Choice Privileges is a prominent hotel chain known for budget hotel brands like Comfort Inn, Clarion Hotels, and Rodeway Inn.
Choice is less one-dimensional than economy hotels (you’ll see in a minute), but booking award nights at these nondescript properties is often the best way to maximize your points. Depending on how you redeem your rewards, you could get a return of 0.4 cents per point or well over 1 cent.
So, how much are Choice Hotels points worth, on average? Here’s everything you need to know — and a quick guide for how to maximize these rewards.
Table of contents
The value of Choice Hotels points when booking with Choice
We value Choice points at 0.6 cents, on average. As with most travel reward programs, the exact value you’ll receive depends on which hotel you use them for. If you’re a Choice Privileges expert, you may regularly get double that value — while those who don’t know the program well may get less than 0.6 cents.
To find the value you’re receiving for your rewards when booking an award night, use this formula:
(Room rate – taxes and fees associated with your award night ) / number of points = value per point.
If you’re getting a value of 0.6 cents or higher per point, you’re making good use of your Choice points. Let’s look at some examples.
The EconoLodge Cleveland Southeast — Kent charges $82 per night or 15,000 points. Redeeming points for this room will give you a value of just 0.54 cents: ($82 room rate with taxes) / 15,000 points = 0.54 cents.
Meanwhile, the nearby EconoLodge Akron Copley Northwest charges $83 per night for a similar room. But you can book an award stay for just 8,000 points. That’s a value of 1.03 cents per point — nearly double the value of the previous hotel.
There are a handful of ways to redeem your points (as you’ll see), but the best way to get the most value from your rewards is to book Choice hotel stays.
The value of Choice Hotels points when transferring to a partner
If you’re flush with Choice points but you’ve got no hotel stays planned in the foreseeable future, you have the option of converting them into airline miles with participating carriers. This is typically a bad use of points, as the transfer ratio is extremely unfavorable:
- Aer Lingus AerClub — 5:1
- Aeromexico Rewards — 5:1
- Air Canada Aeroplan — 5:1
- Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan — 5:1
- Avianca Lifemiles — 5:1
- The British Airways Club — 5:1
- Flying Blue (Air France and KLM) — 5:1
- Club Iberia Plus — 5:1
- LATAM Pass — 5:1
- Qantas Frequent Flyer — 5:2
- Saudia Alfursan — 5:1
- Southwest Rapid Rewards — 5:1.5
- Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles — 5:1
- United Airlines MileagePlus — 5:1
- Virgin Australia Velocity— 5:2
In short, you’ll usually need to transfer 5 Choice points to receive 1 airline mile. Because Choice points are worth an average of 0.6 cents each when redeemed for hotel stays, you’re effectively transferring 3 cents in value to get a single airline mile worth 1.5 cents at most.
As an example, United Airlines miles are worth around 1.1 cents each. Transferring 5 Choice points to United would give you an average value 1.9 cents lower than if you’d simply redeemed your points for an award night. That said, if you only need a few thousand airline miles to book a valuable award flight, it could be worth topping off your account with Choice points.
What can you get with your Choice Hotels points?
Choice Hotels include familiar brands like Comfort Inn, Quality Inn, and Country Inn & Suites. These are generally unmemorable hotels, but they’re everywhere — a great attribute of any hotel loyalty program.
You can also use your Choice points for upscale hotels with brands like the Ascend Hotel Collection and Radisson Blu in popular destinations like Aruba, New York, Brazil, and much more.
Another unique aspect of Choice Privileges is the ability to book suites for the same award price as base rooms. For example, Norefjell Ski & Spa, Ascend Hotel Collection in Norway gives you the option to reserve a nondescript 2 Single Beds room or a 4 Single Beds Suite with a kitchen for 12,000 points. The difference in cash price is over $100!
The value of Choice Hotels points when redeeming for Amazon.com purchases, statement credits, or gift cards
You can trade Choice points for things unrelated to travel. This isn’t the best value for your points, but it is an option.
For example, you can redeem Choice points for gift cards at a much lower value than hotel stays — a measly 0.31 cents per point, in fact. And while you can’t cash out your points for a statement credit, you can buy Amazon gift cards, which can be nearly as good as cash. A $25 gift card will cost you 8,000 points, which is enough to book a free night at some hotels.
The best use of your Choice Hotels points
- Free hotel stays
- Booking suites
- Booking accommodation in Scandinavia
The worst use of your Choice Hotels points
- Converting points to airline miles
- Redeeming points for gift cards
Frequently asked questions about Choice Hotels points
How much are 10,000 Choice Hotels points worth?
Because we value Choice Hotel points at 0.6 cents each, 10,000 points are worth $60 in hotel stays. This is more than enough to book a night at many low-tier hotels. Considering it’s nearly impossible to find any hotel stay for under $60 nowadays, you shouldn’t have much trouble getting outsized value for your points.
How much are 30,000 Choice Hotels points worth?
30,000 Choice points are worth around $180 in hotel stays. You can book the vast majority of Choice’s plain hotels, like Comfort Inns and EconoLodges. You may even be able to book a night at a higher-end hotel, particularly those outside of the U.S.
How much are 50,000 Choice Hotels points worth?
50,000 Choice points are worth around $300 in hotel stays. With this number of points, you can book upscale properties or spend a long weekend in a mid-range hotel.
How much are 75,000 Choice Hotels points worth?
75,000 Choice points are worth around $450 in hotel stays. You can book a weekend stay at a beach resort in Cancun, or you can stretch your points for seven nights (or more) at roadside hotels during an extended road trip.
How much are 100,000 Choice Hotels points worth?
100,000 Choice points are worth around $600 in hotel stays. There’s no property you can’t book with this caboodle of Choice points — as long as there’s award availability. You could splurge on two or three days at a fancy hotel or book up to 12 nights at modest hotels when visiting family for the holidays throughout the year.
How many Choice Hotels points does it take for a free hotel night?
You can book award nights for as little as 8,000 points. However, you can also use a mix of points plus cash to redeem as few as 6,000 points toward a free night.
How many Choice Hotels points does it take for a free flight?
Free flights regularly cost, at a minimum, 4,500 miles. But even domestic short-haul flights regularly cost closer to 10,000 miles. Because the transfer ratio from Choice to most airline partners is 5:1, you should expect to pay at least 50,000 miles for a free flight.
How many Choice Hotels points to fly business class to Europe?
When flying business class to Europe, you’ll generally pay at least 50,000 miles. There are ways to get there cheaper, but it takes some luck to find these awards. In other words, plan on converting 250,000 Choice points into airline miles for your fancy seat.
Do Choice Hotels points expire?
Choice hotel points expire after 18 months of account inactivity. You can easily reset the expiration clock by earning or redeeming your points.
Summary
Choice points are a great tool in the utility belt of a frequent traveler. Even if you don’t routinely stay at Choice hotels, the Choice Privileges program is bound to come in handy eventually. And with an average value of 0.6 cents each, they’re worth slightly more than a handful of competing hotel loyalty programs.
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