Summer Gift Card Promo Returns
 

As a Choice Privileges® member, two separate stays between June 12 and August 17 can earn you enough points to redeem for a $50 gift card. Choose from select retailers and redeem your points by September 30.

FAQs here: https://www.choicehotels.com/promo/faqs

You beat me to it! Just saw it at check-in.

If I don't use the points to redeem gift cards, I'm assuming this is the same as every 2 stays, get 1 free night for an 8000 point value night, correct? Meaning I can keep the points, not redeem them for gift cards, and redeem them for 1 stay later on. Or can I redeem them for a 1 night stay even during the promo period?

That's correct. The points will just sit in bnb your account until you use them. However, I find the best redemption rate for the points is to convert them to $50 gift cards. Or at least a portion of your bonus stays to gift cards.

How is a $50 gift card better than an $80 hotel night? I don't redeem unless I get better than $0.01 per point. Last July I got 2 night stay ($125 per night) for 8,000 pts each. Also, last July I go got 3 night stay ($135 per night) for 10,000 pts each. These were not highway stop locations. These were in tourist areas.

If you can get redemption value like that, go for it. I have not found such value in my attempts, so I will likely take the cash.

Keep in mind that in the USA room rates shown online don't include taxes, but award stays pay no taxes.

WIth that in mind, I;'ve used 10000 - 12000 points (depending on the month) for hotels that were $120ish before taxes but $135+ after taxes for the cheapest rooms, but on points I was able to get the suite for the same number of points as the cheapest room. This was, for example, at the Clarion SNA airport (which doesn't always have such high rates but often enough does, especially if booking late). That may not be quite as good as the person who got those 8000 point hotels, but it's still better than a $50 gift card.

So while it looks no better than a $50 gift card with the room rate, once you factor in the taxes plus that you get the suite for the same number of points, it's definitely way better than a $50 gift card IMHO. (Especially, as in my case, when I was booking for nights during which there was no stay-based promo. I might have made a slightly different decision had a stay-2-get-8000 promo been in effect, but the decision probably would have been to pick a cheaper-on-cash Choice hotel.)

But you don't have to make the decision now. Not only do you have a couple months before the ability to redeem for a gift card goes away for 2018, the same ability to redeem for a gift card comes back every summer.

Years ago when points expired the end of the following year, I was just happy to get $0.01 per point just to use the expiring points. Most times it was less than $0.01 per point, but at least I was able to use the expiring points. Now points don't expire if you have activity within 18 months, so there is no need to burn points on less than desirable redemptions.

And as sdsearch mentioned, getting a suite or a more expensive room with a view for the same points as a standard room is one of the best perks of the program.

This is all true, but time value of money is a real thing. I can get the cash now, or wait for a possible redemption I like in the future, keeping in mind that Choice bounces between third and fourth on my chain preference

Here's the other part that skews my redemption rate thinking. I've got seven figures worth of points. It feels too risky to load up on more points for some future use even if the rate of redemption is slightly better.

Yeah, if I had a million points, I'd be spending them, not passing up cash to earn them.

Now I have the Barenaked Ladies song in my head.

If I had a million dollars...er points