He Choice Privileges The hotel loyalty program just announced some positive changes that will go into effect in early 2026. Details on some of these changes are scarce, but here’s what we know so far.
Lower requirements for existing elite status levels
Starting in 2026, each of the existing Choice Privileges Elite Status Levels will require five fewer nights per calendar year. As such, you will only need to stay five nights per calendar year for Gold elite status, 15 nights for Platinum elite status, and 35 nights for Diamond elite status.
As a reminder, you can also enjoy complimentary Elite status and earn Elite qualifying nights with the Choice Privileges® Mastercard® and the Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard®.
Choice Privileges and Choice Privileges Select information has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
So far, Choice Privileges has not announced any changes to elite benefits at these tiers. Gold Elite members are currently eligible for early check-in, late check-out, an Elite welcome gift upon check-in, and room upgrades based on space available, so it may be a status worth obtaining, especially when it only requires five qualifying nights per calendar year.
Related: Comparison of the best hotel elite status levels and how to get them
A new top-tier Choice Privileges status
Choice Privileges will also add a new top-tier status to its program in 2026. Starting in 2026, you can earn this new top-tier Titanium elite status by staying 55 nights per calendar year or earning 110,000 eligible elite credits per calendar year.
Choice Titanium members will gain access to an attractive benefit: the Titanium Travel Award. With the Titanium travel award, you can book a room for up to seven nights at more than 400 premium Choice Privileges properties for half the points.
I hope Titanium members get other benefits too, like more bonus points on eligible stays. But we will have to wait until Choice Privileges announces all the details of this new status.
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Related: Best Choice Hotels in Europe to Book Using Points
Other changes
Finally, Choice Privileges announced several other positive changes beginning in 2026 and beyond. These changes include:
- 1,000 bonus points after a member’s second and third qualifying stay each year
- Milestone rewards, such as bonus points and gift cards, for every five qualifying nights between status levels
- Lack of points expiration for elite members
- Soft landing of status starting in 2027, meaning elite members who do not re-qualify for their status or higher will only drop one level per year.
- Introducing points sharing later in 2026, meaning members will be able to transfer points to friends and family.
Currently, Choice Privileges points expire if you do not complete any qualifying points activity for 18 months. Presumably, members who earn Choice Privileges Elite status will have some qualifying points activity at least once every 18 months, so this change is relatively minor. However, especially given the status soft landing starting in 2027, this could allow higher-tier elite members to maintain declining levels of status and their points balance for a few years without any activity.
Bonus points and milestone rewards will offer small benefits, but they will be welcome, especially since it looks like the first milestone reward could be available after just 10 nights in a calendar year. The possibility of sharing points also sounds positive, although we do not yet know if there will be any costs or other drawbacks.
Related: The World’s Best Hotel Rewards Programs: Which One Is Right for You?
In a nutshell
It’s nice to see a hotel loyalty program make customer-friendly changes.
in a press release announcing these changesNandika Suri, vice president of loyalty at Choice Hotels International, said, “What sets Choice Privileges apart is our commitment to making rewards richer and more attainable, and we are leading the loyalty landscape by offering more benefits, more frequently. These changes are part of our ongoing journey to evolve Choice Privileges to reflect what today’s travelers expect from a modern loyalty program.”
However, we’ll have to wait until we see all the details of these changes and the new Titanium status before making a final judgment on how much more attractive these changes make the Choice Privileges program.
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