Advertiser Disclosure: Katie's Travel Tricks has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Katie's Travel Tricks and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Editorial Disclosure: Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author's alone.
Non-Affiliate Offer

Choice Privileges® Mastercard®

Earns Choice Privileges Counts Toward 5/24
Welcome Offer
40,000 Choice Points

Earn 40,000 bonus Choice Privileges points after spending $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That can be worth up to 5 reward nights at select Choice Hotels properties. NOTE: An elevated 60,000-point offer ran through April 7, 2026 and has now expired. Verify current offer with Wells Fargo before publishing.

How to Earn Rewards
5x Choice Privileges card-bonus points per $1 on stays at participating Choice Hotels properties (plus the standard 10x base member earning = 15x total at Choice)
3x Choice Privileges points per $1 at gas stations, grocery stores, home improvement stores, and on phone plan services.
1x Choice Privileges points per $1 on all other purchases
Key Benefits

Tap any benefit to see details.

Automatic Choice Privileges Gold Elite Status + 10 Elite Night Credits Annually
Automatic Gold elite status (mid-tier) in Choice Privileges program from card opening + 10 elite night credits each calendar year. Gold tier includes complimentary upgrades when available, late checkout, and a welcome gift (bonus points or beverage/snack at check-in). The 10 elite night credits give a head start toward higher status tiers (Platinum requires 20 nights). Lower tier than Select card (which grants Platinum + 20 elite night credits).
$0 Annual Fee — Permanent No-Fee Card
No annual fee, permanently — different from the Select card ($95 AF). This lets you hold it indefinitely as a 'sock drawer' card with no carrying cost, useful for maintaining credit history and accessing the elite night credits each year.
$0 Foreign Transaction Fees
No foreign transaction fees on international purchases. Useful for international Choice stays (especially Nordic countries which have great Choice point redemption value).
Cell Phone Protection — Up to $800 Per Claim, $25 Deductible, 2 Claims Max Per 12 Months
Cell phone protection when you pay your monthly cell phone bill with this card. $25 deductible, $800 max per claim, max 2 paid claims per 12-month period. Same protection terms as Select card — solid value for a no-AF card.
Cannot Hold Choice Privileges Mastercard AND Select Card at the Same Time
Wells Fargo's terms prohibit holding both the Choice Privileges Mastercard and the Choice Privileges Select Mastercard simultaneously, so you don't want to waste a possible hard pull on your credit file by applying for the other. If pursuing both welcome bonuses, the path is: open one, meet the spend, cancel or product-change, wait for 15-month eligibility, then apply for the other. Alternatively, ask a phone rep about a product change between the two (which may or may not preserve bonus eligibility).
15-Month Same-Card Welcome Bonus Restriction
Restriction applies COLLECTIVELY to both Choice cards.
48-Month Wells Fargo Welcome Bonus Restriction (Across All WF Cards)
You are not eligible for intro APR offers or welcome bonuses on a Wells Fargo-branded card if you've earned a bonus or intro APR offer on another Wells Fargo card within the past 48 months. This is stricter than Chase's 48-month rule, since it applies to all Wells Fargo cards collectively, not just the same card. Wells Fargo is also unlikely to approve more than 1 card per 6 months.
World Elite Mastercard® Premium Tier Benefits
World Elite is Mastercard's top consumer tier. Includes: extra perks at DoorDash, Lyft, Fandango, ShopRunner; Mastercard Travel & Lifestyle Services concierge; Priceless Cities benefits; Mastercard ID Theft Protection.
Counts Toward Chase 5/24 (Wells Fargo Personal Card)
This is a Wells Fargo PERSONAL card, so it DOES count toward Chase's 5/24 rule (5 personal cards opened in past 24 months). Plan timing if trying to stay under 5/24 for Chase card applications. Different from U.S. Bank business cards which DON'T count.
Mastercard® Standard Benefits Suite
Standard Mastercard benefits: Zero Liability protection, fraud monitoring, Mastercard ID Theft Protection.
Card Migrated from Barclays to Wells Fargo in 2023
Choice Privileges credit cards were issued by Barclays before transitioning to Wells Fargo in 2023. The no-AF Choice Privileges Mastercard launched first in February 2023, followed by the $95-AF Select Mastercard in April 2023. Different from the recent April 24, 2026 Barclays to Citi AAdvantage migration.
Radisson Hotels Americas Integration with Choice Privileges
In 2022, Choice Hotels acquired the Radisson Hotel properties in North and Central America. Radisson Americas has its own loyalty program, but points can be transferred between the two programs at a rate of 2 Choice Privileges points to 1 Radisson Rewards point. Expands the redemption universe for Choice points.
April 19, 2026 Choice Transfer Rate Devaluation (Citi to Choice)
On April 19, 2026, the Citi ThankYou to Choice Privileges transfer rate was DEVALUED from 1:2 to 1:1.5. This affects earning Choice points via Citi cards (Strata Elite, Strata Premier) but does not affect direct earning on this card. It indirectly hurts the Choice point ecosystem value.

Offer History

See past welcome bonuses to gauge whether the current offer is elevated.

View History Hide
Offer Spend Req. Date
40,000 Choice Privileges PointsCurrent $1,000 in 3 mo Long-standing public standard offer; current as of May 6, 2026
70,000 Choice Privileges PointsElevated Standard spend Best-ever elevated offer (brief period in summer 2024; possibly targeted, not always public)
60,000 Choice Privileges PointsElevated $1,000 in 3 mo Elevated offer that ended April 7, 2026. Last documented limited-time elevated.

Advertiser Disclosure

Advertiser Disclosure katiestraveltricks.com has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. katiestraveltricks.com and CardRatings may receive a commission from our partners. American Express is a katiestraveltricks.com advertiser. We may earn compensation when you click on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more. For Capital One products listed on this page, some benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.

Editorial Disclosure Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities. This content has not been provided or commissioned by any bank advertiser.

User Generated Content (UGC) Disclosure Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

Points for normal people.

Advertiser and Editorial Disclosure
Go to Top