Choice Privileges points don't get the glamour of some hotel currencies, but they can fund city-centre nights in Japan and Europe, ski trips and even all-inclusive resort stays — sometimes for modest award prices. The catch, of course, is that you need points first. Here's the full playbook.

Stays at Choice brands — Comfort, Quality, Clarion, Cambria, Econo Lodge, Sleep Inn, Ascend Collection and more — earn 10 points per dollar across the US, Canada, Europe (excluding the Nordic and Baltic countries), the Middle East, Mexico, Latin America, the Caribbean and much of Asia-Pacific. Radisson brands in the Americas earn the same rate. Extended-stay brands like Everhome Suites and MainStay Suites cap things differently: 10 points per dollar for stays up to six nights, then 5 points per dollar for the first 30 nights of longer stays and nothing beyond that.

Watch the fine print: rooms under $40 a night, third-party bookings, award nights and points-plus-cash rates don't earn. Book direct through Choice's site, app or call centre. Elite status adds bonuses of 10% (Gold) up to 50% (Diamond and Titanium), and there's a return-and-earn bonus of 1,000 points after two stays a year, plus another 1,000 after a third.

Milestone rewards sweeten heavy usage. Hit 10 qualifying nights in a calendar year and you can take 1,500 points or a $5 gift card; 50 nights gets you 6,500 points or $20. Add flexible-rate point accelerator packages when booking — roughly $24 to $50 per night for 1,000 to 5,000 bonus points per night, which works out to just over a cent per point.

The two cobranded credit cards are a solid route. The $95-a-year Choice Privileges Select Mastercard earns 10 points per dollar at Choice hotels, 5 points on gas, groceries, home improvement and phone plans, and throws in 30,000 bonus points each anniversary plus 20 elite night credits. The no-fee version earns 5 and 3 points respectively on those categories, with 10 elite night credits — enough for Gold.

Don't have Choice points? Transfer them in. Wells Fargo Rewards convert at a generous 1:2, Citi ThankYou at 1:1.5 on premium cards, and Amex Membership Rewards and Capital One miles at 1:1. You can also buy points directly — from 1.28 cents each in small amounts down to 1.03 cents for 10,000 or more, with a cap of 180,000 points purchased or gifted per year. Sales pop up regularly, so wait for one if you can.

A few oddball methods round it out: e-Rewards surveys (500 bonus points for your first), 5 points per dollar on cruises booked through Choice Privileges Cruises, about 1,000 points per Avis or Budget rental using the program's discount numbers, and 3 points per dollar on meetings booked via Planner Rewards at participating Cambria and Radisson properties.

For travellers, the point is flexibility: even modest Choice balances can cover useful, well-located rooms in expensive cities, so a mix of direct bookings, everyday card spending and the occasional transfer can quietly build a free-stay fund.