Overview of the Wyndham Rewards Earner card
The Wyndham Rewards Earner® Card is an annual fee card from a low-end hotel brand with certain properties that offer great value. You don’t have to be a regular at Wyndham properties to consider adding this card to your wallet. It offers solid benefits such as elite automatic conditions and a decent profit on Wyndham stays and gas. Card rating*: ⭐⭐⭐
*Card rating is based on the opinion of TPG editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.
Wyndham isn’t the first name that comes to mind when it comes to hotels, but the brand has some of the best properties around the world and a strong lineup of cobranded credit cards.
With no annual fee, the Wyndham Rewards Earner Card is the entry-level credit card in Wyndham’s portfolio. Even if you don’t regularly stay at Wyndham properties, you can still benefit from the card’s default status, redemption discounts and other benefits.
The recommended score for this card is at least 670. However, you may be approved with a lower score.
Let’s take a look at whether the Wyndham Rewards Earner card should be in your wallet.
Wyndham Rewards Earner card information is independently collected by The Points Guy. The card information on this page has not been updated or provided by the card issuer.
Wyndham Rewards Earner Card pros and cons
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Wyndham Rewards Earner welcome card offer
New applicants for the Wyndham Rewards Earner Card can earn 45,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 in purchases in the first 180 days. These points can be used for up to six nights. This limited time offer is available until Jan. 8, 2025.
According to TPG calculations for September 2024, these 45,000 bonus points are worth $495.
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It’s important to note that Barclays can be very sensitive to inquiries, so I recommend you be under 6/24 before applying for this card. In other words, you shouldn’t have more than five bad inquiries on your credit report in the last 24 months before applying for the Wyndham Rewards Earner card.
Additionally, I recommend being on 0/6 before applying, as some reports from Reddit users indicate that Barclays is sensitive to very recent inquiries. That means, ideally, you shouldn’t have any bad inquiries on your credit report within the last six months.
It may not make the difference between being approved or denied, but being 0/6 and under 6/24 can increase your chances of getting approved.
Related: How to earn Wyndham points to spend next
Benefits of the Wyndham Reward Earner card
The Wyndham Rewards Earner Card comes with Wyndham Rewards Gold status. This status level includes benefits such as 10% bonus points on your stay, preferred room selection, free Wi-Fi and late check-out.
Wyndham Rewards Gold can be valuable, especially if you don’t frequent Wyndham properties. In addition to the default gold status, the card offers:
- Discount on premium and award stays: Wyndham Rewards Earner card members receive a special value on a premium card stay and 10% off Go Free award stays.
- Annual points bonus: Cardholders earn 7,500 bonus points (worth $83 based on TPG September 2024 rates) after spending $15,000 in qualifying purchases in the anniversary year.
- $0 Fraud Credit Protection
- There are no foreign transaction fees
Although these benefits do not stack with a premium hotel card such as the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card or Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® CardI consider them more than adequate for a card with no annual fee.
Information for the Hilton Honors Amex Aspire card has been independently collected by The Points Guy. The card information on this page has not been updated or provided by the card issuer.
Related: The ultimate guide to earning and redeeming Wyndham Rewards
Earning points with the Wyndham Rewards Earner card
The Wyndham Rewards Earner Card benefits:
- 5 points per dollar spent on Wyndham hotels and gas
- 2 points per dollar spent at food and grocery stores (except Walmart and Target)
- 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases (except Wyndham Vacation Club discounts)
Remember you’ll earn an additional 10% bonus points from Gold status on every Wyndham purchase you make with this card. According to TPG figures for September 2024, this equates to a return on spend of 5.5% on Wyndham purchases and gas, 2.2% on food and groceries and 1.1% on all other purchases.
Related: How to choose a hotel credit card
Uses points on the Wyndham Rewards Earner card
With the Wyndham Rewards Earner Card, you can redeem your points for stays, airline tickets, tickets to events and experiences, gas, gift cards, merchandise, charitable donations, tours and activities, and AARP memberships. I don’t usually see this many cashback redemption options for hotel rewards, so that’s a huge plus if you’re looking for flexible hotel rewards.
I always recommend using points to book Wyndham hotel stays, as that is the most valuable way to use your points.
Wyndham is one of the few hotel brands that still uses a fixed award chart rather than variable pricing, which means you can still get a great deal. There are no closing dates for Wyndham properties.
Wyndham offers two types of award redemptions: Free Travel and Fast Travel. Go Free uses points to cover the total cost of the room, and Go Fast uses a combination of points and cash. Cardholders will receive a 10% discount on all Wyndham Go Free hotel stays.
Go Free award nights are priced in three amounts: 7,500, 15,000 and 30,000 points per night. High season visits and standard or luxury properties will cost 30,000 points per night.
Go Fast award nights are sold at three rates, starting at 1,500, 3,000 and 6,000 points per night plus cash.
Katie Genter, author of TPG’s top points and miles, was able to score award stays for just 7,500 points per night in Jeju, South Korea, and 15,000 points per night in Hawaii. You’ve also got the best value for your stay at Vacasa.
You can use your points to book Wyndham Vacation Club accommodations starting at 7,500 points per bedroom, per night. You can also use your points to book Caesars Rewards properties, Vacasa rentals, Landal GreenParks properties and reservations on cottages.com.
Caesars properties cost 15,000 to 30,000 Wyndham Rewards points per room, per night. Certain blackout dates apply.
I want to note that you can only book Vacasa vacation rentals with Wyndham points if the average nightly cost, including all fees, is less than $500. It costs 15,000 points per room, per night for a nightly rental under $250 and 30,000 points per room, per night for a nightly rental between $250.01 and $500.
Additionally, Wyndham timeshare owners can use points to pay maintenance fees by converting them to Last Dollars.
Related: Book budget or luxury hotels to get the best value for your points
Transferring points to the Wyndham Rewards Earner card
Wyndham has a small but powerful list of flight transfer partners. Although it has an impressive list of transfer partners, you’ll usually get a better value if you use your points for Wyndham stays than if you transfer them. Our partners include notable airlines such as Air Canada, Avianca, Turkish Airlines and United Airlines.
Points are transferred at a 5:1 ratio, and you must transfer at least 6,000 points. This equates to 6,000 Wyndham points, which equates to 1,200 partner points or miles.
Given this transfer rate, I strongly advise against using this as a redemption method unless you need to top up your existing points or miles balance for an award ticket.
Related: Should you transfer hotel points to our airline partners?
What card competes with the Wyndham Rewards Earner card?
Information for the Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus card and the Wyndham Rewards Business Earner card has been independently collected by The Points Guy. The card information on this page has not been updated or provided by the card issuer.
For more options, check out our full list of the best hotel credit cards and the best travel rewards credit cards.
Is the Wyndham Rewards Earner Card worth it?
Since this card has no annual fee, I find it easy to justify, whether you stay at Wyndham hotels regularly or not. It offers automatic Wyndham Gold status, a great rate of return on Wyndham stays and gas, and a 10% discount on all award redemptions. However, if you’re a regular with Wyndham, I recommend looking at the $75 Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card instead.
Bottom line
The Wyndham Rewards Card has no annual fee, offers a great rate of return and comes with a high default rate. It makes sense for travelers regardless of whether they stay at Wyndham properties.
Plus, a solid welcome bonus can help top up your Wyndham Rewards account balance. So, if you’ve never considered opening a Wyndham credit card before, I say now is the best time.
Related: World’s best hotel rewards programs: Which one is right for you?
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