Choice Privileges Mastercard Review 2023

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If you find yourself staying at Choice Hotels frequently, the new Choice credit cards from Wells Fargo should be on your radar. The Choice Privileges® Mastercard® - Product Name Only seems worth considering if you want to earn bonus points on your hotel stays and everyday spending without paying an annual fee. But most travelers should have a closer look at its more premium sibling, the Choice Privileges Select Mastercard - Product Name Only, because it waives its annual fee for the first year and offers a lot more.

Choice Privileges Mastercard Review: Is It the Best Credit Card for You?

Choice Hotels loyalists have a new option for earning Choice Privileges points, thanks to the rollout of two new cards from Wells Fargo. The no-annual-fee Choice Privileges® Mastercard® - Product Name Only actually replaces the old Barclays Choice Privileges Visa Signature Card - Product Name Only (no longer available to new applicants), and it comes with perks the old card didn't include.

The Choice Privileges® Mastercard® - Product Name Only is offering a welcome bonus of Choice Privileges® Mastercard® - Intro Bonus, which isn't bad for a no-annual-fee hotel card. Cardholders earn 5x points on Choice stays, 3x points at gas stations, grocery stores, home improvement stores, and on phone plans, and 1x points on other purchases.

It also comes with a handful of benefits that can save you money and improve your travel experience, including 10 elite night credits per year (enough for Gold status), cell phone protection, World Elite Mastercard benefits, and no foreign transaction fees. However, unlike its pricier sibling (the Choice Privileges Select Mastercard - Product Name Only), you won't get a points bonus on your card anniversary, and there are no additional travel perks.

In fact, the Choice Privileges® Mastercard® - Product Name Only's benefits pale in comparison to many other no-annual-fee hotel credit cards, including the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card - Product Name Only, Hilton Honors American Express Card - Product Name Only, and IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card - Product Name Only. All of these cards include travel and purchase protections you won't find on the Choice Privileges® Mastercard® - Product Name Only.

For most folks, applying for the Choice Privileges Select Mastercard - Product Name Only instead of the Choice Privileges® Mastercard® - Product Name Only makes the most sense, since its annual fee is Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard® - Annual Fee. That makes the first-year cost of the two cards equal, and you'll earn a higher welcome bonus and get more perks from the Select version of the card.

And, if you aren't a Choice loyalist but still want the option to earn Choice points from credit card spending, consider a card that earns transferable points from American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou, or Capital One. All of these programs are transfer partners with Choice, so you can convert points whenever you need them.

We're focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won't be worth it if you're paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it's important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.

Choice Privileges Mastercard Rewards

Choice Privileges Mastercard welcome bonus offer

For a limited time, the Choice Privileges® Mastercard® - Product Name Only is offering Choice Privileges® Mastercard® - Intro Bonus. That's worth around Choice Privileges® Mastercard® - Featured Reward Value in stays, according to Insider's points and miles valuations, or up to seven free nights at Choice Hotels.

How to earn rewards from Choice Privileges Mastercard

The card offers its highest earning rate when you use it for Choice stays, but there are other useful bonus categories that can help you earn more points from your everyday spending. Cardholders earn:

• 5x points on stays at participating Choice hotels
• 3x points at gas stations (including automated fuel dispensers and electric vehicle charging stations)
• 3x points at grocery stores (including supermarkets, delis, and bakeries)
• 3x points at home improvement stores (including hardware stores, nurseries and garden supply stores, furniture and household appliances stores, home accessories stores, floor, glass, paint and wallpaper stores, lease/rental services for furniture and household appliances, swimming pool sales and supplies, contractors, and specialists for providing home improvement services)
• 3x points on phone plans (landline and cellphone providers)
• 1x point on all other purchases

How to use rewards from the Choice Privileges Mastercard

Choice Hotels' loyalty program, Choice Privileges, is usually not at the top of mind if you're looking for luxury hotel stays at upscale properties. But if you've traveled at all, you've probably run into its hotels — with nearly 7,500 locations across 13 brands in 47 countries, you'll find Choice Hotels just about everywhere.

Road warriors and families particularly appreciate the fact you can find Choice Hotels in smaller cities and towns where other brands don't have a presence, making earning Choice points valuable for road trippers and business travelers.

A free award night at Choice properties typically ranges from 8,000 to 35,000 points, though a few upscale hotels cost 75,000 points or more. Here are a few ways you can use the card's welcome bonus for free stays:

• Two nights at the Cambria Hotel Napa Valley (normally $250 per night)
• Three nights at the Comfort Inn Victoria in London, UK (normally $230 per night)
• Five nights at the Comfort Inn and Suites Near Universal Orlando Resort (normally $140 per night)
• Seven nights at the Clarion Collection Hotel Principessa Isabella in Rome, Italy (normally $160 per night)

You can also redeem Choice points for free nights at over 20 casino hotels thanks to a partnership with Penn Entertainment.

