Your Simple Guide To Choice Hotels Points

Hotel Rewards Calculators
Whether you're a frequent traveler or just starting out, this guide to Choice Hotels Rewards Points and our point calculators will help you get the most out of your stays.
Last Updated 2023-05-19 By R.Flowers III

Choice Hotels Points: Quick Overview

Earning Choice Hotels Points: Choice Hotels points can be earned booking stays at Choice brand hotels, spending with travel partners, using credit cards, cruising, dining out, and golfing. You can also buy points to top off your account.

Ways To Redeem Choice Hotels Points: Choice Hotels points can be redeemed for free night awards, cruises, gift cards, magazine subscriptions, and golf equipment & tee times.

Choice Hotels Points Value: Based on our valuations, Choice Hotels points are worth 0.6 cents apiece. This means 10,000 points are equal to $60 in hotel value.

Choice Hotels Transfer Partners: Choice Hotels points can be transferred to 9 programs which includes United MileagePlus, Air Canada Aeroplan, Alaska Mileage Plan, and Aeromexico Club Premier.

Choice Credit Card Partners: American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards and Capital One Venture Rewards & Spark Rewards.

Choice Hotels points value

How much are Choice Hotels points worth? About 0.6 cents per point when used for free nights at Choice brand hotels. This means that 10,000 points are equal to about $60 in value.

Here's our valuations for Choice Hotels Points:

Redemption options Redemption value in cents
Award Nights 0.6
Gift Cards 0.31
Cruises 0.31

How to earn Choice Hotels points

Choice Hotels points are primarily earned booking paid stays at Choice brand hotels. You can also earn points using credit cards, booking vacation homes, staying at select casino hotels and resorts, renting cars with Avis and Budget, and buying points directly from Choice.

Book hotel stays

When you book stays at Choice brand hotels, you'll earn 10 points for every $1 spent on the base cost of the hotel.

  • Ascent Hotel Collection
  • Cambria Hotels
  • Comfort
  • Sleep Inn
  • Clarion
  • Clarion Pointe
  • Quality Inn
  • MainStay Suites*
  • Everhome Suites*
  • Woodspring Suites
  • Suburban Studios*
  • EconoLodge
  • Rodeway Inn

*After staying 7 nights at these extended stay properties, you will only earn 5 points per $1 spent. Point earning is capped at 30 nights.

On top of that, you will also be able to earn bonus points based on your status in the Choice Privileges program.

Here's how many Choice Hotels points each status level earns per dollar spent:

  • Member: 10 points per $1 spent (base).
  • Gold: 11 points per $1 spent (10% bonus).
  • Platinum: 12.5 points per $1 spent (25% bonus).
  • Diamond: 15 points per $1 spent (50% bonus).

You can then add yet another layer of points by using a Choice credit card to pay for your stay. Combining base points, elite status points, and credit card points, you can earn up to 25 Choice Hotels points per $1 spent just by booking stays at Choice brand hotels.

Book vacation homes

Bluegreen Vacations® is the official vacation ownership partner of Choice Hotels. You can use them to earn points for stays at cabins, resort, and other types of lodging at popular destinations.

These properties generally feature spacious bedrooms, private patios/balconies, separate dining and living areas, full kitchens with cookware and utensils, and more.

Book casino hotels and resorts

Choice Hotels partners with several casino hotel and resort brands in which you can earn 10 points per $1 spent on your stays. This includes Hollywood Casino, Ameristar, Boomtown, L’Auberge Casino, and several more.

Use Choice credit cards

Choice offers two co-branded credit cards that allows you to earn points on everyday spending. These cards are solid options if you're looking for benefits or you want to maximize your purchases made at Choice Hotel properties.

Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard®

Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard®
  • Earn 10X points on stays at participating Choice Hotels® properties plus on Choice Privileges point purchases, 5X points on purchases at gas stations, grocery stores, home improvement stores and phone plan services, and 1X points on all other purchases.
  • Earn 30,000 bonus points every account anniversary, receive 20 Elite night credits qualifying for at least Platinum level status each calendar year, up to $100 towards a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee, and up to $800 of cell phone protection against damage or theft when you pay your monthly cell phone bill with your card.
  • $99 annual fee, waived the first year.

Choice Privileges® Mastercard®

Choice Privileges® Mastercard®
  • Earn 5X points on stays at participating Choice Hotels® properties plus on Choice Privileges point purchases, 3X points on purchases at gas stations, grocery stores, home improvement stores and phone plan services, and 1X points on all other purchases.
  • Receive 10 Elite night credits qualifying for at least Gold level status each calendar year and up to $800 of cell phone protection against damage or theft when you pay your monthly cell phone bill with your card.
  • $0 annual fee.

