Choice Privileges - 24,000 + 8,000 (update: or 16,000) points for no-fee Choice credit card

Choice is offering:
24,000 points after your first use of the card
16,000 extra points when you pay for a stay at a Choice hotel with the card
Gold status
2 points per dollar on all purchases with the card
No annual fee
Card is offered by Barclays Bank

Someone has just reported on May 13, 2013 (post #69) that this offer has expired. So, the only working link is the one on the Choice Privileges website

Link to application page (working on January 11, 2013):
https://www.barclaycardus.com/app/japply/WebAppGate.jsp?obchannel=006&campaignId=1398&clickid=&outboundAdLocation=076&sqGroup=20&prodidreq=CCVVS40444&obcreative=0000000&product.IowaEnable=true&ibchannel=03&partnerid=1615&appcreative=02714&landcreative=000000&referrerid=2MVCP1111&listid=&obadloc=076&landpage=00000&campaignid=0001398&VASPPP=CPDC0013&legacy=true

Terms and conditions are here:
https://www.barclaycardus.com/app/japply/lp/TnCs.jsp?prodidreq=CCVVS40444

Does anyone know if Barclays will 'bump the bonus', and how long they will do it for after getting a card through them?

Does anyone know if Barclays will 'bump the bonus', and how long they will do it for after getting a card through them?If you're talking about the 8000 point bonus for first stay, I called them when I got the card (was not staying in hotels at the time) and was told that the bonus is just sitting there waiting for you to make a stay. Officially, no time limit.

It's been about a year and I have't stayed yet, so realistically, I'm not expecting it.

If you're talking about the 8000 point bonus for first stay, I called them when I got the card (was not staying in hotels at the time) and was told that the bonus is just sitting there waiting for you to make a stay. Officially, no time limit.

It's been about a year and I have't stayed yet, so realistically, I'm not expecting it.

I meant I received the Choice Visa a couple months ago with the 8,000 + 8,000 bonus, and I'm wondering if Barclays will match me to the current 24,000 + 8,000 bonus. Some banks will grant matching requests 60-90 days of signup, others will not.

A phone call should give you the answer. And remember ... if you don't like the answer, say "Thank you", hang up, and call again later.

Please let us know what the answer is. I'm sure others might be interested also.

I would try. Nothing ventured nothing gained.
But I will tell you that Barclay's tends to not be accommodating when it comes to bumping the bonus.
I've had their AirTran and USairways cards so I've followed those FT groups over time
and I don't think I've ever heard of a success with them on this.

They seem to be the tightest bank I now of too when it comes to issuing credit too. Oh well...

I'd give it a try though, doesn't hurt to ask :)

As I read it, the fine print at the bottom of this offer contradicts the large print at the top... and offers only half the points it claims. Am I reading it right?

As I read it, the fine print at the bottom of this offer contradicts the large print at the top... and offers only half the points it claims. Am I reading it right?
Yes, indeed, they say only 8000 points for first use.

But if you click the T&Cs open, and scroll down there, it's back to saying 24000 points!

I know Meatloaf said 2 out of 3 ain't bad, but Meatloaf is not the one who'll decide what bonus you get here. :)

Somebody at BarclaysCard needs to get their act together...

This is why it is always good to take a screenshot of the offer you are applying for - just in case....

I applied for this 24,000 + 8,000 point offer in April and my points posted promptly. And I am pretty sure that the web address I used in April was the same.

So, I am guessing that it's a typo on Barclay's part. But do save a screenshot of the offer if you apply.

Can you transfer the points to AAdvantage?

I would try. Nothing ventured nothing gained.
But I will tell you that Barclay's tends to not be accommodating when it comes to bumping the bonus.
I've had their AirTran and USairways cards so I've followed those FT groups over time
and I don't think I've ever heard of a success with them on this.

They seem to be the tightest bank I now of too when it comes to issuing credit too. Oh well...

I'd give it a try though, doesn't hurt to ask :)

They were fairly loose with me, even though Citi and others were tight...

But the vast majority here do report the opposite.

