Emails went out to some Choice Privileges members yesterday advertised an increased offer for the Choice Privileges Mastercard that would yield 70,000 points after $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months on the no-annual-fee card. That’s an increase of 10,000 points over the best current public offer and it puts the bonus higher than the bonus on the card that carries an annual fee.
The Deal
- A targeted email offer has gone out to some Choice Privileges members to earn 70,000 points after $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months on the no-annual-fee version of the Choice Privileges Mastercard
- The email subject line is: [Name], Earn 70,000 Points Toward Your Next Stay
Key Card Details
| Card Name w Details & Review (no offer) |
|---|
FM Mini Review: Decent bonus for a no-annual fee card, but not a great keeper unless you value the Choice Gold Status No Annual Fee Earning rate: 5X at Choice Hotels ✦ 3X at gas stations, grocery stores, home improvement stores, and phone plans ✦ 1X everywhere else Card Info: Mastercard World Elite issued by Wells Fargo. This card has no foreign currency conversion fees. Noteworthy perks: Automatic Gold status ✦ Cell phone Protection ($25 deductible, $800 max per claim) |
Quick Thoughts
This can certainly be a great deal if you’re able to leverage the Choice points well. Just the other day, I used 45,000 Choice Privileges points to pay for a night that would have otherwise cost around $1,000 and I used 60,000 Choice points to cover a stay that otherwise would have cost more than $1,300. There’s no doubt that it is possible to get great value out of this bonus.
On the other hand, Choice does pretty frequently put their points on sale, sometimes for as little as about half a cent per point. You can sometimes buy the points on offer here at a pretty hefty discount.
Furthermore, the no annual fee card doesn’t have a ton of ongoing value. Cardholders are sometimes targeted with better rates for purchasing points, and the card does come with Gold status, but given that it is possible to get a better rate of return on its bonus categories with other cards, it isn’t particularly valuable on an ongoing basis. If you’re really a Choice Privileges fan, then you probably want the Choice Privileges Mastercard Select card, which has a $95 annual fee but offers 30,000 points each year at renewal.
However, if you’re playing the long game, it might be possible to get the no-annual-fee card now with the elevated targeted welcome bonus and upgrade to the Select card down the line. I’m not sure how easily Wells Fargo will let you product change, but that could potentially be a good angle.
Overall, it’s cool to see a slightly better offer via email, and it certainly is possible to get great return on spend with this offer.
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Already have the CHOICE PRIVILEGES SELECT. Applied and got this message: ‘You Have a Pre-Existing AccountYou can only be a primary cardholder of one Choice Privileges® Mastercard® at a time. Our records indicate you are already a primary cardholder.’
I got this email yesterday, but for 60K not 70K… 🙁
Got the targeted email. Applied. Was approved. Points showed up today. 70,000. Good offer.
I would not want to product change into the other card. Just apply for it and get that bonus when it is available. Waiting for the 100,000 to return.
There is a 15 months cool down between bonuses regardless which card you have or start with. I did call Wells Fargo and can confirm that they allow you to have both cards concurrently. FM team could double check.
Has anyone been able to upgrade/product-change from this no-annual-fee card to the Select MasterCard with an annual fee? Or denied?
People have reported not being allowed to do that.
Yeah, I got the no-AF version back when it was with Barclays, then it transferred over to Wells Fargo and they added the Select. There is no way to upgrade the card, and you can’t apply for it as a separate product (I tried that too.) Wells is being very short-sighted. I can only guess that you would need to cancel and reapply?