How To Maximize The Best Western Rewards Program

creditcardGenius Team
updated on Apr 22, 2025
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Canadians have more options than ever when it comes to participating in a loyalty rewards program, and the Best Western Rewards Program stands out because the points never expire and there are no blackout dates.

You can earn Best Western points through hotel stays, car rentals, and flights with airline partners – and the best way to redeem your points is on hotel stays for an average value of 0.83 cents per point (CPP).

Key Takeaways

  • You can earn Best Western points on hotel stays and car rentals.
  • The best way to redeem your Best Western points is by booking free nights at participating hotels.
  • Points can be transferred to Aeroplan and Air Miles, and Best Western points also don't expire.

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What is Best Western Rewards?

Best Western Rewards is the loyalty program for the Best Western chain of hotels. While BW hotels are known as affordable options, the lineup includes some higher-end properties that will earn you rewards points, too.

Best Western properties

Best Western Hotels & Resorts comprises properties in over 100 countries – including more than 2,100 pet-friendly hotels around the world. The following brands are part of the BW portfolio:

  • Best Western
  • Best Western Plus
  • Best Western Premier
  • GLō
  • SureStay
  • SureStay Plus
  • SureStay Collection
  • SureStay Studio
  • Executive Residency
  • @Home by Best Western
  • BW Premier Collection
  • BW Signature Collection
  • Vib Best Western
  • Aiden
  • WorldHotels Luxury
  • WorldHotels Elite
  • WorldHotels Distinctive
  • WorldHotels Crafted

How to earn Best Western Rewards

The most obvious way to earn Best Western Rewards is to stay at Best Western hotels – but you can also earn points through specific car rental and airline travel partners.

Stay at Best Western hotels

Stays with Best Western hotels will earn you the most points – 10 points per US$1 spent on base rates, not including taxes.

Elite members will earn a 10 – 50% bonus on top of this rate, for a total of up to 15 points per USD spent.

Book car rentals

The Best Western Rewards Program occasionally partners with car rental agencies to offer promotions. While promotions come and go, here are some of the most recent offerings:

Car rental agencyPoints earnedAdditional perks
Alamo3 points per US$1 spentUp to a 5% discount
AvisUp to 5,000 points per rentalUp to a 25% discount
BudgetUp to 5,000 points per rentalUp to a 25% discount
Enterprise3 points per US$1 spentUp to a 5% discount
National3 points per US$1 spentUp to a 5% discount
Sixt1,000 points per car rental or 2,000 points per limousine rentalUp to a 15% discount

Book flights with airline partners

Currently, Best Western partners with select airlines so you can earn points for those flights and transfer them to the Best Western Rewards Program.

Here are just some of the airline reward programs that partner with Best Western Rewards:

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  • AeroMexico Rewards – earn 800 points
  • Aeroplan – earn 250 points
  • Air France / KLM Flying Blue – earn 250 points
  • Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan – earn 250 points
  • Asia Miles – earn 250 points
  • SAS Euro Bonus – earn 600 points
  • Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards – earn 600 points
  • United Mileage Plus – earn 250 points
Best Western Rewards Canada does not have an affiliated credit card at this time. However, Best Western occasionally partners with retailers to offer promotions that allow you to earn points on your purchases.

How to Redeem Best Western Rewards

The Best Western Rewards program offers redemption options – you don’t have to use your points towards hotel stays, though doing so certainly gives you the best return.

Hotel stays: 0.83 CPP

After surveying 38 hotels across the country, we found an average value of 0.83 cents per point on hotel redemptions. The points you redeem also cover fees and taxes, so you won't have to shell out any money on top of what you've earned. There are no blackout dates, so if you can find an available room, you can pay with your points.

