| Last updated on September 20th, 2023
Choice Privileges® Mastercard®
Choice Privileges® Mastercard®
Choice Privileges® Mastercard®
- 20.99%, 25.24%, or 29.99% variable based on creditworthiness and the Prime Rate Regular Purchase APR
- 20.99%, 25.24%, or 29.99% variable based on creditworthiness and the Prime Rate Balance Transfer APR
- 29.99% variable based on the Prime Rate Cash Advance APR
At a Glance
The Choice Privileges® Mastercard® offers robust rewards on hotel stays, gas, groceries, and more - with no annual fee or foreign transaction fees. The card also provides automatic Gold Elite status in the Choice Privileges loyalty program.
- Best Benefits
- Rates & Fees
- Why Should You Apply?
- No annual fee
- No foreign transaction fees
- Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 in purchases in the first three months
- Earn 5X points with Choice Hotels
- Earn 3X points at gas stations, groceries, or home improvement stores
- Automatic Gold Elite status
- Regular Purchase APR: 20.99%, 25.24%, or 29.99% variable based on creditworthiness and the Prime Rate
- Balance Transfer APR: 20.99%, 25.24%, or 29.99% variable based on creditworthiness and the Prime Rate
- Balance Transfer Transaction Fee: 5% for each balance transfer, with a minimum of $5
- Cash Advance APR: 29.99% variable based on the Prime Rate
- Cash Advance Transaction Fee: Either $10 or 5% of the amount of each advance, whichever is greater
- Return Payment Penalty Fee: Up to $40
- You travel often and prefer to stay with Choice Hotel brands
- You want basic perks to improve your stays
- You spend heavily on gas or groceries
- You do't want to pay an annual fee
Choice Privileges Mastercard Review
The Choice Privileges® Mastercard® is a hotel rewards credit card from Wells Fargo and hotelier Choice Hotels. The card offers elite status, enhanced points, and special benefits when booking or staying at any of the 7,500 properties that make up the Choice portfolio.
60,000-Point Welcome Offer
New accounts earn 60,000 bonus Choice Privileges points when they spend $1,000 in purchases in the first three months of account opening. That welcome bonus is extremely generous and is enough to redeem for up to seven reward nights at select Choice Hotels® properties.
How to Earn Rewards with the Choice Privileges Mastercard
Choice Privileges® Mastercard cardholders earn the following hotel rewards points on eligible purchases:
- 5X points on stays at participating Choice® hotels
- 3X points on purchases at gas stations, grocery stores, home improvement stores, and phone plans
- 1X points on all other purchases
The 5X points on Choice stays are excellent – especially considering the Choice Hotels portfolio contains over 7,500 hotels across more than 20 hotel brands, including Cambria Hotels, Radisson Hotels, Radisson Blu, The Ascend Hotel Collection, Country Inn & Suites, Everhome, Comfort, and more.
The additional bonus categories – namely gas and groceries – are evergreen categories that provide significant value for cardholders. That rewards rate is comparable to several excellent cash back credit cards, including the Sam’s Club® Mastercard® (5% on gas, 3% on dining and takeout), Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi (4% back on gas/ EV charging, 3% on dining and travel), or even another of Wells Fargo’s co-branded rewards cards, the Bilt Mastercard (3X on dining, 2X on travel).
How to Redeem Points with Choice Privileges
The Choice Privileges® Mastercard® earns – and redeems – points in the Choice Privileges® Rewards loyalty program. Points are redeemable for several options, including award nights, gift cards, charitable donations, and points transfers to Choice Hotels partners. Choice currently offers several transfer options, Including Amtrak Guest Rewards or the following airline partners:
| Aeroplan | Alaska Mileage Plan | United MileagePlus |
| Qantas | Aeromexico Club Premier |
Despite the transfer options, your best bet with Choice points is to opt for award nights at Choice properties. Free nights start as low as 8,000 points per stay, and members can use Points Plus Cash to combine their total points with cash for a discounted rate. And Choice Privileges don’t expire, so there’s no stress about missing out on a deal.
Automatic Gold Elite Status
Cardholders also enjoy complimentary Gold Elite tier status in the Choice Privileges program. Gold Elite is the first elite tier in the loyalty program and offers enhanced perks versus entry-level rewards members.
Gold Elite status entitles the member to early check-in and late check-out, 10% additional points on Choice purchases, access to “Yours Extra,” direct customer service support access, exclusive rates, and more.
Yours Extra
Any point-eligible stay that includes a Sunday through Thursday night can earn Your Extras rewards; these are special benefits that are only available when a weekday stay is booked through Choice’s loyalty program and include the following:
| Choice Privileges points | Airline miles | Fuel Rewards savings at the gas station |
| Amazon credits | Starbucks gift cards | Uber trip discounts |
Related Article: The Ultimate Choice Privileges Rewards Program Guide
Choice Privileges Comparison
Here’s how the two Choice Privileges credit cards stack up:
| Card |
 Choice Privileges® |
 Choice Privileges® Select |
| Annual fee | None | $95 ($0 first year) |
| Elite tier | Gold | Platinum |
| Pts. on Choice stays | 5X | 10X |
| Pts. on gas, groceries, home improvement | 3X | 5X |
| Pts. all other purchases | 1X | 1X |
| Travel perks | No foreign transaction fees | TSA Precheck credit, no foreign transaction fees |
Other Notable Features
Other noteworthy features of the Choice Privileges® Mastercard® include EMV chip technology, mobile wallet compatibility, no foreign transaction fees, and access to Wells Fargo banking features, including the following:
| Budget watch | Budget Watch allows cardholders to set up a personal budget and compare their spending across all their Wells Fargo banking accounts. |
| My spending report | This feature works in conjunction with Budget Watch. This feature allows cardholders to monitor their spending, deposits, income, payments, and withdrawals. |
| Advance access | A feature unique to the Wells Fargo Propel American Express® Card, Advance Access provides exclusive access to tickets for concerts, sporting events, theatres, and other events. |
Choice Rewards cardholders also enjoy Mastercard World Elite benefits. These protections and benefits include:
| Zero Liability Protection | Airport Concierge | Cell Phone Protection |
| Mastercard Global Services | Priceless Experiences | Lyft Credits |
| ID Theft Protection | Priceless Golf | Mastercard Travel Services |
| Mastercard Hotel Stay Guarantee | ShopRunner Membership |
Of note is the access to Mastercard Priceless Experiences. Mastercard Priceless Experiences is an exclusive program offered to cardholders to provide additional card value. Through Priceless Experiences, you can book unique experiences at home or while traveling using your Choice Privileges Mastercard.
Wells Fargo Ratings
How do Choice and Wells Fargo hold up under expert review? Here is a selection of expert ratings for Wells Fargo as a bank:
| BestCards | Better Business Bureau | TrustPilot |
|
3/5 |
N/A |
2/5 |
Should You Apply for the Choice Privileges Mastercard?
Overall, there is plenty to like about the Choice Privileges® Mastercard®. The card provides plenty of quality for no annual fee but suffers from the limitations of the Choice Hotels network. The card suffers simply because the Choice portfolio is significantly smaller than other hoteliers, especially Hilton, IHG, and Hyatt.
Still, the card has plenty of nice features for the brand-loyal traveler. The Gold Elite status is particularly nice as it provides access to enhanced benefits without the requirement of reaching a night stay threshold. The bonus categories on the card are equally enjoyable: gas, groceries, and home improvement.
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