Wyndham Rewards Program Guide

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For bookings made on or after September 15, 2026, Wyndham Rewards award tiers will expand from three tiers to four tiers. Individual properties also may change tiers. New standard Free Nights award rates will be 5,000 points, 15,000 points, 30,000 points and 45,000 points per night (or per bedroom per night). Discounted rates for members who hold Wyndham Rewards credit cards and the points portion of Points + Cash rates also will be adjusted.

Wyndham Rewards is often overlooked in the points and miles community, but the program deserves more consideration. With popular loyalty programs such as Hilton Honors, Marriott Bonvoy and World of Hyatt undergoing significant devaluation in recent years, Wyndham Rewards provides some opportunities for great deals.

Let’s take a closer look at the Wyndham Rewards program and discuss how and when earning and redeeming Wyndham Rewards points can be worthwhile.

Wyndham Rewards Overview

Wyndham Rewards is the loyalty program for Wyndham, which has more than 8,400 hotels worldwide in 95 countries.

On the Wyndham Hotels & Resorts website, you can search for properties and filter results based on various parameters, including destination, brand, amenities and points. The destination search is flexible, allowing you to filter properties by region, country, state or city.

The brand options available when searching for accommodations are shown below. Note that when accessing the brand selection criteria from some parts of the website, the “ECHO” option isn’t displayed, and program terms as of April 30, 2026, state that ECHO Suites Extended Stay by Wyndham doesn’t participate in Wyndham Rewards.

In addition, Wyndham has a partnership that allows Wyndham Rewards members to book Cottages.com properties in the United Kingdom. This option isn’t shown in the online search criteria because members need to call Wyndham to book cottages with Wyndham Rewards points.

Wyndham Rewards Elite Status

Wyndham Rewards has four member levels: Blue (entry level), Gold (after five qualifying nights in a program year), Platinum (after 15 nights) and Diamond (after 40 nights). The linked chart compares the high-level benefits across the different tiers. 

There are ways to achieve Gold and higher status more quickly. Wyndham Rewards co-branded credit cards provide automatic status, and members with elite status in other hotel loyalty programs may be eligible to match their status to comparable Wyndham levels. The Wyndham Rewards Insider subscription also provides automatic Gold status along with some other discounts and benefits.

Benefits available to all Wyndham Rewards members include discounted member rates for direct bookings, a minimum earning of 1,000 points per stay on cash rates, free and discounted nights using points, rollover nights toward elite status and free Wi-Fi. Earning 1,000 points per stay (instead of earning points per dollar on pretax rates) might be advantageous for single night stays at less expensive properties.

Higher tiers include all the benefits offered at lower status levels, plus additional benefits such as:

• Gold status: A dedicated member services phone line, preferred room choice, accelerated earnings on paid stays and late checkout
• Platinum status: Early check-in, Caesars Rewards status match and Avis and Budget car rental upgrades
• Diamond status: Suite upgrades, welcome amenity (at selected brands) and the ability to gift Gold status to another member 

On stays that earn points, elite members also receive bonus earnings of 10% for Gold, 15% for Platinum and 20% for Diamond status.

However, on delving into the details, some benefits may be less valuable than they first seem. For example:

• Status matches to Caesars Rewards from Wyndham Rewards Platinum and Diamond status aren’t available to members who receive their status through credit cards without meeting qualifying night requirements.
• Preferred rooms, late checkout and early check-in must be requested and are subject to availability as determined by the specific property.
• Suite upgrades for Diamond members must be requested and aren’t guaranteed even when suites are available.

Gaps in elite benefits compared to other hotel programs include free breakfast and lounge access. Free breakfast isn’t an elite benefit at any member level, but many Wyndham properties do provide free breakfast to all guests. Lounge access also isn’t a benefit at any level, but lounges aren’t common at Wyndham properties. 

Program Pros and Cons

Arguably, the biggest strength of the Wyndham Rewards program is its straightforward redemption process. Rates are generally reasonable, and there’s potential to get good value. 

The program has fixed award rates. Properties fit into three tiers with award rates of 7,500 points, 15,000 points or 30,000 points per night per room (or per bedroom at some properties). Members who hold a Wyndham Rewards co-branded credit card get a 10% to 25% discount, depending on the specific card. For example, a 10% discount results in award rates of 6,750, 13,000 or 27,000 points for the three tiers.

