Choice Privileges - South American Choice Hotels

I seem to recall someone posting that Choice Hotels in South America don't earn points or miles. But I was just looking on the Choice website while logged in and it said there is a double points promo going on. Have the rules changed? I am looking at Goiania, Brazil where there is a Sleep Inn and Comfort Suites and would be looking to earn miles if the Grand Slam happens this year.

It's right there on the Choice (US) website:

http://www.choicehotels.com/en/choice-privileges/gp/earnpoints

Earn points for up to 2 rooms* per night for qualifying stays at over 5,500
Choice Privileges locations in:

United States (including Hawaii)
Mexico
Central America
Canada
Caribbean
Europe**
Australasia**
Middle East

As you can see, Asia and South America are not listed, and there are footnotes for two other territories to explain exceptions there.

So South America and Asia (and Scandinavia) are places to redeem Choice points, but not places to earn them. (I do realize that some places in South America may be so cheap on money that it may seem a waste to burn points there. But unfortunately, you can't earn, so you have to consider a Choice hotel paid with money to be no different than an indie hotel in Asia or South America.)

It is slowly changing (a few years ago you couldn't even earn in France or Germany), but I don't have high hopes that South America would necessarily get added in the next few months.

I stumbled on this while searching hotel rooms. http://www.sleepinn.com/hotel-goiania-brazil-BR089?sid=xYkEug.SQFd3g_KQ.55&sarea=&sname=Goiania+BR&sstate=&scountry=&sradius=80.00&slat=-16.67932&slon=-49.25627&schain=A&exp=&scity=&sort=&type=&map=n&dateFormat=mm/dd/yy&arrivalDate=09/13/12&departureDate=09/14/12&srp=RACK&nroom=1&nadult1=2&nchild1=0&nadult2=&nchild2=&nadult3=&nchild3=&nadult4=&nchild4=&nadult5=&nchild5=&sstate_country=&listpos=1

Sleep Inn Goiania (BR089)

Av Ismerino Soares de Carvalho 52, Goiania, BR, 74075-070

Phone: (55) 62 3878 1500
Fax: (55) 62 3878 1501

Map/ Directions
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Earn double Choice Privileges points for every qualifying stay with arrival between May 17 and August 15.*
Click here for terms and conditions.

Now the PROMO is limited to certain countries.

* Valid Choice Privileges® member number must be provided upon check-in for stay to be eligible. Reservations must be made at qualifying rates to earn double Choice Privileges points, starting with the first stay, with arrival between 5/17/12 and 8/15/12 at any Comfort Inn®, Comfort Suites®, Quality®, Sleep Inn®, Clarion®, Cambria Suites®, Ascend Collection®, MainStay Suites®, Suburban Extended Stay®, Econo Lodge® and Rodeway Inn® hotel in the Choice Privileges program. You must maintain an address in Mexico or eligible countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to be eligible for this promotion. Allow up to 20 days from check-out for points to post to your account. For Choice Privileges program details, eligible rates, eligible countries and point redemption rules, visit choiceprivileges.com/AmericaLatina.

But if they are giving PROMO points, doesn't that mean that anyone else would at least get NORMAL points? Maybe something has changed?

Although the name in this case the same, the problem is that it's a separate program.

You belong to Choice Privileges US, but that page is talking about a promo and points in a sparate program that's Choice Privileges Latin America (or whatever).

Mainland Europe used to be separate too, but a couple years ago they merged. So while I've been in Choice Privileges (US) for many years, most of that time I wasnt' able to earn points in mainland Europe either; that only changed a couple years ago.

And Scandinavia is still seprate. It's not even called Choice Privileges there, it's called something like Choice Club.

So there may be a sepraate promo in Latin America, but it is of no relevance to you, because since you can't earn points (or miles) on South America stays at all, by extension you of course can earn bonus points (which, behind the scenes, is what the so-called "gift card" promo really is).

So, no, they give promo points to the members in the South America program, and no points of any type to you. It's probably the same in reverse: I'd bet (but we've never heard from them in this forum that I can recall) that someone who lives in Brazil can earn points in Brazil and promos in Brazil but neither points nor promos at hotels in the USA. But you'd have to find the Choice points program website for Brazil, and then find the information on earning points there (similar to the link I provided above for US-based members points earning), to see how it works in reverse (if you're curious; it won't help you other than to understand the split programs better).

Nice discussion.