Score inexpensive stays with a 40% bonus when you buy Choice Hotels points
If you’re interested in beefing up your Choice Privileges point balance, now’s your chance: Choice Hotels is offering up to a 40% bonus on purchased points through April 29, lowering the price to as little as 0.74 cents per point.
With over 7,000 hotels, you can find Choice hotels all over North America, but with brands like Quality Inn and Rodeway Inn, you can find Choice Hotels in popular U.S. road trip locations for just 10,000 points. This means that you can effectively book them for $74 per night by buying points.
Alternatively, you can also transfer Capital One miles to Choice at a 1:1 ratio.
Here, we'll walk you through the specifics of the promotion and give you a look at some of the best ways to redeem your Choice points.
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Choice Hotels promotion details
Choice Hotels is selling Choice points with up to a 40% bonus. The regular price for purchasing Choice points is 0.99 cents per point when you purchase 24,000 points or more (lower amounts have a higher cost per point), so this bonus drops the price to 0.74 cents apiece.
This is still 0.14 cents per point higher than TPG’s valuation, but you can often get more value by redeeming for expensive properties during peak travel dates. Regardless, always compare the cost of a cash stay to a points stay to see if buying Choice points will actually help you save money — many Choice hotels are already budget-friendly so in some cases, you’ll be better off paying cash.
This is a pretty solid deal if you have a high-value redemption in mind; 0.74 cents per point is pretty much as cheap as it gets for purchasing Choice points directly from the hotel group, but you may be able to get a better deal when purchasing Choice points during U.S. Travel’s annual Daily Getaways promotion.
You can purchase points in 1,000-point increments, up to 180,000 points per year.
How to buy Choice points
Interested in buying Choice points? Here’s how to do it:
- Visit Choice’s Buy Points page.
- Enter your name, Choice Privileges member number and email address to log in.
- Select the number of points you’d like to buy.
- Add your credit card details.
- Review the information, check the box to agree to the terms and conditions and click "Pay Now" to finalize the purchase.
- Your points should post to the designated account within 24 hours after your transaction is complete.
Related: Why I often choose IHG and Choice hotels, despite limited elite perks
Choice Privileges redemption sweet spots
There are a number of interesting ways to use Choice points both in the U.S. and abroad. Here’s a quick look at some of the best Choice Privileges redemptions.
Book a stay in a city
Choice Hotels has a huge North American footprint, with locations spread throughout major cities, along highways and even in many rural areas.
In Boston, Choice has plenty of properties spread throughout the city. A June weekday stay at the Cambria Hotel Boston, Downtown-South Boston costs $794.13 after tax for a two-night stay. Alternatively, you can book the same room for two nights for 40,000 Choice points. By purchasing 40,000 points, you're paying just $298.70 for the same two-night stay -- that's a 63% savings.
Stay near Yosemite and other national parks
Choice Hotels has a number of properties near major U.S. national parks like the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Yosemite. In the case of Yosemite, the beautiful Sierra Sky Ranch costs $504.06 for a two-night stay in June. Alternatively, you can book the same room for two nights for 50,000 Choice points, which you can purchase for just $370.80 during this promotion.
Related: The 19 national parks every traveler needs to see at least once
Soak up the sun near your favorite beach
Itching for some sun? Vacation hot spots like San Diego, Los Angeles and Fort Lauderdale have a number of Choice Hotel options too.
If South Florida is on your list, the Cambria Hotel Fort Lauderdale Beach is an excellent option as it is situated just a few blocks from the beach. The Fourth of July weekend isn't cheap here -- two nights at this brand-new property cost $698.11 after taxes. Alternatively, you can buy 60,000 Choice points for $442.90 during this promotion and save almost $130 per night on your stay.
Related: 10 tips for anyone taking a road trip right now
Which credit card should you use?
Since buying Choice points is processed by Points.com, these purchases won’t code as travel. So, you won’t get 3 points per dollar with cards such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
That said, you’ll want to use the best non-bonus category credit card for your situation, such as The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (2 Capital One miles per dollar, and yes, Capital One miles can be transferred to Choice!), The Blue Business®️ Plus Credit Card from American Express (2 Membership Rewards point per dollar on the first $50,000 per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar) or the Chase Freedom Unlimited‘s 1.5% cash back on purchases.
Bottom line
Although they might not be the most glamorous hotels across the board, Choice has plenty of hidden gems. Purchasing points with Choice can be a great option, especially when there is a lucrative bonus like this one.
When it comes to planning your next trip, consider checking out Choice and seeing how much you can save using Choice points.
Additional reporting by JT Genter and Kyle Olsen.