Choice Privileges Mastercard Review 2024

• Choice Privileges Mastercard Introduction
• Quick Facts
• What Is the Choice Privileges Mastercard Best For?
• Choice Privileges Mastercard Rewards
• Other Choice Privileges Mastercard Benefits
• Fine Print
• How the Choice Privileges Mastercard Stacks Up
• Is the Choice Privileges Mastercard for You?
• Methodology

Earning and redeeming credit card points for hotel nights with Choice is easier when you have the $0 annual fee Choice Privileges Mastercard. New card members can earn 40,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 in purchases within the first 3 months, which is enough to redeem for up to five reward nights at select Choice Hotels properties. The card earns 5 points per dollar at participating Choice Hotels properties, 3 points per dollar at gas stations, grocery stores, home improvement stores and phone plans from landline and cell phone providers and 1 point per dollar on other purchases.

In addition to Gold Elite status, you’ll get 10% bonus points every time you book a qualifying stay with Choice. The card also offers strong Mastercard World Elite benefits including cellphone protection of up to $800 against damage or theft (subject to a $25 deductible) when you pay your monthly wireless bill with the card.

• $0 annual fee
• Earn 5 points per dollar at participating Choice Hotels properties, 3 points per dollar at gas stations, grocery stores, home improvement stores and phone plans from landline and cell phone providers and 1 point per dollar on other purchases
• Earn 40,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 in purchases within the first 3 months, which is enough to redeem five reward nights at select Choice Hotels properties

The Choice Privileges® Mastercard®* is ideal for individuals who frequently stay at Choice Hotels properties, including brands like Comfort, Sleep Inn and Econo Lodge. It’s also worth a look if you have any upcoming stays planned.

It allows cardholders the opportunity to earn bonus rewards for stays and enjoy perks like elite status. Plus, the card doesn’t charge an annual fee or foreign transaction fees.

Earning Rewards

Rewards are easy to build up with the Choice Privileges® Mastercard®*. It offers a welcome bonus of 40,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 in purchases within the first 3 months—which is a low spending threshold for a welcome bonus compared to many other co-branded cards. The card earns 5 points per dollar at participating Choice Hotels properties, 3 points per dollar at gas stations, grocery stores, home improvement stores and phone plans from landline and cell phone providers and 1 point per dollar on other purchases.

Rewards come as Choice Privileges Rewards points, and many cards offer the ability to transfer into this program. American Express Membership Rewards® points can be transferred to Choice Privileges points at a 1:1 rate. Capital One miles also transfer to Choice Privileges at a rate of 1:1. The most rewarding partner is Citi ThankYou® Points, which transfer to Choice at a rate of 1:1.5 or 1:2 depending on which Citi card you hold.

Redeeming Rewards

From the practical Econo Lodge, Rodeway Inn and Comfort Inn and Suites brands, to the upscale Ascend Hotel Collection and Cambria Hotels, Choice Hotels’ vast property portfolio outnumbers IHG and rivals Hilton and should be considered by any global vacationer or business traveler.

Award stays can be booked with Choice Privileges Rewards. Notably, award stays can only be booked 100 days in advance or less. There is also a “Points Plus Cash” option which allows you to use points plus a cash copay for bookings.

Choice Hotels offers points transfers to varied partners that may change with the Choice Privileges Rewards Exchange at various rates. As of April 2024, partners offered are:

• Aeromexico Rewards
• Air Canada Aeroplan
• Air France-KLM Flying Blue
• Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
• Qantas Frequent Flyer
• Southwest Rapid Rewards
• Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
• United Airlines MileagePlus
• Virgin Australia Velocity Frequent Flyer

Rewards Potential

To determine the rewards potential of the Choice Privileges® Mastercard®*, we examine the card’s bonus categories and calculate what an example household might spend in those areas. Forbes Advisor uses data from various government agencies to determine annual expenses and spending averages across several categories. The 70th percentile of wage-earning households brings in $118,438 annually and we base spending on that number. We estimate the household to have $39,337 in annual credit card spending.

