide brands like Apple, Saks Fifth Avenue, Home Depot, and more.
When you sign in to your Choice Privileges account and shop here, you’ll earn bonus points.
You will only earn an additional 2 Choice Privileges points per dollar on transactions here by using your Choice Privileges card, so be aware of that.
Bottom Line: Don’t miss an opportunity to earn points with a few extra clicks when shopping online. Read more in our guide to how to use the Choice Hotels shopping portal to earn more points.
Get Rewarded With Quicken Loans
By closing on a new home loan or refinancing your existing mortgage with Quicken Loans in partnership with Choice Privileges, you can earn 50,000 Choice Privileges points!
You can visit this Quicken Loans link for more information.
Shop for Flowers at 1-800-Flowers.com
When you shop for fresh flowers at 1-800-Flowers.com’s Choice Privileges link, you will earn 15 points per dollar spent here. All you have to do is provide your Choice Privileges number when you check out!
Shop for Gourmet Gift Baskets at 1-800-BASKETS.com
If flowers aren’t a common purchase in your life, you can also earn lots of Choice Privileges points for purchasing gourmet treats at 1-800-BASKETS.com.
You’ll earn 15 points per dollar spent here. Simply quote your Choice Privileges number during the checkout process to earn your points.
Join Vinesse’s American Cellars Wine Club
When you join Vinesse’s subscription club, the American Cellars Wine Club, you can earn 1,000 Choice Privileges points with your first shipment.
After that, you can earn 7 points per dollar spent on subsequent shipments!
Convert to Choice Privileges Points
Choice Privileges has a couple of unique transfer partners that can be useful if you happen to earn the right types of points.
Diners Club International
If you have any Diners Club cards that earn Club Rewards points, you can transfer your Club Rewards points to Choice Privileges at a ratio of 1,250:2,400.
To do this, you’ll need to either visit the Club Rewards website and log in or call 800-234-4034 and inform the representative of your name, your Choice Privileges number, and the number of points you want to transfer.
Amtrak Guest Rewards
Amtrak Guest Rewards is the loyalty program of Amtrak, and if you have Amtrak Guest Rewards Select, Select Plus, or Select Executive status, you can transfer your Amtrak points to Choice Privileges at a ratio of 5,000:15,000.
Other Ways to Earn Choice Privileges Points
There are a couple of miscellaneous ways to earn Choice Privileges points that we’ll discuss below.
Refer a Friend to Choice Privileges
By referring your friends to Choice Privileges, you can earn 500 points after they complete their first points-eligible stay. Plus, they will earn 500 points after their first points-eligible stay is completed, too!
Take Surveys With e-Rewards and Earn Choice Privileges Points (Currently Not Open to New Members)
e-Rewards is a survey platform that allows you to earn Choice Privileges points for providing your opinions.
500 bonus points are available to new members who complete their first survey within 3 months of enrolling. After that, the earning structure is different.
While e-Rewards is currently not open to new members, there’s a strong possibility that this will be restored in the near future!
Buy or Gift Points
The very last method to earn Choice Privileges points is to simply buy them! You can buy or gift up to 180,000 points before any bonuses. Currently, the purchase price is anywhere from 0.99 cents per point to 1.21 cents per point.
If you buy 1,000 to 4,000 points, you will pay 1.21 cents per point. If you buy 5,000 to 9,000 points, you will pay 1.1 cents per point. If you buy 10,000 to 180,000 points, you will pay 0.99 cents per point.
Also, Choice Privileges has, in the past, offered a bonus of up to 50% when purchasing points, so you’ll definitely want to wait for one of these promotions if possible because this can reduce your price to as little as 0.73 cents per point!
We generally don’t recommend this method, but it can be worth it if you need to top up your balance for a redemption.
Final Thoughts
There are tons of different ways to earn Choice Privileges points. From spending on the co-branded Choice Privileges card to booking stays at Choice Hotels and even downloading golf apps, there are tons of unique ways to rack up a respectable balance of Choice Privileges points.
Hopefully, you found this guide useful to show you some of the more out-of-the-box ways to earn Choice Privileges points. Happy earning!
For rates and fees of the Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Business Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Business Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, click here.
I used to love e-Rewards and used them heavily, till they screwed me over, closing my account on bogus allegations. I wish I could find a site with surveys for CP points that was as good as theirs was.
I’m having issues with them too. I’ve been taking surveys for a few years and now I can’t get any surveys to load. I asked for help but they keep telling me it is a problem with my computer but I haven’t changed any settings on my devices. Very frustrating. Sad, but I’m glad to hear that I’m not the only one that is having issues with them. I’m at my wits end!! I will miss the CP points, SWA points, and gift cards!