In determining the strategy for your travel rewards, hotel points may be equally as valuable as airline miles or credit card points. In addition to earning and redeeming hotel points for accommodations worldwide, travelers frequently have the option to convert points into airline miles or exchange them for exclusive experiences such as private banquets and concerts.
Wyndham Rewards is among the most extensive global hotel loyalty programs. Here is the essential information required to maximize its benefits.
What exactly does Wyndham Rewards entail?
Wyndham Rewards serves as the customer loyalty program for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, an organization that operates in excess of 80 countries and offers vacation rentals and club resorts (e.g., Shell Vacations Club and Cottages.com), in addition to its 19 distinct hotel brands and over 9,000 properties.
Some of these hotels include Howard Johnson by Wyndham, Days Inn by Wyndham, La Quinta by Wyndham, and Travelodge by Wyndham. It is probable that you are familiar with some of them. The majority of these accommodations are designed with budget-conscious travelers in mind.
Brands that operate upscale hotels include Wyndham Grand, TRYP by Wyndham, and Dolce Hotels and Resorts by Wyndham. Among the properties of the latter are the affluent Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa and the Aspen Meadows Resort in Colorado.
Wyndham Rewards has established a collaborative alliance with Caesars Rewards to provide members with exclusive privileges at renowned hotels and casinos in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, including Planet Hollywood, Caesars, Harrah’s, The LINQ, and Nobu Hotel Caesars Palace.
The Wyndham Rewards Points Earning Process
Members of Wyndham Rewards can accumulate points in a variety of methods. The first method is to earn points by remaining at Wyndham properties; members can accumulate 1,000 points per stay, or 10 points per dollar spent on room rates, whichever is greater. Through the brand’s destination portal, you can also earn 10 points per dollar spent on reservations for activities such as architectural excursions, wine tastings, and live performances.
Members of the online purchasing portal operated by Wyndham Rewards can earn multiple points for every dollar spent at the websites of partner retailers. Simply enter your membership number and select the desired merchant’s link to be redirected to their website. A few weeks after completing your purchases, incentive points should be deposited into your account. Two points per dollar at Bloomingdale’s, three points per dollar at Apple, and four points per dollar at Macy’s were among the most recent offers.
Wyndham Rewards is also the holder of two Barclays co-branded credit cards. Upon initial use, the Wyndham Rewards Visa, which does not charge an annual fee, typically provides sign-up incentives of approximately 15,000. It is worth one point everywhere else, three points per dollar at Wyndham, two points per dollar at petrol stations, grocery stores (excluding Target and Walmart), and utilities. Automatic Gold status is granted to cardholders of Wyndham Rewards.
The Wyndham Rewards Visa Signature, which carries an annual fee of $75, typically provides a 30,000-point sign-up bonus: 15,000 points are awarded for your initial purchase and an additional 15,000 points are awarded for spending $1,000 within the initial 90 days. Five points are awarded per dollar spent at Wyndham, followed by two points per dollar in the same categories as the fee-free card, and one point per dollar for all other expenditures. This credit card confers Platinum Elite status to its holders.
Notably, points expire after an inactive account for eighteen months; therefore, in order to maintain your points, you must earn or redeem them within that time frame. Regardless of account activity, all points expire four years after being earned; therefore, utilize them or loose them.
Redeeming Wyndham Rewards Points
Recently, Wyndham Rewards altered its award structure. It also provides go fast awards, which necessitate a combination of points and cash for reservation, and go free awards, which merely entail redeeming points for complimentary stays. Each is divided into three distinct categories.
Depending on the hotel, the three go-free award categories cost 7,500 points, 15,000 points, or 30,000 points each. In addition to financial co-payments, booking a go fast award will cost you 1,500 points, 3,000 points, or 6,000 points.
As an illustration, a night’s accommodation at The New Yorker, a Wyndham Hotel, charges $265 plus 6,000 points or $360 plus 30,000 points. A night at the Ramada by Wyndham Phoenix Midtown, conversely, costs $110 plus 15,000 points, or $77 in addition to 3,000 points. Award nights typically offer redemptions for between one and one and a half cents per point in value.
In lieu of currency, members may exchange their points for experiences via the brand’s activities portal, excluding hotel stays. Guests have the option to exchange their points for merchandise such as clothing and electronics, or for gift certificates via the online catalog of Wyndham. Additionally, point redemptions can be applied to charitable contributions. Nevertheless, the return on investment for the points expended through these approaches is typically negligible, so unless you have tens of thousands of points to waste, refrain from utilizing them.
Wyndham Partners in Rewards
A few additional Wyndham Rewards partners offer opportunities to earn and redeem points. Members earn 250 points per DoorDash food order and 100 points per day on qualifying car rentals with Avis and Budget.
In lieu of Wyndham Rewards points, the program partners with thirteen airlines, including American Airlines, Air Canada, Hawaiian Airlines, and United, in addition to Amtrak, so that members may accrue miles on their hotel stays. Regular and Gold elite members earn one mile for every dollar spent on accommodations with the majority of these partners, while Platinum and Diamond elites earn two miles for every dollar spent. 6,000 Wyndham Rewards points can be redeemed for 1,200 airline miles (with eleven partners) or Amtrak points, which is an abhorrent return on investment; therefore, you should avoid this option.
Levels of Elite Status and Perks Offered
Achieving elite status with Wyndham Rewards requires members to complete a minimum number of nights of stay in their hotels annually. Award nights and paid accommodations with an average rate of $25 or more are considered status-bearing.
Gold is the initial rank of elite status within the program, which is attained after completing five nights. Members at this tier are granted access to privileged rooms, late check-out, a dedicated customer service line, and 10% additional points are earned on stays.
Platinum status is awarded to guests who remain for a minimum of 15 nights. This status grants access to additional privileges, including early check-in times, 15% bonus points, a status match to the Caesar Rewards program, and rental enhancements with Avis and Budget.
Diamond status is the highest tier of Wyndham Rewards and is obtained after 40 nights. Obtaining a 20% bonus on points, being eligible for suite enhancements, receiving a welcome amenity at check-in, and the ability to bestow Gold status on another member are the supplementary benefits associated with this tier.
Every member, irrespective of their elite tier status, is granted complimentary Wi-Fi and has the ability to exchange their points for rewards. It is a pleasant feature that any elite nights accumulated in excess of the tier attained in the current year can be carried over to qualify for the following year.
Critical Thinking on Wyndham Rewards
With 9,000 hotels in the world, earning and redeeming Wyndham Rewards points is possible in a multitude of locations. In general, hotel award redemptions are quite economical, and co-branded credit cards offer incentive points in a variety of categories.
However, there are not many luxury properties offered by Wyndham, so if you intend to redeem your points for beyond-average or once-in-a-lifetime accommodations, this program may not be the best fit. Acquiring elite status is straightforward, albeit potentially unprofitable considering the limited benefits that are truly obtained. Additionally, the program recently altered the structure for award redemption, so it is possible that it will do so again abruptly.
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Procedure for Signing Up
Joining Wyndham Rewards is voluntary and entitles you to complimentary internet during your stay at Wyndham properties; therefore, there is no reason not to do so.