Can you transfer the points to AAdvantage?
If you really want to. But you'll get so few AAdvantage miles out of this (it's about a 5:1 ratio Choice:AA) that I don't see why it would be worth it. Would you really apply for a card just for 6000 AA miles??? :confused:

It all depends on how you use your miles, but for those who use for typical domestic coach awards, 6000 AA miles is worth maybe around $100ish.

But the same 32000 Choice points that you'd transfer to only about 6000 AA miles can (if you leave them as Choice points) be used in the second half of September (onward into the fall) for 4 nights at most any Choice hotel in Europe, easily saving you $600 or $800 or maybe even more if you use it that way.

And the points won't expire for about 2.5 years from now. So if you don't use them by then, you could still transfer them to AA then.

So I don't see why you'd want to transfer them to AA except as a backup, given the huge value difference between keeping them as points vs transferring to AA miles.

Choice has upgraded this offer to 24,000 bonus points after first use of the card and now 16,000 points after using the card for your first Choice hotel stay.
Other details are the same:

http://www.choicehotels.com/fivefreenights

Choice has upgraded this offer to 24,000 bonus points after first use of the card and now 16,000 points after using the card for your first Choice hotel stay.
Other details are the same:

http://www.choicehotels.com/fivefreenights

Darn -- I just applied for this card about two weeks ago. I wonder whether I can talk my way into the 16k for the first stay.

I wonder what people would think about a mattress run just to get the 8k? I can get a room at a nearby econolodge for $40 ai. With the quadruple points and 8,000 bonus, it looks like nearly 9k points for $40, which seems pretty good to me. Any dissent?

Darn -- I just applied for this card about two weeks ago. I wonder whether I can talk my way into the 16k for the first stay.

I wonder what people would think about a mattress run just to get the 8k? I can get a room at a nearby econolodge for $40 ai. With the quadruple points and 8,000 bonus, it looks like nearly 9k points for $40, which seems pretty good to me. Any dissent?

It depends - if you think you will be staying at a Choice hotel in the future, I wouldn't bother as you will receive the bonus then.

It depends - if you think you will be staying at a Choice hotel in the future, I wouldn't bother as you will receive the bonus then.

I don't stay in hotels that much, so I think I'm going to go ahead and do it unless someone thinks it's a poor return. I'm working toward a 50k redemption that will come open in a few months and doubt I will have a chance to stay at choice until then.

I received an email from choice today with this same offer, applied online and was denied outright. Simultaneously applied for the Hilton HHonors 62.5K card and was approved :confused:
I had applied for and received the CO onepass plus chase 10 days back.
Do not understand if Barclay has any enmity with me - was rejected outright after applying for the US airways card a few months back!

I received an email from choice today with this same offer, applied online and was denied outright. Simultaneously applied for the Hilton HHonors 62.5K card and was approved :confused:
I had applied for and received the CO onepass plus chase 10 days back.
Do not understand if Barclay has any enmity with me - was rejected outright after applying for the US airways card a few months back!

Barclays usually pulls your credit score from the Transunion credit agency, most other issuers pull from Experian or Equifax. You should receive a letter in the mail shortly from Barclays giving you your TransUnion FICO score, but I would pull your credit report from annualcreditreport.com (the free government-mandated website that lets you pull once/year) and see if there are any differences between Barclays and the other agencies.

Additionally, if you have already pulled your free report in the past 12 months, I would sign up for an account on CreditKarma.com as they show you information from TransUnion. It doesn't give you everything, but should show you enough to see if you should pay to pull your report again to file a dispute.

FWIW, I signed up for the 24 plus 8k version and did my stay. I tried to get barclays to bump the bonus to the new offer of 16k, but they wouldn't budge. Their customer service didn't even seem to know what I was asking, but anyway, it was like pushing a rock uphill.

Barclays usually pulls your credit score from the Transunion credit agency, most other issuers pull from Experian or Equifax. You should receive a letter in the mail shortly from Barclays giving you your TransUnion FICO score, but I would pull your credit report from annualcreditreport.com (the free government-mandated website that lets you pull once/year) and see if there are any differences between Barclays and the other agencies.

Additionally, if you have already pulled your free report in the past 12 months, I would sign up for an account on CreditKarma.com as they show you information from TransUnion. It doesn't give you everything, but should show you enough to see if you should pay to pull your report again to file a dispute.

