AwardWallet receives compensation from advertising partners for links on the blog. The opinions expressed here are our own and have not been reviewed, provided, or approved by any bank advertiser. Here's our complete list of Advertisers.
Offers for the Choice Privileges® Mastercard® and Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard® are not available through this site. Some offers may have expired. Please see our card marketplace for available offers
Choice Hotels doesn’t get much love in the points-and-miles world. To be fair, the brand’s roadside-motel reputation wasn't unfounded. But that outdated perception no longer reflects what Choice Hotels has to offer today.
After a series of recent program changes, Choice has quietly become far more compelling for award travelers, especially internationally. Points redemptions can start as low as 8,000 points, and points are easily earned through transfer partners — both Citi ThankYou® points and Wells Fargo Rewards transfer to Choice at a 1:2 ratio. These open the door to outsized value in high-cost regions like Japan, Scandinavia, and Northern Europe.
Against that backdrop, Choice’s newly introduced Titanium elite status stands out. Despite a top-tier threshold of 55 nights (or 110,000 Elite Qualifying Credits), earning Titanium isn’t nearly as intimidating as it sounds. Plus, the benefits — particularly the new Titanium Travel Award — are strong enough that I’m actively aiming for it this year. Here’s why.
Page Contents
Why I'm Excited About Choice Titanium Status
Just one perk of Choice's new Titanium status level could save you tens of thousands of Choice points annually.
The headline benefit of Choice Titanium status is the Titanium Travel Award. This perk provides 50% off the points price on an award stay of up to a week. In my opinion, the extra effort needed to attain that award — and the Titanium status level — is well worth the effort.
Plus, the higher status means free breakfast, better upgrades, and the ability to soft-land your elite status in future years.
Choice Has a Forgiving Soft Landing Policy
An existing benefit of the Choice Privileges program is rollover nights, which will transition into a new soft landing benefit starting in 2027. Previously, depending on the level of Choice status earned, members could carry over a set number of rollover nights.
After factoring in what I rolled over from last year, I’ll need just 49 elite nights to reach Titanium this year. Choice currently offers four elite tiers beyond base membership: Gold (five nights), Platinum (15 nights), Diamond (35 nights), and Titanium (55 nights).
Beginning in 2027, Choice status holders will benefit from what’s known as a soft landing. In practice, if I earn Titanium status in 2026 but don’t re-qualify for Titanium in 2027, I would automatically drop to Diamond status instead.
Free Breakfast at More Choice Properties
A lack of free breakfast was a key limitation of the prior Choice Privileges elite status program. Previously, only Choice Diamond members received free breakfast at legacy Radisson properties in the Americas. Now, both Choice Diamond and Titanium members receive free breakfast at these properties.
That means a stay at the Radisson Blu Mall of America as a Diamond member will include breakfast for two at a participating hotel restaurant during the stay.
Internationally, many Choice properties offer some form of free breakfast as well. For example, I recall large breakfast spreads at Choice properties in both Prague and Japan. And in Norway, I stayed at a property bookable with Choice points that even featured a free, light dinner.
Suite Redemptions Offer Outstanding Value
Choice lists room upgrades as a benefit — depending on availability — for Gold members and above, but, anecdotally speaking, I have had success booking a base room at a Choice property and getting upgraded into a suite with my higher level of status. As such, holding Titanium status should put me at the top of the queue for room upgrades.
However, if chasing status is not in your plans for 2026 and/or you do not think you'll get upgraded, consider just booking into a suite directly (assuming the property has suites) with Choice points, which can provide tremendous value, especially with high cash prices for bigger rooms.
Here’s an example of an 8,000-point suite that can accommodate three guests at Comfort Suites Tokyo Bay near Tokyo Disneyland:
The extra space a suite provides is a nice perk, especially internationally, where hotel rooms are often smaller than their American counterparts.
And if you don’t have a stash of Choice points yet, you can consider earning them through spending on the Choice Privileges® Mastercard® (Rates & Fees) and Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard®(Rates & Fees).
Rates & Fees
- 5x points on stays at participating Choice Hotels® properties plus on Choice Privileges point purchases
- 3x points on purchases at gas stations, grocery stores, home improvement stores and on phone plan services
- 1x points on other purchases
Rates & Fees
- 10x points on stays at participating Choice Hotels® properties plus on Choice Privileges point purchases
- 5x points on purchases at gas stations, grocery stores, home improvement stores, and on phone plan services
- 1x points on other purchases
Titanium Travel Award
Perhaps the biggest benefit of chasing Titanium status with the Choice Privileges program is the new Titanium Travel Award. Once a member reaches Titanium status, they’ll be able to book a points stay of up to seven nights for half the usual points price using the Titanium Travel Award.
The only notable restriction here is that the terms mention the award being valid only at a “curated selection of properties.”
However, Choice tells us this award will be eligible at more than 400 properties, ranging from Hotel Casa Don Luis to The Hardiman. Let’s take a look at what a stay at The Hardiman would cost with the Titanium Travel Award in July 2026:
At 20,000 Choice points per night, this property would normally cost 140,000 points for a seven-night stay. With the Titanium Travel Award, it drops to just 70,000 points.
And if you transfer Citi ThankYou points or Wells Fargo Rewards to Choice at a 1:2 ratio, you’d need only 35,000 points.
That’s a significant savings, especially considering the cash price for a seven-night stay in July 2026 is nearly $2,500!
Bottom Line
The new Titanium status level with the Choice Privileges program is well worth considering this year and beyond. Between the Titanium Travel Award, better suite upgrade chances and status soft landing, there are more than enough worthwhile benefits to go around.
AwardWallet users typically redeem Choice points for 1.26¢ per point, but stacking the Titanium Travel Award with the ability to use flexible credit card currency to transfer to Choice Privileges can help you easily exceed that value.
What do you think about the new Titanium status level?
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.