Wyndham Rewards Earner® Plus Card Review

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Adding a co-branded hotel credit card to your wallet is a great way to increase your hotel points earnings while also gaining access to premium perks when staying at your favorite hotel chains. And the specific hotel credit card that you get should depend on which hotel chain you stay at most often.

Considering that Wyndham is the largest hotel chain in the world by number of properties, there’s a pretty good chance that you stay with Wyndham more than other hotel chains. If this describes you, then you may want to look into signing up for the Wyndham Rewards Earner® Plus Card issued by Barclays.

This card charges an annual fee of $75 and offers 6X Wyndham Rewards points on eligible purchases at Wyndham hotels as well as at gas stations, so you can start saving up for a free stay whether you’re booking a room or at the gas pump. Additionally, this card offers 4X points on eligible dining and grocery store purchases (excluding Target and Walmart), and 1X point on all other eligible purchases (excluding Club Wyndham timeshare down payments).

On top of those impressive spending bonuses, this card also comes with automatic Platinum elite status, an anniversary bonus of 7,500 points (which is more than enough for a free night award), a special cardmembers-only booking discount and the ability to earn a valuable welcome bonus. As you can see, these benefits alone can easily offset the $75 annual fee. 

However, if you don’t stay at Wyndham-owned hotels often or you’d rather have a card that earns a more flexible rewards currency (such as American Express Membership Rewards points or Chase Ultimate Rewards points), then the Wyndham Earner Plus Card may not be the optimal choice for you. Let’s take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of this card so you can decide whether it’s right for your wallet. 

Pros	Cons
Automatic Platinum elite status	$75 annual fee
7,500-point anniversary bonus	Limited flexibility for redemptions
15-month 0% intro APR period for balance transfers	No free anniversary night
10% discount on the number of points redeemed for free nights
No foreign transaction fee
$0 fraud liability protection
Welcome bonus

Wyndham Rewards Program Overview

When you sign up for the Wyndham Earner Plus Card, you automatically become enrolled in the Wyndham Rewards program, and any spending that you do on your card will earn Wyndham Rewards points. Likewise, all of the Wyndham Rewards points that you earn with your card will most likely be spent through the Wyndham Rewards portal. 

You can transfer your points to other travel loyalty programs from Wyndham Rewards. However, the transfer ratios are unfavorable, and doing so will quickly decrease the value of your points. You’re definitely better off redeeming your Wyndham points through Wyndham Rewards. 

With 22 brands across more than 80 countries, Wyndham is currently the largest hotel chain in the world by number of locations. You can both earn and redeem Wyndham Rewards points at any of the following brands: 

Wyndham also owns a multitude of vacation rental properties, many of which let you earn and redeem Wyndham points as well. 

Additionally, there’s a wide variety of other ways to earn Wyndham points without ever setting foot in a hotel. You can earn points for shopping online, renting cars, booking tours and activities or purchasing points with cash (which isn’t a good deal).

Wyndham Rewards points are also one of the most valuable hotel rewards currencies, meaning that it’s easy to find high-value redemptions through Wyndham Rewards compared to other hotel loyalty programs. This makes a great case for signing up for the Wyndham Earner Plus Card (or the Wyndham Rewards Earner® Card) if you’re in the market for a hotel credit card. 

Related: Let’s Chat About Wyndham Rewards Points

Wyndham Rewards Earner® Plus Card Spending Bonuses

Of course, the Wyndham Earner Plus Card offers the highest spending bonus at Wyndham hotels. However, unlike many other co-branded hotel credit cards, it also offers an equally high spending bonus at gas stations, which means you can rack up a lot of Wyndham points by filling up your tank. 

Here’s a breakdown of the spending bonuses offered by the Wyndham Earner Plus card: 

• 6X points on eligible purchases made at Wyndham properties
• 6X points on qualifying gas purchases
• 2X points on eligible dining and grocery store purchases (excluding Target and Walmart)
• 1X point on all other purchases (excluding Wyndham Vacation Club down payments)

Again, while most hotel credit cards offer high spending bonuses for purchases at their hotel locations, being able to earn 6X points at gas stations with the Wyndham Earner Plus Card is a huge advantage. 

