Ideal for a road trip: Earn 8,000 Choice points or a $50 gift card for every two hotel stays

Whether you're planning a national park getaway or visiting family, there's likely a Choice Hotels location nearby.

You can enhance your stays with Choice through September thanks to an ongoing Choice Privileges promotion. Specifically, you’ll receive at least 8,000 Choice points for every two stays — up to eight stays in total — from June 3 to September 4. Choice originally indicated that members had to complete two qualifying stays by August 5 but has now extended the promotion for another month.

You can exchange Choice points earned through this promotion for select gift cards at a rate of 8,000 points per $50 gift card until October 5.

Let's dive deeper into this promotion.

Sign up for the Choice Privileges promotion

To participate in this Choice Privileges promotion, register at this link before checking out from your first stay. This offer is exclusive to Choice Privileges members living in the U.S. and Canada.

When I attempted to register, I encountered an error message stating, "Oops! Something went wrong. Please try again." So, make sure to retry before your first stay if you receive a similar notification.

Reserve and stay

To earn Choice Privileges points, you need to book a qualifying rate via an approved method for a participating property. Acceptable booking methods include the Choice website, mobile app, or phone booking center. Stays booked directly through Book by Google are also eligible if you include your Choice Privileges number in your reservation before check-in.

Most rates that generally qualify for earning Choice Privileges points are indeed eligible. However, the following types of stays do not qualify:

• Rooms reserved at rates under $40 per night
• Specific hotel-initiated promotions
• Reward night stays
• Complimentary accommodations
• Rooms covered as part of a convention or meeting
• Rooms booked through third-party online retailers, including travel agencies
• Wholesale packages and group tours
• Stays using employee discounts or friends and family rates
• Reservations through Egencia's Preferred Rate Program
• Stays in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia
• Stays at WoodSpring Suites, Mainstay Suites, Everhome Suites, Suburban Studios, and Ascend Hotel Collection all-inclusive resorts

For each pair of qualifying stays (up to four pairs), Choice will grant you between 5,000 and 8,000 bonus points. The exact number of bonus points is determined by the base points earned from the two qualifying stays. Nonetheless, the total base and bonus points combined from the two stays will be no less than 8,000 points.

If you wish to join this promotion, make sure your earning preference is set to Choice Privileges points (not airline miles).

Exchange for gift cards

A key feature of this promotion is that you can use points earned through it to get discounted gift cards until October 5. Specifically, select $50 gift cards are available for redemption at a special rate of 8,000 points during this promotion.

While I personally value Choice points more highly, TPG's August 2024 valuations estimate that 8,000 Choice points are worth about $48. Therefore, if one of the offered gift cards appeals to you, redeeming your Choice points for these discounted gift cards could be a worthwhile option.

In summary

This new Choice Hotels promotion is perfect for a road trip. You can make the most of this offer with one-night stays at budget-friendly hotels. It's a promotion worth keeping in mind when planning your travels, whether you're looking to earn Choice points or gift cards.