Charles H. Miller
Choice Hotels may not be the biggest hotel chain in the world, but some folks like it, nonetheless. And the company has its co-branded credit card, issued by Barclaycard, which offers one of the best sign-up bonuses without including the annual fee! The 32,000 bonus points that are awarded after spending $1,000 with the Choice Privileges® Visa Signature® in the first 90 days are worth up to 4 free nights. That would be amazing value from a card that costs more than $100 per year, let alone for the one that is free. And if you continue to use the card to make $10,000 in purchases per year, you will get 8,000 points, enough to get a free night stay. Plus, there’s more… Read on for details.
Highlights
- Sign-up bonus of 32,000 points, worth up to 4 free nights
- Earn 15x points at eligible Choice Privileges® locations; 5x points spent on the purchase of Choice Privileges® points or Choice Hotels gift card purchases; and 2x points on everything else.
- Get a 10% Points Bonus every time you purchase a stay with Choice Hotels®.
- Anniversary bonus of 8,000 points every year you spend $10,000 with the card.
- Elite Gold status comes included.
- 0% intro APR for 15 months on balance transfers made within 45 days of account opening, then 15.49%, 20.24% or 25.24%.
- No annual fee
How It Works?
Points: Earn 15 points per eligible dollar spent at eligible Choice Privileges® locations; 5 points per eligible dollar spent on the purchase of Choice Privileges® points or Choice Hotels gift card purchases; and 2 points per eligible dollar spent on everything else. Also get a 10% Points Bonus every time you purchase a stay with Choice Hotels®. Once earned, points can be redeemed for free nights at Choice Hotels or digital gift cards from over 80 restaurants and retailers.
Sign-up bonus: 32,000 points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 90 days, enough for up to 4 free nights.
Anniversary bonus: 8,000 points every year you spend $10,000 or more on purchases with your card by the account anniversary date.
Elite Gold status: Among other things, the Gold status allows you to book free nights 50 days in advance (instead of 30 days).
Concierge service: As part of the deal, cardmembers get personal assistance via telephone, including recommendations and reservations for dining, travel, hotels, entertainment and more.
APR: It is either 15.49%, 20.24% or 25.24% variable on purchases. For balance transfers, there is the 0% introductory rate for 15 months on balance transfers made within 45 days of account opening, after which a variable APR of 15.49%, 20.24% or 25.24% will apply.
Costs
- 0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers for 15 months, then 15.49%, 20.24% or 25.24% Variable
- 15.49%, 20.24% or 25.24% Variable APR on Purchases
- 3% Balance Transfer Fee (minimum $5)
- 3% Foreign Transaction Fee
- $0 Annual Fee
At Barclaycard’s secure website
Pros
- Sign-up bonus of 32,000 points is worth 4 free nights. That is amazing from a card that has no annual fee!
- Anniversary bonus – if you keep using the card and spend $10,000 within a year, you will benefit from a bonus of 8,000 points, which is worth a free night stay.
- Elite Gold status comes included – and with it extra perks you will get every time you stay at Choice Hotels.
Cons
- 0% APR is limited to balance transfers – it would be nice to see it being available on purchases as well. Or we are asking too much from a card that has no annual fee?
- Foreign transaction fee – you are better off bringing some other card when travelling outside of the U.S.
Is This The Card For You?
If you really hate Choice Hotels, or if you really prefer some other hotel brand, the answer is no. Otherwise, I can’t but recommend the Choice Privileges® Visa Signature® Card to everyone who wants to benefit from 4 free stays just for signing-up (and spending $1,000 with the card in the first 90 days). There are other benefits included as well, though for some reason the card includes a foreign transaction fee. So you are still better off bringing some other card while travelling outside of the U.S. Something’s gotta give, I guess…
