Wyndham Rewards Loyalty Program Benefits & Review 2024

Wyndham Rewards has many recognizable brands that are popular with budget travelers. While you may not enjoy the luxuries of more iconic loyalty programs, your points are usually more valuable and you have plenty of places to stay that are clean and comfortable.

This Wyndham Rewards benefit guide shows you the best ways to earn and redeem points.

Loyalty Program	Wyndham Rewards
Cost to Join	Free
Membership Tiers	Blue, Gold, Platinum, Diamond
Total Destinations	9,000+
Number of Brands	20
Popular Brands	Wyndham, La Quinta, Wingate, Ramada, Baymont, Days Inn, Super 8, Howard Johnson, Travelodge
Average Point Value	0.6 cents
Point Expiration Policy	After 18 months of inactivity Points expire after 4 years of earning them (Point expirations are on pause through December 31, 2022)
Points Needed for Reward Nights	7,500-30,000
Point Redemption Options	Reward Nights, Experiences, Online Shopping, Gift Cards, Airline Miles
Number of Co-Brand Credit Cards (Accepting New Applications)	3

Here is everything you need to know about the Wyndham Rewards loyalty program.

Joining the Program

You can join Wyndham Rewards for free online or through the Wyndham Hotels & Resorts mobile app (iOS or Android).

It’s also possible to enroll at the check-in desk for hotels and resorts.

Once you join, you become an entry-level Blue membership tier.

Wyndham Rewards Loyalty Tiers

There are three elite tiers in the Wyndham Rewards ladder that you can reach after staying a minimum number of nights each year.

Like other hotely loyalty programs, it’s easier to earn elite status in 2021, but the standard qualifying nights requirements will most likely return in 2022.

Membership Level	Qualifying Nights (2021 Only)	Qualifying Nights (Standard Requirements)
Blue	0	0
Gold	3	5
Platinum	9	15
Diamond	24	40

It’s also possible to earn fast-track elite status with participating co-brand Wyndham Rewards credit cards.

Here is an in-depth look at the benefits by membership level.

Blue

• Member-exclusive rates
• Earn 10 points per $1 or 1,000 points per stay, whichever is higher
• Rollover nights apply to next year’s status level
• Free wifi

Knowing that you will earn at least 1,000 points per stay can be one of the best reasons to join Wyndham as you may be able to earn rewards nights sooner. Free night awards start at 7,500 points.

Gold

The first elite tier is Gold and includes these benefits:

• 10% bonus points on stays
• Preferred room choice
• Late checkout
• Dedicated customer service

Get instant Gold elite status with the Wyndham Rewards Earner Credit Card with no annual fee.

Platinum

Platinum members also get these benefits:

• 15% bonus points on stays
• Early check-in
• Caesar’s Rewards status match
• Avis and Budget car rental upgrades

The Wyndham Rewards Earner+ Credit Card offers instant Platinum status with a $75 annual fee. You also receive an anniversary bonus of 7,500 points that can be worth a free reward night.

Diamond

Diamond status is the highest level and includes these benefits:

• 20% bonus points on stays
• Suite upgrades 
• Welcome amenity (complimentary snack or beverage)
• Gift Gold status to one family member

Business travelers get automatic Diamond status with the Wyndham Rewards Earner Business Credit Card. This card has a $95 annual fee and you receive 15,000 bonus points each anniversary that can be worth two free nights.

Wyndham Rewards Status Match

You have a couple of options to match your loyalty status.

Wyndham periodically offers a status match with competing programs through the next calendar year. For example, qualifying for a match in 2022 lets you keep this status through 2023. Check this link to see if there are any active promotions.

It’s possible to match your status from these loyalty programs:

• Best Western
• Choice Privileges
• Hilton Honors
• IHG One Rewards
• Marriott Bonvoy
• Omni
• Radisson Rewards
• World of Hyatt

Caesars Rewards:

Wyndham Rewards Diamond members can get Platinum Caesars Rewards status. If you already have Diamond or Seven Stars status with Caesars, you get Diamond status with the Wyndham program.

Wyndham Rewards Brands

The Wyndham Rewards portfolio currently consists of 20 brands that are primarily entry-level hotel chains across the world. If you’re searching for one of the cheapest hotel rooms, a Wyndham brand will probably be one of your top options.

However, there are several mid-tier hotels and luxury brands that can be worth be worth it at popular tourist destinations and business travel hubs.

