How to earn Choice Privileges points — from hotel stays to credit card rewards

Choice Privileges points have fueled many memorable stays for me over the years. For example, I once spent almost a month at an all-inclusive resort using Choice points. I've also used Choice points to book numerous modestly priced award nights for city-center stays in Japan and Europe.

While the Choice Privileges program recently removed its 35,000-point cap on award night pricing, it's still possible to get significant value when redeeming Choice points for stays. Sports fans and concert lovers can also find exceptional value when redeeming Choice points for unique experiences.

But you need to earn Choice points before you can redeem them. So, here are some of the ways you can earn Choice points.

Earn Choice points with hotel stays

I'll start with the most obvious way to earn Choice points: staying at Choice hotels. You'll earn 10 Choice points per dollar on most point-eligible stays at Cambria, Clarion, Clarion Pointe, Comfort, Econo Lodge, Everhome, MainStay Suites, Quality Inn, Rodeway Inn, Sleep Inn, Suburban Studios and Ascend Hotel Collection properties in the following regions:

• United States
• Canada
• Europe (excluding Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden)
• The Middle East
• Mexico
• Brazil
• Ecuador
• Colombia
• Guyana
• Central America
• The Caribbean
• Asia-Pacific (including China, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia and India)

You'll earn points based on how long you stay at MainStay Suites, Suburban Studios and Everhome Suites. If you stay six nights or less, you'll earn 10 points per dollar spent. However, if you stay seven nights or longer, you'll earn 5 points per dollar on the first 30 nights and no points for additional nights after the first 30.

You'll also earn 10 Choice points per dollar when staying at select Radisson Individuals, Radisson Collection, Radisson Blu, Radisson, Radisson Red, Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson and Country Inn & Suites by Radisson properties — but only in the following regions:

• United States
• Canada
• Latin America
• The Caribbean

You usually won't earn points on taxes and incidental charges. However, you'll earn 10 points per dollar on accommodation, tax, restaurant and bar charges, laundry fees and phone calls when staying in the Asia-Pacific region (excluding Japan).

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Additionally, you'll only earn points on point-eligible stays. Point-eligible stays are booked directly with a hotel (excluding Ascend Hotel Collection all-inclusive resorts and casino locations) or through Choice's reservation line, website or mobile app. The following types of stays aren't point-eligible:

• Rooms booked using an ineligible rate plan or for less than $40 per night
• Some 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 (unless otherwise expressly noted), wholesale packages and group tours
• Stays booked using the employee discount or the friends, family and associate discount

You can earn points on up to four rooms per night at the same hotel, though you will only receive bonus points for one room per stay. All of the rooms must be in your name, you must pay in full for them and you must stay in one of them.

Elite bonuses

Except as noted above, Choice Privileges members earn 10 points per dollar on eligible stays. Elite members also get bonus points based on their status tier:

• Gold: 10% bonus
• Platinum: 25% bonus
• Diamond: 50% bonus

Gold, Platinum and Diamond elite members also get a welcome gift on point-earning stays at select properties. However, this welcome gift varies based on brand and location as follows:

• Cambria Hotels in the U.S.: 250 bonus points
• Radisson Individuals, Radisson Collection, Radisson Blu, Radisson, Radisson Red, Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson and Country Inn & Suites by Radisson properties in the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean: 250 bonus points
• Clarion, Sleep Inn, Quality or MainStay Suites properties in the U.S.: A snack and beverage at check-in or 200 bonus points
• Econo Lodge, Rodeway Inn or Suburban Studios properties in the U.S.: A snack and beverage at check-in or 100 bonus points

100 to 250 Choice points are only worth $0.60 to $1.50 based on TPG's July 2024 valuations. So don't feel bad about indulging if you'd value a snack and drink higher than the points.

Weeknight Rewards

Choice Hotels' Weeknight Rewards (also known as Your Extras) provide extra perks on select point-eligible stays that include a Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday night. Not all hotels participate in Weeknight Rewards; nonparticipating hotels include WoodSpring Suites locations, some third-party (non-Choice) hotels and some MainStay Suites, Suburban Studios, Everhome Suites and Ascend Hotel Collection properties.

You must opt in for the Weeknight Rewards program, and the perks vary based on your country of residence. U.S. residents can choose to receive one of the following on each eligible weeknight stay:

• 400 points (worth $2.40 based on TPG's July 2024 valuations)
• 100 airline miles with participating carriers
• $2.50 Amazon credit
• $5 coffee gift card
• $3 Uber trip discount

The perk you have selected at check-in will be what you get for that stay, but you can change your choice for upcoming stays at any time.