Transfer points to Choice Hotels

Choice is a direct transfer partner of Capital One Venture Rewards & Spark Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and AMEX Membership Rewards. This gives you a small handful of additional credit cards that you can use to quickly build up your Choice Hotel points via intro bonuses as well as on everyday spending.

Citi ThankYou Rewards

Citi ThankYou Rewards points can be transferred to Choice Privileges at a 1:2 ratio if you have the Citi Premier® Card. This means every 1,000 Citi points you transfer will give you 2,000 Choice Hotel points. This makes the Citi ThankYou Rewards program the best option for earning Choice Hotel points on everyday spending.

Here are the credit cards that earn ThankYou Rewards points:

Credit Card Highlights
Citi Premier® Card
Citi Premier® Card
Best For Everyday Spending & Travel
  • Earn an unlimited 3X points on restaurant, supermarket, gas station, hotel, and air travel purchases
  • Earn 1X points on all other purchases
  • Receive an annual $100 credit on any $500+ hotel stay booked through the ThankYou.com portal
  • As a Citi Premier cardholder, transfer ThankYou Points to all of Citi's airline and hotel partners
  • $95 annual fee
Citi Rewards+® Card
Citi Rewards+® Card
Best For 10% Point Rebate
  • Earn 2X points on the first $6,000 spent at supermarkets and gas stations per year, then 1X.
  • Earn 1X points on all other purchases
  • Purchases made to the card will be rounded up to the nearest 10
  • Redeeming your ThankYou Points will earn you 10% of your points back into your account
  • $0 annual fee
Citi® Double Cash Card
Citi® Double Cash Card
Best For 2% Back
  • Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases
  • No annual fee
Citi Custom Cashâ„  Card
Citi Custom Cashâ„  Card
Best For Automatically Maximizing Rewards
  • Earn 5% back on your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, on up to the first $500 spent (then 1%)
  • Earn an unlimited 1% back on all other purchases
  • No annual fee

Capital One Miles

Capital One Venture miles and Spark miles can be transferred to Choice Privileges at a 1:1 ratio. This means that every 1,000 Venture miles or 1,000 Spark miles you transfer will give you 1,000 Choice Hotel points.

Here are the credit cards you can use to earn Capital One miles:

Credit Card Highlights
Best Premium Card For Unlimited Miles
  • Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.
  • Earn 10X Miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
  • Earn 5X Miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel
  • Earn an unlimited 2X Miles on all other purchases
  • Receive a $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel
  • 10,000 bonus miles annually starting on your first anniversary (worth $100 towards travel)
  • Access to Capital One Lounges and Priority Pass Lounges
  • Up to $100 towards a Global Entry or TSA Precheck application fee
  • $395 annual fee
Best For Unlimited 2X Miles
  • Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.
  • Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
  • Earn an unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
  • Two complimentary lounge visits per year to Capital One Lounges or Plaza Premium Lounges
  • Up to $100 towards a Global Entry or TSA Precheck application fee
  • $95 annual fee
Best For No Annual Fee
  • Earn a bonus of 20,000 miles once you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $200 in travel.
  • Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
  • Earn an unlimited 1.25X miles on all other purchases
  • No annual fee
Best Business Card For Unlimited 2X Miles
  • Earn a one-time bonus of 50,000 miles – equal to $500 in travel – once you spend $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.
  • Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
  • Earn unlimited 2X miles on every card purchase
  • Up to $100 towards a Global Entry or TSA Precheck application fee
  • $0 the first year, then $95
Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business Card
Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business Card
Best For 1.5X Miles At No Annual Fee
  • Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
  • Earn unlimited 1.5X miles on every card purchase
  • No annual fee

AMEX Membership Rewards

American Express Membership Rewards points can be transferred to Choice Privileges at 1:1 ratio. Every 1,000 Membership Rewards poitns you transfer will give you 1,000 Choice Hotel points.

