Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information.
Attention, college football fans: Bidding is now open on the Choice Privileges Experiences platform for eight VIP game-day experiences. Choice plans to offer 40 VIP experiences with 15 different teams this college football season, with bidding for new experiences opening every few weeks.
When Choice Privileges launched the ability to redeem Choice points for college sports experiences in late 2022, members could book experiences on a first-come, first-served basis at set rates. Not surprisingly, the experiences sold out very quickly. But now, Choice is letting members bid on college football experiences — including some top games, such as Alabama versus Georgia.
So, here’s what you need to know.
Choice Privileges college football experiences
Choice has announced the first set of VIP college football game-day experiences for redeeming Choice points this fall. Here are all the college football games with experiences that are available for bidding as of Aug. 1:
- The University of Florida versus the University of Miami on Aug. 31 in Gainesville, Florida
- Texas A&M University versus the University of Notre Dame on Aug. 31 in College Station, Texas (two experiences are available)
- The University of Michigan versus The University of Texas at Austin on Sept. 7 in Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Oregon State University versus the University of Oregon on Sept. 14 in Corvallis, Oregon (two experiences are available)
- The University of Florida versus Texas A&M University on Sept. 14 in Gainesville
- The University of Wisconsin—Madison versus The University of Alabama on Sept. 14 in Madison, Wisconsin
And here are the college football games with experiences that weren’t available for bidding as of Aug. 1 but should be available soon:
- The University of Louisville versus the Georgia Institute of Technology on Sept. 21 in Louisville, Kentucky
- The University of Michigan versus the University of Southern California on Sept. 21 in Ann Arbor
- The University of Oklahoma versus the University of Tennesse on Sept. 21 in Norman, Oklahoma
- The University of Minnesota versus The University of Iowa on Sept. 21 in Minneapolis
- The University of Alabama versus the University of Georgia on Sept. 28 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
- The University of Kansas versus Texas Christian University on Sept. 28 in Kansas City, Missouri
As mentioned above, Choice will add more VIP experiences every few weeks throughout the college football season.
Most, if not all, of the experiences are for two people, one of whom must be the Choice Privileges member who submitted the winning bid. However, the specific details of what is included with each experience vary. So, you’ll want to click on the experience and read through the inclusions before bidding.
“Many Choice Privileges members are devoted college football fans who stay at our hotels for business during the week and then again over the weekends with their friends and family to cheer on the teams they love,” Noha Abdalla, chief marketing officer for Choice Hotels, said via a press release. “We are excited to offer our members the opportunity to experience a game up close and personal.”
Related: Delta unveils more than 50 special nonstop flights for college football season
How to bid on Choice Privileges Experiences
Go to the Choice Privileges Experiences website and click “Sports” under “Categories” to see which games you can currently bid on and which are coming soon. You can select to see auction or redeem-now experiences, although no redeem-now experiences were available as of publishing.
Click on the “Bid Now” button to view more information about the experience and place a bid. Before placing a bid, you’ll need to log in to your Choice account, be a U.S. or Canadian resident and have enough points to cover your bid.
According to the program’s conditions, you can submit an introductory bid if an experience has no bids yet. Otherwise, you must submit a bid that’s at least 100 points higher than the current bid. Your bid won’t be accepted if you don’t have enough Choice points in your account to cover the bid. However, you must keep enough points in your account until you have won the experience or someone else has outbid you.
Once you bid, you’ll want to monitor the experience and its current highest bid. If someone places a higher bid, you can submit a new bid if you still want a chance to win the experience.
If you win an experience that includes lodging, Choice will book and determine your lodging. You’ll get a standard room, to be shared by the winner and any guests, at a Choice Hotels property in or around the city where the game will take place.
Related: Unique ways to redeem Choice Privileges points
How to earn Choice points
There are plenty of ways to earn Choice points. For example, you can earn points through stays with Choice or by spending on a cobranded Choice Hotels credit card, such as the Choice Privileges® Mastercard® (see rates and fees) or the Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard® (see rates and fees).
If you need to earn Choice points quickly to bid on an experience, you can transfer American Express Membership Rewards points, Capital One miles, Citi ThankYou Rewards points or Wells Fargo points to Choice Privileges. It could also make sense to buy Choice Privileges points. However, keep in mind that your bid might not be high enough to win the auction.
Related: How and why to register for Choice Hotels Personalized Weeknight Benefits
Bottom line
Redeeming Choice Privileges points for college sports experiences can provide good value for your points. The winning bids on some of the experiences available this fall are likely to be sky-high, so keep your expectations in check. Still, it’s worth keeping an eye on the experiences offered and putting in a bid if you see an experience you believe would provide more value than the points you’d redeem.