In contrast, many other hotel loyalty programs have fully dynamic award rates or variable award rates based on dates of higher or lower expected demand and other proprietary factors. This results in these award rates being unpredictable and/or unattainable for some travelers.

Wyndham Rewards is often overlooked in the points and miles community. Reasons for this include:

• Wyndham’s positioning among hotel groups: Wyndham’s portfolio skews toward budget hotels, but many points and miles enthusiasts like to use points for aspirational, luxury hotels.
• Limited elite benefits: Many points and miles enthusiasts focus on benefits such as elaborate free breakfasts, lounge access and suite upgrades, so Wyndham’s elite benefits aren’t as compelling as some.
• Partnership changes: Wyndham Rewards previously allowed members to redeem Wyndham points for Vacasa Vacation Rental properties and offered matching Wyndham status to Caesars Rewards. However, the Vacasa partnership has ended and the Caesars status match—which provides additional benefits at Caesars properties and enables further status matching to other hotel, casino and cruise line programs—is no longer available to Wyndham elite members who obtained their status by holding a credit card rather than by the number of qualifying nights.
• Points expiration: Wyndham Rewards’ points expiration policy doesn’t compare favorably to other hotel loyalty programs. Points expire after 18 months if there isn’t any qualifying activity on your account. In addition, Wyndham points also expire on a rolling basis four years after being earned, regardless of account activity. One exception is that points earned by a Wyndham Rewards Earner Premier cardmember do not expire as long as the card is open and in good standing. 

Earning Wyndham Rewards Points

The primary ways to earn Wyndham Rewards points include through hotel stays and other partners, through co-branded credit and debit cards, buying points and transferring flexible currency to Wyndham Rewards.

Hotel Stays and Other Partners

For hotel stays, most Wyndham brands offer 10 points per dollar spent or 1,000 points per qualified stay, whichever is greater. Qualified stays generally include paid stays of $25 or more per night booked through Wyndham channels. The base rate used in this calculation is the pretax room rate at most brands. Exceptions include:

• Dolce Hotels and Resorts, Wyndham, Wyndham Garden and Wyndham Grand brands, which earn 10X points on the total bill
• WaterWalk Extended Stay by Wyndham properties, which earn 5X points on the room rate only
• Wyndham Rewards members with higher status, who earn a 10% to 20% points bonus (as discussed above)

Wyndham Rewards also has periodic promotions through which members can earn additional points for stays.

Wyndham’s shopping portal closed in April 2026, but members can still earn points for various everyday activities and travel-related services with other partners. Examples include Ticketmaster, Dine Out with Wyndham Rewards℠, Opinion Rewards and selected home warranty plan purchases. Travel-related earning opportunities include bundled travel packages, meetings and events (including room blocks) at Wyndham properties, tour and activity purchases and Avis and Budget car rentals.

Wyndham Co-branded Credit and Debit Cards

Wyndham partners with banks to issue co-branded debit and credit cards. Barclays issues four credit cards, while Sunrise Bank issues the co-branded debit card. The credit cards generally provide more generous benefits, but the debit card might be useful for some people and situations. Welcome bonuses vary by card and change over time. 

All credit cards have no foreign transaction fees and offer a 10%, 20% or 25% redemption discount on points redeemed for free nights and a 15% discount (or the best available offer) when buying points.

Significant changes were made in June 2026 to available credit cards, but members who held cards before June 17 retain the old benefits and earning rates indefinitely. 

Current cards and benefits for new cardholders as of June 17, 2026 or later detailed below.

