Choice 15 From Bonus
You’re not eligible for a new card bonus if you’ve received a bonus from either personal Choice card within the past 15 months.
Deep Dive into the Choice 15 From Bonus Rule
Choice Privileges offers two co-branded credit cards backed by Wells Fargo. The logic of this rule is similar to other rules like the IHG Personal 1/24 Rule and the Southwest Personal 1/24 Rule, but with a different timeline.
This is directly from the terms and conditions for each Choice Privileges credit card:
"You may not be eligible for an introductory bonus rewards offer if you opened a Choice Privileges Mastercard Credit Card or a Choice Privileges Select Mastercard Credit Card within the last 15 months from the date of this application, even if that account is closed and has a $0 balance."
Important to know:
This means that if you've opened either the Choice Privileges Mastercard or the Choice Privileges Select Mastercard within the last 15 months, you may not be eligible for the welcome offer. According to the terms, you'll be eligible to earn the welcome offer again once 15 months have passed since opening one of the cards.
The terms also state:
Will you qualify if you already have a Choice Privileges or Choice Privileges Select Mastercard account?
No. You are only allowed one account.
This also means you can't hold both cards at the same time. You'll need to choose one or the other, then wait 15 months and close your existing card before applying for the other.
Related Rules
How Does This Affect Your Credit Card Strategy?
This rule shouldn't impact your card strategy very much, even if you're a loyal Choice Privileges customer. With only two cards and a 15-month waiting period between welcome bonuses, the restriction is fairly easy to work around. Choice is also a transfer partner of Wells Fargo, Citi, Capital One, and Amex, so there are plenty of ways to earn transferable points for Choice redemptions.
Important to know:
Most rules like this require you to wait at least 24 months, so this isn't particularly restrictive. You could open one card, earn the welcome bonus, use its benefits, close it after the first year, wait a few months, and then apply for it again or the other Choice card, depending on what best fits your travel goals at the time.
Keep in mind that both cards are also subject to Chase's 5/24 Rule, and because they're issued by Wells Fargo, you'll also need to follow the Wells Fargo 1/6 Rule, which may prevent you from opening another Wells Fargo card if you've opened one within the past six months.
Importance of this Rule
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A rule like this isn't terribly important because it only applies to two cards, and neither is a high-level card you'll want early in the hobby. That being said, the Choice Privileges Select Mastercard is a great option if you stay at Choice Hotels at least once a year. It offers 30,000 anniversary points each year you hold the card, plus Platinum Elite status, all for a $99 annual fee.
Because of the relatively short restriction period, you could earn the welcome offer and 30,000 points after your first anniversary, hold the card for a second year, cancel it around the two-year mark, and then apply again to earn another welcome offer.
Cards Subject to This Rule
FAQs
Are there exceptions to this rule?
No. As of now, Choice only offers two consumer credit cards, and this rule applies to both of them.
How do I check my status?
It can be overwhelming to keep track of all of these rules once you've been opening credit cards for a year or two. As your collection of cards and rewards programs grows, it becomes harder to remember which restrictions apply. If you add your cards to Points Navigator, we'll track it all for you and take the guesswork out of it.
Do business cards count for this rule?
No. Choice does not currently offer a business credit card.
Do product changes on existing cards count for this rule?
No. A product change does not count as opening a new card. However, because you can only have one Choice credit card at a time, you'll need to close your existing card before applying for the other one. You'll also need to wait until 15 months have passed since opening your previous Choice card to be eligible for another welcome offer.
About Approval Rules
Collecting credit card points is largely driven by understanding and abiding by bank rules regarding approval (or disapproval) of cards. So here's what you need to know:
- Approval rules are rarely fully publicized by the banks
- We use our own research and data points from other users in creating the rules listing
- Our goal in sharing/using the rule listings is to provide you guidance to avoid getting declined
- There can sometimes be exceptions to the rules, but we try to take a more cautious approach in advising you.