Choice Privileges - 15% off by using Choice Visa card

Just got this email:

Dear BigLar,

For the first time, we are offering exclusively to Choice Privileges® Visa® cardholders an opportunity to save 15% on your next hotel stay when you book your stay at ChoiceHotels.com.

Book by 7/13/11 on ChoiceHotels.com and you'll save 15% when you pay for your stay with your Choice Privileges Visa Card. Plus, whenever you use your card at our over 4,200 Choice Privileges locations, you will earn 15 Choice Privileges points per eligible $1 spent.**

Hurry—this one-time use offer ends 7/13/11.


The fine print:

* Hotel reservations must be made on ChoiceHotels.com by 7/13/11. This offer is a discount off Best Available Rate, and cannot be combined with any other discounts or promotions. Offer subject to availability. Discount will be applied immediately upon booking the room. This discount may only be used for one (1) hotel stay, which is defined as any number of consecutive nights at a single hotel property.

The fine print:

* Hotel reservations must be made on ChoiceHotels.com by 7/13/11. This offer is a discount off Best Available Rate, and cannot be combined with any other discounts or promotions. Offer subject to availability. Discount will be applied immediately upon booking the room. This discount may only be used for one (1) hotel stay, which is defined as any number of consecutive nights at a single hotel property.

First of all, Advance Purchase is also 15% off.

Second, my SOS rate calculates to 20% off. So neither Advance Purchase nor this promo would be of interest to me, unless perhaps I needed to stay at a hotel that didn't support SOS rates (as some don't on some nights at least, as of lately).

Third, if I'm getting 20% off with SOS, I hope this promo wouldn't negate that and raise my price to only 15% off! Do you have to register or enter a code, or is it supposed to be automatic? The T&Cs don't consider that someone could have valid Choice rates greater than 15% off already, and thus don't explain what will happen in that situation.

First of all, Advance Purchase is also 15% off.

Second, my SOS rate calculates to 20% off. So neither Advance Purchase nor this promo would be of interest to me, unless perhaps I needed to stay at a hotel that didn't support SOS rates (as some don't on some nights at least, as of lately).

Third, if I'm getting 20% off with SOS, I hope this promo wouldn't negate that and raise my price to only 15% off! Do you have to register or enter a code, or is it supposed to be automatic? The T&Cs don't consider that someone could have valid Choice rates greater than 15% off already, and thus don't explain what will happen in that situation.A lot of folks don't know about/have access to SOS rates.

Since it specifically excludes combining discounts, I'd stick with whatever gives you the best rate. And no, you don't need to register - it's supposed to be automatic.

If your point is that you don't know what would happen if you try to book using an SOS rates and your Choice Visa card, I don't either. Since the discount is based on the Best Available Rate, I suspect this discount won't kick in.

This is really aimed at occasional Choice stayers who have a Choice Visa and stay at Choice properties now and then. Point-twiddlers like we tend to be won't be all that impressed by this deal. However, for the rest, I thought it might be valuable.