For instance, while the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card (Marriott’s $95 annual fee card) offers 6X Bonvoy points on purchases at Marriott properties, it offers just 3X points on up to $6,000 in combined purchases on gas stations, grocery stores and dining. Clearly, the Wyndham Earner Plus Card offers superior everyday rewards at a lower cost. 

On top of that, the fact that you can earn 2X points on eligible dining and grocery store purchases (excluding Target and Walmart) furthers your ability to earn Wyndham points for making everyday purchases. So, whether you’re living your daily life or you’re on vacation at a Wyndham resort, you’ll be saving up towards a free stay award every time you use your card. 

In general, the spending bonuses offered by the Wyndham Earner Plus Card are more impressive than other similar cards, and at a slightly lower cost. While most mid-level hotel cards charge a $95 annual fee, the Wyndham Earner Plus Card’s annual fee is just $75. 

Wyndham Rewards Earner® Plus Card Benefits

On top of the stellar spending bonuses offered by the Wyndham Earner Plus Card, it offers a bunch of benefits that are definitely worth noting. Most of these benefits are geared toward staying at Wyndham locations, but some are more general perks that will help you even when you aren’t booking or staying at Wyndham locations.

Automatic Platinum Elite Status

The Wyndham Earner Plus cardholders automatically receive Platinum elite status in the Wyndham Rewards program. Without this card, you’d have to complete 15 qualifying nights (including nights with an average daily rate of at least $25 per night, Go Free® nights or Go Fast® nights) in a calendar year to achieve Platinum elite status. With the Earner Plus card, you can achieve Platinum elite status without ever staying at a Wyndham hotel.

Here are the benefits that you’re entitled to at the Platinum elite status tier: 

• 15% points earning bonus 
• Late checkout (when available)
• Preferred room choice (when available)
• Early check-in (when available)
• Caesars Rewards status match
• Avis and Budget car rental discounts

The 15% points earning bonus, unfortunately, applies only to points earned on qualified stays at Wyndham locations and doesn’t apply to points earned through other credit card spending or through other means, such as shopping online or renting cars. Still, the ability to earn 15% more points on paid stays at Wyndham hotels can help you save up for a free night award much faster. 

Additionally, the options to check in early, check out late and choose your preferred room type can make your stays at Wyndham hotels much more relaxed and comfortable. However, these three perks are all subject to availability, and you’ll need to inquire with the property you’re staying at before you receive them. 

If you want to receive special perks at Caesars hotels and casinos, you can use status match from Wyndham Platinum elite status to Caesars Platinum elite status, which comes with gaming and sports betting credits, shopping and dining benefits, complimentary valet and self-parking at many locations, discounted hotel rates and much more. 

Finally, if you’re planning to rent a car while on vacation or on a work trip, you can get a discounted rate at Avis or Budget for being a Wyndham Rewards Platinum elite status member. 

7,500-Point Anniversary Bonus

Each cardmember anniversary, Earner Plus cardholders receive an anniversary bonus of 7,500 points. And, since Go Free awards start at just 7,500, this bonus is more than enough to get you one free night per year at a Wyndham hotel, especially considering the 15% points booking discount that you’re entitled to as a Platinum elite status member. 

There are three tiers of Go Free awards: 7,500 points, 15,000 points and 30,000 points. Unfortunately, that 7,500-point anniversary bonus is enough to get you just one free night award in the lowest tier, making it a fairly lackluster perk compared to the competition. 

For example, the $95 annual fee Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card offers a yearly free night award worth up to 35,000 points, which will get you into a far nicer hotel than 7,500 Wyndham points will. 

10% Points Discount on Go Free Awards

While Platinum elite status members receive 15% bonus points earnings when staying at Wyndham properties, Earner Plus cardholders will also receive a 10% discount when redeeming their points for Go Free awards. 

As previously mentioned, there are three tiers of Go Free awards: 7,500 points, 15,000 points and 30,000 points. However, with this cardmembers-only discount, you’ll pay 6,750 points, 13,500 points or 27,000 points, respectively.  

