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Many people overlook Wyndham Rewards in favor of more well-known hotel loyalty programs like Marriott Bonvoy or World of Hyatt. However, considering Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has nearly 9,000 properties under management, the Wyndham Rewards program still has some great deals that you can take advantage of.
Capital One also added Wyndham as a transfer partner in 2020, giving Capital One card holders the option to use their miles for any of Wyndham’s amazing redemption options. In some cases, you can find low-cost stays for as few as 1,500 to 3,000 points. Or you can stay in private villas or luxury hotel rooms for just 7,500 to 15,000 points.
Let’s look at how the Wyndham Rewards program works and how you can make the most out of earning and redeeming Wyndham Rewards points.
Wyndham Rewards Overview
You may be surprised to learn that Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is currently the largest hotel chain in the world by total number of hotels. And while Wyndham is mostly known as a budget-friendly company, they also have a few luxury brands under their corporate umbrella. Here are all of the different brands under Wyndham:
- AmericInn
- Baymont
- Days Inn
- Dazzler
- Dolce
- Esplendor
- Hawthorn Suites
- Howard Johnson
- La Quinta
- Microtel
- Ramada
- Ramada Encore
- Super 8
- Trademark
- Travelodge
- Tryp
- Wingate
- Wyndham
- Wyndham Garden
- Wyndham Grand
Wyndham’s portfolio of hotels spans every continent (except Antarctica) and more than 80 countries worldwide.
Despite having such a massive worldwide portfolio, the Wyndham Rewards program has managed to remain fairly unknown. However, the program has some great sweet spots that offer great value and also has some great elite status benefits.
Elite Status Levels
The Wyndham Rewards program offers four different tiers of elite status: Blue, Gold, Platinum and Diamond. All four tiers offer different benefits, but top-tier Diamond members can expect to receive top-of-the-line treatment, such as space-available upgrades and late checkout.
The only way to move up the tiers of Wyndham’s elite status is to book and complete qualifying nights at Wyndham-owned properties. Booking nights through third-party sites (including travel agencies) doesn’t count toward elite night qualification.
It’s also worth noting that if you’re switching to Wyndham Rewards from another hotel loyalty program, you may qualify for a status match. In this case, Wyndham may match the status that you had in your previous program allowing you to jump through the ranks of Wyndham Rewards instantly.
Wyndham Blue Status
All Wyndham Rewards members start out with Blue status, which doesn’t offer a whole lot in terms of rewards. Blue members receive free Wi-Fi and are eligible for the Wyndham Rewards Member Rate, which amounts to a discount of 5% or 10% “as determined by the participating brand.”
Wyndham Gold Status
Wyndham Rewards members can achieve Gold status by booking and completing three qualifying nights in 2022. Program members at this tier earn benefits like a dedicated member services line, late checkout, preferred room choice and 10% bonus points.
Wyndham Platinum Status
After completing nine qualifying nights in 2022, Wyndham Rewards members can achieve Platinum status and receive all the benefits of a Gold status member plus more. Platinum members have the option for early check-in, Avis and Budget rental car upgrades and a status match to Caesar Rewards (meaning you’ll be automatically upgraded to Platinum status in the Caesar Rewards program). Platinum members also receive 15% bonus points for stays at Wyndham properties.
Wyndham Diamond Status
After completing 24 qualifying nights at Wyndham-owned properties in a year, brand-loyal patrons can achieve Diamond status. This tier includes some amazing benefits, including a suite upgrade “every time you stay,” even when you’ve made an award booking. You’ll also receive a free snack or drink at check-in and have the ability to gift Wyndham Gold status to someone else. Diamond members also receive 20% bonus points for stays at Wyndham properties.
Earning Wyndham Rewards Points
The most straightforward way to earn Wyndham Rewards points is to stay at Wyndham-owned properties worldwide. However, this is far from the only way to earn Wyndham points. Wyndham also has its own co-branded credit cards and shopping portal, which are both great opportunities to earn points.
Stay at Wyndham Properties
Like pretty much every hotel rewards program, you’ll earn Wyndham Rewards points while staying at Wyndham properties based on your elite status and how much you spend during your stay. Regardless of the brand, you’ll earn 10X points per dollar spent on the hotel’s base rate, meaning that fees and taxes are not factored into your points earnings. Each stay earns a minimum of 1,000 points.
