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Choice Privileges® Mastercard® Review: Easy Choice Hotels Elite Status With No Annual Fee

Review Updated
Brittney Myers
Author: Brittney Myers
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Brittney started her writing career in the world of science, putting her physics degree to good use. Her journey into finance started with building her personal credit, but soon grew into a borderline obsession with credit cards and travel rewards. For the last 7 years, she has enjoyed the ability to share her expertise with readers, as well as the opportunity to interview companies and individuals making an impact on our financial lives. She wholly believe most problems can be solved with the right research -- and a good spreadsheet -- and she specializes in translating complex financial topics into actionable advice to help educate and empower readers.

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Nathan Alderman
Fact Checked: Nathan Alderman
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Just because something is free doesn't mean you need it. The Choice Privileges® Mastercard® is a no annual fee hotel card that offers a couple of perks -- most notably a good welcome bonus -- but its ongoing appeal may be limited for many cardholders, even with no annual fee. Take a look at all of its pros and cons in our complete Choice Privileges® Mastercard® review.

Ratings Methodology

Choice Privileges® Mastercard®

Choice Privileges® Mastercard®
Rating image, 4.00 out of 5 stars.
4.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Rating image, 4.00 out of 5 stars.
4.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Credit Score: Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.
Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good (670-850)
Credit Score Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.

Good (670-850)

Intro APR

Purchases: N/A

Balance Transfers: N/A

Regular APR

19.99%, 24.24%, or 29.24% Variable APR

Rewards

1X-5X points

Annual Fee Circle with letter I in it. N/A

$0

Welcome Offer Circle with letter I in it. Earn 60,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in purchases within the first 3 months - enough to redeem for up to 7 Reward nights at select Choice Hotels® properties. Additional fees may apply.

60,000 bonus points

  • A good pick for the welcome bonus if you have a trip planned, but not really worth keeping long term unless you highly value Gold status with the Choice Privileges program.

    • Welcome bonus
    • Rewards points on purchases
    • Gold elite status
    • No annual fee
    • No foreign transaction fees
    • No intro APR offer
    • Limited travel perks
    • Select “Apply Now” to take advantage of this specific offer and learn more about product features, terms and conditions.
    • Earn 40,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months - enough to redeem for up to 5 reward nights at select Choice Hotels® properties. Additional fees may apply.
    • Earn 5X points on stays at participating Choice Hotels® properties.
    • Earn 3X points on purchases at gas stations, grocery stores, home improvement stores and phone plan services. Plus earn 1X points on other purchases.
    • $0 annual fee.
    • Up to $800 of cell phone protection against damage or theft. Subject to a $25 deductible.
    • Receive 10 Elite night credits qualifying for at least Gold level status each calendar year.
    • No foreign transaction fee.
Choice Privileges® Mastercard® is unavailable on Motley Fool Money. All information was collected independently and not reviewed for accuracy or provided by the credit card issuer. Some items may be out of date.

Credit card comparison

We recommend comparing options to ensure the card you're selecting is the best fit for you. To make your search easier, here's a short list of standout credit cards.

Offer Our Rating Welcome Offer Rewards Program APR Learn More
Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Best for cash back on rotating categories 		Discover will match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year. 1% - 5% Cashback Circle with letter I in it. Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places you shop each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and more, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.

Intro:

Purchases: 0%, 15 months

Balance Transfers: 0%, 15 months

Regular: 18.49% - 27.49% Variable APR *Rates as of December 12, 2024.

Apply Now for Discover it® Cash Back

On Discover's Secure Website.

Rates & Fees External Link Icon

Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Best for cash rewards on everyday spending 		$200 cash rewards Circle with letter I in it. Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months. 2% cash rewards Circle with letter I in it. Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.

Intro: Circle with letter I in it. 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers

Purchases: 0% intro APR, 12 months from account opening

Balance Transfers: 0% intro APR, 12 months from account opening on qualifying balance transfers

Regular: 19.24%, 24.24%, or 29.24% Variable APR

Apply Now for Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card

On Wells Fargo's Secure Website.

Rates & Fees External Link Icon

Rating image, 4.00 out of 5 stars.
4.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Best for unlimited rewards on purchases 		25,000 points Circle with letter I in it. 25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening - that can be a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases 1.5 points per dollar Circle with letter I in it. Earn unlimited 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases, with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees, and your points don't expire as long as your account remains open.

Intro: Circle with letter I in it. 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases. 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days. After the intro APR offer ends, 18.49% - 28.49% Variable APR on purchases and balance transfers will apply. A 3% fee for 60 days from account opening, then 4% fee applies to all balance transfers.