To book Go Free awards and receive your cardmember discount, you can call the applicable Member Services telephone number or go to the Wyndham Rewards website. Blackout dates, minimum length of stay requirements and other restrictions apply.

Cardmember Booking Discount

In addition to receiving discounts when booking Go Free awards, Earner Plus cardmembers will also receive a discount when making cash bookings at eligible Wyndham properties as well. While all Wyndham Rewards members receive discounted rates when booking stays at Wyndham properties, the Earner and Earner Plus cardholders receive an even more deeply discounted rate. 

To be specific, non-cardholder Wyndham Rewards members will sometimes receive a 2% discount on the “Compared Rate” whereas Wyndham Rewards members who have either the Earner or the Earner Plus card will receive a 4% discount. These discounts are available at certain Wyndham properties only. 

0% Intro APR Period

If you currently have a large balance on your credit card and you’re looking for a card to transfer that balance to, the Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card is a pretty good option. This card offers a 15-month 0% intro APR period on balance transfers for new cardmembers. 

That means that you can transfer your balance to the Earner Plus Card and then pay that balance down over the first 15 months before the interest kicks in. After those 15 months, you’ll pay an ongoing APR of either 20.49%, 24.74% or 29.74%, based on your creditworthiness. 

There are a lot of credit cards that offer 0% intro APR periods on balance transfers. However, not many cards offer intro APR periods as long as 15 months. This means that you’ll have even more time to pay down your balance before the normal interest rate kicks in. 

It’s worth noting that this 0% intro APR period applies only to balance transfers and doesn’t apply to purchases. You’ll still pay the normal APR on purchases as soon as you get your Earner Plus Card. 

No Foreign Transaction Fees

The Wyndham Earner Plus Card is geared toward travelers, so it makes sense that this card doesn’t charge any foreign translation fees. No matter where in the world you are, you’ll never be charged an additional foreign transaction fee for making purchases or ATM advances. 

While this may not seem important, some cards on the market charge foreign transaction fees as high as 3%. If you frequently make transactions abroad, paying a 3% fee could add up to a solid amount of money. 

$0 Fraud Liability Protection

The Wyndham Earner Plus Card offers $0 fraud liability protection, which means that you won’t be responsible for paying for purchases that you didn’t authorize. While this feature is pretty standard across all credit cards, it’s still nice to know that you’re protected if your card is ever lost or stolen. 

Welcome Bonus

The Wyndham Earner Plus Card is currently offering a valuable welcome bonus that new cardmembers can earn by spending a certain amount of money in a certain period of time. If you sign up for the Earner Plus Card, we’d highly recommend trying to earn this welcome bonus. 

Typically, these bonuses are in the form of Wyndham Rewards points, and it’s usually enough points to book a few free nights. 

Wyndham Rewards Earner® Plus Card Drawbacks

While there’s a lot to like about the Wyndham Earner Plus Card, from its great rewards at the gas pump to the fact that you’ll be automatically catapulted to Platinum elite status, there are also some drawbacks to this card to be aware of. The biggest flaw with the Earner Plus Card is that it doesn’t offer a free anniversary night. 

$75 Annual Fee

First and foremost, the Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card charges an annual fee of $75. For some people, paying an annual fee for a credit card is a deal-breaker because they don’t want to have to worry about earning enough rewards to offset that annual fee. 

However, if you’re willing to pay an annual fee, the Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card offers a solid amount of value compared to the annual fee that it charges. For a modest $75, you’ll get solid spending bonuses as well as some valuable benefits that are worth far more than $75 when used wisely.

Still, if you’re short on cash or you don’t want to worry about whether you’re offsetting an annual fee with the benefits you’re earning, then maybe looking for a $0 annual fee card is your best option. 

No Free Anniversary Night

Unlike a lot of other hotel credit cards that charge annual fees, the Wyndham Earner Plus Card doesn’t come with a free night award on your cardmember anniversary (at least not outright). Yes, this card does offer an anniversary bonus of 7,500 points, which is enough for a lowest-tier Go Free award, but this is pretty disappointing compared to what’s offered by some other similar cards. 