• Wyndham Rewards® Debit Card: This card earns you points on spending and offers an anniversary bonus based on your annual net purchases. It earns you 1X points per dollar spent on eligible purchases made at participating Hotels by Wyndham and qualifying gas and grocery purchases. It also earns you 1X points per $2 spent on other qualifying purchases.
• Wyndham Rewards Earner® Card: This entry level credit card earns you 5X points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at Hotels by Wyndham (including hotels through Wyndham Travel Bundles); 3X points per dollar on eligible Vacation Club, dining and grocery store purchases (excluding Target and Walmart), as well as eligible gas and EV charging purchases; and 1X points per dollar on other purchases (excluding Wyndham Vacation Club down payments). Other card benefits include automatic Gold status and an anniversary points bonus when you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases in the cardholder membership year. Free night award discounts are 10%.
• Wyndham Rewards Earner® Plus Card: This card earns you 6X points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at Hotels by Wyndham (including hotels through Wyndham Travel Bundles), 4X points per dollar on eligible Vacation Club, travel, dining and grocery store purchases (excluding Target and Walmart); and 1X points per dollar on other purchases (excluding Wyndham Vacation Club down payments). Other card benefits include automatic Diamond status the first year and Platinum status after and an anniversary points bonus after paying the card renewal fee. New perks beginning in June 2026 include the potential to earn a free night award each year, meal delivery credits and complimentary status with National car rental. Free night award discounts are 10%.
• Wyndham Rewards Earner® Premier Card: This card, introduced in June 2026, earns  8X points per dollar spent at Hotels by Wyndham (including hotels through Wyndham Travel Bundles); 4X points per dollar on eligible Vacation Club, travel, dining and grocery store purchases (excluding Target and Walmart); and 1X points per dollar on other purchases (excluding Wyndham Vacation Club down payments). A slew of statement credits are available for eligible hotel purchases, meal delivery purchases, streaming services purchases, wholesale membership club purchases and TSA Precheck or Global Entry application fees. Other card benefits include automatic Diamond status, an anniversary points bonus after paying the card renewal fee, the potential to earn a free night award each year, a complimentary Wyndham Rewards Insider subscription and complimentary status with National car rental. Free night award discounts are 25%.
• Wyndham Rewards Earner® Business Card: This card earns you 8X points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at Hotels by Wyndham (including hotels through Wyndham Travel Bundles); 5X points per dollar on eligible Vacation Club, gas, EV charging, marketing, advertising, office supply store and shipping purchases; and 1X points per dollar on other purchases (excluding Wyndham Vacation Club down payments). Other card benefits include automatic Diamond status, an anniversary points bonus after paying the card renewal fee, complimentary status with National car rental, the ability to redeem points for a statement credit, a wholesale membership club credit and an accounting software statement credit. Cardholders who held the card before June 17, 2026 receive a 10% discount on free night awards while cardholders applying on or after this date receive a 20% discount.

 The following points summarize some key differences in benefits from credit cards issued before June 17, 2026 and after this date:

• Old cards earn more points for gas and EV charging; 5X points per dollar spent for the Earner card, 6X for the Earner Plus card and 8X for the Earner Business card.
• Old cards have the same earning rate for Wyndham Vacation Club properties and most other Wyndham properties, but new and refreshed cards reduce the earning rate for Vacation Clubs properties compared to Hotels by Wyndham.
• New and refreshed cards offer increased earning rates in some generally useful categories such as dining and groceries (increase to 3X or 4X points per dollar on consumer cards) and a broader travel category that includes gas and EV charging (4X points per dollar on the Earner Plus and Earner Premier cards).
• The new Premier card and changes to cards with annual fees follow the pattern that’s become common with many rewards cards. In particular, cards have higher annual fees and more opportunities to offset fees with additional benefits or statement credits.

Buying Points

Wyndham Rewards allows program members to buy points directly. The regular rate for purchasing points is 1.3 cents each, but Wyndham Rewards offers frequent opportunities to buy points with up to a 100% bonus, reducing the cost to as low as 0.65 cents per point.

Flexible Point Transfers

Many points and miles enthusiasts prefer earning points through bank programs that allow flexible use, including transferring points to partner hotel and airline programs. Wyndham Rewards is a transfer partner with several flexible currency programs, including:

• Bilt Rewards
• Capital One Rewards
• Chase Ultimate Rewards
• Citi ThankYou Rewards
• Wells Fargo Rewards

Wells Fargo Rewards has the best transfer ratio at 1:2. This means that 1,000 Wells Fargo points become 2,000 Wyndham points. The other major flexible currency programs have a 1:1 transfer ratio.

Wyndham also allows point transfers from three programs that aren’t widely used: HSBC Rewards for Miles, Klarna and Ramp.

Redeeming Wyndham Rewards Points

Although there are multiple ways to use Wyndham Rewards points, the highest value usually results from using points to book accommodations. Let’s take a closer look at both hotel stays and other redemption uses.

