Choice Privileges - need to burn 8,000 points before December 31

Mr. Kipper has 8,000 points that are expiring at the end of the year. We can spend an evening at a hotel, to burn the points, or we can redeem them for a gift card or airline miles of some sort. I'm not that familiar with the CP program, so what's the best value?

8,000 points can get you a nice hotel or a lousy hotel. (So can 20,000 points for that matter.)
You can get 2 Rapid Rewards credits for 6K points or 1K airline miles for 5K points.
Gift cards start at 14,000 points (right now, for a $50 gas card).
And then there are magazine subscriptions and AARP memberships:
http://www.choicehotels.com/ires/en-US/html/GPMemberships

Anyway, there are plenty of choices, so there is no need to let the points expire.

Are there other, non-expiring points in the account you could combine with?

8,000 points can get you a nice hotel or a lousy hotel. (So can 20,000 points for that matter.)
You can get 2 Rapid Rewards credits for 6K points or 1K airline miles for 5K points.
Gift cards start at 14,000 points (right now, for a $50 gas card).
And then there are magazine subscriptions and AARP memberships:
http://www.choicehotels.com/ires/en-US/html/GPMemberships

Anyway, there are plenty of choices, so there is no need to let the points expire.

Are there other, non-expiring points in the account you could combine with?

There's a total of about 16,000 miles in the account, so I can use those as well.

Hurry, Kipper, to The Coupon Connection!
IIRC the res. must be made by Dec. 31, but may be for a stay in Jan. (Feb. if int'l.)
If U use 'em for a friend/ trading partner, U will have to reserve the room in your husband's own name, then call the hotel directly to get the mgr. to OK the real guest.

Is it possible to book a stay for January and then cancel to have the points redeposited in the acccount?

I may or may not have a stay that I actually use in January is why I ask the question. Thanks.

Is it possible to book a stay for January and then cancel to have the points redeposited in the acccount?

I may or may not have a stay that I actually use in January is why I ask the question. Thanks.

That's a good question. If it would work, then I can book a room, and cancel it in January. :)

Is it possible to book a stay for January and then cancel to have the points redeposited in the acccount?
It is a good question and I don't really know the answer, other than to say that when I cancel award reservations, the points are returned with the original expiration date. What would happen if one cancels after the original expiration date, I do not know.

10,000 points can get some nice places in various parts of Europe/Scandinavia. You can book up to 60 days out as a US-based general member.

I'm pretty sure that the expiring points would be lost. Best that U maybe could do without a problem is to change the date at the same hotel.

Interestingly, I just discovered that the cancellation of an award reservation I had made for a hotel stay in December returned points with a December 2010 expiration and not December 2009. In November, a similar cancellation situation resulted in the points being returned with the December 2009 date.

I have no idea if this is a fluke, a policy change, or a programming error.

I also see that the main Choice Privileges page after log-in now shows the number of points expiring at the end of the current calendar year.

Interestingly, I just discovered that the cancellation of an award reservation I had made for a hotel stay in December returned points with a December 2010 expiration and not December 2009. In November, a similar cancellation situation resulted in the points being returned with the December 2009 date.

I have no idea if this is a fluke, a policy change, or a programming error.

I also see that the main Choice Privileges page after log-in now shows the number of points expiring at the end of the current calendar year.
How do you tell if they expire in 2010?

How do you tell if they expire in 2010?
Log in, go to your Stay Activity page, then pull up the most recent quarterly statement that doesn't say "No Activity" (this early in this quarter, you're not likely to be able to pull up "Current Activity" yet, though that is the default statement).

Scroll down to Account Summary and it's on the right:

POINTS EXPIRING 12/31/09 xxxxx
POINTS EXPIRING 12/31/10 yyyyy

Once you can pull up a 2009 statement, there'll also be:

POINTS EXPIRING 12/31/11 zzzzz

Log in, go to your Stay Activity page, then pull up the most recent quarterly statement that doesn't say "No Activity" (this early in this quarter, you're not likely to be able to pull up "Current Activity" yet, though that is the default statement).

Scroll down to Account Summary and it's on the right:

POINTS EXPIRING 12/31/09 xxxxx
POINTS EXPIRING 12/31/10 yyyyy

Once you can pull up a 2009 statement, there'll also be:

POINTS EXPIRING 12/31/11 zzzzz
Thanks! I'd never noticed that. :)

I'm pretty sure that the expiring points would be lost. Best that U maybe could do without a problem is to change the date at the same hotel.

Tried to do this and got the following message:
The Dates and Rate Program for a Choice Privileges Reward Night reservation cannot be changed.
Click the Continue link below to make other changes to this reservation, or call our Reservations Center at 877-424-6423 for assistance.

I'm not sure what they mean by "other changes" as everything is grayed out.

I'm not sure what they mean by "other changes" as everything is grayed out.
You can change room types online.
The only other option online is to cancel.

The call center can make more changes, IME.