I am maintaining a creditkarma account for the past 7-8 months and it helps checking your scores (though they are not exact FICO scores) before applying for a card.
I received the reasoning from Barclays stating the disqualifying reason as 'too many recent enquiries' and 'low average age of accounts' - which I should admit is true. They also provided the TU score.

Choice has upgraded this offer to 24,000 bonus points after first use of the card and now 16,000 points after using the card for your first Choice hotel stay.
Other details are the same:

http://www.choicehotels.com/fivefreenights

Does this still have no annual fee? I've looked at the landing page and don't see anything, which seems like good news.

Does this still have no annual fee? I've looked at the landing page and don't see anything, which seems like good news.
It may not be on the landing page, but if you click on Terms and Conditions you get a page which lists the interest rates and fees and such, and the annual fee is spelled out as being $0 there:

https://www.juniper.com/app/japply/lp/TnCs.jsp?prodidreq=CCVVS40444

Offer is supposed to expire on Nov. 3, so don't wait much longer to apply.

If you're talking about the 8000 point bonus for first stay, I called them when I got the card (was not staying in hotels at the time) and was told that the bonus is just sitting there waiting for you to make a stay. Officially, no time limit.

It's been about a year and I have't stayed yet, so realistically, I'm not expecting it.I stayed in a Comfort Inn a couple of weeks ago. The 8000 point bonus showed up yesterday!

OTOH, it seems I only got 3 points/$ instead of the 5 I was supposed to get, so maybe I'll call them on that.

Barclays giveth and Barclays taketh away. Hi ho.

I stayed in a Comfort Inn a couple of weeks ago. The 8000 point bonus showed up yesterday!

OTOH, it seems I only got 3 points/$ instead of the 5 I was supposed to get, so maybe I'll call them on that.

Barclays giveth and Barclays taketh away. Hi ho.

The 5 points per dollar spent includes the 2 points per dollar you get from the card. In other words, you get 2 points per every dollar spent with the card, and you get 3 points per dollar bonus when your spend is at a Choice Hotel.
So, only the 3 points per dollar will show up as a separate item on your account. The 2 points per dollar is already there with your other spend points.
The 10 points per dollar you get for your stay shows shows up as a separate item, as it is not tied to your credit card. So, actually you get 15 points per dollar for a Comfort Inn stay (more if you are elite) when you use a Choice Visa.

So, only the 3 points per dollar will show up as a separate item on your account. The 2 points per dollar is already there with your other spend points.Gotcha.

Should'a known that.

Thanks.

Gotcha.

Should'a known that.

Thanks.

You're welcome. Took me a while to figure out myself. Plus I'm a Platinum, so there's a bonus for that. I had one stay and had points for the card, bonus points for the stay, regular points for the stay, bonus points for plat, etc......

EDIT: I resolved this issue.

It appears you don't get a bump in the number of stays needed to become Platinum... You'll have to earn your way through Gold for 20 stays to get to Plat

This offer is back, same as before:
https://www.barclaycardus.com/apply/Landing.action?campaignId=1398&cellNumber=21&prodidreq=CCVVS27024

This offer is back, same as before:
https://www.barclaycardus.com/apply/Landing.action?campaignId=1398&cellNumber=21&prodidreq=CCVVS27024

So why is anyone interested in this 24/8 card when the 24/16 offer for the same card is still there to be had? Am I missing something here?

So why is anyone interested in this 24/8 card when the 24/16 offer for the same card is still there to be had? Am I missing something here?

Where do you see the 24/16 offer? The link I provided on August 29 is no longer valid. Please provide a link to the 24/16 offer. Thanks.

Here is the application page for the 24/16 offer:
https://www.barclaycardus.com/app/japply/WebAppGate.jsp?obchannel=006&campaignId=1398&clickid=&outboundAdLocation=076&sqGroup=20&prodidreq=CCVVS40444&obcreative=0000000&product.IowaEnable=true&ibchannel=03&partnerid=1615&appcreative=02714&landcreative=000000&referrerid=2MVCP1111&listid=&obadloc=076&landpage=00000&campaignid=0001398&VASPPP=CPDC0013&legacy=true
If you click on the terms and conditions, you will discover that this application is for the card that gives 24k and gives 16K after your first stay.
There is no landing page, so I can not verify that this offer is still good. But if you intend to apply for this card, it makes sense to use this application rather than the 24K/8K application.
Thanks to brasov02 for saving this application page.