Bonus points packages

When booking a stay at the best available rate, you can often select a 1,000-point, 2,000-point or 5,000-point accelerator package. These packages provide the specified points each night in addition to the points you'd typically earn.

You'll pay an additional $6.50 per night for the 1,000-point package, $13 per night for the 2,000-point package and $32.50 per night for the 5,000-point package. As such, you can effectively purchase extra points through these packages at a rate of 0.65 cents per point.

Promotions

Finally, you can often use promotions to earn extra Choice points when staying at a Choice property. Choice offers a few recurring promotions, including its 8,000 points or $50 gift card for every two stays promotion, which can be great for road trips and other short stays.

Choice Privileges credit cards

You can earn Choice points with the two cobranded Choice Privileges credit cards.

The Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard® (see rates and fees) offers:

• 10 points per dollar on stays at participating Choice Hotels properties and on Choice Privileges point purchases
• 5 points per dollar on purchases at gas stations, grocery stores, home improvement stores and phone plan services
• 1 point per dollar on other purchases

The card carries a $95 annual fee but offers 30,000 bonus points every account anniversary and 20 elite night credits each calendar year. Plus, you can earn 90,000 bonus points when you spend $3,000 in purchases in the first three months if you apply now. See our Choice Privileges Select Mastercard review for more details.

If you prefer a no-annual-fee card, the Choice Privileges® Mastercard® (see rates and fees) is also an option. This card earns:

• 5 points per dollar on stays at participating Choice Hotels properties and on Choice Privileges point purchases
• 3 points per dollar on purchases at gas stations, grocery stores, home improvement stores and phone plan services
• 1 point per dollar on other purchases

Cardholders also get 10 elite night credits each calendar year, enough for at least Gold status. Plus, you can earn 60,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first three months if you apply now.

Related: The best hotel credit cards with annual fees under $100

Transfer credit card rewards to Choice

Another way to earn Choice points is to transfer credit card rewards to the program. Specifically, you can transfer:

• Citi ThankYou Rewards points to Choice points at a 1:2 ratio
• Wells Fargo Rewards points to Choice points at a 1:2 ratio
• American Express Membership Rewards points to Choice points at a 1:1 ratio
• Capital One miles to Choice points at a 1:1 ratio

However, note that each program may only allow transfers in specific increments. And it's worth considering whether converting transferable rewards to Choice points provides the most value. For example, you may find other Membership Rewards sweet spots that allow you to redeem your Membership Rewards points at a higher value.

Buy Choice points

You can also buy Choice points. Normally, you can buy 4,000 or fewer Choice points for 1.28 cents each, 5,000 to 9,000 Choice points for 1.14 cents each and 10,000 Choice points or more for 1.03 cents each. You can purchase or receive as a gift up to 180,000 Choice points each calendar year.

However, if you don't need Choice points immediately, you may want to delay your points purchase. Doing so may let you use a buy points promotion to purchase points at a lower rate.

Get Choice points as a gift

You can't combine your points with anyone else, including your spouse. Likewise, you can't transfer Choice points to or from other members, even through a will or divorce decree.

You can receive Choice points as a gift, but the other member would have to buy them instead of transferring them from their account. As noted above, you can only receive up to 180,000 purchased points each calendar year, regardless of whether these points are bought or gifted.

Other ways to earn Choice points

Here are three final ways to earn Choice points for an upcoming redemption.

Dine at participating restaurants

You can earn 5 Choice points per dollar when you go to restaurants participating in Choice Privileges Eat & Earn and pay with a linked card. Sign up for this dining rewards program, link one or more cards to your profile and then use a linked card when you pay for your meal at a participating restaurant.

Take a cruise

There are many ways to get a good deal on a cruise. But if earning Choice points is important, you may want to book your next cruise through Choice Privileges Cruises. By doing so, you'll earn 5 Choice points per dollar when you provide your Choice Privileges member number during booking.

Plan a meeting

You can use the Planner Rewards program to earn points when hosting a qualifying event at participating Cambria Hotels, Radisson Collection, Radisson Blu, Radisson, Radisson Red, Radisson Individuals, Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson and Country Inn & Suites by Radisson hotels in the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean.

You'll earn 3 points per dollar on eligible charges, including meeting space, guest rooms, food and beverages. There's no minimum spending requirement, but you can only earn up to 150,000 points per event.

Bottom line

As you can see, there are plenty of ways to earn Choice points. My favorite way to earn more points is through hotel stays, but I also buy Choice points when I can do so at a reasonable rate. Transferring Citi ThankYou points or Wells Fargo Rewards points to Choice at a 1:2 ratio may also be a good option if you need more Choice points for a high-value redemption.