For example, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card offers a free night award worth up to 35,000 Bonvoy points each cardmember anniversary. Whereas this award could get you into one of Marriott’s resorts (such as The Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa in Tucson, Arizona, which charges a nightly rate of around $300) for a night, the 7,500-point anniversary bonus offered by the Wyndham Earner Plus Card will get you little more than a basic room at a mid-tier hotel. 

On the other hand, receiving points instead of a free night certificate has certain advantages. Points are more flexible because you can use them for other types of redemptions, and they also have a longer expiration period. 

Still, chances are that you’re going to use your Wyndham points for a free night award. And the fact that Wyndham is offering just 7,500 points to Earner Plus cardmembers as an anniversary bonus just doesn’t stack up to the competition. 

Limited Redemption Flexibility

One of the biggest drawbacks of the Wyndham Earner Plus Card (and all other co-branded hotel cards) is that you have limited redemption flexibility compared to general travel credit cards. 

Although Wyndham Rewards points can be transferred to other travel loyalty programs, the transfer ratios are pretty abysmal. For almost all of Wyndham’s transfer partners, the transfer ratio is 5:1, meaning you’ll exchange 5 Wyndham points for every 1 point of the other currency. As you can see, these kinds of transfers will devalue your Wyndham Rewards points significantly. 

So, while you can technically transfer your Wyndham Rewards points to other travel loyalty programs, doing so is almost always a bad idea. That means that your redemption options are, essentially, limited to those offered through the Wyndham Rewards program. And while there are definitely some high-value redemptions to be found in the Wyndham Rewards program, other credit cards offer far more flexibility when it comes to redemptions. 

For instance, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (which has an annual fee of $95) allows you to redeem your points through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal. But you can also transfer your points to one of the transfer partners at a 1:1 ratio, meaning that you’ll receive 1 hotel point or 1 airline mile for every 1 Chase Ultimate Rewards point that you transfer. 

The fact that you can transfer Chase points and other similar currencies (such as American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One Miles and Citi ThankYou Points) to multiple travel loyalty programs at a favorable ratio gives you a lot more flexibility when redeeming your points. Oftentimes, if you’re willing to do some research, you can find redemptions in these partner travel loyalty programs that offer outsized value. 

By contrast, with the Wyndham Earner Card, you won’t really be able to find redemptions with outsized value. The best you can hope for is getting around 1 cent per point by redeeming for free night stays. 

Other Cards to Consider

If you’re in the market for a mid-range hotel credit card, then the Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card is one of the best options out there. However, before you sign up, it’s still worth researching other similar cards in the same price range. There are some other hotel cards with similar annual fees that offer superior benefits to the Earner Plus Card. Additionally, several general travel credit cards offer far more flexibility than the Earner Plus Card. 

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card

If you aren’t a die-hard Wyndham loyalist, then you might want to consider the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card. This card charges an annual fee of $95, which is slightly higher than the Wyndham Earner Plus Card’s fee of $75. 

However, with the Bonvoy Boundless Card you’ll receive a free night award worth up to 35,000 points every anniversary. With this free night award, you can get a free stay at a property that would normally charge somewhere in the $300-per-night range. To compare, the 7,500-point anniversary bonus offered by the Wyndham Earner Plus Card will really only get you a stay in a basic hotel. 

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Card is also currently offering a one-year complimentary subscription to DoorDash DashPass (as long as you enroll by Dec. 31, 2024). This subscription could save you a lot of money on DoorDash delivery fees if you order food delivery often. 

However, when it comes to spending bonuses, the Wyndham Earner Plus Card is probably the better credit card. This is mostly due to the fact that the Wyndham Earner Plus Card offers 6X points at gas stations as well as 4X points on dining and grocery store purchases whereas the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card only offers 3X points on up to $6,000 in combined spending on gas stations, grocery stores and dining. 

Clearly, the Earner Plus Card offers superior rewards on everyday spending. And, considering most people spend far more annually on everyday categories like dining, gas and groceries than they do on hotels, the fact that the Earner Plus has better spending bonuses in these categories is a major advantage. 