Do we still believe that this card is not churnable? I have followed the thread for the Barclay's US card, which was once thought to be a one-shot deal card, but more recent reports have indicated that multiple cards with multiple bonuses might be possible: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/18076419-post893.html.

I see that the T&Cs for each card have similar language. For the purpose of multiple cards, the key phrase "This offer may not be available to you if you already have or have had a" previous card is exactly the same. I wouldn't have considered this six months ago, but after taking advantage of an 8K/night redemption in London and a 10K/night in Rome, I now think the 40K offer may be worth a potentially wasted credit pull for me.

And, if I do that, I'll report back.

Thanks for the link!

Considering staying at Comfort Suites Paradise Island in the Bahamas later this year.

Does anyone have a success story with the 24/16 link? The Terms and Conditions page that is linked to from the application page spells it out very clearly:

First Use Points - All Cardmembers will earn 24,000 Points upon the first use of the Account for a purchase or balance transfer.

First Stay Points – Cardmembers will also earn an additional 16,000 Points after the first paid stay with their new Account at a Comfort Inn®, Comfort Suites®, Quality®, Sleep Inn®, Clarion®, Ascend Collection®, Cambria Suites®, MainStay Suites®, Suburban Extended Stay®, Econo Lodge® or Rodeway Inn® hotel in the U.S. Five free nights are based on 40,000 Points. A free night requires more Points at most hotels. For Point level information, visit choiceprivileges.com.

I just want to know if anyone has actually done it successfully yet. It's bizarre that the page is still up when it is nearly 3x better than choicehotel.com's main offer of 8/8.

Does anyone have a success story with the 24/16 link?
I just want to know if anyone has actually done it successfully yet. It's bizarre that the page is still up when it is nearly 3x better than choicehotel.com's main offer of 8/8.

Just applied a couple of weeks ago with that link, received the card this week and verified the offer when I activated it.
One might be justified in some concern for those orphaned landing pages for apps that now have no references whatsoever to the actual offer it is linked to (like that Marriott 70,000 point link) but when the app states the offer clearly in the attached T&C I think you should be pretty safe.
(p.s. I just used that Marriott 70,000 link at the same time I did the Choice card and it worked fine too. A pretty trustworthy crowd here on FT.)

I opened the card and after first purchase the 24,000 points showed up on my account promptly. In order to get the next 16,000 I need to spend a paid night in a room.

Now, there is a "stay 2 nights earn enough points for a $50 gift card" promotion (8000 points) going on right now on choicehotels.com - http://www.choicehotels.com/giftcard?intcmp=FPflash1SUMERPROMO

I just clicked a link in my email and it automatically signed me up for that. So if I stay 2 paid nights, will I then get 16k + 8k? Or will they squash this?

I opened the card and after first purchase the 24,000 points showed up on my account promptly. In order to get the next 16,000 I need to spend a paid night in a room.

Now, there is a "stay 2 nights earn enough points for a $50 gift card" promotion (8000 points) going on right now on choicehotels.com - http://www.choicehotels.com/giftcard?intcmp=FPflash1SUMERPROMO

I just clicked a link in my email and it automatically signed me up for that. So if I stay 2 paid nights, will I then get 16k + 8k? Or will they squash this?

You should. They are two separate promos, one from Barclay's and one from Choice. I am pretty sure that I did the same thing, though since it was a year ago, my memory is hazy on the details.

Some one on Milepoint just reported success in getting the 24,000 points plus the 16,000 points for their first stay. So, the application link is still working.

App link just worked for me today, T&C explicitly stated 24K + 16K. This will be very helpful for two upcoming family visits where the only decent hotel in the town is a Quality Inn. Thanks!

Another confirmation that the 24+16 offer is valid, just did it for the wife

50k points for her, i have 77k for me... time to see what my juicy options are with the preferred hotels group :)

... time to see what my juicy options are with the preferred hotels group :)Probably not that juicy, I'm afraid.

The minimum is 30K/night, and most of the desirable props seem to be in the 50-60K/night range.