Purchases: 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases

Balance Transfers: 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days

Regular: 18.49% - 28.49% (Variable)

Apply Now for Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

On Bank of America's Secure Website.

Full Choice Privileges® Mastercard® review

This credit card is a good fit for: Occasional Choice Hotels visitors who want to earn a nice welcome bonus.

Top perks

This card has a list of perks, though most aren't super impressive.

Welcome bonus worth 60,000 points

Hands-down the best reason to get the Choice Privileges® Mastercard® is for the welcome bonus. New cardholders can earn 60,000 Choice Privileges points after spending $1,000 on their new card in the first 3 months.

Choice advertises this as enough points for up to five nights at select hotels. But it needs to be pointed out that this is the very best you can do. Room costs range from 8,000 up to 35,000 points per night.

Earn up to 5X Choice Privileges points on purchases

You'll get surprisingly diverse bonus rewards with this card:

  • 5X points per dollar on Choice purchases
  • 3X points per dollar at gas stations
  • 3X points per dollar at grocery stores
  • 3X points per dollar at home improvement stores
  • 3X points per dollar on cellphone services
  • 1X point per dollar on other purchases

The per-point value you get will depend on your specific bookings. But we saw values from $0.003 up to $0.01 per point. That makes the rewards rates quite low -- or pretty good, depending on your average redemption value.

Complimentary Gold elite status

One of the most notable hotel perks with this card is that cardholders get complimentary Gold elite status with the Choice Privileges program. Don't let the shiny name fool you, though; it's the second-lowest status, just one tier above the base status everyone gets. You'll earn a few extra points per booking, and may qualify for room upgrades, but don't expect anything flashy at this level.

No annual card fee

A good thing going for this card is that it has no annual fee. This means that even if you only sign up for the welcome bonus, you won't be stuck paying a card fee year after year. You can leave this card open for those occasions when you pay directly for your Choice Hotels stay, or need to make use of the Gold elite status.

No foreign transaction fees

A nice feature that could make this card worth keeping longer is that it has no foreign transaction fees. These fees are often charged on purchases in foreign currencies or that route through foreign banks, and they can add 3% onto each qualifying transaction. Having at least one card with no foreign transaction fees can be a wallet saver when you're traveling or purchasing abroad. Even if you don't travel often, this card has no annual fee, so it won't cost you anything to keep.

What could be improved

Here are a few areas where this card could be made better.

Limited travel perks

The main drawback of this card is that there aren't any flashy travel perks that make it really worth keeping for the long haul. Sure, you get a small elite status bump, but it's hardly remarkable. There are no anniversary bonuses, free night awards, or other perks that would make you excited about this card year after year. Once you've used up the welcome bonus, you'll likely be tempted to stick this card in the sock drawer.

No introductory APR offer on purchases or transfers

I can't complain too much about the welcome bonus points you can earn, since they're enough for at least a couple nights most places and the card doesn't charge a fee. However, it would be nice if it had some kind of intro APR offer like some other no annual fee travel cards I've seen. Travel is rarely cheap, so being able to pay off a costly hotel purchase over time could be a nice perk, one that this card simply doesn't have.

Suggested credit score

The Choice Privileges® Mastercard® is issued by Wells Fargo, but the bank doesn't publish its specific credit score guidelines. Most travel cards require at least good credit, though entry-level, no annual fee travel cards may be more flexible. Wells Fargo will check your entire credit history when evaluating your application.

The Choice Privileges® Mastercard® is right for you if:

Folks with an upcoming Choice Hotels stay could definitely make good use of the welcome bonus, which should be enough to get you two nights at most properties. Beyond that, you're probably not going to use this card much. If you really like Choice Hotels, check out the Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard® for a better hotel card. Or, see our reviews of the best travel cards for a more versatile card.

Our credit card methodology

At Motley Fool Money, we rate credit cards on a five-star scale (1 = poor, 5 = best). Our rating criteria includes rewards rates, welcome bonuses, fees, and perks like travel credits and 0% intro APR offers to evaluate our ratings.

We combine these factors with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you're getting the best card recommendations. Learn more about how Motley Fool Money rates credit cards.

FAQs

  • Choice Privileges points have an average value of around $0.0065 each, so 1,000 points would be worth an average of $6.50. The value you get will depend on the specific redemption, however, and points can range in value from $0.003 to $0.01 each.

  • The Choice Privileges® Mastercard® and the Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard® are issued by Wells Fargo.

  • The exact number of points will vary by hotel, but they can range from 8,000 to 35,000 points per night.