• Registry Collection Hotels
• Wyndham Grand
• Dolce Hotels and Resorts
• Wyndham
• Tryp
• Esplendor Boutique Hotels
• Dazzler Hotels
• Trademark
• La Quinta
• Wingate
• Wyndham Garden
• AmericInn
• Ramada
• Baymont
• Microtel
• Days Inn
• Super 8
• Howard Johnson
• Travelodge
• Hawthorn Suites

Earning Wyndham Rewards Points

Here are some of the ways that you can earn Wyndham points.

Hotel Nights

You will either earn 10 points per $1 or 1,000 points per stay (whichever is greater) when you pay for the entire reservation with cash and don’t redeem any points. 

This rewards structure makes it easy to accumulate points for rewards nights quickly even if most of your stays are at budget hotels that cost less than $100.

You also earn between 10-20% bonus points if you have elite status.

Your qualifying nights can come from these three loyalty programs:

• Wyndham Rewards (the properties this benefits guide is covering)
• Caesars Rewards
• Wyndham Vacation Clubs

Whether you stay at a normal Wyndham hotel, a Wyndham timeshare, or a Caesars Rewards pleasure trip, you have multiple destinations to earn bonus points.

Travel

Several travel-related purchases can also earn bonus points:

• Budget car rentals: 1,000 points on 3+ night reservations
• Marathon gas: Join MakeItCount, save at least 5 cents per gallon, and earn points on purchases

Tours and Activities: Earn points on tours, dining, and other experiences

Shopping

You can use the Shop and Earn online shopping portal to earn bonus points on every purchase. 

Some of the highest-paying stores award up to 16 points per $1. 

The shopping offers can be similar to the online shopping malls for many rewards credit cards.

Home Chef Meal Kits

Earn 2,000 points on your first meal kit purchase and 500 points on additional shipments.

Online Surveys

You can earn 500 bonus points on your first survey through Opinion Rewards. Future surveys will also earn points but not as many as your initial questionnaire. 

This income stream doesn’t earn the most points but also doesn’t require a purchase. Instead, you only need to set aside up to 20 minutes of your free time for each survey.

Buy Wyndham Points

You can buy up to 45,000 points per year in 1,000-point increments for yourself or to give to friends. 

It costs $13 to buy 1,000 points which is the average cost with other programs but relatively expensive. Wait for limited-time promotions to buy points at a discount to get a better redemption value.

Rewards Credit Cards

Wyndham offers three co-brand credit cards (two consumer and one small business) that earn Wyndham points on each purchase. 

The program is also a transfer partner for Capital One and Citi ThankYou credit cards. You might consider this option if you don’t want to exclusively earn Wyndham Reward as you can redeem your points for several airline and hotel loyalty programs.

Transferring Wyndham Rewards

Wyndham is a transfer partner with the Capital One travel credit cards and Citi ThankYou rewards program.

Capital One

These Capital One credit cards let you transfer points in 1,000-point increments at a 1:1 ratio.

• Capital One Venture One Rewards: $0 annual fee and earn 1.25x on purchases.
• Capital One Venture Rewards: $95 annual fee, earn 2x on purchases, Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit, and 2 one-time Priority Pass visits per year.
• Capital One Venture X Rewards: $395 annual fee, up to 10x on purchases, complimentary Priority Pass Select membership, up to $300 annual travel credit.
• Capital One Spark 2x Miles: $0 intro annual fee then $95, earn 2x on purchases, and Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit. 
• Capital One Spark 1.5x Miles Select: $0 annual fee, earn 1.5x on purchases

With these cards, you have the flexibility of earning bonus points on purchases. Then, you can redeem your points for 1 cent each for travel statement credits.

As Wyndham points typically have a comparable redemption value, the Capital One travel statement credit can be more rewards and less work.

Citi

Two Citi credit cards currently accepting new applications let you transfer ThankYou points to your Wyndham account. 

Your transfer ratio is 1:1 for credit cards with an annual fee and a slightly inferior 1:0.8 for one with no annual fee:

• Citi Premier: With a $95 annual fee, you earn up to 3x on purchases and offers an annual $100 hotel savings benefit. The transfer ratio is 1:1 (1,000 ThankYou points = 1,000 Wyndham points).
• Citi Rewards+: In addition to a $0 annual fee, earn 2x at supermarkets and gas stations. Each purchase rounds up your earnings to the nearest 10 points (i.e., 53 points round up to 60 points. Its 1:0.8 transfer ratio means every 1,000 points you transfer become 800 Wyndham points).

While it’s no longer accepting new applications, the Citi Prestige premium travel credit card offers 1:1 point transfers to Wyndham too.

