Choice Privileges Credit Card Review: Is the No-Fee Hotel Card Worth It?

The Choice Privileges Credit Card Mastercard from Wells Fargo is a no-annual-fee hotel co-brand card aimed at travelers in the midscale/value segment. As the official card of Choice Hotels’ loyalty program, it offers a solid mix of elevated earnings on everyday spend, automatic Gold Elite status, and a standard set of travel and purchase protections, all without a yearly fee. What sets this card apart is its rare combination of no annual fee and instant Gold Elite status. Achieving Gold (normally requiring 10 nights) comes free, and if you can meet the bonus and use the elite perks, the card can be worth roughly $240–$360 in first-year value.

The card’s welcome bonus has a strict 15-month rule. If you’ve opened or received a bonus on any Choice or Select Mastercard in the last 15 months, you won’t qualify for the current bonus.

Not all everyday purchases will count for the bonus categories. Many warehouse clubs, big-box stores, and third-party payment merchants are coded as general merchandise, so a fuel fill-up at one of these stores may only earn 1X points instead of 3X. Always check your statement to confirm how purchases are coded.

For many, however, the card’s true value depends on how well you navigate these quirks, especially merchant coding and benefit activation. If you hit the welcome bonus and actually use your Gold status, the card can deliver approximately $240–$360 in first-year value. Ongoing value then comes from maximizing the 3X and 5X categories and actually using Gold perks on Choice stays.

The Numbers: Is the Annual Fee Worth It?

With no annual fee, your only requirement to “break even” is meeting the bonus spend. We use a conservative point value of $0.006 per point for these examples.

1. Bonus Hunter Beginner. Sign up, spend $1,000 in 3 months (to earn 60,000 points), then never use the card again (besides any automatic benefits). Those 60,000 points are worth about $360 at our valuation if redeemed for high-end hotel nights, or roughly $240 if redeemed for gift cards or other lower-value options. With no fee, that’s a solid return for minimal effort.
2. Cautious Value Seeker. Suppose you put $3,000 per year on gas and groceries, and all of that’s coded correctly. At 3X, that’s 9,000 points per year (about $54). Add the 60,000-point bonus ($360 value), and you’re looking at roughly $414 in first-year value. (This assumes only those category spends and no other bonuses.)
3. Travel Optimizer. If you stay often at Choice hotels (say 10+ nights a year), your Gold status adds extra value. The 10% bonus on points and the potential upgrades/benefits could be worth another ~$50 value if you actually use them. In that case, your first-year total easily exceeds $400 when combining the bonus, bonus-category spend, and status perks.
4. Unlikely to break even. If you can’t meet the $1,000 spend or will never stay at Choice hotels at all, the card’s value is essentially zero-though at least you’re not paying a fee for the privilege.

We ignore breakage (unused points or forgotten benefits) for simplicity, but note that inattention could reduce your realized value.

Welcome Bonus: Can You Realistically Earn It?

The public sign-up offer is 60,000 points after $1,000 spend in 3 months. This is a strong bonus for a no-fee card (many no-fee hotel cards offer closer to 40–50K). Remember, offers can change, so always verify the current bonus on Wells Fargo’s website before applying. The 60K offer is at least as good as anything we’ve seen recently for this card. (Occasionally Wells Fargo has run 70K promotions, but those are rare and unpredictable.)

Can you hit it? For most applicants, spending $1,000 in 90 days is achievable if you plan ahead. The big pitfalls are what doesn’t count: only net purchases post to the bonus requirement. Cash advances, balance transfers, gift card purchases, and certain third-party payments (like PayPal or Venmo) are excluded. That means if you buy gift cards or pay via a third-party app, those charges won’t help you meet the spend. on top of that, any purchase that doesn’t post as an ordinary retail transaction won’t count (disputed charges, illegal transactions, etc.).

Who Is Eligible to Use the Card?

Approval and bonus eligibility are both governed by Wells Fargo’s 15-month “family rule.” If you have opened or received a bonus on any Choice Privileges Credit Card Mastercard or Select Mastercard in the last 15 months, you won’t get a new bonus. Wells Fargo has no pre-approval funnel for this card, and it does not publish a minimum credit score. In practice, treat it like any other mid-tier travel card: you should have good to excellent credit (roughly a 700+ FICO) to be approved.

