Best Western is one of the best midscale brands out there, and staying at one of the company’s roughly 4,200 hotels worldwide can shape up to be one of the best ways to have a comfortable stay at an often-budget-friendly price.

But even better than staying at a hotel for a low price is staying for free on points. However, in order to redeem points for Best Western stays, you’ll have to earn them. And earning them is a worthy mission, as the Best Western Rewards program is underrated in many ways. Points never expire. There are no blackout dates for redeeming your points. And the higher your elite status, the more points you’ll earn.

But how much is a Best Western point actually worth? NerdWallet values one Best Western Rewards point at 0.7 cent each.

Here are the best ways to earn Best Western Rewards points.

Join the Best Western Rewards program

The first step to earning with Best Western is to join the brand's loyalty program. Signing up is free — you’ll just have to register an account. Once you do, you automatically earn Blue status in the program.

Along with perks such as early check-in and late checkout, all members earn at least 10 points per $1 spent on eligible stays at Best Western properties just for being part of the program.

And once you’re a member, there are tons more ways to earn points — and they don’t even necessarily require staying at Best Western hotels.

Earn elite status with Best Western

The Best Western elite status program puts you in one of five tiers of elite status. The higher your status, the more points you’ll earn for your Best Western stays.

Everyone earns at least 10 points per dollar spent, but those with elite status will earn even more.

Here’s how the earnings structure breaks down by elite status tier (and how to earn it):

You have tons of options when it comes to which Best Western hotels to stay at. Best Western brands range from the company’s signature, midscale-minded Best Western hotels to the fancier Best Western Premier properties. The company’s Aiden brand embodies trendy, boutique-style properties, while its Sadie brand is upscale.

Pay with Best Western credit cards

One of the best ways to earn points quickly is with Best Western credit cards. The hotel brand has two consumer credit cards: the Best Western Rewards® Mastercard® and the Best Western Rewards® Premium Mastercard®.

Both come with an introductory offer that can be an efficient way to quickly earn a bunch of rewards. If applying for one of these cards, fulfill the terms so you actually earn those points.

The cards offer extremely high bonus points for spending at Best Western hotels, as well as points on general spending. While it’s likely better to put your regular spending on another credit card that has a higher earnings rate (given that the 2 points you earn on everyday purchases are only worth about 1.4 cents), charging everyday purchases to one of these cards can sometimes make sense to boost your Best Western points balance if you’re close to having enough points for the redemption you want.

Given NerdWallet’s value of one Best Western Rewards point at 0.7 cent each, you’re looking at a 2.1 cents or 7 cents return per dollar spent at a Best Western hotel paid for on those cards.

Shop with Best Western’s partners

Best Western partners with a few online retailers, as well as some rental car companies and airlines, allowing you to earn Best Western points for your spending. Typically you’ll have to make the purchase through the link on Best Western’s website for your points to be credited, while sometimes you’ll have to link your Best Western loyalty number to the partner program’s website.

For example, Best Western’s rental car partners include Alamo, Avis, Budget, Enterprise, National and Sixt. Booking with them as a Best Western member can mean discounted rates, points earning or both.