Wyndham Rewards Earner Card review: Full details
Wyndham Rewards Earner Card overview
The Wyndham Rewards Earner® Card is a no-annual-fee card from an underrated hotel brand with some properties that really provide outsize value. You don’t have to stay frequently at Wyndham properties to consider adding this card to your wallet. It offers solid perks like automatic elite status and decent earnings on Wyndham stays and gas. Card rating*: ⭐⭐⭐
*Card rating is based on the opinion of TPG’s editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.
Wyndham isn’t the first name I think of when it comes to hotels, but the brand has some terrific properties around the globe and a solid lineup of cobranded credit cards.
With no annual fee, the Wyndham Rewards Earner Card is an entry-level credit card in Wyndham’s portfolio. Even if you don’t frequently stay at Wyndham properties, you can still benefit from the card’s automatic elite status, award redemption discounts and other benefits.
The recommended credit score for this card is at least 670. However, it is possible to get approved with a lower score.
Let’s look at whether the Wyndham Rewards Earner Card should be in your wallet.
The information for the Wyndham Rewards Earner Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Wyndham Rewards Earner Card pros and cons
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Wyndham Rewards Earner Card welcome offer
New applicants for the Wyndham Rewards Earner Card can earn 45,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first 180 days. These points can be used for up to six free nights. This limited-time offer is available through Jan. 8, 2025.
According to TPG’s September 2024 valuations, these 45,000 bonus points are worth $495.
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It’s important to note that Barclays can be very inquiry-sensitive, so I recommend being under 6/24 before applying for this card. In other words, you shouldn’t have more than five hard inquiries on your credit report in the past 24 months before applying for the Wyndham Rewards Earner Card.
Additionally, I recommend being at 0/6 before applying, as some reports from Reddit users indicate that Barclays is sensitive to very recent inquiries. That means that, ideally, you shouldn’t have any hard inquiries on your credit report within the past six months.
It may not make the difference between approval or rejection, but being at 0/6 and under 6/24 can raise your odds for approval.
Related: How to earn Wyndham points for your next redemption
Wyndham Rewards Earner Card benefits
The Wyndham Rewards Earner Card comes comes with automatic Wyndham Rewards Gold status. This status level includes perks like 10% bonus points on stays, preferred room selection, free Wi-Fi and late checkout.
Wyndham Rewards Gold can be valuable, especially if you don’t frequent Wyndham properties often. In addition to the automatic Gold status, the card offers:
- A discount on paid and award stays: Wyndham Rewards Earner Card members receive a special card member rate on paid stays and a 10% discount on Go Free award stays.
- An annual points bonus: Cardholders receive 7,500 bonus points (worth $83 based on TPG’s September 2024 valuations) after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases in an anniversary year.
- $0 Fraud Liability Protection
- No foreign transaction fees
While these benefits definitely don’t stack up against a premium hotel card like the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card or the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, I view them as more than sufficient for a card with no annual fee.
The information for the Hilton Honors Amex Aspire card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Related: The ultimate guide to earning and redeeming Wyndham Rewards
Earning points on the Wyndham Rewards Earner Card
The Wyndham Rewards Earner Card earns:
- 5 points per dollar spent on Wyndham hotels and gas
- 2 points per dollar spent on dining and at grocery stores (excludes Walmart and Target)
- 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases (excluding Wyndham Vacation Club down payments)
Remember that you’ll earn an extra 10% bonus points from Gold status on every Wyndham purchase you make with this card. According to TPG’s September 2024 valuations, this equates to a return on spend of 5.5% on Wyndham purchases and gas, 2.2% on dining and groceries and 1.1% on all other purchases.
Related: How to choose a hotel credit card
Redeeming points on the Wyndham Rewards Earner Card
With the Wyndham Rewards Earner Card, you can redeem your points for stays, airline tickets, event tickets and experiences, gas, gift cards, merchandise, charitable donations, tours and activities, and an AARP membership. I typically don’t see this many redemption options for hotel rewards currencies, so that’s a big perk if you want flexible hotel rewards.
I always recommend using points to book Wyndham hotel stays, as that’s the most valuable way to redeem your points.
Wyndham is one of the few hotel brands that still utilizes a fixed award chart rather than dynamic pricing, meaning you can still get outsize value. There are no blackout dates for Wyndham properties.
Wyndham offers two types of award redemptions: Go Free and Go Fast. 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 redemptions.
Go Free award nights are priced in three tiers: 7,500, 15,000 and 30,000 points per night. Peak-season travel and upscale or luxury properties will typically cost 30,000 points per night.
Go Fast award nights are priced in three tiers, starting at 1,500, 3,000 and 6,000 points per night plus cash.
Katie Genter, a senior points and miles writer at TPG, was able to secure award stays for just 7,500 points per night in Jeju, South Korea, and 15,000 points per night in Hawaii. She has also gotten excellent value redeeming for Vacasa stays.
You can use your points to book a Wyndham Vacation Club stay starting at 7,500 points per bedroom, per night. You can also use your points to book Caesars Rewards properties, Vacasa vacation rentals, Landal GreenParks properties and reservations on cottages.com.
Caesars properties cost 15,000 to 30,000 Wyndham Rewards points per bedroom, 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, inclusive of all fees, is under $500. It costs you 15,000 points per bedroom, per night for rentals with an average nightly rate under $250 and 30,000 points per bedroom, per night for rentals with an average nightly rate between $250.01 and $500.
Additionally, Wyndham timeshare owners can use points to cover maintenance fees by converting them to Maintenance Dollars.
Related: Book low-end or luxury hotels to get the best value from your points
Transferring points on the Wyndham Rewards Earner Card
Wyndham has a small but mighty list of airline transfer partners. Although it has an impressive list of transfer partners, you generally will receive better value when you redeem your points for Wyndham stays than when transferring them. Partners include notable airlines like 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, equaling 1,200 partner points or miles.
Given this transfer ratio, I strongly advise against using this as a redemption method unless you need to top off your existing points or miles balance for an award ticket.
Related: Should you transfer hotel points to airline partners?
Which card competes with the Wyndham Rewards Earner Card?
The information for the Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card and the Wyndham Rewards Business Earner Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
For additional options, check out our full list of the best hotel credit cards and best travel rewards credit cards.
Is the Wyndham Rewards Earner Card worth it?
Since this card has no annual fee, I see it as easy to justify having, whether you stay at Wyndham hotels frequently or not. It offers automatic Wyndham Gold status, a great earnings rate on Wyndham stays and gas, and a 10% discount on all award redemptions. However, if you stay more frequently with Wyndham, I recommend looking at the $75 annual fee Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card instead.
Bottom line
The Wyndham Rewards Earner Card has no annual fee, offers a great earnings rate and comes with automatic elite status. It makes sense for travelers regardless of whether they stay frequently at Wyndham properties.
Plus, a solid welcome bonus can help boost your Wyndham Rewards account balance. So, if you haven’t considered opening a Wyndham credit card before, I say now is a better time than ever.
Related: Best hotel rewards programs in the world: Which one is right for you?
