Guide to Wyndham Rewards (2018)
Hotel Strategies, Hotel Loyalty Program Reference Guide
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Quick Guide
- Wyndham is unique amongst hotel loyalty programs. There are no hotel categories—award nights at any of their hotels cost the same 15,000 points. Obviously, that makes redeeming awards at their nicest hotels a much better deal than redeeming at the bulk of their less expensive options.
- We assume you will concentrate your reward redemptions at their more expensive hotels, so we value Wyndham points at .8 cents each. But, at the vast majority of their hotels, you would get much less than this value from your points. How Much are Hotel Points Worth?
- Wyndham’s cash and points option only requires 3,000 points plus a cash supplement. You are essentially paying 3,000 points for a variable, but often significant, discount to the regular room rate.
- The only problem is how to acquire your Wyndham points in the first place. You are unlikely to accrue very many points through paid stays at their hotels, it is usually not worthwhile to spend on their credit card, and purchasing points is limited to 10,000 points per year. The main options are their credit card signup bonus, and an annual opportunity to purchase larger quantities of points through the “Daily Getaway” program.
- Wyndham has a partnership with Total Rewards (the loyalty program of the Caesars and Harrah’s family of casinos). You can earn and redeem Wyndham points at their casinos hotels, and your Platinum or Diamond status in each program is automatically matched by the other. By linking your accounts, anyone who has the Wyndham credit card automatically has Total Rewards Platinum status, and can book a free trip to the Atlantis Resort (in the Bahamas) every year.
- You can use your Wyndham points to book a large set of vacation homes and condos, rather than hotels. At these locations, you’ll pay 15,000 points per bedroom. So, a 1-bedroom condo would be 15,000 points per night, and a 4-bedroom house would require 60,000 points.
- Wyndham offers an unusual loyalty program benefit. When you book an award stay, you get a small discount on a limited set of tours and attractions in about two dozen different cities. However, if you reach their highest elite level (Diamond), you’ll get 2 free tickets for a tour or attraction, rather than the discount.
Wyndham Brands
You can also earn and redeem points at the Caesar / Harrah’s family of hotels, and for thousands of vacation homes and condos.
Go Free: 15,000 Points for Every Hotel
- Unlike every other hotel reward program, Wyndham requires the same number of points at every hotel. It costs 15,000 points whether you are staying at the TRYP Times Square South in Manhattan, a Wyndham all-inclusive in the Caribbean, or a roadside Super 8.
- That makes booking award nights a bit of treasure hunt. Wyndham is dominated by lower priced hotels. Many of our readers wouldn’t naturally wind up staying in one, and when they do, the cash rates are usually low enough that it doesn’t make sense to spend 15,000 Wyndham points to make an award reservation.
- However, they also have a few more expensive brands and locations, where an award redemption, at this price, can be a steal. When there is a good, higher-end Wyndham option available, it can be one of the better award bargains out there. Perhaps the best deals can be found at their all-inclusive properties, where the same 15,000 points gets not just a room, but also free meals, drinks, and activities.
Go Fast: 3,000 points for a Good Room Rate Discount
The other option for using Wyndham points is to take advantage of their cash and points awards. You pay 3,000 points, plus a cash supplement, which is equal to 65% of the daily room rate. Essentially, it costs 3,000 points to get a 35% discount on the non-discounted hotel rate. However, cheaper rates, such as "member rates", are almost always available, so a Go Free award typically gives you a discount between 20-30%, rather than the official fixed discount of 35%.
At a value of .8 cents per point, 3,000 Wyndham points are valued at $20. If the room rate is over about $150, it is typically worthwhile to take advantage of the Go Fast award, rather than paying the full room rate. The actual difference between the rate you would pay and the 65% of the "Wyndham Daily Rate" needs to be more than $20.
At a value of .8 cents per point, a Go Fast award is a better deal than a Go Free award for "Daily Room Rates"room rates up to about $220. At rates of up to $220 per night, it is worthwhile to pay 65% of the Daily Room rate to save 12,000 points. At prices over $220 per night, you are better off using the larger number of points. Note this rate reflects the official daily room rate, not the somewhat discounted cash rate that you have the option of booking.
Booking Vacation Houses and Condos
Wyndham operates many different vacation clubs, and has also partnered with a number of other vacation home and condo rental companies. You can you your Wyndham points to book thousands of different vacation homes and condos. When you do, you pay by the bedroom.
