You’ll usually get the most value out of hotel points in exchange for a hotel stay. However, Choice privileges launched a new way to redeem Choices points in late 2022 that could offer significant value: the college athletic experience.
That’s right: You can redeem gifts Choice privileges points for “one-of-a-kind opportunities and exclusive events” with selected college teams.
Options available on Choice Privileges college sports experience site All related to basketball. But in the fall, we saw some great football-related experiences with top university teams. Because of this, I expect we will see new experiences for other sports in the coming months.
Existing experience
As I mentioned above, only have basketball experience at the time of writing. Here’s a look at these experiences:
- Experience the University of Louisville’s VIP Coach’s Show (including a VIP table for up to 10 guests) with 40,000 points.
- University of Louisville Day of Your Dreams (includes foot passes for the winner and a guest plus the ability to sit on the team’s bench during warm-up and put the ball in the game before kick-off) for 40,000 points.
- Experience the University of Michigan’s VIP game day with a tour of the pre-match facilities (two game tickets included) for 45,000 points.
- Ohio State University’s Chris Holtmann radio show (includes tickets to a show, a meal and a quick visit and autograph with a coach for you and up to three guests) with 40,000 points.
- Seat on the Rutgers University VIP floor plus a special experience (including two tickets, a parking pass and the chance to join the players as they run out of the locker room) to win 40,000 points.
- Wake Forest University VIP club access plus a special experience (includes four tickets, two parking passes, and the ability to enter a mid-time competition or watch from inside the home team’s tunnel when Wake Forest on the floor) with 40,000 points.
- Wake Forest University pre-match experience (includes four tickets, two parking passes, a $100 Deacon Shop gift card, and a visit to the Wake Forest Sports Network radio broadcast board before the game) with 40,000 points.
Many of these experiences are for specific games or dates. But if you like the group that organizes the experience and want special access, some experiences can offer solid value. For example, if you love Wake Forest and have always wanted to enter a mid-round contest, redeeming 40,000 Picks could offer great value for the experience and four tickets. Valuation of TPG pegged the value of 40,000 Option points at $240.
Related: 5 credit card mistakes college students make – and how to avoid them
Things to know before booking an experience
No email or phone number if you have questions before booking. So you’ll need to decide if a plan is worth booking based on what you see on Choice’s website. Once booked, you will receive a confirmation email from Choice. Someone from Learfield will then contact within 48 hours of booking with further information.
Even if you book in advance, the experience may change due to weather or other factors. You and your guests (if applicable) may need to sign a release to participate. Choice also says you’ll need to “follow any rules or guidelines provided by each university and its staff.”
Finally, note that you and any guests must be 18 years of age or older. Some experiences require attendees to be 21 or older.
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Related: Hotels you can book cheaper with Choice Hotels Sweet Spot rewards
How to earn Option Points
There are many ways to Earn Option Points. For example, you can earn through stays with Choice, or spend one Choice Hotels co-branded credit card.
But now you can too convert Radisson Rewards Americas points to Choice with a ratio of 2:1. In addition, you can transfer rewards from the following programs in transferable currencies:
Citi Prestige card information has been independently collected by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Sometimes it can also mean for buy points Option Offer. TPG Value Selection Point at 0.6 cents per point, so you usually just want to buy at or below that price. However, if you’re planning to redeem your points for a high-value college athletic experience, it can sometimes be worth buying points at a higher rate.
However, we know Changes are coming to Choice Privileges program as Radisson Rewards Americas is integrated into the program later this year. So I would avoid earning Choice points that you don’t plan to redeem immediately. While I hope we don’t see the Option Privilege drop in value, that possibility is always possible.
Related: Sign up for your Choice Hotel Add-ons to earn gift cards and other perks on weekday stays
bottom line
Redeem Choice Privileges for a college athletic experience that can provide good value for your points. Some great packages were available near the end of 2022 for college football, and there are a few for college basketball now. The hottest experiences tend to sell out quickly, so stay tuned site of choice to get the latest offers.
Choice Privilege Points aren’t the only points you can redeem for sports experience. For example, most years you can exchange Marriott points for Super Bowl tickets because Marriott Bonvoy’s Moment. And you can redeem Emirates Skywards miles for baseball and football tickets. You can also redeem rewards for exclusive events with Capital One’s entertainment platform.
