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Wyndham Rewards: a review of Wyndham’s rewards program

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What is Wyndham Rewards?

Picture of signs with different city names against the backdrop of a tropical setting
Wyndham Rewards program can provide members with free stays, complimentary room upgrades, and status matching in Caesars Entertainment Total Rewards. Photo by Deanna Ritchie on Unsplash

You might not have heard of the Wyndham Rewards program before, but it’s definitely worth paying attention to. Wyndham Rewards is the official loyalty program offered by the Wyndham Hotel Group and all its brands. While this rewards program is not considered to be an elite program, we think it should be. Wyndham has the most properties available for you to book across the globe, which makes it extremely desirable. Plus as you’ll learn in this post, it’s faster to earn elite status than most other hotel rewards programs. So is going all in with the Wyndham Rewards program worth it? To determine that, you’ll have to read on for more details and a full review.

Joining Wyndham Rewards

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Adventures can take many forms so make sure to experience them all one by one. Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

The Wyndham Rewards program is free and easy to join. You can open up an account within a matter of minutes and start earning right away. To create your free account, follow the steps below:

  1. Visit the Wyndham website. 
  2. Click the ‘Join’ link located at the top right corner, under the Wyndham Rewards logo.
  3. Fill out all of your details on the form, including your full name and contact details. You’ll also need to create a username, account password and create answers to special security questions.
  4. Read the terms and conditions and complete the account creation process. 
  5. Your account is now created, and you’re ready to start earning!

Brands and Locations

Picture of a Westin sign above a hotel entrance
With locations in 80 countries and 8,000 properties, Wyndham has the most numbers of properties for you to choose from. Photo by CompareBare

Contrary to other reports, Wyndham is actually the world’s largest hotel group in terms of the number of properties. With over 8,000 properties, spanning 80 countries on six continents, Wyndham offers plenty of options for you to book a getaway. This is extremely important, as the availability of hotel locations will give you a better chance of consistently meeting the annual targets that are required to reach elite status in Wyndham Rewards.

Wyndham Hotel Group is the parent company that owns and operates all 18 brands (see list below) in their portfolio. Having multiple brands is crucial because it provides you with more choices regarding price, the class of stay, and most importantly rewards redemption opportunities. All Wyndham hotels brands share the same point values for redemption. So regardless if you choose to stay at a Wyndham Grand property or a Days Inn, your rewards points will be valued the same on a per-point basis.

List of Wyndham Hotel Brands

  • Wyndham
  • AmericInn
  • Baymont Inn & Suites
  • Days Inn
  • Dazzler by Wyndham
  • Dolce Hotels and Resorts
  • Esplendor Boutique Hotels
  • Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham
  • Howard Johnson
  • Knights Inn
  • La Quinta Inns & Suites
  • Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham
  • Ramada Worldwide
  • Super 8
  • Trademark Collection by Wyndham
  • Travelodge
  • TRYP by Wyndham
  • Wingate
  • Wyndham Garden
  • Wyndham Grand

List of Wyndham Destination Brands

Wyndham also has a collection of 6 brands within their network that offers unique homes and condo-style resorts:

  • Club Wyndham
  • Cottages.com
  • Landal GreenParks
  • Margaritaville Vacation Club by Wyndham
  • Shell Vacations Club
  • Wyndham Vacation Rentals

Earning Wyndham Rewards elite status

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Having elite status in hotel rewards programs can get you upgraded rooms, better views, and a higher class of stay. Photo by Ian Schneider on Unsplash

Wyndham Rewards has four member levels within its rewards program. The base level, Blue, is automatically granted to anyone who enrolls in the program. The next three levels, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond can be achieved by staying a minimum number of nights. Reaching each level has a different set of requirements (see table below) and provides various types of benefits to members (see section below).

When compared to other hotel rewards programs, Wyndham arguably has a more relaxed set of requirements to earn elite status. The number of nights needed is far less than the requirements of competitors. For example, to earn the top Diamond level in Wyndham Rewards, you only need 40 nights per year. However, in Hilton Honors, you need 60 nights to achieve Diamond, and in Marriott Rewards, you need 100 nights to reach Platinum Premier Elite with Ambassador. That could make the Wyndham Rewards program extremely desirable to you as the amount of time and money required to be an elite member is significantly cut down.

Here’s the breakdown of how to qualify for each member level:

[wpsm_colortable color=”blue”]

Blue Gold Platinum Diamond
How to qualify Automatically given upon sign-up. 5+ nights per year. 15+ nights per year. 40+ nights per year.

