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If you’re a member of the Choice Privileges loyalty program, it’s important to know that your points won’t last forever without a little maintenance. Like many hotel programs, Choice sets an expiration policy for inactive accounts — and if you’re not careful, you could lose your hard-earned points.
Thankfully, keeping your Choice Privileges points from expiring is easy. And, you don’t even have to leave home to do it. In this post, we’ll explain when Choice points expire, what counts as qualifying activity, and how to extend your balance with a few simple moves.
Do Choice Privileges Points Expire?
Choice Privileges points expire if your account has no qualifying activity for 18 months. Qualifying activity resets your points' expiration clock for 18 months. Per the Choice Privileges website:
“If you are an active Choice Privileges member, your points will not expire. To maintain your active member status, you must complete at least one qualifying activity every 18 months, or your points will be forfeited.”
Track your points and miles expiration for 630+ loyalty programs and get email alerts before your miles expire by signing up for a free AwardWallet account.
Qualifying Activity to Extend Choice Point Expiration
Per the Choice Hotels FAQ page, only the following activities count as qualifying activities to prevent points expiration:
- Earn points for a paid stay at a participating Choice Hotels property.
- Redeem your points for stays at Choice Hotels.
- Buy Choice Privileges points.
- Refer a friend; you'll get points after they join Choice Privileges and complete an eligible stay.
- Make a transfer to Choice Privileges from American Express Membership Rewards.
- Receive Choice points as a gift from another member.
- Transfer your points to/from airline partners through Rewards Exchange.
- Earn points with various partners, including taking surveys.
- Rent a car with Avis or Budget.
- Book a cruise with Choice Privilege Cruises.
- Buy golf apparel or equipment or book tee times via the Golf By Choice program.
- Earn points for everyday spending with the Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard® (Rates & Fees) or Choice Privileges® Mastercard® (Rates & Fees).
Related: Current Choice Privilege Promotions
Non-qualifying activity
The following activities do not count towards resetting your points expiration date:
- Rooms booked for under $40 or senior tours.
- Rooms booked through third-party retailers or as part of a convention or meeting.
- Gifting points; only the person receiving the points qualifies for a reset of points expiration.
- Registering for a promotion.
If your Choice points do expire, it will happen at midnight on the final day of the 18th month after your last qualifying activity.
Boosting Your Choice Privileges Points Balance
Transferring American Express Membership Rewards will both boost your points balance and reset your points expiration clock. You also have a few other options if you are looking to boost your Choice Privileges points balance for a redemption. You can transfer all of the following points to Choice Privileges.
Although you also can transfer to Choice from Capital One miles and Citi ThankYou Rewards. There's no mention of whether these transfers are considered qualifying activities.
Use AwardWallet to Track Choice Privileges Points Expiration
The fact that Choice Privileges points expire after 18 months means it pays to keep a close eye on them since it is such a short timeframe. The best way to do so is by using AwardWallet to track your balance. That way, you will get a timely reminder if you have any points in danger of expiring.
Using AwardWallet to track your Choice Privileges points is as easy as can be. Simply log in to your account, link your Choice Privileges account, and you're set. You'll start getting expiration reminders before your points are set to expire.
Related: How to Track Your Rewards Using AwardWallet
Our Take
Choice Privileges gives members a generous 18-month window to keep their points active — and a wide variety of ways to do it. From transferring Amex Membership Rewards points to earning on everyday spending, you have plenty of options to avoid expiration.
Use a tool like AwardWallet to monitor your expiration date, and you’ll never have to worry about losing track of your expiration date. With just one qualifying activity every 18 months, your balance can stay intact and ready for your next redemption.
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