Choice Privileges® Visa Signature® Card

Editor’s note: some of the offers on this page are no longer available. 

The Choice Privileges Visa Signature Card is the rare hotel card that offers fewer rewards for booking a stay than does the hotel loyalty program itself. You’ll earn a whopping 15 points for every $1 spent at a Choice-branded hotel, but the credit card itself will net you just 5 points per $1 spent. The remaining 10 points comes from having a Choice Privileges membership.

Review

Choice Hotels International manages more than 6,300 properties worldwide, with the bulk of its locations within the U.S. Most of the properties are value-priced or mid-range hotels and extended stay suites. Brands within the portfolio include Clarion Hotel, Comfort Inn, Econo Lodge, Quality Inn, Rodeway Inn and Sleep Inn.

If you travel often and this type of property fits your needs, then The Choice Privileges Visa Signature Card can help you earn elite status and free nights. If your preference is for a more luxurious escape, then your only option within the Choice portfolio is one of the upscale boutique hotels under the Ascend brand name.

The value of a Choice Privileges point varies from bad to just OK. When Bankrate looked at Choice properties in Chicago for one night, we found the following:

• A room at the mid-range Comfort Suites on Michigan Avenue in the heart of Chicago was listed for $176 a night or 30,000 points, making a point worth about half a cent.
• A room at the upscale Hotel Blake, part of the luxury Ascend collection, also downtown, was listed for $180 a night or 16,000 points, making a point worth about one cent.
• A room at the Comfort Suites at O’Hare Airport was listed for $107 a night or 12,000 points, making a point worth about 4/5ths of a cent.

These are not stellar redemption rates compared with the value offered by other hotel co-branded cards and general travel rewards cards. If you are intent at staying at a Choice hotel, and you want to earn the maximum rewards for your money, you may want to consider a card with a better rewards. Just make sure to also sign up for the Choice loyalty program.

When using the card for spending unrelated to the hotel, you’ll earn 2 points per $1 spent.

Choice Privileges comes with a decent sign-up bonus of 32,000 bonus points, worth between $160 and $320 depending on how you redeem them, after you spend $1,000 within the first 90 days of opening an account. For someone looking to take take advantage of a sign-up offer, this is fairly easy to attain.

You also get 8,000 anniversary bonus points every year you spend $10,000 or more on your card, and a 10% points bonus every time you purchase a stay wth Choice Hotels. This is nice, but other hotel-branded cards offer better bonuses for your loyalty. The card comes with gold status which means you can book your reward stays 50 days in advance and you’ll get a points bonus with each stay ranging from 100 to 250 points depending on the property, Again, nice but doesn’t have that wow factor.

Who should get this card

We aren’t wild about the redemption values offered with this card and think you’ll likely fare better with a different choice.

Fees and APR

• Pay no annual fee.
• Purchase APR is a variable 16.24%, 20.99% or 25.99% based on creditworthiness.
• Enjoy an introductory 0% APR offer for 15 billing cycles on balance transfers made within 45 days of account opening. After that, balance transfer APR is a variable APR of 16.24%, 20.99% or 25.99%.
• On balance transfers, pay $5 or 3% of the amount transferred, whichever is more.
• Pay a 3% foreign transaction fee on all purchases made outside of the U.S.
• Late or missed payments won’t affect your APR, but you will be subject to a penalty fee of up to $37.

Extra, perks and using points

Cardholders receive the hotel’s Elite Gold Status, which allows you to book up to 50 days in advance of your stay (instead of 30) and receive a 10% points bonus every time you purchase a stay.

Point redemptions for hotel stays typically range between 6,000 and 35,000 points, depending on the property and the time of year. Get free nights for fewer points either during the week or on weekends, depending on the property. There is no fee to redeem points and there are no blackout dates. At select properties and dates, Flex Rewards nights may be available, which require even less points.

Points expire after 18 months of inactivity. Accounts can remain active by using the card, completing a stay, purchasing points or earning points through a Choice partner program.