Meet the new Choice Privileges! Introducing the Faster Way to Rewards
 

Hi everyone!

I’m Jennifer and I work on the Choice Privileges team at the Choice Hotels headquarters. We’re really excited about our program enhancements, so we wanted to share a bit more about the new benefits with you:

• Your Extras. Get an extra reward when your qualifying stays include at least one midweek night! (This means stays that include any Sunday through Thursday night.) U.S members can choose one of 5 options, including Amazon.com credit and Fuel Rewards savings at participating Shell locations. International members can select one of 2 options: 500 bonus points or 100 airline miles from participating airline carriers.
  
• FlexRewards. Get to a free night faster— redeem your points for free nights at discounted point levels! We lower the redemption point levels at over 1,500 hotels either during weekdays or weekends, varying by season. Get your free nights with fewer points.
  
• Digital Gift Cards. Redeem your points for digital gift cards on our website or mobile app to use immediately! There are over 80 options available at favorite retailers and restaurants.
  
• Keep Your Points. Keep your points when you stay an active member! Complete a qualifying activity at least once every 18 months and keep your points.
  
• 10 Points per Dollar. Earn 10 points per dollar at over 5,500 Choice hotels – now including our economy and extended stay hotel brands, such as MainStay Suites, Suburban, Econo Lodge and Rodeway Inn. And, during our award-winning promotions, it is now easier than ever to qualify since you no longer need to stay two consecutive nights at these brands.

To learn more, visit our website at www.choicehotels.com/choice-privileges.

We know that some of you have already started to notice these new changes! We’d love to hear what you think.

I’m also here to help, so please don’t hesitate to reach out with questions – I’ll try to respond as frequently as I can, and will at least do so on a weekly basis.

- Jennifer, Choice Privileges Team

To me, this is the best of the lot ... "Yuuuuuge!" ^

Some nice improvements

Agreed, this will likely keep me in the Choice game despite ALL my favorite redemptions increasing. Gotta give them that, I rarely see promos from other chains offering this kind of value/$.

Jennifer, I really like the expiration change and the fact that you are spending your valuable time on this bunch of troublemakers. :D

Now for some tough love.

The one change I would most appreciate is a commitment to provide at least 60 days' advance notice of any change in redemption options. Zero-notice devaluation is the cardinal sin a loyalty program can commit, dynamiting the very foundation of the proposition that customers should give the company money today to earn promised rewards later. Companies with a history of consistently providing adequate notice of changes don't need to provide this reassurance, although I believe that it would benefit all companies.

I am encouraged by Choice's performance on this concern in recent years, but that would need to continue for about five more years before I could recommend that members retain large balances of unredeemed Choice Privileges points. Some reassurance here on FT or preferably in the Terms and Conditions would allow me to immediately recommend much greater engagement in what is a darned good loyalty program in every other respect.

Was it an "enhancement" to no longer be able to book Nordic Choice Hotels in Scandinavia with our points?

I know the Choice Rewards points changes were announced back in the winter, but it's not clear whether the points don't expire if you earn every 18 month applies to anything but:

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Sourced from the Canadian site: http://www.choicehotels.ca/en/choice...ep-your-points

In other words, what if I earn points only via other means (e.g. e-rewards) during an 18 month span. Will this keep my account active?

Find out for yourself (eventually):

Log into your account, go to My Activity, scroll way down, at FULL-STAY HISTORY click View. In the popup Account Summary window, you should see your current points expiration date right below the words "Current Balance". I had qualifying point-earning stays in the past month, and mine says:
and then the number of points next to that.

If yours shows an earlier date, you can experiment yourself right now, by having e-rewards post. If yours shows 1/1/18 also, then you have to wait until it's showing something less than 18 months away before you do such an experiment.

Improvements, but I've had two stays so far after signing up for the "Flex" rewards where the reward has not shown. Despite being at a property which advertises this with a huge banner in their lobby, my reward of choice has never shown up. Kind of a bummer.

The other changes are helpful, though.

E-rewards definitely counts based on what I've seen so far.

Just noticed this on the website when looking at a reward night. Hadn't seen this before.

Erewards, as a point earning option, absolutely resets the point activity clock for another 18 months! Please let us know if any other questions about the point activity rules (or other facets of the program).