All in all, if you’re looking for a free night award from your hotel credit card, then the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Card is the winner. However, if everyday spending bonuses are what you’re after, then the Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card is the better option. 

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

If you’re set on getting a hotel co-branded credit card that offers a yearly free night award, then the Earner Plus Card is a solid choice. However, you might be better off going with a general travel card if you want to stay at hotels outside of the Wyndham umbrella or even redeem your points for flights as well. One of the best travel credit cards is the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, which charges an annual fee of $95. 

The Sapphire Preferred card comes with a suite of great benefits as well as the following rewards earning rates: 

• 5X Ultimate Rewards points on travel purchased through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal
• 2X points on other travel purchases
• 3X points on dining, including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out
• 3X points on online grocery purchases
• 3X points on select streaming services
• 1X point on on all other purchases

As previously mentioned, you can transfer your points to different travel loyalty programs at a 1:1 ratio. On top of that, if you choose to redeem your points through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal, then you’ll receive a 25% boost in the value of your points. 

The Sapphire Preferred Card also offers a $50 annual statement credit for hotels booked through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal as well as several other statement credits that can help offset this card’s annual fee. So, while the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card doesn’t offer a free night award, it can still help you get $50 off of your next hotel stay. 

If you’re specifically looking for a card that has good rewards and benefits at Wyndham properties, then the Wyndham Earner Plus Card is a good bet. If you’re looking to earn a flexible rewards currency that can be redeemed with a wide variety of travel companies, the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is probably the better option. 

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Another great travel credit card that uses a flexible rewards currency is the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, which earns an unlimited flat rate of 2X Capital One Miles on all purchases (except for hotel and rental car purchases made through the Capital One Travel portal, which earn 5X miles). 

This card also charges a $95 annual fee. However, the Venture Rewards Card is currently offering a valuable welcome bonus that can help you offset that annual fee for the first few years. Additionally, the Venture Card also offers a reimbursement for the application fee for either TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, which is a value of up to $100 every four years. You can also enjoy two complimentary visits to Capital One’s Partner Lounge Network every year. 

Unfortunately, if you’re looking for free hotel status or hotel credits, the Venture Card from Capital One doesn’t offer those benefits. However, you can redeem your Capital One Miles for stays at one of their hotel partners. You can either book your hotel through the Capital One Travel portal or transfer your points to one of their hotel transfer partners. Notably, Capital One allows you to transfer miles to Wyndham Rewards points at a 1:1 ratio. 

So, if you’re a Wyndham enthusiast, you may want to consider signing up for the Capital One Venture Card and earning flexible Capital One Miles, which can be converted to Wyndham Rewards points at a 1:1 ratio at any time. And, unlike with the Wyndham Earner Plus Card, miles earned with the Capital One Venture Card can also be transferred to a multitude of other travel loyalty programs at a 1:1 or redeemed through the Capital One Travel portal.  

The Bottom Line

When it comes to hotel credit cards, the Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card issued by Barclays offers a pretty solid value proposition for its $75 annual fee. 

This card offers 6X points on purchases made at Wyndham properties as well as some great spending bonuses in everyday categories, including 6X points at gas stations, 2X points on eligible dining and grocery store purchases (excluding Target and Walmart), and 1X points on everything else. These everyday spending bonuses are the highest than any other hotel credit card in this card’s tier offers.

However, when it comes to anniversary free night awards, the Earner Plus Card comes up a little short. While the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card offers a free night award worth up to 35,000 points every cardmember anniversary, the Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card offers an anniversary bonus of just 7,500 points. While that’s technically enough for a free night stay, those 7,500 points will only get you a room at Wyndham’s lowest tier of hotel.

Additionally, with all co-branded hotel cards, your redemption options are pretty much limited to free night stays with that hotel chain if you want to get good value. If you’d rather get a card with more flexible rewards, then you may want to look into a more general travel credit card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred. 

Still, the great everyday spending bonuses and other perks offered by the Wyndham Earner Plus Card make it a great option for Wyndham loyalists. However, if you don’t stay at Wyndham locations frequently, then there’s really no reason to add this card to your wallet.