Hotel Stays

Wyndham offers two options for using points toward stays:

• Free Nights: With this option, members can redeem 7,500 to 30,000 Wyndham Rewards points per night at a participating hotel or 7,500 to 30,000 points per bedroom at a participating club resort or vacation rental. Free Nights award rates at participating Caesars Rewards properties are 15,000 to 30,000 points per night plus resort fees. Holding a Wyndham co-branded credit card provides a 10%, 20% or 25% points discount.
• Discounted Nights with Points + Cash: With this option, members can redeem 750 to 6,000 Wyndham Rewards points to obtain a discounted night at a participating hotel, club resort or vacation rental or 2,000 to 6,000 points to obtain a discounted night at a participating Caesars Rewards property. For each tier, the points portion of the Points + Cash rates are 10% to 20% of the full points rates, and cash amounts vary based on the cash rates for a specific stay. 

Award rates for Free Nights and the points portion of Points + Cash rates are shown in the table below. Here are some additional details:

• Rates shown apply to hotel rooms, Caesars Rewards properties and one-bedroom units at properties where award rates are priced per bedroom.
• Standard Free Nights redemption rates apply to Wyndham Rewards members who don’t hold a Wyndham Rewards Earner credit card.
• Earner cardholders receive a 10% (for Earner cards, Earner Plus cards, and Earner Business cards issued before June 17, 2026), 20% (for Earner Business cards issued on or after June 17, 2026) or 25% (for Earner Premier cards) discount on Free Nights awards. Rates reflecting each of these discounts are displayed below.
• For Points + Cash rates, the minimum-points column represents 10% of the full points rate, while the maximum-points column represents 20%. Other Points + Cash options may be available.

Rates effective through Sept. 14, 2026

Property tier	Points per night Free Nights standard redemption	Free Nights 10% discounted redemption	Free Nights 20% discounted redemption	Free Nights 25% discounted redemption	Points per night Points + Cash (minimum points)	Points per night Points + Cash (maximum points)
1	7,500	6,750	6,000	5,625	750	1,500
2	15,000	13,500	12,000	11,250	1,500	3,000
3	30,000	27,000	24,000	22,500	3,000	6,000

Rates effective beginning Sept. 15, 2026

Property tier	Points per night Free Nights standard redemption	Free Nights 10% discounted redemption	Free Nights 20% discounted redemption	Free Nights 25% discounted redemption	Points per night Points + Cash (minimum points)	Points per night Points + Cash (maximum points)
1	5,000	4,500	4,000	3,750	500	1,000
2	15,000	13,500	12,000	11,250	1,500	3,000
3	30,000	27,000	24,000	22,500	3,000	6,000
4	45,000	40,500	36,000	33,750	4,500	9,000

Although the award discount for Earner credit card holders is processed at booking, members booking awards online must have enough points in their Wyndham account to cover the standard award rate. For example, booking one night at the lowest Free Nights rate usually requires 7,500 points. If a member doesn’t have 7.500 points but has enough for the discounted rate (5,625 to 6,750 points), they can call Wyndham to book.

Members can use Wyndham Rewards points for stays at:

• Wyndham Hotels & Resorts: These are the traditional hotel properties within Wyndham’s portfolio. Award rates are per room at the rates detailed above.
• Wyndham Vacation Clubs: These properties often include kitchens and separate living areas as well as resort-style amenities. Award rates are based on the number of bedrooms. For example, at a tier 1 property, the standard redemption rate for a one-bedroom unit is 7,500 points, while a two-bedroom unit requires 15,000 points.
• Caesars Rewards (partnership): Caesars’ properties and its loyalty program are separate entities from Wyndham, but the partnership allows Wyndham Rewards Platinum and Diamond members and Caesars Rewards members to match status with one caveat—Wyndham Rewards members may match to Caesars Rewards only if they earned Wyndham status by meeting requirements for the number of nights stayed. The partnership also allows reciprocal transfers between Wyndham Rewards and Caesars Rewards of up to 30,000 points per year, and Wyndham Rewards members can earn and redeem points for stays at participating Caesars Rewards properties.
• Cottages.com (partnership): This partnership allows Wyndham Rewards members to use Wyndham points to book Cottages.com properties in the United Kingdom. Award rates are determined by the number of bedrooms and are 15,000 points per bedroom per night. To book using Wyndham points, members must call 866-232-8628 to confirm availability.

Other Uses

Wyndham Rewards offers a broad range of other redemption options. However, some options—such as transferring points to airlines and buying merchandise or gift cards—provide poor value. When evaluating redemption options, it’s important to consider your personal valuation of Wyndham points and compare the value provided through different redemption possibilities. 

