Wells Fargo Choice Privileges Mastercard

The Choice Privileges Mastercard is a no-annual-fee hotel card that only makes sense if you stay at Choice Hotels. It earns 5x points at participating Choice properties and 3x on gas, groceries, home improvement, and phone plans, with 1x elsewhere and no foreign transaction fees. Automatic Gold Elite status plus 10 elite qualifying nights each year add some value for regular Choice guests. The welcome offer was recently cut from 60,000 to 40,000 points after $1,000 in spending in the first 3 months, which makes the case for applying now weaker. Cell phone protection of up to $800 per claim when you pay your phone bill with the card is a useful extra. If you are not loyal to Choice, the points are hard to use, and a general cash back card will serve you better.