Here are the best credit cards for earning Membership Rewards points:

Credit Card Highlights
Best For Lounge Access & Luxury Travel
  • Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on the Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
  • Earn 5X points on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel (up to $500,000, then 1X)
  • Earn 5X points on prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel
  • Earn 1X points on all other eligible purchases
  • Global Airport Lounge Access including Centurion Lounges, Delta Sky Club Lounges (when flying Delta), Airspace Lounges, Escape Lounges, and Priority Pass Lounges
  • Over $1,400 in annual credits which includes airline incidentals, Uber Cash, digital entertainment, Fine Hotels + Resorts and The Hotel Collection, and more
  • Enroll in complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status and Hilton Honors Gold status
  • Terms Apply
  • $695 annual fee (See Rates and Fees)
Best For Restaurants & U.S. Supermarkets
  • Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months.
  • Earn 4X points at restaurants and on up to $25,000 in annual U.S. supermarket purchases
  • Earn 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
  • Earn 1X points on all other purchases
  • Up to $120 in Uber Cash credit each year
  • Up to $120 in dining credits each year
  • Terms Apply
  • $250 annual fee (See Rates and Fees)
Best For Lounge Access & Luxury Business Travel
  • Earn 120,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with your Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.
  • Earn 5X points on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com
  • Earn 1.5X points on select business purchases and on purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else, on up to $2 million of these purchases per year
  • Earn 1X points on all other eligible purchases
  • Global Airport Lounge Access including Centurion Lounges, Delta Sky Club Lounges (when flying Delta), Airspace Lounges, Escape Lounges, and Priority Pass Lounges
  • Over $1,400 in annual credits which includes Dell, Adobe, Indeed, CLEAR, and more
  • Get 35% points back when you redeem points for all or part of an eligible flight booked with AMEX Travel
  • Enroll in complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status and Hilton Honors Gold status
  • Terms Apply
  • $695 annual fee (See Rates and Fees)
Best For Business Rewards
  • Earn 70,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $10,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Gold Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.
  • Earn 4X points on the 2 select categories where your business spent the most each month
  • Earn 1X points on all other purchases
  • Get 25% points back when you redeem points for all or part of an eligible flight booked with AMEX Travel
  • Terms Apply
  • $295 annual fee (See Rates and Fees)
Best For Small Business & Miscellaneous Purchases
  • No current offer.
  • Earn 2X points on the first $50,000 in purchases per year, then 1 point per dollar thereafter
  • No annual fee
  • Terms Apply
  • $0 annual fee (See Rates and Fees)

Rent cars

Choice Hotels points can be earned renting cars with Avis and Budget. You'll earn 1,000 points per car rental and save up to 35% off the base rates.

You can book through avis.com using discount code O418900 and through budget.com using discount code T134900 to receive these benefits.

Book Choice Privileges Cruises

You can book cruises through Choice Privileges Cruises and earn 5 points per $1 spent on the price of your qualifying cruise.

Dine out at partners

The Choice Privileges® Eat & Earn program allows you to earn 5 Choice points per $1 spent dining out or ordering online.

The program requires you to link a credit and/or debit card to your account. You'll then earn Choice Hotels points when using linked cards at any of the 30,000+ participating restaurants and bars.

The great thing about this program is that you'll not only earn Choice Hotels points through the program, but you'll also earn points if you use a rewards credit card to pay for your food. You can use the Citi Premier® Card to earn 3X ThankYou points which is equivalent to 6X Choice Hotels points. Combined with the 5 points you'll earn in the program, you're looking at a whopping 11 points per $1 spent dining out... which is superb.

Go golfing

The Golf by Choice program allows you to earn up to 4 Choice Hotels points per $1 spending on golf equipment and apparel, tee time reservations and more.

Buy points

You can buy Choice Hotels points directly through the Choice Privileges points.com portal. This is a great option if you're a few points shy of a redemption and need to top off your account.

Ways to redeem Choice Hotels points

Choice Hotels points will have the best value when redeeming them for free nights at Choice brand hotels. You can also redeem points for casino hotels and resorts, cruises, gift cards, magazines, golf tee times and equipment, and transfer them to airline partners.

Book free reward nights

Choice Hotels points can be redeemed for free nights at Choice brand hotels worldwide starting at 8,000 points per night with no blackout dates. You can also use a combination of points and cash to book a discounted stay if you have at least 6,000 points in your account.

Stay at casino hotels and resorts

Choice Hotels points can be used to book stays at over 20 participating casino hotels and resorts. These are the same destinations that you can use to earn points.

Go on a cruise

Choice Hotels points can be redeemed for cruises via the Choice Privileges Cruises portal. You can redeem 85,000 Choice Privileges points for $250 in credit value or 160,000 points for $500 in credit value.

Redeem for gift cards

Choice Hotels points can be redeemed for gift cards starting at 8,000 points for a $25 gift card. This gives your points a value of 0.31 cents per point which is almost half the value you would get out of using them for free nights.

Pay for golf

Choice Hotels points can be redeemed for mens and womens golf merchandise via www.golfbychoice.com. You can also use points to book tee times.