We can only hope they do the Preferred specials again sometime soon!

Probably not that juicy, I'm afraid.

The minimum is 30K/night, and most of the desirable props seem to be in the 50-60K/night range.

We can only hope they do the Preferred specials again sometime soon!

Yea I was pretty shocked at the redemption rates for Preferred and Barcelo options.

But now I'm looking at some other options in the 40k range, and with about 160k points when all is said after some quick spending, 4 night wont be too bad.

I opened the card and after first purchase the 24,000 points showed up on my account promptly. In order to get the next 16,000 I need to spend a paid night in a room.




Did you not have to wait for the first payment cycle? I paid off my first purchase ( still haven't finished the 1st month) and I still do not have those points in my account.

Anyone else have them post this quickly? or did you have to wait as the T&C states ? All Points will be awarded at the close of the Cardmember's billing statement after the qualifying transaction(s) have posted.

Please allow 4-6 weeks for all Points, including first use and first stay bonus Points, to be deposited into the Rewards Program account. All Rewards Program terms and conditions apply. See choiceprivileges.com for details.

Points post a day or so after your statement date.

Not applicable to current cardholders, applied it for my mom.

Do you actually have to pay for a night at a Choice hotel, or will any purchase at a Choice hotel qualify for the 16,000 bonus points? I'd much rather purchase a meal at a nearby hotel than spend the money for a night I won't even use.

Do you actually have to pay for a night at a Choice hotel, or will any purchase at a Choice hotel qualify for the 16,000 bonus points? I'd much rather purchase a meal at a nearby hotel than spend the money for a night I won't even use.

From the terms and conditions:

Cardmembers will also earn an additional 16,000 Points after the first paid stay with their new Account at a Comfort Inn®, Comfort Suites®, Quality®, Sleep Inn®, Clarion®, Ascend Collection®, Cambria Suites®, MainStay Suites®, Suburban Extended Stay®, Econo Lodge® or Rodeway Inn® hotel in the U.S.

From the terms and conditions:

Cardmembers will also earn an additional 16,000 Points after the first paid stay with their new Account at a Comfort Inn®, Comfort Suites®, Quality®, Sleep Inn®, Clarion®, Ascend Collection®, Cambria Suites®, MainStay Suites®, Suburban Extended Stay®, Econo Lodge® or Rodeway Inn® hotel in the U.S.
Thank you. I am able to read the T&Cs, and did so before posting my question, although I guess I wasn't clear enough. What I am actually wondering is if Barclays is able to distinguish between charges that are for a paid stay or, for example, a meal at a hotel's restaurant. If they are able to distinguish between these two different types of charges, which presumably would be processed by the property as generic hotel charges without any specifics as to the nature of those charges, then clearly a paid stay is indeed required. However, I'm not sure how this could be accomplished by a computer (although it would be clear a $5 charge, for example, wouldn't realistically be for a room, so maybe there is a minimum dollar threshold), so perhaps Barclays can't tell what you actually paid for (room, or meal?). If they can't tell the difference, then perhaps there is a possibility that ANY purchase at a Choice hotel could qualify, and thus buying a meal could trigger the final 16k points for a "paid stay." So basically I'm wondering if anyone has ever gotten the additional paid stay points with a Choice hotel charge that wasn't for a stay. I ask because the Choice hotels in my area are on the pricier side (for Choice, that is), and I'd prefer to spend as little as possible to get the additional 16k points.

Thank you. I am able to read the T&Cs, and did so before posting my question, although I guess I wasn't clear enough. What I am actually wondering is if Barclays is able to distinguish between charges that are for a paid stay or, for example, a meal at a hotel's restaurant. If they are able to distinguish between these two different types of charges, which presumably would be processed by the property as generic hotel charges without any specifics as to the nature of those charges, then clearly a paid stay is indeed required. However, I'm not sure how this could be accomplished by a computer (although it would be clear a $5 charge, for example, wouldn't realistically be for a room, so maybe there is a minimum dollar threshold), so perhaps Barclays can't tell what you actually paid for (room, or meal?). If they can't tell the difference, then perhaps there is a possibility that ANY purchase at a Choice hotel could qualify, and thus buying a meal could trigger the final 16k points for a "paid stay." So basically I'm wondering if anyone has ever gotten the additional paid stay points with a Choice hotel charge that wasn't for a stay. I ask because the Choice hotels in my area are on the pricier side (for Choice, that is), and I'd prefer to spend as little as possible to get the additional 16k points.