For example, Wyndham sells gift cards for 3,000 points for $10 denominations or 27,000 points for $100 denominations. With this redemption, points are worth only 0.33 or 0.37 cents each, which is about half of what many points and miles enthusiasts consider to be the value of Wyndham points.

Other ways to use points include:

• Wyndham Rewards Experiences for limited-time concerts, sporting events and more
• Wyndham Travel Bundles
• Tours and activities bookings through the Wyndham portal
• AARP membership fees
• Point transfers to airline and transportation partners
• Wyndham timeshare maintenance fees, RCI exchange fees and other vacation ownership fees
• Merchandise purchases made through an online catalog
• Donations to selected charities
• Gift card purchases

Wyndham Rewards Points Value

Points and miles enthusiasts often make decisions about acquiring and using points based on their value. While valuation is subjective, there are several approaches and guidelines you can use to help you with your decision-making. 

Current estimates from the points and miles community suggest that Wyndham Rewards points are worth around 0.7 cents each. This value has decreased since the Vacasa partnership ended in 2025. However, your personal redemption value may differ depending on how you obtain and use Wyndham points.

It’s common to determine the value of hotel program points based on the expected value when redeeming points for hotel stays. Value is expressed in cents per point (cpp), and the basic calculation involves dividing the cash rate by the points rate and multiplying by 100. For example, if the nightly cash rate is $150 pretax/$172.50 with tax and the points rate is 15,000 points, the redemption value is 1 cpp/1.15 cpp (using the pretax/posttax rates).

A more advanced version of the calculation considers the value of the points earned with paid stays. There are two components:

• Wyndham points earned on the hotel stay: Paid stays at most Wyndham properties earn 10 points per dollar spent for Blue members, while higher level elite members receive 11, 11.5 or 12 points per dollar spent. The calculation for the number of points earned is usually based on the room rate before taxes and fees, so for a Blue member paying a $150 pretax room rate, the calculation would be 10 x 150 = 1,500.  
• Points or cash back earned by paying the hotel bill with a rewards credit card: Earnings vary depending on the specific card used, and these earnings are often in a different currency (such as cash back or other types of points).

Including hotel points earnings and excluding credit card earnings, the calculation becomes $172.50 / (15,000 + 1,500) x 100 = 1.05 cpp. If points earned by paying with a credit card are included in the calculation and/or elite earning bonuses are considered, the cpp would be lower. 

The overall formula for the more advanced calculation expressed in words is cash rate (numerator) divided by net points (denominator) multiplied by 100, where:

• The numerator is the cash rate, including taxes and fees, for a paid stay.
• The denominator is the number of points required for an award stay plus the points that would be earned with a paid stay, including:
  • Wyndham Rewards points earned based on the room rate
  • Points earned by paying with a rewards credit card. If these rewards are earned in a different points currency, they will be adjusted to reflect an equivalent number of Wyndham points. For example, if a traveler who values Wyndham points at 0.7 cents each pays a $200 hotel bill with a 2% cashback card, they would earn $4 in cashback rewards, which is equal in value to 571.4 Wyndham points.

Different points currencies vary significantly in their estimated value. Among hotel programs, Hilton and IHG points are often valued at or below 0.5 cents each, while Hyatt points are often valued at or above 1.5 cents each. Flexible points such as Citi ThankYou Rewards or Chase Ultimate Rewards are frequently valued at 1.5 cents each or above. These differences in program point values should be considered when making decisions about earning and redeeming different types of points.

When considering whether to acquire Wyndham points, useful questions include:

• Does it make sense to buy Wyndham points or transfer flexible points to Wyndham Rewards?
• Is it better to spend money on a Wyndham Earner credit card or another reward credit card?

Let’s look at these choices from the perspective of a traveler who values Wyndham Rewards points at 0.75 cents each and Citi ThankYou Points at 1.5 cents each: 

• Buying or transferring points: From a purely mathematical perspective, this traveler wouldn’t buy Wyndham points at the full price of 1.3 cents each or transfer Citi ThankYou Points to Wyndham at a 1:1 ratio. 
• Credit card spending: Given these valuations, a credit card that earns 2X Citi ThankYou Points per dollar spent provides equivalent value to earning 4X Wyndham Rewards points per dollar. If you’re choosing between paying for a Wyndham stay with a Citi credit card at a 2X earning rate or the Wyndham Earner credit card at a 5X earning rate, the Wyndham card provides better value.