If you already hold this card (or closed it) within the past 15 months, or you’ve received a recent bonus on an older Choice Privileges product, you won’t be eligible for a new sign-up bonus. Note that Wells Fargo hasn’t publicized any product-change or downgrade paths for this card, so closing and re-opening is the only way (subject to the 15-month rule).

Earning: How You Rack Up Value

The Choice Privileges Mastercard earns points as follows:

• 5X points per $1 at Choice Hotels (booked directly with the hotel)
• 3X points per $1Let me tell you, at gas stations, grocery stores, cell phone service providers, and home improvement stores
• 1X point per $1 on all other purchases

Merchant Coding Trap:
Merchant coding is the biggest trap. Purchases at warehouse clubs (Costco, Sam’s Club), superstores (Walmart, Target), or groceries/gas paid through mobile wallets often don’t earn 3X. Only merchants coded by Mastercard as “gas station,” “supermarket,” etc., will trigger the 3X bonus.

If you put gas in your car at Walmart or swipe for groceries at Costco and only get 1X points, it means those stores are coded as a different merchant type. To avoid surprises, make a small test purchase and immediately check your statement: if it shows only 1X, that retailer won’t give you bonus points.

For example, fueling up your car at a Walmart gas station might code as a traditional retailer on your statement (1X), not a gas station (3X). Similarly, buying supplies at a warehouse club often codes as “wholesale club,” not grocery. There’s no easy external list of all codes, so the safest approach is to pay attention to your statements. This coding issue isn’t unique to Choice; it can happen with any bonus-category card, but it’s especially important here because the 3X categories are central to the card’s value.

Sample Merchant Category Codes (MCCs) for 3X Categories

Below is a sample table of common merchant category codes that typically qualify for 3X bonus earnings. Note: Coding is determined by the merchant’s payment processor, not by Wells Fargo or Mastercard directly.

Always verify your merchant’s coding by checking your posted transaction details after your first purchase. If you see only 1X points, that merchant does not qualify for bonus earnings.

Elite Night Credits: Free Gold Elite Status

10 free nights/year and Gold status. When you open the card (and then again each January), you earn 10 Choice Privileges elite nights credited to your loyalty account. Since 10 nights normally qualify you for Choice Gold Elite status, this effectively grants Gold status automatically. Gold status means a 10% bonus on points for hotel stays, complimentary early check-in (when available), late checkout (when available), reserved parking, and the possibility of room upgrades at Choice properties.

Key Setup Warning:
These 10-night credits should post within about two weeks of account approval, provided you have an active Choice Privileges account linked to your Mastercard. A very common mistake is forgetting to link the card to your loyalty account. If your Choice Privileges account isn’t linked (or is inactive), you’ll not receive the 10-night credits or Gold status until you correct it (and Wells Fargo typically won’t fix this for you automatically). In short, The truth is, link your loyalty account immediately after approval to ensure you get these elite benefits.

Benefits: What Matters, What Doesn’t

High Value

No Foreign Transaction Fees: This card charges 0% foreign transaction fees. That’s rare for a no-annual-fee card. When you use it abroad, you save about 2-3% per purchase compared to cards that charge a 3% fee.

Automatic Gold Elite Status: As described above, you get Choice Gold status at no cost (via the 10-night credits). If you actually stay at Choice hotels, the 10% points bonus on all stays and the priority check-in/checkout perks can add real value. Gold status only matters if you use it, if not, consider it a nice bonus.

Medium Value

Cell Phone Protection: If you charge your monthly cell phone bill to this card, you get primary coverage for theft or damage. Specifically, up to $800 per claim (with a $25 deductible, max 2 claims per year). This is a valuable benefit for a no-fee card, but only if you remember to use it: set your phone bill autopay to this card to activate it. This protection covers theft and damage (like if you smash your phone), but it generally does not cover mechanical breakdown, water damage in some cases, or cosmetic issues.

Low Value

There are no free night certificates, travel credits, or premium travel insurances with this card. Wells Fargo’s benefits documentation for this card does not include trip delay/cancellation insurance, baggage insurance, extended warranties, or return protection. In short, apart from the cell phone cover, you shouldn’t expect any fancy protection.

