Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard® Review
Overview
The Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard® is a category rewards card from Wells Fargo, running on the Mastercard network. The Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard® earns up to 5x on gas, groceries, and phone bills, so it pays you the most exactly where you already spend. It carries a $95 annual fee, so the real question is whether its rewards, credits, and perks clear that bar for the way you spend. New cardholders can earn 60,000 points after $3,000 in 3 months.
It lands in the mid tier: a modest annual fee in exchange for stronger earn rates and a meaningful welcome offer. The right call depends on whether your spending and the perks clear that fee each year.
Think twice if: you are not loyal to this brand. The rewards lose value the moment your travel plans point somewhere else.
Our 4.5 out of 5 rating
Each score weighs the rewards rate, value after the annual fee, welcome offer, points flexibility, and perks, with every point valued at a flat 1 cent. This is our editorial assessment to help you compare cards, not a guarantee of approval or of the value you will get.
Rewards: how it earns
Where the Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard® earns its rewards is its bonus categories: 5x on gas (about $108 a year on the $2,160 a typical household spends there), 5x on groceries (about $300 a year on the $6,000 a typical household spends there), and 5x on phone bills. Across a full year of average household spending, the card returns roughly $618 in rewards before any welcome bonus, so the more your spending overlaps those categories, the better it does.
| Category | Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Gas | 5x | Bonus category |
| Groceries | 5x | Bonus category |
| Phone and internet bills | 5x | Bonus category |
| Travel | 1x | Base rate |
| Everything else | 1x | Everything else |
Brand and bonus rates: beyond the everyday categories above, this card also earns:
- 10x points on stays at participating Choice Hotels
Every point and mile above is valued at a flat 1 cent, the same honest standard we use for every card. Run your own spending through the calculator to see what this card would actually return for you.
Pros and cons
- 5x on gas
- 5x on groceries
- 5x on phone bills
- Welcome offer worth about $600
- $95 annual fee to earn back every year
- Rewards stay locked to this card and cannot be moved to travel partners
- Rewards are tied to one brand, so value drops if your plans change
The welcome bonus
The current welcome offer is 60,000 points, earned after you spend $3,000 in 3 months. Valued honestly at a flat 1 cent per point, that is worth about $600. The spending requirement works out to roughly $1,000 per month, so make sure it fits your normal budget rather than pushing you to overspend. Stacking the welcome offer on top of a typical year of rewards and accounting for the $95 annual fee, the first year is worth roughly $1,123.
Is the annual fee worth it?
To come out ahead on the Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard® you need to clear its $95 annual fee, and it leans on rewards rather than credits to get there. On typical spending it earns about $618 a year. For anyone who spends in its categories, the fee is easy to justify.
Benefits and protections
Beyond the rewards, the perks and protections worth knowing about include:
- 30,000 anniversary points each year
- Complimentary Choice Privileges Platinum Elite status
Statement credits
This card does not come with recurring statement credits. Its value is in the rewards rate and welcome offer.
Who should get it, and who should skip it
It is best for regular guests of this hotel brand who will use the free anniversary night and elite status to more than cover the annual fee.
Skip it if you are not loyal to this brand. The rewards lose value the moment your travel plans point somewhere else.
Frequently asked questions
Best-card guides featuring this card
Offer details verified against issuer sources as of June 2026. Editorial opinions are our own. Cardocrat values all points at a flat 1 cent and never inflates redemptions.