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Maintaining your status with Wyndham Rewards

Wyndham Rewards requires you to re-qualify each year to maintain your elite status within their program. Unlike some of the other hotel programs, Wyndham does not currently offer the option of earning lifetime status. This means to keep your status level every year, you’ll have to continue to meet the minimum number of nights required for each level. Below is an example of the account overview dashboard, which shows your current status for the year, your total number of accrued points, and the number of nights stayed.

Here’s a snapshot of what the Wyndham Rewards dashboard will look like when a member logs in.

Benefits of Wyndham Rewards

We break out the benefits of Wyndham Rewards into pre-stay perks and in-stay perks. Read below to see the various perks that each of their member levels provides.

Pre-stay perks

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Do you enjoy trips to Las Vegas? A really cool perk for Wyndham Platinum and Diamond is receiving status in Caesars Entertainment Total Rewards. Photo by Tim Stief on Unsplash

Wyndham’s pre-stay perks provide you with benefits that you can experience outside of your stay at a Wyndham property. These benefits can include:

  • Member rates: all members get a 10% discount off Wyndham’s best available price.
  • Dedicated elite member line: get access to an exclusive customer service line for more personalized service and help.
  • Caesars Entertainment Total Rewards status match: Platinum and Diamond members will receive a complimentary status match in Caesars’ Total Rewards program, which gives exciting perks at 30 Total Rewards casino destinations.
  • Gifting Gold membership: If you reach Diamond, you can give the gift of complimentary Wyndham Rewards Gold status to one other person.
  • And more (see table below)

In-stay perks

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Although free wifi seems like a basic hotel amenity, there are still other hotels out there that don’t provide this perk. Photo by Bernard Hermant on Unsplash

In-stay perks provide you with benefits during your stay at a Wyndham property and are intended to improve your experience. These benefits can include:

  • Complimentary in-room internet: all members get standard wifi included in their room at all Wyndham properties.
  • Preferred room: Wyndham will do its best to put you in your preferred room type, such as being near the elevator or having a room on a high floor (subject to availability).
  • go Free PLUS and go Fast PLUS: members will receive a gift code or two free passes to a local experience for every go free and go fast award night they book.
  • Free suite upgrades: if the hotel has suites available, Diamond members will get upgraded even on award nights.
  • And more (see table below)

Wyndham Rewards member benefits

Here’s a full breakdown of the member benefits for Wyndham Rewards by member level: [wpsm_colortable color=”blue”]

Blue Gold Platinum Diamond
10% off best available rates [wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”] [wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”] [wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”] [wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]
Complimentary wifi [wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”] [wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”] [wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”] [wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]
Rollover nights never expire [wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”] [wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”] [wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”] [wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]
go Free PLUS (passes or discount to local experience) [wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”] [wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”] [wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”] [wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]
go Fast PLUS (passes or discount to local experience) [wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”] [wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”] [wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”] [wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”] 
Dedicated customer service line [wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”] [wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”] [wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”] 
Preferred room [wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”] [wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”] [wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”] 
Late check-out   [wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”] [wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]  [wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]
Early check-in   [wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]  [wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]
Points bonus    [wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]  [wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]
Caesars Entertainment Total Rewards status match    [wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]  [wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]
Avis & Budget car rental upgrades   [wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”] [wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”] 
Suite upgrades   [wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]
Welcome amenity gift       [wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”]
Give one Gold level membership to someone else      [wp-svg-icons icon=”checkmark” wrap=”i”] 

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Earning Wyndham Rewards Points

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Staying at hotels frequently typically is the fastest way to increase your rewards points. Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

As with most other programs, Wyndham Rewards split points into two categories: base points and bonus points. Let’s break down the differences between the two.

Wyndham Rewards base points

Base points are received for the total dollar amount you spend on your stay at any Wyndham property. Wyndham Rewards will give you 10 points per dollar that you spend, or 1,000 points, whichever comes out to be more. You can earn points for staying at any of the 18 brands in Wyndham’s portfolio, plus any of the 6 Wyndham Destination brands or the 30 Caesars Entertainment hotels and casinos. This means you will earn for every dollar you spend on your stay at this vast collection of properties.

Regardless of what member level you are, you’ll get the same point match of 10x per dollar for base points. Unlike most other programs, Wyndham gives 10 points per dollar for all properties in their portfolio and does not have different categories of earning for base points. So it does not matter if you stay at a high-luxury Wyndham Grand or a less-nice Super 8, you’ll still get 10 points for every dollar spent on your reservation.