The terms and conditions require a stay, but you are trying to get the points without making a stay. Seems clear to me. You can try to interpret things your way, but I doubt that you will get the 16,000 points.

I have updated post # 1 so that the links are to the best offer - 24,000 points after first use of card and 16,000 points after first stay.

I have updated post # 1 so that the links are to the best offer - 24,000 points after first use of card and 16,000 points after first stay.

The link seems dead?

The link seems dead?

Maybe after 1 1/2 years Barclay's and Choice have withdrawn this offer?

If so, they are offering 8,000 points after first purchase and 24,000 points after first stay paid for with this card - almost as good as the 2011 offer:
https://www.barclaycardus.com/apply/Landing.action?campaignId=1676&cellNumber=26&referrerid=CHHOMEPAGE

This link still offers 24,000 points after first use of card and 16,000 points after first paid stay at a Choice property:

https://www.barclaycardus.com/app/japply/WebAppGate.jsp?obchannel=006&campaignId=1398&clickid=&outboundAdLocation=076&sqGroup=20&prodidreq=CCVVS40444&obcreative=0000000&product.IowaEnable=true&ibchannel=03&partnerid=1615&appcreative=02714&landcreative=000000&referrerid=2MVCP1111&listid=&obadloc=076&landpage=00000&campaignid=0001398&VASPPP=CPDC0013&legacy=true

Terms and conditions:
https://www.barclaycardus.com/app/japply/lp/TnCs.jsp?prodidreq=CCVVS40444

I will now edit post # 1 again.

Choice is offering:
16,000 extra points when you pay for a stay at a Choice hotel with the card


Does anyone know to get the 16000 extra points for the first stay, do I have to personally stay at a choice hotel or simply using the CC to pay for a choice hotel stay is enough? The reason I am asking is I have another person as an authorized user on my Choice Visa, if he stays at a choice hotel and pay with his authorized user choice visa card for this stay, will I get the 16000 bonus points credited to my account? or alternatively if the reservation is under my friend's name and I offer to pay for the stay with my Choice Visa, will I get the bonus points? I read the T&C but it is very ambiguous regarding the particular question that I have.

Does anyone know to get the 16000 extra points for the first stay, do I have to personally stay at a choice hotel or simply using the CC to pay for a choice hotel stay is enough? The reason I am asking is I have another person as an authorized user on my Choice Visa, if he stays at a choice hotel and pay with his authorized user choice visa card for this stay, will I get the 16000 bonus points credited to my account? or alternatively if the reservation is under my friend's name and I offer to pay for the stay with my Choice Visa, will I get the bonus points? I read the T&C but it is very ambiguous regarding the particular question that I have.

Since he is an authorized user on your card, my guess would be yes. But if I were you, I would call Choice to be sure.

The 16/24 link is still alive, and I'm tempted to apply for my wife (I already have the card). AFAIK, there is no way to transfer points between accounts, so any redemptions we do would have to be some points from my account, some from hers.

I could do it, but I wish we could somehow join accounts.

Oh well.

The 16/24 link is still alive, and I'm tempted to apply for my wife (I already have the card). AFAIK, there is no way to transfer points between accounts, so any redemptions we do would have to be some points from my account, some from hers.

I could do it, but I wish we could somehow join accounts.

Oh well.

Not much doubt on Choice's policy:

2. You may not transfer your points to anyone or by any means, including through a will or divorce decree.

I applied and was approved for this Visa (the link in the 1/12 post), and now I see that the geniuses at Barclay's have created a new CP account for me, even though I gave them my account number in the original application. What's the procedure for account consolidation here? Call Choice CS or Barclay's? I want to make sure all the points and the Gold status (FWIIW) are all in the same account...

I applied and was approved for this Visa (the link in the 1/12 post), and now I see that the geniuses at Barclay's have created a new CP account for me, even though I gave them my account number in the original application. What's the procedure for account consolidation here? Call Choice CS or Barclay's? I want to make sure all the points and the Gold status (FWIIW) are all in the same account...