Pick up a magazine subscription

You can redeem your Choice Hotels points for magazine subscriptions. Due to how cheap magazine subscriptions are now-a-days, this will actually give your points solid value.

Donate points

Choice Hotels points can be redeemed for charitable donations. This starts at 1,000 points for a $5 donation.

Choice Privileges elite status

Once you sign up for a free Choice Privileges account, you will become a member which allows you to earn points and credit for your stays at Choice brand hotels around the world. As you continue to build up your nights, you'll earn elite status in the Choice Privileges program.

Here are the requirements for each membership level in the Choice Privileges program:

  • Member: Sign up for a free account.
  • Gold: 10 nights per calendar year.
  • Platinum: 20 nights per calendar year.
  • Diamond: 40 nights per calendar year.

Choice member benefits

Choice Privileges members receive 10 points per $1 spent at Choice brand hotels, exclusive member rates, access to Your Extras, and theme park discounts in the U.S. and Canada.

Choice Gold level benefits

Choice Privileges Gold members receive 11 points per $1 spent at Choice brand hotels, early check-in, late check-out, elite reserved parking, rollover nights, an elite welcome gift, exclusive member rates, access to Your Extras, and theme park discounts in the U.S. and Canada.

Choice Platinum level benefits

Choice Privileges Platinum members receive 12.5 points per $1 spent at Choice brand hotels, complimentary Avis Preferred membership, early check-in, late check-out, elite reserved parking, rollover nights, an elite welcome gift, exclusive member rates, access to Your Extras, and theme park discounts in the U.S. and Canada.

Choice Diamond level benefits

Choice Privileges Diamond members receive 15 points per $1 spent at Choice brand hotels, complimentary Avis Preferred membership, early check-in, late check-out, elite reserved parking, rollover nights, an elite welcome gift, exclusive member rates, access to Your Extras, and theme park discounts in the U.S. and Canada.

Choice Status Match

If you have elite status with another program, you will be able to match that status with the Choice Privileges program. You can request a status match through their status match page. You will need to provide proof of elite status in another program.

Choice Hotels transfer partners

Choice Hotels points can be transferred to several airline partners. Here are those partners:

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Choice Hotels points calculator

Use the Choice Hotels points calculator to determine which credit cards will earn you the most points based on the monthly or yearly spending amounts you enter.

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These estimates are to help guide you towards making the best decision when it comes to picking up a rewards credit card. They should be used for illustrative purposes only.

You can click on the estimated earnings to see the calculations or click on the card to learn more and apply for the card through our partners.

Do note that all spend amounts entered into the tool above will carry over to every credit card rewards calculator on the site, so there's no need to re-enter spend if you choose to dive deeper into calculating rewards for credit cards on the site.

**Amount of rewards when transferred to program.

FAQ

What is Choice Privileges?

Choice Privileges is the rewards program of Choice Hotels. It is free to sign up for.

How do you earn Choice Hotels points?

Choice Hotels points are primarily earned booking paid stays at Choice brand hotels. You can also earn points using credit cards, spending with Choice travel partners, dining out, and golfing.

Can you buy Choice Hotels points?

You can buy Choice Hotels points directly from their points.com portal to top off your account.

How are Choice Hotels points calculated on stays?

Choice Privileges members earn 10 points per $1 spent on the base cost of the hotel, up to 5 bonus points based on membership level, and up to 10 more points using co-branded Choice credit cards. That's a total of up to 25 points per $1 spent at Choice brand hotels.

How much are Choice Hotels points worth?

Based on our valuations, Choice Hotels points are worth about 0.6 cents apiece. This means 10,000 points are worth about $60 in hotel value.

How many Choice Hotels points do you need for a free night?

Free night redemptions for Choice Hotels start at 8,000 points.

What can you redeem Choice points for?

Choice Points can be redeemed for free nights at Choice brand hotels, free nights at select casino hotels and resorts, gift cards, cruises, magazine subscriptions, golf, and charitable donations. You can also transfer points to airline partners.

How do you earn Choice Hotels gold status?

Choice Hotels gold status requires 10 nights per calendar year.

How do you earn Choice Hotels platinum status?

Choice Hotels platinum status requires 20 nights per calendar year.

How do you earn Choice Hotels diamond status?

Choice Hotels diamond status requires 40 nights per calendar year.

Can you transfer Choice Hotels points to partners?

Choice Hotels points can be transferred to 8 airline partners. Points can also be converted to Radisson Rewards points.

Which credit card partners transfers to Choice Privileges?

American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Capital One Venture Rewards & Spark Rewards are all direct transfer partners of Choice Privileges.

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