Wyndham Rewards bonus points

Bonus points are any points awarded outside of the standard base points you get for completing a stay at a Wyndham property. Wyndham offers a few great ways to get bonus points in addition to the points members receive for their visits. Check out the following ways you can make extra points:

  • Member levels point bonus: If you’re a Platinum or Gold member and achieved your status through completing qualifying nights (as opposed to receiving complimentary status through a credit card for example), you’ll earn a one-time points bonus every February 1st. Platinum gets 3,000 bonus points per year and Diamond gets 6,000.
  • Special point promotions: Wyndham often runs special offer promotions, in which you can receive a set amount of bonus points if you complete a stay within a given period. Please note you may have to register for these online to earn the temporary promotional point value.
  • Complete opinion surveys: you can earn 500 points after you join Opinion Rewards Panel and complete your first survey. Plus you’ll get additional bonus points for each additional survey you complete.
  • go meet: if you’re a meeting planner or plan events, you can get points for booking groups and events at Wyndham hotels. Check out more details on the program here.

Purchasing Wyndham Rewards points

Wyndham Rewards also gives members the ability to buy additional points to add to their account. Wyndham will let you buy points in 1,000 increments at a rate of $13.00 per 1,000 points. You can only purchase 10,000 points per calendar year. This can be super helpful if you are short of the amount you need to book an award night. It’s quite common for people to purchase points to help meet a minimum point redemption threshold that they can’t currently reach.

Here’s what it looks like when you purchase additional Wyndham Rewards points.

For example, if you need 7,000 more points to redeem an award night, it may make sense to purchase those points to close the gap. It is, however, essential to understand the cash value of the points you are purchasing. You should take into consideration the cost that you are paying to buy the points. This is key to ensure you are receiving the proper expected value in the transaction. In some cases, it doesn’t make sense for you to purchase points because the price outweighs the value of what those points are worth. 

Other ways to earn Wyndham Rewards Points

Wyndham Rewards Credit Cards

Close up credit cards on isolated white background
If you are a frequent Wyndham customer than getting a Wyndham branded credit card may be worth it.

Wyndham Rewards offers two credit cards in partnership with Visa, both called the Wyndham Rewards Visa Card. The difference is that one has a $75 annual fee and the other does not. Both cards offer you 15,000 bonus points after you make your first purchase and give you 2 points per $1 spent on gas, utilities and groceries and 1 point per $1 on all other purchases. The card with the annual fee gives you enhanced benefits like earning an additional 15,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on the card in the first 90 days, gives you complimentary Platinum status in Wyndham Rewards and awards you 5 points per dollar spent at Wyndham. 

Rental car partnerships

You can also earn Wyndham Rewards points by renting a car. Wyndham has teamed up with Avis and Budget rental cars to offer up to 30% off on rentals. Plus when you book with either company, you’ll earn 100 Wyndham Rewards Clubs points for each day of your rental, up to 500 points per reservation. 

Earning other miles instead of Wyndham Rewards points

If you’d rather earn points in another travel program, you also have the option to do that. Wyndham has a partnership with most major airlines and a few other partners that you can designate as your primary method of earning points for your stays at Wyndham properties. You should note that if you choose this option, you will not also earn Wyndham Rewards points. It’s either one or the other. Check out Wyndham’s page on earning airline miles here.

Redeeming Wyndham Rewards Points

The most obvious way to redeem your Wyndham Rewards points is to use them to book a future stay at a Wyndham or Caesars Entertainment property. You can do this in the form of go free and go fast nights. A go free night will cost you a flat 15,000 point fee, across all properties, locations and dates. This is an extremely popular perk of the Wyndham Rewards program because you can always expect to need 15,000 rewards points no matter where or when your trip is planned. With a go fast night, you’ll only need 3,000 points for your reservation but you will also have to pay a certain amount of cash.

To book a go free or go fast night, you only have to search for a specific set of dates and location on the Wyndham website. When the results come up, you can choose to view the results by ‘Wyndham Rewards Points’ in the left-hand panel. Choose that option to see the number of points you’d need to book a stay at a particular property using a go free or go fast night. The process of redeeming points is pretty simple to do with Wyndham.

Redeeming your Wyndham Rewards points on other travel

Wyndham has a special site which allows you to redeem your points on flights, car rentals, and bus/train transportation.

In addition to this, you can transfer your points to various partners other travel related services like flights and more. Some of these travel partners include United Airlines, American Airlines, Amtrak, and others. The conversion value of your Wyndham Rewards points varies for each travel partner. You can view the full list of transfer partners, the conversion values, and the process to transfer your points here

Finally, since you already know from reading above that Wyndham has an exclusive partnership with Caesars Entertainment, it’s probably no surprise that you can convert your Wyndham Rewards points into Total Rewards credits that you can use at any Total Rewards casino and restaurant and even tickets to shows and performances. Your Wyndham points convert on a 1:1 basis to give you Total Rewards credits. You can request a points transfer using the page here.