Redeeming Wyndham Rewards Points

You have several ways to redeem your points for travel and non-travel rewards.

Reward Nights

Your most valuable redemption can be reward nights. Unlike most hotel programs that use dynamic pricing or have numerous property categories, free night awards have one of three prices.

Your “Go Free” nights have one of three nightly rates:

• 7,500 points
• 15,000 points
• 30,000 points

Most properties require 15,000 points. Luxury brands need 30,000 points per night.

Your points are usually worth 0.6 cents at most properties including beachfront destinations and stops along an interstate exit.

Points and Cash

If you want to split your hotel reservation with points and cash, the Go Fast bookings have three different pricing tiers:

• 1,500 points (instead of 7,500)
• 3,000 points (instead of 15,000)
• 6,000 points (instead of 30,000)

It pays to compare your redemption options if you have enough points to book a full night. But adding some cash to the table can stretch the longevity of your points.

Unfortunately, this booking doesn’t earn rewards points.

Extended Stays

You can also use your points for vacation rental and timeshare stays with these platforms:

• Wyndham Vacation Clubs (including annual timeshare dues)
• Caesars Rewards
• Vacasa
• Cottages.com
• Landal Green Parks

The redemption amounts differ by program. You may also need to call customer support to book a reservation instead of redeeming your points online.

Caesars Rewards has one of the best exchange rates at 1:1.

Tourism

You can redeem points instead of paying cash for local tours and dining experiences. As a quick reference, a $30 experience requires 8,568 points.

Marathon Gas Stations

It’s possible to redeem your points for gas discounts at Marathon and ARCO gas stations.

Merchandise

Use your points to request merchandise, software, and subscriptions. For example, a one-year Costco membership costs approximately 19,000 points.

Gift Cards

Receive gift cards to your favorite restaurants and retailers. The number of points you need for a gift card depends on the brand and face value. 

Each point is worth approximately 0.3 cents which is half the value for free nights.

Convert to Airline Miles

You can turn your hotel points into frequent flyer miles with carriers like United Airlines, American Airlines, Avianca, and Frontier Airlines. 

The exchange rate turns 6,000 Wyndham points to 1,200 airline miles as the conversion ratio is 5:1.

Wyndham Rewards Credit Cards

You have three different co-brand credit cards that have reasonable annual fees and are beneficial for leisure and business trips.

Barclays issues each card. Plus, all three are Visa Signature products and don’t charge foreign transaction fees.

Wyndham Rewards Earner

The entry-level Wyndham Rewards Earner is best for casual travelers. 

Other benefits include:

• 5x on Wyndham hotels and at gas stations
• 2x on dining and groceries
• 1x on all remaining purchases
• Wyndham Rewards Gold elite status
• Redeem 10% fewer points for rewards nights
• Cardmember booking discounts
• 7,500 points anniversary bonus when you spend at least $15,000 in annual purchases

The annual fee is $0 and the signup bonus is 30,000 points after spending $1,000 in the first 90 days.

Wyndham Rewards Earner+

The Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus is an excellent option if you stay several nights per year at Wyndham properties.

Benefits include:

• 6x points on Wyndham and gas station purchases
• 4x for dining and groceries
• Platinum elite status
• 10% discount on reward night bookings
• 7,500 bonus points after paying the annual renewal fee ($75)

The annual fee is $75. You can also earn a 45,000 points signup bonus after spending $1,000 in the first 90 days.

Wyndham Rewards Earner Business

Small businesses and independent contractors can apply for the Wyndham Rewards Earner Business. 

This card has the most benefits:

• 8x on Wyndham and gas purchases
• 5x on marketing, advertising, and utilities
• Diamond elite status
• 15,000 points anniversary bonus
• 10% fewer points on rewards stays

The annual fee is $95. You can get a signup bonus of 45,000 points after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months.

The Vacationer’s Final Thoughts

Wyndham Rewards is an excellent program if you’re traveling on a budget. It may not be the most exciting hotel loyalty club but it gets the job done as you can book a clean and comfortable room at an affordable rate.

The program now offers several luxury brands but mid-level and entry-level properties are the bedrock. Its straightforward rewards program to earn and redeem points is also convenient as you can easily project how many reward nights you can book each year.

Also, the co-brand Wyndham Rewards credit cards are budget-friendly, give you accelerated loyalty status, and offer you ways to earn bonus points to get at least one free night per year.

As there are locations in small and big cities, opening an account helps you earn points and you can book reward nighs relatively soon even if you travel infrequently.