Maximizing Choice Privileges Points When Redeeming
There are many hotel chains around the world, but among the most numerous and economical are the eleven different brands within Choice hotels chains. Choice offers its loyalty points program, Choice Privileges, to allow both its guests and the holders of its co-branded credit card to earn points towards a variety of rewards.
Guests of Choice hotels can earn either five or ten points per dollar spent, depending on the type of property. Elite members earn additional points; 10% for Gold, 25% for Platinum, and 50% more for Diamond. Members can also earn points by using the Choice Privileges co-branded Visa card from Barclay’s Bank. Cardholders will earn 15 points per dollar spent at their properties, 5 points per dollar spent on points or gift card purchases, and 2 points per dollar spent on all other transactions.
When it comes time to redeem points, members have many different options. Award nights are available at Choice properties for between 6,000 and 35,000 points each. For those who aspire to award nights in luxury hotels, Choice offers redemption options at properties within the Preferred Hotel Group and the Barcelo Hotels and Resorts. Points can also be redeemed for airline miles with carriers such as Southwest Airlines or Qantas. For example, 6,000 Choice points can be exchanged for 1,800 Southwest Rapid Rewards points. Since Southwest’s points are worth about 1.6 cents each, that means that each Choice point redeemed in this fashion is worth about a half cent each. Other redemption options include gift cards, experience rewards, and sports and entertainment tickets. Unfortunately, points are only worth at most, about a third of a cent each with these other options, although there are some charitable donations that return .5 to one cent in value per point.
For a budget brand, Choice offers a wide variety of enjoyable options when it comes time to redeem award points. With points valued in the .3-.5 cent range, customers will see a respectable return on their points accumulated through spending at their properties, especially when using their co-branded credit card. When the card is used for other types of spending, the value equation is far less favorable and is not competitive with other reward card offerings. As with most loyalty point programs, there is value in Choice Privileges, but only for those who understand all of their options and use their points wisely.
