Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard®

The Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard® is a premium hotel rewards credit card from Wells Fargo and Choice Hotels. The premium card offers Platinum Elite status, double the points of the no annual fee version of the card, and more benefits when booking or staying at any of the 7,500 properties that make up the Choice Hotels global portfolio.

90,000-Point Welcome Offer

New accounts earn 90,000 bonus Choice Privileges points when they spend $3,000 in purchases in the first three months of account opening. The 90,000 points are juicy and are good enough for up to 11 award nights at Choice properties. That tally is also 50% more than the no annual fee card.

How to Earn Rewards

The rewards with the Select version of the Choice Privileges credit card are double, but the card retains the same categories. That means that Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard cardholders earn the following hotel rewards points on eligible purchases:

• 10X points on stays at participating Choice® hotels
• 5X points on purchases at gas stations, grocery stores, home improvement stores, and phone plans
• 1X points on all other purchases

Earning 10 points at Choice stays is a huge tally – especially with free nights starting as low as 8,000 points per stay. Essentially, with the Select Card, eight stays at $100 per night is enough to earn a free night with Choice.

The additional categories are equally enjoyable – with the 5X on groceries and gas especially enjoyable. 5X points on gas is amongst the highest reward rates on the market today. And while hotel points are generally less valuable than airline miles or cash back, using the Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard® to fill up your tank can quickly lead to city breaks o9r other short stays – free!

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

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:

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 Platinum Elite Status

Cardholders also enjoy complimentary Platinum Elite tier status in the Choice Privileges program. Platinum Elite is the second-highest tier in the loyalty program and offers among the best perks for members.

Platinum Elite status entitles the member to early check-in and late check-out, 25% additional points on Choice purchases, access to “Yours Extra,” direct customer service support access, exclusive rates, a welcome gift upon arrival, and Avis® Preferred Plus* membership.

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:

Related Article: The Ultimate Choice Privileges Rewards Program Guide

Anniversary Bonus

As a cardholder of the Select version of the Choice Privileges credit card, you’ll also enjoy an anniversary bonus of 30,000 points every account anniversary, enough for at least one night at any eligible Choice Hotels property.

Premium Travel Features

Because the Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard® charges a $95 annual fee (Wells Fargo waives this for the first year), it provides a quality list of travel perks to enjoy. A Global Entry or TSA PreCheck statement credit every four years is among these perks. Simply use your Choice credit card when enrolling in Global Entry or TSA PreCheck and receive a statement credit of up to $100 every four years as reimbursement for the application fee.

Cardholders also enjoy no foreign transaction fees when using their card abroad. This is an excellent feature that often gets overlooked when researching a new credit card. Issuers typically charge a foreign transaction fee of 3% of the transaction cost – and 0% is definitely better than 3%.

Other Notable Features

Other noteworthy features of the Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard® include EMV chip technology, mobile wallet compatibility, and access to Wells Fargo banking features, including the following:

Choice Rewards cardholders also enjoy Mastercard World Elite benefits. These protections and benefits include:

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:

Should You Apply for the Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard®

Does the Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard®justify its $95 price tag? If you are brand loyal to Choice, the answer is an emphatic yes. The Choice portfolio is smaller than most, but it still includes some major names like Raddison, Park Plaza, Clarion, Comfort Inn, and more. Gaining up to 11 free nights for meeting spending minimums is a no-brainer – especially when the other perks are included.

The Platinum Elite status is particularly nice as it provides access to enhanced benefits without the need to meet a night stay threshold. Add to that credits for TSA and Global Entry, no foreign transaction fees, and a decent selection of points transfer partners, and you have a robust, premium hotel card worth considering