Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard®
- Best for: Guests who stay at Choice Hotels brands on regular trips and spend their points on reward nights
- What Sets It Apart: 30,000 bonus points each account anniversary and automatic Platinum Elite status, with 20 nights a year credited toward Choice status
- Cost: $95 annual fee; no foreign transaction fee; 19.74%, 25.49%, or 28.49% variable interest rate
- Features: 10 points per dollar on stays booked with Choice; 5 points on gas, groceries, home improvement, and phone plans; 1 point elsewhere; 60,000 bonus points after $3,000 in 3 months; up to $120 for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck every 4 years; cell phone protection up to $800
- Pros: Anniversary points worth two nights at a 15,000-point hotel; Platinum adds 25% to the points stays earn; Diamond status 15 nights away
- Cons: $95 annual fee; mobile wallet purchases may not earn bonus points; Platinum’s other perks also come with Gold
Get the Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard® if you stay at Choice hotels such as Comfort Inn on regular trips and will spend your points on reward nights. Its 30,000 anniversary points covered two nights worth $178 at a Comfort Suites when we checked, $83 more than the $95 annual fee.
Wells Fargo issues the card for Choice Hotels, whose brands include Comfort Inn, Quality Inn, and Cambria. It’s the $95 step up from the no-fee Choice Privileges Mastercard, with points every anniversary and a higher tier of Choice elite status.
Key Features
- $95 annual fee, no foreign transaction fee, and a variable interest rate of 19.74%, 25.49%, or 28.49%, based on your credit
- 30,000 bonus points each account anniversary, plus 60,000 after you spend $3,000 in your first 3 months
- 10 points per dollar on stays booked with Choice; 5 on gas, groceries, home improvement, and phone plans; 1 on everything else
- 20 nights a year credited toward Choice elite status, enough for automatic Platinum status
Pros
- Platinum status adds 25% to the points a paid Choice stay earns, while the no-fee card’s Gold status adds 10%
- A statement credit of up to $120 every four years for a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee charged to the card
- The 20 credited nights leave you 15 nights short of Diamond status, which adds guaranteed room availability
- Cell phone protection up to $800 per claim when the card pays your phone bill, with a $25 deductible
Cons
- Paying with a mobile or digital wallet, such as Apple Pay, may not earn bonus points
- Gas and groceries from superstores and warehouse clubs may not earn 5 points
- Platinum’s other perks, such as early check-in and late checkout on request, also come with Gold status
- 1 point per dollar on everything else
A Tuesday night in November at the Comfort Suites near Nashville’s airport cost 15,000 points or $89 before taxes, so the anniversary points cover two such nights worth $178, $83 more than the $95 fee. Guests who won’t spend 30,000 points a year are better off with the no-fee card, which still brings Gold status.
Learn more about the Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard® or see how it compares to the best hotel credit cards.
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