Choice Hotels announced a multi-year agreement with Wells Fargo and Mastercard on February 14, 2023. Wells Fargo was to issue the new Choice Privileges credit card, with Mastercard as its exclusive payment network. Existing cardholders were scheduled to receive the new benefits from May 1, 2023, when new applications would also be accepted. [1] [2]
The announced points schedule and its limits
The initial schedule offered five Choice Privileges points per dollar spent on stays at participating Choice hotels, three points in selected everyday categories and one point on other purchases. The three-point categories were gas stations, grocery stores, home improvement stores and phone plans. These are card earning rates in loyalty points, rather than percentages of cash back. [1] [2]
Choice Privileges card earning schedule announced in February 2023
Selected everyday categories in the announcement were gas stations, groceries, home improvement stores and phone plans.
points per USD spent
Tap or hover for details. All values are also available in the data table.
Sources
Historical card earning rates, not percentage cash back, gift-card face value or programme performance. Loyalty stay earnings and status benefits are separate. Redemption values, eligible merchant categories and booking conditions depend on programme terms.
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| Category | Announced Choice Privileges points |
|---|---|
| Participating Choice hotel stays | 5 points per USD spent |
| Selected everyday categories | 3 points per USD spent |
| Other purchases | 1 points per USD spent |
The announcement included automatic Gold Elite membership through ten qualifying night credits each calendar year, cell-phone protection and eligible World Elite Mastercard services. Choice said converted accounts would not face increases in interest rates or fees because of the transition. That commitment concerned the conversion; it did not promise unchanged account pricing indefinitely. [1] [2]
The broader loyalty programme separately offered Your Extras welcome-gift options on qualifying weeknight stays, including bonus points, airline miles or credits for coffee or shared rides. At the time, Choice described reward-night redemption across more than 7,500 hotels and more than 20 brands. Those historical programme descriptions are separate from card spend, qualifying-night credits and any gift-card redemption value. [1] [2]
Wells Fargo’s product page and reward terms, checked on October 19, 2026, retain the five-, three- and one-point structure, while also listing qualifying purchases of Choice Privileges points in the five-point category. The current hotel-stay conditions specify eligible locations and booking channels. The chart preserves what the February 2023 announcement listed and does not silently add later product details to the launch. [3] [4]
The current reward agreement says qualifying purchases are net of returns or credits. Bonus earning depends on Mastercard merchant categories, and transactions through some wallets, marketplaces or payment intermediaries may not qualify for the bonus. Prepaid gift cards appear among the cash-advance and equivalent exclusions that do not earn points. A reward card’s connection to loyalty value therefore does not mean every stored-value purchase earns rewards. [4]
Under those later terms, earned points are generally transferred to the linked Choice Privileges account at the end of the billing cycle, and redemption is administered through Choice Privileges. Unredeemed points have no cash value; Choice may change redemption requirements. The issuer’s earning multiples should consequently not be read as a fixed monetary return or a guaranteed gift-card conversion rate. [4]
The commercial arrangement connects a bank-issued card with a hotel loyalty account and everyday spending categories. The documents define how rewards accumulate and who administers them. They do not supply cardholder adoption, gift-card redemption totals or evidence that the partnership caused additional hotel stays.
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Emma Carter
Emma Carter covers retail, e-commerce and the gift card shopping experience for Gift Card News.