In addition, Choice Hotels recently bought Radisson Hotels Americas, which added 600 properties in the US, Canada, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Right now, you can't use Choice points to book these hotels; instead, you can transfer Choice points to Radisson Hotels Americas at a 1:2 ratio and book free nights at Radisson brands:

• Radisson
• Radisson Blu
• Radisson Red
• Radisson Collection
• Radisson Individuals
• Radisson Inn and Suites
• Park Plaza
• Park Inn
• Country Inn and Suites

While free night awards will generally get you the biggest return for your points, there are other ways to use them which might be appealing if you don't have immediate travel plans or want to redeem points to save money in other ways, including:

• Points and cash bookings
• Gift cards
• Charity donations
• Transfers to airline frequent flyer programs
• Cruise credits
• Magazine subscriptions
• Golf

Choice Privileges Mastercard Benefits and Features

While the Choice Privileges® Mastercard® - Product Name Only is fairly light on benefits compared to the best travel rewards credit cards, it does offer a few perks that are useful for travelers. 

10 elite night credits (Gold elite status)

As long as your card is open, you'll receive 10 elite night credits each year, which qualifies you for Choice Gold elite status. This is the lowest elite tier with Choice Privileges, and it comes with perks that include:

• Welcome gift on arrival
• Early check-in and late checkout when available
• 10% points bonus on paid stays
• Elite reserved parking at participating hotels

Cell phone protection

Wells Fargo credit cards come with cell phone protection, which you don't often find with no-annual-fee cards like the Choice Privileges® Mastercard® - Product Name Only. To be covered, pay your monthly wireless bill with the card, and you can receive protection for up to $800 per claim ($25 deductible) and a maximum of two claims per 12 months. The fact that the card earns 3x points on phone plans is a bonus.

World Elite Mastercard benefits

The Choice Privileges® Mastercard® - Product Name Only gets you World Elite Mastercard benefits and discounts, which include:

• World Elite Mastercard Concierge
• Discounts and benefits with partner merchants (DoorDash, Lyft, Hello Fresh, Fandango, Shoprunner)
• Mastercard ID Theft Protection and Zero Liability
• Mastercard Global Emergency assistance
• Priceless Cities Offers and Experiences
• Mastercard Airport Concierge
• Mastercard Travel and Lifestyle services
• Mastercard Golf
• Private Jet Program and Private Car Service

Choice Privileges Mastercard Annual Fee and Other Costs

The Choice Privileges® Mastercard® - Product Name Only has no annual fee, and it doesn't charge foreign transaction fees, either, which makes it a good card to bring along on your international travels.

To avoid paying interest, be sure to pay your bill in full and on time every month, otherwise you'll be on the hook for interest (currently a Choice Privileges® Mastercard® - Regular APR APR). There are fees for other situations, too, but they're easily avoided:

• Balance transfer fee: 5% for each balance transfer, with a minimum of $5
• Cash advance fee: Either $10 or 5% of the amount of each advance, whichever is greater
• Late payment fee: Up to $40

How the Choice Privileges Mastercard Compares

Choice Privileges Mastercard vs other Wells Fargo cards

Choice Privileges Mastercard vs other no-annual-fee hotel cards

Choice Privileges Mastercard Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What credit score is needed for the Choice Privileges Mastercard?

To get approved for the Choice Privileges® Mastercard® - Product Name Only, you'll have the best shot with at least a good credit score, which means a FICO score of at least 670.

Which Choice credit card should I get?

The Choice Privileges® Mastercard® - Product Name Only might be more appealing on the surface because it doesn't charge an annual fee. But opening the Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard® - Product Name Only makes the most sense, because its annual fee is waived for the first year and you'll get a lot more value from the card. That said, if you don't want the hassle of evaluating the Select card after the first year, the Choice Privileges® Mastercard® - Product Name Only is worth a look.

Can you have both Choice credit cards?

Wells Fargo's terms and conditions say "You may not be eligible for an introductory bonus rewards offer if you opened a Choice Privileges Mastercard Credit Card or a Choice Privileges Select Mastercard Credit Card within the last 15 months from the date of this application and you received an introductory bonus rewards offer — even if that account is closed and has a $0 balance." That means, at very least, you can't earn the bonus on both, and probably can't have both cards at once. 

If I have the Barclays Choice Privileges Visa, do I get a new card?

Barclays used to offer the Choice Privileges Visa Signature Card - Product Name Only, but it's not available to new applicants because Wells Fargo now issues Choice cards. If you have the Barclays card, it won't be valid after April 30, 2023. You'll receive (or have already received) a new Choice Privileges® Mastercard® - Product Name Only in the mail, and you can activate it starting May 1, 2023.

Methodology: How we reviewed the Choice Privileges Mastercard

Insider's credit cards team assessed the Choice Privileges® Mastercard® - Product Name Only in comparison to other travel and hotel credit cards, especially those with no annual fee. We looked at factors that included:

• Ease of use — Does the card have a straightforward earning and redemption structure? Are points easy to earn and redeem?
• Rewards earning potential — Is the welcome bonus offer as good or better than similar cards? Do the bonus categories, if any, appeal to a wide range of customers, and are any of the categories capped at a maximum spending amount?
• Fees — Does the no-annual-fee card compare to similar cards on the market, or does it come with perks that make it stand out above cards that do charge a fee? Are there other fees to be aware of?
• Benefits — Are there useful perks for travelers that can save money or upgrade the travel experience? Are any unique compared to other cards?

Here's our explainer on how we rate credit cards at Insider for a deeper dive into our methodology.