Wyndham Rewards elite members will also receive a percentage bonus whenever they stay at a Wyndham property. Gold members will earn 10% bonus points, or 1 extra point per dollar spent. Platinum members will earn 15% bonus points, or 1.5 extra points per dollar spent. Diamond members will earn 20% bonus points, or 2 extra points per dollar spent.
So, if you don’t have elite status and spend $100 on a one-night stay, you’d earn 1,000 points. On the same stay, a Gold member would earn 1,100 points; a Platinum member would earn 1,150 points; and a Diamond member would earn 1,200 points. The same rewards earning rate would apply to a stay that costs $65 because the minimum points awarded is 1,000.
Wyndham also frequently offers promotions to its loyalty program members that can help you rack up points even more quickly by staying at Wyndham properties.
Sign Up for Wyndham’s Co-Branded Credit Cards
Wyndham offers three co-branded credit cards: two personal cards and one business card. Each has different features, such as elite status, annual fees and bonus points. To earn Wyndham Rewards points on everyday purchases, you should look at the differences among the three cards and choose the one that’s right for your spending patterns.
- Wyndham Rewards Earner® Card: $0 annual fee. Automatically enjoy Gold elite status in the Wyndham Rewards program as long as the card is open and in good standing. Earn 5X points on purchases at Wyndham properties and at gas stations, 2X points on grocery store purchases (excluding Walmart and Target) and dining, and 1X point on every other purchase. This card also offers a lucrative sign-up bonus and yearly spending bonus.
- Wyndham Rewards Earner® Plus Card: $75 annual fee. Automatically enjoy Platinum elite status in the Wyndham Rewards program as long as the card is open and in good standing. Earn 6X points on purchases at Wyndham properties and at gas stations, 4X points on grocery store purchases (excluding Walmart and Target) and dining, and 1X point on every other purchase. This card also offers a lucrative sign-up bonus and awards 7,500 points for every account anniversary.
- Wyndham Rewards Earner® Business Card: $95 annual fee. Automatically enjoy Diamond elite status in the Wyndham Rewards program as long as the card is open and in good standing. Earn 8X points on purchases at Wyndham properties and at gas stations, 5X points on marketing, advertising and utilities, and 1X point on every other purchase. This card also offers a lucrative sign-up bonus and awards 15,000 points for every account anniversary.
All of these cards present a great opportunity to earn Wyndham Rewards points quickly. Balancing the annual fee to the benefits of the card, the Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card is a strong contender because the 7,500-point account anniversary award immediately makes up for the $75 yearly fee.
Plus, you’ll be able to earn points faster than with the no-annual-fee variant and enjoy Platinum elite status, which will provide you a better experience whenever you’re staying at a Wyndham location. However, if Diamond status is what’s most important, then the business card should be on your radar.
Use the Wyndham Rewards Shopping Portal
Another great way to earn Wyndham Rewards points is to make online purchases through the Wyndham Rewards shopping portal. You’ll earn a set number of points per dollar on every purchase you make through the portal.
To use the Wyndham Rewards shopping portal, just go on their website and enter your Wyndham Rewards account information. Then, you can just search the vendor that you want to shop with and press the “Shop Now” button to browse their offerings. Once you find what you want to purchase, you can check out and the points should be credited to your Wyndham Rewards account within a few weeks.
The number of points you’ll earn depends on the specific merchant that you’re shopping with. The earning rate is subject to change and can change frequently. The Wyndham Rewards shopping portal also offers bonuses from time to time for certain merchants and when you spend a certain amount through the portal.
Transfer Miles From Capital One
Wyndham has been a transfer partner of Capital One since 2020. You can transfer Capital One miles to Wyndham Rewards points at a ratio of 1:1. For example, transferring 1,000 Capital One miles will get you 1,000 Wyndham Rewards points.
Capital One miles can be earned with credit cards like the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card or the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and then transferred into the Wyndham Rewards program. However, if your main focus is earning Wyndham Rewards points, you may be better off going with one of Wyndham’s co-branded credit cards.
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Earn 75,000 bonus miles
after you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening.
Subscribe to Home Chef
Wyndham recently announced a partnership with Home Chef, a meal kit delivery company that delivers pre-portioned ingredients and recipes to subscribers weekly. As part of the partnership, you can earn 2,500 Wyndham Rewards points on your first delivery from Home Chef and 500 points on every order after that.
If you consider that free nights through the Wyndham Rewards program start at 1,500 points, your first order from Home Chef should pay for itself easily.
