New to Choice - Whats the quick run down on the program
 

As the title says - I'm new to Choice and not by choice LOL.

However if I'm going to have to stay there, I may as well join and figure out the best way to make the most of the program.

I will be making two stays which will be a 2 nighter and a 4 nighter. I will be staying in Hermosa Beach, CA and have reserved a suite.

First question, Are there any promo's now that I should concentrate on?

Second question, I have no status, do they have status challenges, would it be worth it?

thanks

To answer Question 1. Yes, register for the "Two Stays equals 8000 point" promo, (whatever they happen to call it). You'll get the normal amount of points for the first stay, then they round it up to a total of 8000 points for the second. And it's "stays," not "nights," that count. (Checking out of Hotel A, then checking back in the same day still only counts as "ONE"). If you can check out of Hotel A, then into Hotel B, the back to A, it counts as separate stays, and you can use the 8K towards a higher level award, a gift card, or save it in your account. Reward values vary, so check for what each reward hotel costs.

Thanks but a follow-up question.

What do you mean round up to 8000 points? its not a straight up 8000 bonus after your second stay? do you only get it one time?

my stays will be

Hermosa Beach
2 nights elsewhere
Hermosa Beach

so if I read this right, I will get up to 8000 bonus points after the 2nd Hb stay?

Nope. Your bonus will be the points from the first stay + the points from the second stay subtracted from 8,000. On many promos, you get a minimum of 5,000, but not on this one.

Choice promotions really favor staying at low cost hotels.

You do not get it one time only. You get it for every second stay. So, if you hotel hop on this trip, you will get several bonuses.

So if my math is right

Stay one 2 nights, 3940 points
Stay two 4 nights, 7970 points

total from the two stays is ~11,900 points

Does this mean that I would get ZERO points in the bonus?

if so, ouch

Yes. You get 0 bonus points.

but the bright side is that you will get enough points from these stays, with out the bonus, to get a free night at a hotel that you will never, ever, voluntarily stay at.

10,000 choice points got me an award night for a $200-250/night hotel that I voluntarily stay at a fair amount and then some. But that's because I redeem my Choice points for award nights in places like Sweden.

Correct. But the OP made clear that Choice was a stay only involuntarily.

If this property (Hermosa Beach) is any good, I might stay here again but its really the only one that I can see for the time being.

that said and done, it looks like this one is 30,000 points for one night.

Do these points expire?

They expire after 18 months of inactivity.

This is the 1st year that I utilized the stay 2x get 8k pts:


May: Hotel A (2 nights) 2,620 pts + Hotel B (1 night) 1,070 pts + 5,000 (stay 2x) = 8,690 pts

June: Hotel C (2 nights) 2,070 pts + Hotel D (2 nights) 2,160 pts + 5,000 (stay 2x) = 9,230 pts

July: Hotel E (2 nights) 1,780 pts + Hotel F (2 nights) 1,970 pts + 5,000 (stay 2x) = 8,750 pts

Well, I seem to be wrong. Many past promotions give a minimum bonus of 5,000 points regardless of how many points you earn for each stay. The T&C's for this promotion do not mention the 5,000 minimum, but the FAQ does.

The post above seems to indicate that the T&C's are incorrect and that the FAQ is correct.

It seems to me that this promo induces people to stay at properties

1. with low rates
2. not to stay for many nights

interesting

either way, it looks like I'll have to find a way to burn my points quickly at a local property since I won't get to 30K to redeem in HB at least not within the 18 mo window.

Is there an easy way to extend expiration without a stay?

Any activity will extend the 18 months so point purchases, purchases using the Barclay Choice Visa (generally offered without an annual fee and shifting signup bonuses), or purchases through the Choice Privileges online shopping mall (the purchase of a single music track through the iTunes store is usually the lowest cost option) will count as activity. Use of points for things like magazine subscriptions or conversion to airline FF programs (Southwest is the most lucrative option, but none of these transfers occur 1:1) will also extend the life of the points. As some of these activities take time to post, it's advisable to do them well ahead of time--I'd leave six weeks for safety's sake.

Although you may not want to do a stay, one of the advantages of a stay for points activity purposes is that it's the date of the stay that counts so you can push the envelope a bit compared with the other options. Although Choice's loyalty program does not provide much in the way of benefits or even recognition--I frequently get surveys after my stays from the hotel or from Choice that include questions about recognition so I know the program thinks it's important, but I generally am acknowledged no more than 1/3 of the time while the benefits might include a slightly better view of the parking lot but rarely anything of true value--as GUWonder has noted, there are strategic uses, mostly in Europe, especially in Scandinavia, but I've got one or two go-to redemptions at 8K in the US that save me a fair amount of money for a pleasant hotel in decent surroundings.

Choice Privileges
 

Welcome to the Choice Privileges membership! We hope the program serves you well to partner the on-property experiences you have in future stays.

Couple of quick pointers to make the most of the program:
1) Register for national promotions - Choice Privileges has the most robust point bonus promotions (in my opinion!) - including 'Stay 2x, Get a Free Night' and 'Stay 2x, get a $50 Gift Card' which is current promotion. However, you need to register to qualify, so therefore you need to have an online account to allow your registration. There is no better way to build some great point balances with repeat stays.

2) Sign up for Your Extras - this new benefit offers members an instant reward at check-in for stays that include at least one Sunday - Thursday night in their stay. Literally one night can deliver an instant reward, that includes Amazon, Uber, Shell and Starbucks in the US. No other program offers instant value on just one stay! You don't need to be an Elite to get a return in this program, we get you going with rewards literally from first stay.

3) Be on the lookout for FlexRewards - once you build up enough points for redemption, look for discounted reward nights via this benefit. Participating hotels vary by season, so keep checking on who participates via ChoiceHotels.com.

4) Points Plus Cash - we offer Points Plus Cash (PPC) w/ as little as 6K Choice Privileges points. So if you are looking at higher point level reward nights, you can attain them with that minimum point requirement and then a subsequent 'cash' payment (credit card for the differential). It's another great way to make the program work for you.

Above and beyond? Digital gift cards via the mobile app or desktop to give you a digital PIN to redeem instantly instead of waiting for a gift card to show up in the mail, a new forfeiture point policy that ensures you keep your points as long as you stay active, and 10pts/$1 at every brand effective February from earlier this year.

Oh, and also elite recognition gift or points at Comfort Suite stays, and ANY member gets either points or a collectible coaster for a free beverage at every cambria hotel & suites location.

Hopefully this was a helpful overview of what Choice Privileges can offer. I welcome any suggestions you have!