How and why to register for Choice Hotels Personalized Weeknight Benefits

Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information.

Whether you frequently use the Choice Privileges program or are only an occasional guest, it’s worth keeping track of the current Choice Privileges promotions.

One promotion worth knowing about, even if you don’t frequently stay at Choice Hotels, is Personalized Weeknight Benefits. (This promotion was formally called Your Extras, and the Your Extras terminology is still used on some parts of the Choice Hotels website.)

Enrolling in this promotion takes less than a minute, but you can get personalized benefits on each weeknight stay with Choice Hotels once you enroll. These benefits should provide at least a few dollars of extra value on each weeknight stay, so here’s what you need to know.

What are Personalized Weeknight Benefits?

Personalized Weeknight Benefits give you something extra when you check in on a points-eligible stay that includes a Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday night. To earn benefits on eligible stays, you must opt into this program (directions included below) and select your reward preference on the Choice Hotels app or website.

You can only earn a Personalized Weeknight Benefit on one reservation per day, and you can only earn one Personalized Weeknight Benefit per qualifying points-eligible stay, regardless of the number of rooms, nights, check-ins and checkouts. In particular, checking out of a hotel only to check back into the same hotel later that day won’t net you an additional benefit.

A bedroom at the Cambria Hotel Copper Mountain — CAMBRIA HOTEL COPPER MOUNTAIN/CHOICEHOTELS.COM

What Personalized Weeknight Benefits can I choose?

Your Personalized Weeknight Benefits options depend on your country of residence. If you’re a U.S. resident, you can choose one of the following:

400 Choice Privileges points
100 miles with one of six airline loyalty programs (including Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan and United Airlines MileagePlus)
$2.50 Amazon credit
$5 Starbucks coffee card
$3 Uber trip discount

If you’re a Canadian resident, you can choose one of the following:

400 Choice Privileges points
100 miles with a participating airline loyalty program
CA$2.50 Amazon.ca gift certificate
CA$5 Tim Hortons gift card
CA$5 coffee gift card

If you’re not a U.S. or Canadian resident, you can choose one of the following:

400 Choice Privileges points
100 miles with a participating airline loyalty program

You can change your earning preference at any point. However, you’ll earn a benefit for each eligible stay based on your account selection before check-in. You will receive most benefits during your stay or shortly after the end of your stay, although airline miles may take up to six weeks from the end of your stay to post.

Woman on her phone and laptop at an airport lounge — OSCAR WONG/GETTY IMAGES

How do I register for Personalized Weeknight Benefits?

Even if you don’t have any weeknight Choice stays planned, register for Personalized Weeknight Benefits now so you don’t miss out if a stay comes up in the future. Here’s how to do it:

Log into your Choice account, click your name in the upper right-hand corner and click “My Profile.”
Scroll to the “Your Extras Preferences” section and follow the prompts.

This is also the area of your account to visit if you want to change your selection.

You only need to register for Personalized Weeknight Benefits once. However, you must set your earning preference to Choice Privileges points in your online account to earn Personalized Weeknight Benefits. Here’s how to set your earning preference to Choice Privileges points:

Log into your account, click your name in the upper right-hand corner and select “My Profile.”
On the right-hand side of the page, in the “Loyalty Programs” tile, click “Edit.”
Select “Choice Privileges® Reward Points” as your earning preference and click “Save Earning Preference.”

Finally, note that certain properties — WoodSpring Suites locations, some third-party (non-Choice) hotels and some MainStay Suites, Suburban Studios, Everhome Suites and Ascend Hotel Collection locations — don’t participate in the Personalized Weeknight Benefits program.

Bottom line

If you have a Choice Privileges account, you should register for Personalized Weeknight Benefits. Earning Starbucks coffee cards will provide the best monetary value for most U.S. residents. However, I prefer to earn Choice Privileges points since I believe they offer similar value, and I don’t often go to Starbucks.

The Personalized Weeknight Benefits program may not significantly change your travel habits, but it’s a good tie-breaker if you’re considering two hotels for a weeknight stay. In short, it’s certainly worth spending a minute or two to opt into the Personalized Weeknight Benefits program if you haven’t already.