Using your Wyndham Rewards points for shopping and gift cards

If you don’t plan on using your Wyndham Rewards points for travel, you can also redeem them for online shopping purchases on top brand-name products, jewelry, clothing and even gift cards. To see what items are available to purchase, check on Wyndham’s online shopping portal. Wyndham even has it’s own Golf Pro Shop in the shopping portal!

Paying for your Wyndham maintenance and exchange fees

If you own a time-share within Club Wyndham, you can use your Wyndham Rewards points to pay for maintenance fees, club dues, exchange fees and more. Check out the full list of options here.

Gift or donate your points

Just like how you can purchase extra points for yourself, you can also gift Wyndham Rewards points to someone you know. You need to enter the recipient’s name, email and Wyndham Rewards number and for a fee, you can give someone Wyndham points that they can use. Gifting points costs the same as purchasing points, at $13.00 per 1,000 points, and you can gift up to 10,000 points per calendar year. Plus, you can even donate your points to charitable organizations from all around the world like Hotels for Heroes, Christel House and more.

Calculating the earning potential of Wyndham Rewards points

It’s important to note that in general, base points from most travel-related rewards programs have an actual cash redemption value. Reward point cash values typically range between 0.05 cents to 2.5 cents per point. The cash value of rewards points depends on the method in which points are redeemed (i.e., redeemed for travel, gift cards, experiences). In most rewards programs your status tiers (i.e. membership levels) can make a huge difference in terms of the actual cash value you receive from your stays in the form of points. However, Wyndham’s program is unique in that regardless of membership level, you will receive the same 10x base points per each dollar spent. 

The more points you earn, the higher the cash value of your points, meaning that you will be able to redeem points for higher gift card amounts, longer trips, nicer vacations, and more. The examples below demonstrate how to calculate the earning potential of Wyndham Rewards points, and also highlights how regardless of membership level in Wyndham Rewards, you will receive the same 10x base points per each dollar spent.

Example 1

You book a 5-night stay at a Wyndham property and spend $1,000 total. You are also currently at the Member tier level.

  • $1,000 x 10 = 10,000 base points
  • For this example, we will value 1 Wyndham Rewards point at 0.012 cents
  • We will use the following formula:
    • Base points received from stay x 0.012 = total cash value of base points
  • 10,000 x 0.012 = $120
  • So 10,000 Wyndham Rewards base points is worth $120 in cash when redeeming for things such as travel

Example 2

You book a 5-night stay at a Wyndham property and spend $1,000 total. You are also currently at the Diamond tier level.

  • $1,000 x 10 = 10,000 base points
  • For this example, we will value 1 Wyndham Rewards point at 0.012 cents
  • We will use the following formula:
    • Base points received from stay x 0.012 = total cash value of base points
  • 10,000 x 0.012 = $120
  • So 10,000 Wyndham Rewards base points is worth $120 in cash when redeeming for things such as travel

As you might have noticed, in the two examples above there is no cash difference between the ‘Membership’ and ‘Diamond’ tiers for the same stay. It is important to note that this base points earning structure within Wyndham are a relatively unique feature, and not typical in most hotel rewards programs, as most programs will provide a different base point earning potential for each status tier.

Depending on the number of stays and dollars spent, over the course of a year, it easy to see that if you are a frequent or even a casual traveler, the dollars in rewards can add up in your benefit. Many savvy rewards program veterans can fund a full or partial family vacation just due to the monetary value they receive from rewards points, so it is important not to underestimate the knowledge and power that comes from calculating the earning potential of Wyndham Rewards points.

Overall summary of Wyndham Rewards

As you can hopefully now see, Wyndham Rewards is a travel rewards program that should not be overlooked. With over 8,000 properties in 80 countries, Wyndham offers a ton of great choices for you to book your next vacation or quick business trip. The requirements for earning elite status in the program is much easier than other competitor’s rewards programs, with the bottom tier in Wyndham Rewards only requiring five nights and the top tier requiring 40 nights.

If you can earn Gold, Platinum or Diamond elite status, you get access to immediate benefits and perks such as discounted member rates, suite upgrades, Caesars Entertainment Total Rewards status match and more. And once you have enough Wyndham Rewards points saved up, you can redeem them in a variety of ways. Members can swap points for future stays at Wyndham and Caesars Entertainment properties, purchase gift cards and other popular products, and even transfer points to other travel rewards programs.

CompareBare highly recommends signing up for the Wyndham Rewards program so you can start earning rewards today! If you are interested in reading more about great hotel rewards programs check out our articles on Hilton Honors, Marriott Rewards, and the IHG Rewards Club.

Nicholas Scott

Nick is a licensed travel insurance agent and Lead content contributor for comparebare.com. He has a passion for helping travelers go on trips of a lifetime.

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