For points redemption decisions, it’s useful to establish a threshold value to apply to potential stays or other uses.

Wyndham Redemption Examples

A quick method to determine if redeeming points for a specific stay makes sense involves multiplying the award rate and your minimum acceptable value for using Wyndham points (in dollars) and comparing this amount to the actual cash rate. For example, if the award rate is 15,000 points and your minimum value for using points is 0.7 cents (or $0.007 each), the breakeven cash rate would be $105. So, applying this rule, if the actual cash rate is $85, paying cash offers better value. However, if the cash rate is $125, it’s better to use points.

One common redemption scenario involves overnight stays at Wyndham properties near airports. However, for the airport properties and dates we checked, it generally made sense to pay cash rather than use points, based on a target Wyndham Rewards redemption value of at least 0.7 cpp.

In our article about Wyndham Vacation Club redemptions, we highlighted examples that gave great value when using points for stays at tier 1 Vacation Club properties. More specifically, we calculated various scenarios for using Free Nights and Points + Cash awards at two properties. The calculated value for using points ranged from 1.85 to 2.42 cents each for Free Nights redemptions. This redemption value is high enough that savvy travelers might consider buying points or transferring points to Wyndham to take advantage of this opportunity.

Let’s look at some other properties in vacation locations where accommodations tend to be more expensive. One example is a tier 2 Wyndham property, and the other is a tier 3. 

Wyndham Garden San Diego near SeaWorld

We checked this property for a three-night long weekend stay in October. Here are some important notes specific to this stay:

• The Wyndham Garden brand earns points on the total rate, including taxes. We modified our calculations to use the total rate instead of the pretax room rate to determine stay-based points.
• Total taxes and fees are 14.495% on cash rates and the cash portion of Points + Cash rates.
• Points + Cash and cash rates aren’t the same for each night of the stay. The rates shown in the initial search results represent the average pretax rate. The last night is Sunday, and it is less expensive than Friday and Saturday nights.
• Multiple Points + Cash options are available, representing 10%, 13.3% and 20% of the standard Free Nights rate. Our calculations use the 20% option.

Here are the standard Free Nights award rates and the Points + Cash rates.

The pretax average nightly cash rates are shown below. Our calculations use the Wyndham Rewards rate, which is the lowest refundable rate option.

Free Nights Redemption Value

Using the detailed calculation discussed above, we calculated the value of Free Nights awards for the following two scenarios:

• Standard redemption: The award rate is 15,000 points per night. The member has Blue status, and a paid stay earns 10 points per dollar on the total cash rate and the equivalent of 3 Wyndham points per dollar for the amount paid by credit card. The redemption value is 0.95 cpp.
• Earner cardholder discounted redemption: The award rate with a 10% discount is 13,500 points per night. The member has Gold status, and a paid stay earns 11 points per dollar on the total cash rate and 5 Wyndham points per dollar for the amount paid by credit card. The redemption value is 1.01 cpp. 

To decide between redeeming points or paying cash for this stay, you can compare the calculated redemption values to your personal valuations. A traveler who values Wyndham points at around 0.7 cents each would likely use points. However, it may be a toss-up between using points or paying cash for a traveler who values points around 1 cent each. 

A similar approach is useful when deciding whether to buy points or transfer points to Wyndham. Given a redemption value of about 1 cpp, the math doesn’t support buying points at the full price (1.3 cpp or 1.105 cpp with a cardholder discount). Buying points might be worthwhile if only a small number of points are needed or there is a sale. Decisions about transferring points depend on the type of points available and your personal valuation of those points. The lowest threshold is for Wells Fargo points because of the 1:2 transfer ratio. Getting about 2 cents per Wells Fargo point represents good value.

Points + Cash Redemption Value

Points + Cash awards are hybrid rates that function more like discounted cash rates, allowing members to use a relatively small number of points to reduce their cash outlay. Since only 10% to 20% of the points needed for standard Free Nights awards are used for Wyndham Points + Cash rates, Points + Cash awards are usually best for members who have a limited number of points available and are comfortable paying cash. 