Choice Privileges® Mastercard®* Rewards Potential
Category	Earning Rate	Estimated Annual Spend	Estimated Annual Earnings
Hotels (Assuming All Choice Hotels)	5.1X	$2,858	14,575
Gas Stations, Groceries, Home Improvement Stores, Phone Plans (Landline and Cellphone)	3X	$13,017	39,051
All Other Purchases	1X	$23,462	23,462
			Total: 77,088 Choice Privileges Points

See MoreSee Less

• Choice Privileges Gold Elite status. As a Gold Elite member, you earn an additional 10% points bonus on spend at select Choice Hotels properties, receive early check-in and late checkout, park in reserved elite spaces and enjoy a welcome gift in the U.S and Canada.
• No foreign currency conversion fee. When you use your card for travel, you won’t pay a foreign currency conversion fee for purchases converted to U.S. dollars.
• Cellphone protection. Get up to $800 of cellphone protection against damage or theft when you pay your monthly cellphone bill with your Choice Privileges® Mastercard®* (subject to a $25 deductible).
• Mastercard World Elite benefits. World Elite benefits are broad and include Zero Liability Protection, ID Theft Protection, a once monthly $5 credit for every three rides taken with Lyft, free ShopRunner Membership and more.

Interest Rates

• Regular APR: 20.99% - 29.99% variable
• Purchase intro APR: N/A
• Balance transfer intro APR: N/A

Fees

• Annual fee: $0
• Balance transfer fee: 5% for each balance transfer, with a minimum of $5
• Foreign purchase transaction fee: $0

Choice Privileges® Mastercard®* vs. Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard®*

If you’re looking for a Choice Privileges card with stronger benefits and better earning potential, you may want to consider the Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard®*. While the card carries a $95 annual fee, it also unlocks some additional benefits, including 30,000 bonus points each card anniversary, Platinum Elite status and a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® credit. Also, you’ll earn 10 points per dollar at participating Choice Hotels properties, 5 points per dollar at gas stations, grocery stores, home improvement stores and phone plans from landline and cell phone providers and 1 point per dollar on other purchases.

Choice Privileges® Mastercard®* vs. IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card

If you’re looking for a different no annual fee hotel credit card option, consider the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card. The card carries a $0 annual fee, but you’ll earn up to 17 points per dollar spent at IHG Hotels & Resorts, 3 points on qualifying monthly bills, gas stations, select streaming services and restaurants and 2 points on all other purchases. You’ll also get a fourth night free when you book four consecutive nights with points at any IHG hotel.

Choice Privileges® Mastercard®* vs. Citi Double Cash® Card

The Citi Double Cash® Card is a $0 annual fee credit card that offers 2% cash back on all purchases—1% when purchases are made and another 1% when they’re paid off.

The Citi Double Cash® Card also comes with a solid balance transfer offer for new card members: 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months. After that, the standard variable APR will be 19.24% - 29.24%, based on creditworthiness. An intro balance transfer fee of either $5 or 3%, whichever is greater, applies to transfers completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, the fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).

The Citi Double Cash® Card earns flexible Citi ThankYou Points that can be redeemed for potentially greater value when transferred to travel transfer partners, including Choice Privileges, where it transfers at 1:1.5. This means the card effectively earns 3 Choice Privileges points for every single purchase if you pay off your balance and transfer points to Choice Privileges.

The Choice Privileges reward program is often overshadowed by larger hotel loyalty programs like Marriott Bonvoy, IHG One Rewards, Hilton Honors and World of Hyatt. But the Choice Privileges® Mastercard®* can be useful for stays at Choice Hotels.

The elevated earning rate when using the card at eligible properties is an easy way to maximize your dollars spent with Choice. Enhanced spending bonuses in common shopping categories such as gas stations and grocery stores make the card even more rewarding. Cellphone insurance and Mastercard World Elite benefits are the icing on the cake. This card merits a look if you are a regular at Choice hotels.

Forbes Advisor considers a variety of criteria when assigning credit cards a rating. Cards are graded based on numerous factors, including:

• Annual fees
• Welcome bonus offers
• Ongoing earning rates
• Value of individual points or miles
• Included travel or merchant credits
• Additional cardholder benefits

Card features we expect cardholders to use the most often are weighted more heavily in our ratings. Altogether, the factors come together to provide a star rating for each individual card.

Read more: How Forbes Advisor rates credit cards