For example, a Go Free award for a 2-bedroom condo would be 30,000 points per night, a Go Fast award at 4-bedroom vacation house requires 12,000 points plus a cash payment, and a roomy 1-bedroom condo doesn’t cost any more points than a normal hotel room.
Acquiring Points
Acquiring last minute points
If you see a great redemption deal at Wyndham hotels, there are several ways that you can acquire a few additional points. Get a Discounted Room Rate by Buying the Points for an Award Night.
| Purchasing points |
You can only purchase up to 10,000 points per year, in 1,000-point increments, for 1.3 cents per point. Unfortunately, this is less than you need for even one “Go Free” redemption. Sometimes promotions are available, which allow you purchase points for less money per point and enable you to purchase more points per year. Acquiring More Hotel Points When They are On Sale. |
| Daily Getaway promotion |
Every Spring, the US Travel Association runs a promotion called “Daily Getaways”. Each day, they offer a specific travel “offer” for sale, in limited numbers. In previous years, they offered packages of 15,000 Wyndham points for about $150. While this is only a little cheaper than the normal purchase rate of 1.1 cents per point, it bypasses the normal limit of only 10,000 points per year. Each buyer could purchase two packages, for a total of 30,000 points. We expect these to be available next year as well, and are the only way to purchase more significant quantities of Wyndham points. |
Earning Points from Your Stays
You can earn 10 points for every dollar spent at Wyndham. The minimum reward is 1,000 points per stay, so you earn at a slightly higher rate at less expensive hotels.
You’ll earn an additional 3 points per dollar, if you use your Wyndham credit card. 3x Wyndham points are worth about 3.6 cents per dollar. This is a better return than you’ll get from a general-purpose reward card, but not as good as you can get from a card that earns a good bonus reward rate on travel spending. Best Credit Cards for Travel Spending.
Other Ways to Earn Points
The best way to quickly earn a bunch of points is by signing up for the Wyndham credit card. The annual-fee-based card has a normal signup bonus of 30,000 points ($1,000 initial spending requirement)’ and the no-annual-fee card has a normal signup bonus of 15,000 points (on first purchase). The cards are issued by Barclays, and you should be able to periodically cancel and re-apply to earn the signup bonus again. Credit Cards 101.
A couple other options are available and can be viewed here.
Keeping your Points from Expiring
You will lose your points four years after you’ve earned them. This happens, even if you are actively earning points. You need to make sure to use them.
Member Benefits
The Wyndham credit card gives you automatic Platinum status, and the no-annual-fee version gives you automatic Gold status. Boost Your Hotel Status.
Blue (entry level)
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| Gold (5 nights) Adds the following benefits:
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| Platinum (15 nights) Adds the following benefits:
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| Diamond (40 nights) Adds the following benefits:
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Total Rewards Benefits
Wyndham has a partnership with “Total Rewards”, the loyalty program of the Caesars and Harrah’s family of casinos. Platinum and Diamond status in either program is matched at the other. Cardholders of the Wyndham credit card wind up with Platinum status with Total Rewards.
You can also get Total Rewards Diamond status via the Founders Card program. If you do, you’ll get Wyndham Diamond status for free, and access to automatic suite upgrades and the free attraction benefit.
| Platinum Includes the following benefits:
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| Diamond Adds the following benefits:
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The Wyndham Credit Cards
The Wyndham credit card has a normal signup bonus of 30,000 points ($1,000 initial spending requirement). It gives you automatic Wyndham Platinum elite status, as well as matching status at Total Rewards. You get 9,000 free Wyndham points every year, 6,000 from the credit card anniversary bonus, and 3,000 from the Platinum elite status yearly bonus. $75 annual fee.
There is a no-annual-fee version that has a normal signup bonus of 15,000 points (after first purchase), gives you Gold status, and doesn’t provide bonus points every year.
The Wyndham card earns higher rewards for spending at Wyndham than almost any other card 5x Wyndham points are worth about 6 cents. Only the Chase Sapphire card’s 3x Ultimate Reward points is comparable. The no-annual-fee card earns 3x Wyndham points, which is better than most general-purpose reward cards, but not as good as many of the cards that earn the best bonus rewards on travel purchases. Best Credit Cards for Travel Spending.
You can earn higher rewards by using either Wyndham card on gas, utility, and grocery store purchases, than you can with most general-purpose reward cards. 2x Wyndham points are worth around 2.4 cents per dollar. But, the reward rates are lower than a typical card that earns bonus rewards on these categories. Best Credit Cards for Grocery Spending. Best Credit Cards for Gas Spending.
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