The math is simpler since it involves assessing how much cash you are saving and dividing that amount by the number of points used. For this calculation, we used the option that uses the highest number of points. The calculation is as follows: ($488 [cash rate with tax] – $360 [Points + Cash rate with tax]) / 9,000 [total points used with Points + Cash] x 100 = 1.42 cpp. 

This Points + Cash option provides better value per point used compared to the Free Nights redemption. Travelers targeting a minimum points redemption value of around 1 cpp might prefer using fewer Wyndham points at a higher value with Points + Cash awards.

Days Inn by Wyndham Maui Oceanfront

Now, let’s consider a stay in an expensive destination, such as Maui, Hawaii. Not surprisingly, this property and most Wyndham properties in Hawaii are tier 3, and standard Free Nights are 30,000 points per night or per bedroom per night at Vacation Club properties. 

We evaluated a four-night stay in January 2027. This example illustrates a valuable feature of Wyndham Free Nights awards: the same Free Nights rate may be available for different room types, even when one room type is more expensive when paying entirely with cash or using Points + Cash.

As shown below, both the queen bed room and the queen bed partial ocean view room are available as standard Free Nights awards for 30,000 points per night. However, the cash portion of the Points + Cash rate is higher for the partial ocean view room.

Similarly, full cash rates are also higher for the partial ocean view room. We’re using the lowest refundable Wyndham Rewards Rates for our calculations.

Free Nights Redemption Value

Given that Free Nights rates are the same for rooms with and without a partial ocean view, travelers booking with points would typically pick the partial ocean view. However, if paying with cash, some travelers would likely choose the less expensive room. 

Let’s calculate the points value for both room types for standard and cardholder discounted rates. Here are the key inputs:

• Taxes at this property total 18.712%.
• Standard redemption calculations assume an award rate of 30,000 points per night, 10 points per dollar earned on the pretax cash rate and the equivalent of 3 Wyndham points per dollar earned on the total amount paid with a rewards credit card.
• Earner cardholder redemption calculations assume an award rate of 27,000 points per night, 11 points per dollar earned on the pretax cash rate and 5 Wyndham points per dollar earned on the total amount paid with a rewards credit card.

The redemption values for each scenario are:

• Queen room standard redemption: 0.95 cpp
• Queen room Earner cardholder 10% discount redemption: 1.01 cpp 
• Partial ocean view queen room standard redemption: 1.08 cpp
• Partial ocean view queen room Earner cardholder 10% discount redemption: 1.15 cpp 

As expected, redemption values are higher for the more expensive room type. The redemption values fall into a similar range as in the previous example, so the decision points discussed above also apply here.

Points + Cash Redemption Value

When comparing the lowest refundable cash rates to the cash portion of Points + Cash rates, it’s worth noting that the full cash rates are sometimes less than the Points + Cash cash portion. More specifically:

• Pretax average rates per night for regular queen rooms are $269.89 or $ 275.40 + 3,000 points.
• Pretax average rates per night for partial ocean view queen rooms are $311.54 or $317.90 + 3,000 points.

Therefore, it wouldn’t make sense to book these using Points + Cash.

Even when using the maximum number of points (20% or 6,000 per night), the value of the points used for Points + Cash awards is lower than the value of the points used for Free Nights awards. The value for the points used with Points + Cash is 0.85 cents each for the queen room and 0.98 cents each for the partial ocean view queen room.

Final Thoughts

Wyndham Rewards is a program that may be beneficial for many travelers. Wyndham has a large number of properties in 95 countries, with a strong presence in the United States, and its fixed award rates are predictable and easy to understand. Using points for hotel stays can provide strong redemption value, and it’s easier than ever to obtain Wyndham points. Beyond earning points through hotel stays, members can buy points (which is particularly useful during sales), earn points from Wyndham co-branded credit and debit cards and transfer flexible currency program points to Wyndham Rewards. In addition, Wyndham co-branded credit cards provide useful benefits, including automatic elite status and discounts when buying or redeeming points. Plus, automatic elite status gets you bonus earnings on paid stays.

On the other hand, Wyndham properties and Wyndham Rewards have some limitations. Wyndham is not strong on luxury travel, as its portfolio primarily consists of budget and midrange properties, and its elite benefits don’t align with the perks valued by many points and miles enthusiasts. Wyndham points generally expire four years after being credited, regardless of account activity. As a result, travelers who don’t stay frequently at Wyndham properties should pay close attention to when points are earned and used.