Best Western gift cards: 0.67 CPP

Redeeming Best Western Rewards for gift cards gives you a still-decent value of 0.67 cents per point. If you’re not traveling anytime soon, you can gift a hotel stay to someone else! Here’s what the redemptions look like:

Gift card valueBest Western Points required
$101,500
$253,750
$507,500
$10015,000
$25037,500

No matter which gift card you get, you'll receive the same value.

Note that you can select a gift card in USD, but it will cost you more points.

Digital Visa or Amazon gift cards: 0.42 CPP

Best Western allows you to cash points in for easy-to-use digital gift cards. You can select Visa or Amazon cards for the following rates:

  • CAD$50 = 12,000 points
  • CAD$100 = 24,000 points
  • CAD$200 = 48,000 points

Transfer to Aeroplan: 0.40 CPP

If you want to transfer your points to Aeroplan, you’ll get a transfer ratio of 5:1. With each Aeroplan point worth 2 cents, you're seeing a return of 0.4 cents per point.

Air Canada isn’t your only transfer option, either – here’s the full list:

AirlineAirline pointsCost in Best Western points
AeroMexico1,600 Club Premier points5,000 points
Aeroplan1,000 Aeroplan points5,000 points
Asiana Airlines1,000 Asiana Club Airline Miles5,000 points
Alaska Airlines1,000 Mileage Plan points5,000 points
Cathay Pacific1,000 Asia Miles5,000 points
Flying Blue KLM / Air France1,000 Flying-Blue Miles6,000 points
LifeMiles (Avianca)1,000 LifeMiles5,000 points
MilleMiglia1,000 MilleMiglia miles6,000 points
Southwest Airlines1,200 Southwest Rapid Rewards5,000 points

Charitable donations: 0.40 CPP

If you decide to donate your Best Western points to charity, you'll see a value of 0.4 cents per point. Every 500 points you donate is worth US$2.

The charities you can currently sponsor include:

  • American Red Cross
  • Best Western Better World Fund or Scholarship Program
  • Hotels for Heroes
  • Our No Kill Mission: Best Friends Animal Society
  • Soldier On Fund
  • The National Children's Cancer Society

Best Western Rewards vs. other hotel loyalty programs

Best Western offers some decent redemption options, so it holds its own against other hotel loyalty programs. When comparing redemption for hotel stays, Best Western is on par with the InterContinental Hotels reward program (which offers a value of 0.84 CPP).

Best Western beats out the Hilton Honors Rewards Program, which only gives a 0.64 CPP for hotel stays, although it lags behind the top-notch Wyndham Rewards Program, which earns an impressive 0.9 CPP on hotel stays.

Is Best Western Rewards worth it?

There's some good value to be had with the Best Western Rewards program in Canada. If you frequently stay at Best Western hotels, you’d be missing out on great discount opportunities (including free nights). Since the program costs nothing to join and the points don’t expire, the program is probably worth it.

FAQ

How do I check my Best Western Rewards points?

To check your Best Western Rewards points, simply log in to your account. Your landing page will automatically show you how many points you have, as well as how many nights you need to stay to reach the next status level.

Does Best Western Rewards cost money?

No, it’s free to join the Best Western Rewards program. To become an elite member, earn status by staying a certain number of nights at Best Western Hotels.

How do I find my Best Western Rewards number?

Once you’re logged into your account, select "My Account" from the drop-down menu. You’ll be taken to a member dashboard that displays your account number and how many points you have.

How many points do I need with Best Western to get a free night?

The number of points you need for a free night depends on the location and hotel you want to book. Best Western allows you to put a minimum of 5,000 points towards your booking and pay the rest if you don’t have enough points to cover it.

How many levels are there in Best Western Rewards?

The entry level for Best Western Rewards is Blue. From there, you can level up to Gold, Platinum, Diamond, and Diamond Select.

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Showing 1 comments

anne
anne
November 29, 2023
when are they going to bring back a Best Western credit card? I miss that card after having it for over eleven years. Please get a card in canada so we can earn points every day.. I have been a bw reward member over 20 years. thx
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