Actionable Takeaway:
To maximize this card, link your Choice Privileges account immediately, use it for your gas/grocery/phone/home improvement purchases after confirming those merchants qualify, and switch your cell phone bill to it. Set reminders to meet the $1,000 spend without going overboard, and then enjoy Gold status on your trips. Other than that, don’t rely on any other benefits; plan to carry another card for insurance or travel perks.

Is the Card Worth It?

For the right user, yes, this card is a high-value, low-risk option. The first-year value (from the 60K bonus and Gold status) is hard to beat for a card with no fee. Let me tell you, as long as you intend to spend $1,000 and actually stay at choice hotels sometimes, you’ll come out ahead. After the bonus, the card still offers a decent value on gas/groceries/phone bills at 3X, and the Gold perks add something when used.

Break-even perspective: Your baseline “cost” is only the $1,000 spend, which you would have done anyway in many cases (groceries, gas, etc.). Since there’s no annual fee, you don’t have to worry about recouping an ongoing cost. The critical thing is actually using the bonus and categories. If you’ll meet the spend and reduce coding surprises, you’ll be in the black.

Caveats: If you won’t meet the spend, or you rarely stay at Choice hotels (so Gold means nothing), the card has near-zero value, though with no fee, it’s no big loss to apply. The real dangers (merchants coding as 1X and the 15-month rule) mean you have to be attentive. Also, if you already have a strong hotel card or prefer transferable points, then this card isn’t necessary.

Who Should Skip This Card:
You rarely stay at Choice hotels, already carry a similar hotel card, or can’t reliably meet the $1,000 spend without buying things you don’t need. It’s also a weak choice if you want flexible points (transfer partners) or strong travel insurance; those don’t exist here.

Quick Decision Flow: If you plan to stay at Choice hotels and haven’t held this card (or a Select Mastercard) in 15+ months, apply when the bonus is 60,000 points or higher. If you’re not confident you’ll use the bonus or status, consider waiting on it. If you are currently ineligible due to the 15-month rule, mark your calendar for when you’ll become eligible again.

Choice Privileges Credit Card vs Marriott Bonvoy Bold Card

Both cards have no annual fee and provide a foothold in their respective hotel programs. The Choice Privileges credit card (this one) earns 5X at Choice and 3X on wide everyday spend, plus automatic Choice Gold status. The Marriott Bonvoy Bold Card (also no fee) typically offers 3X at Marriott properties and 2X on other everyday spend, along with Silver Elite status.

Key differences: Marriott points generally have broader uses and a higher typical value. The Bonvoy program has dozens of airline transfer partners and a large global footprint (luxury hotels, etc.), whereas Choice points can only be used for Choice brand hotels, gift cards, or donations. We often value a Marriott point at about $0.008–$0.01 each, compared to ~$0.006 here. On the other hand, Choice Privileges excels in the everyday 3X categories and gives you Gold status for free, which Marriott’s card does not.

If you stay mostly at Choice hotels and spend on gas/groceries/home-improvement, the Choice card wins out. If you stay at Marriott (or want transfer partners and a wider hotel portfolio), the Marriott Bonvoy Bold Card is likely better.

Transfer of Points

Choice Privileges does allow transfers to a number of airline frequent flyer programs, but the ratios are generally poor compared to hotel redemptions, so transfers usually make sense only for small top-offs or niche sweet spots.

Transfers are generally poor value. Most partners convert at 5,000 Choice points → 1,000 airline miles (5:1).

Bottom Line

The Choice Privileges Mastercard is a low-risk, high-upside card for the right user. It’s best for travelers who know they’ll use it: you should be able to spend $1,000 easily within 3 months and plan to stay at Choice hotels at least occasionally. In that case, you’ll earn ~$200+ in free value from the bonus and Gold status before the card’s first anniversary. After that, ongoing rewards (3X on select spend and 10% on stays) can make it a keeper.

The main pitfalls are all about execution: earning 60K requires careful spending (avoid excluded purchases), and you must remember the 15-month bonus rule. The card offers no fee, so you won’t lose money by applying, but you could waste an approval opportunity if you’re ineligible for the bonus.

If you need flexible points, reliable travel insurance, or you don’t stay at Choice hotels, look elsewhere. For everyone else, this card is a straightforward way to rack up free nights and perks at Choice hotels.