I would call Choice. I had a similar problem once, and they quickly resolved it.

16,000 extra points when you pay for a stay at a Choice hotel

It's been almost one year since I got the card. Do I have to complete a stay before the one year anniversary to be eligible for the additional 16,000 points? Or it doesn't matter?

It's been almost one year since I got the card. Do I have to complete a stay before the one year anniversary to be eligible for the additional 16,000 points? Or it doesn't matter?

Terms and conditions don't say anything about a time limit, but what are you waiting for?

is this card churnable?

is this card churnable?

I think no one knows the answer to this question yet. Sadly, I have not followed up on my own suggestion in post 34 of this thread, http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/18237045-post34.html, regarding applying for the card--I've had other fish to fry and that won't change soon as I'll apply for a Barclays US card to add to my stash before the completion of the merger with AA.

My post sets out my thinking why the card should be churnable, but I'd note that unlike the US card that Barclays handles, the Choice card has no annual fee. Hard to make the analogy to the Citi Hilton card, another hotel card with no annual fee, since there's no way to know whether Barclays will adopt such a generous policy with a no-fee card. And, given the passage of time (my first application was in August/September 2011), any data point I might add now would only prove that the card was "slowly" churnable.

It's been almost one year since I got the card. Do I have to complete a stay before the one year anniversary to be eligible for the additional 16,000 points? Or it doesn't matter?

For what it's worth, I completed my first stay 13 months after I got the card and I had no problems with the additional 16,000 points posting.

Took a chance on applying and alas, no cigar. Have 5 hard pulls from the last 3 months (none before that for a year) including one with Barclay. I knew chances were low on approval given other reports, but was quite interested in this card so took the chance. Called reconsideration and talked to a nice rep and her manager, gave them reasons for my recent other apps (wanted cards without annual fee, wanted airline CCs because I flew a lot, etc), but they insisted the combination of short history with them (just got my first card with them this month) AND multiple inquiries made it unapprovable. Unfortunately, it also resulted in a hard pull, even though my previous app with them was within 30 days.

Should you be in similar situation and thinking of applying, it's probably best to resist and wait till you build ~6 months of history with them.

For what it's worth, I completed my first stay 13 months after I got the card and I had no problems with the additional 16,000 points posting.
Just curious - how long after the statement (in which you purchased this stay) closed did the points post? I just completed my first stay after ~18 months of cardmembership in order to get the 16k bonus points, and I'm wondering how long I'll have to wait after my statement closing date to get the bonus points.

I tried applying one week ago using the link in the OP (it does come up with the T&C promising the more favorable bonus). Upon completion of the application, the instant decision function did not respond favorably (but I've never had a CC give me instant acceptance despite 40 years of unblemished credit history, credit score within 5 points of the max, plenty of salary income, etc).

I used the info provided to check my status the next day; it responded my app had been rejected and I would have to wait for a reason via US mail. 7 days later the reason arrived: the promo I had applied for had expired and was therefore not valid. It invited me to apply again using some current link.

I then re-applied using the current link on the Choice website - this time the instant decision function responded that my new app had been rejected because I had already applied within 30 days (ie my rejected app attempt of 1 week ago).

Just thought I would let folks know ...

I tried applying one week ago using the link in the OP (it does come up with the T&C promising the more favorable bonus). Upon completion of the application, the instant decision function did not respond favorably (but I've never had a CC give me instant acceptance despite 40 years of unblemished credit history, credit score within 5 points of the max, plenty of salary income, etc).

I used the info provided to check my status the next day; it responded my app had been rejected and I would have to wait for a reason via US mail. 7 days later the reason arrived: the promo I had applied for had expired and was therefore not valid. It invited me to apply again using some current link.

I then re-applied using the current link on the Choice website - this time the instant decision function responded that my new app had been rejected because I had already applied within 30 days (ie my rejected app attempt of 1 week ago).

Just thought I would let folks know ...

Thanks for sharing your experience. I have updated post # 1 accordingly. Perhaps this deal is finally dead, though there is always the possibility that it will get reincarnated again. Hard to know for sure.