Redeeming Wyndham Rewards Points
There are several ways to redeem Wyndham Rewards points. However, using them for free night awards is by far the best way to get the most value out of your points. This part of the program is called “Go Free” rewards.
The Wyndham Rewards program also gives you the option to pay for stays partly with points and partly with cash, which is also often a good deal. This part of the program is called “Go Fast” rewards.
The program also offers redemptions like gift cards or transfers to airline miles, but these will generally give you much less value. This part of the program is called “Go For It” rewards.
Free Nights (“Go Free”)
Wyndham Rewards has one of the most easy-to-understand rewards charts of any hotel loyalty programs. Every room costs 7,500, 15,000 or 30,000 points. There is no dynamic pricing or no peak season rewards—just three price tiers for free nights. In general, nicer hotels in popular areas fall into the higher tiers whereas budget hotels in less desirable areas fall into the lowest tier.
Before you book a free stay at one of Wynham’s location with points, it’s worth comparing what that same stay would cost you if you paid cash to determine if you’re getting the most value out of your points possible.
For instance, a great value would be if you could book a hotel that costs $170 per night for 7,500 points. That would be a value of nearly 2.3 cents per point.
Points and Cash Nights (“Go Fast”)
Wyndham Rewards also offers the option to pay for stays partly with points and partly with cash. This part of the program is also broken down into three tiers: 1,500 points plus cash, 3,000 points plus cash or 6,000 points plus cash. The amount of cash you will pay depends on the specific property that you’re trying to book.
To find out if you’re getting a good deal, just multiply the number of points in the tier by the dollar value per point and then add that to the cash you’ll have to pay. If this value is less than the price of the all-cash rate for the same stay, then it’s a good deal.
For example, if Wyndham is offering a stay for 6,000 points plus $200 cash and the current value of a Wyndham Rewards point is 1 cent, the value of that offer would be $260. Then, you can compare that $260 to what the all-cash rate would be. If the all-cash rate is $280, then you should book with points and cash. However, if the all-cash rate is $240, then you’re better off paying with only cash.
Vacasa
Vacasa is a vacation rental company similar to AirBNB or VRBO. You can book nights at Vacasa properties for 15,000 Wyndham points per bedroom. This makes for a great way to stay in vacation rentals on points, something that is hard to do typically.
Other Redemptions (“Go For It”)
With your Wyndham Rewards points, you can also make redemptions for things like charitable donations, gas, online merchandise, tours, activities, gift cards and points transfers. However, these redemptions typically offer far less value than using your points to book a stay at a Wyndham location.
In general, these are a poor use of your points unless there is some fantastic promotion or you just really need to get rid of some of your points.
Bottom Line
Although Wyndham Rewards is not the most well-known or most beneficial hotel loyalty program out there, it does have some offers that can be taken advantage of. And, because you have the option to compare the values of free points-only nights to points-and-cash nights to all-cash nights, you should be able to use this program to find the best deal anywhere you go.
You may also want to consider signing up for a co-branded Wyndham credit card if you’re just getting started with Wyndham Rewards. They’re a great way to rack up points quickly, particularly if you earn the sign-up bonus, and getting instantly boosted to elite status will make your stays at Wyndham properties more enjoyable.
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Editorial Disclaimer: The editorial content is not provided or commissioned by the credit card issuers. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of the credit card issuers, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the credit card issuers.
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Did I miss you mentioning that the best redemptions are for Vacasa homes at 15k points per bedroom? It the only way to spend the points in my opinion.
Agree, Vacassa is the best value for Wyndham points. I don’t think the writer did much homework on this one. Alsothe article states: “In some cases, you can find low-cost stays for as few as 1,500 to 3,000 points”. This is not true. Redemptions are 7500, 15000, or 30,000.
It’s worth knowing most of the additional “perks” with Wyndham Rewards don’t actually exist in practice, despite what it says on the website. Your status isn’t ever actually recognized.
Seriously, trying calling a Super 8/Travelodge/Howard Johnson/La Quinta and asking for an early check-in because you’re a “diamond” member. They just tell you no, without checking your reservation, every time.
And hey, I’m not complaining – I don’t expect top end customer service at any budget hotel, get what you pay for and that’s fine. And the free nights do add up rather quickly with this program. Just don’t buy any of the other membership tier benefits. They don’t exist in the wild.