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A Wyndham credit card is one of the latest rewards credit cards to offer tempting bonuses to new cardholders. Get a Wyndham Earner Plus Visa credit card, and you can earn up to 13 free nights after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first six months. The card also improved its earning rate and made other changes to stay competitive in the cut-throat travel rewards credit card space.
You will also receive 7,500 bonus points each anniversary year after payment of the annual fee; that's enough for up to one free night every year and can offset the $75 annual fee.
If the Wyndham brand conjures up memories of budget hotels or dog-eared resorts, think again. Wyndham has over 60,000 properties worldwide. In addition to family-oriented brands, Wyndham offers an array of luxury hotels, such as Registry Collection Hotels and Dolce Hotels and Resorts. Mid-tier offerings include Vienna House locations in Europe and Tryp hotels. It also partners with Caesar's hotel brand; you can redeem points at Caesar's, Harrah's, Planet Hollywood and other locations.
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Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus
The fine print
- Rewards earning rates:
- Six Wyndham Rewards points per dollar spent on gas and with Hotels by Wyndham.
- Four points per dollar on dining and grocery-store purchases (excluding Walmart and Target).
- One point per dollar on all other spending.
- One free night per year: Cardholders get a 7,500-point bonus for each anniversary year.
- Other benefits: You’ll also get an additional discount on the best available rate when making reservations at participating properties, and automatic Platinum loyalty status.
- Redemption: Points may be redeemed at thousands of Wyndham properties worldwide, including hotels, resorts, casinos, vacation homes, and European parks; points expire if your Wyndham Rewards account is inactive for 18 months.
- Sign-up bonus: Earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first six months. That's typically enough for 13 nights at participating properties. According to Bankrate, the value of this offer is about $900. Free nights can require between 7,500 and 30,000 points per bedroom at participating properties and are subject to availability. Resort fees may apply and cannot be paid with points.
- Interest rate: The standard purchase rate is 20.99%, 25.24% or 29.99% variable APR.
The card has two 0% APR offers.
- For purchases: get a 0% promotional APR for 6 billing cycles on all Wyndham Timeshare Purchases (see Terms and Conditions for details). After that, your APR will be 20.99%, 25.24% or 29.99%, based on your creditworthiness.
- For balance transfers (not recommended): the card offers a 0% introductory APR for 15 months on balance transfers made within 45 days of account opening, then 20.99%, 25.24% or 29.99% variable APR on purchases, with 0% on purchases for 6 billing cycles on all Wyndham Timeshare Purchases. Given the high balance transfer fee, you should look for a different card if you hope to offload some credit card debt onto a balance transfer card.
- Balance transfer fee: 5% of the amount you transfer, which is higher than many other cards. For this reason, you should look for another card with a balance transfer fee of no more than 3%.
- Annual fee: $75; for a no-fee option, look to the Wyndham Rewards Earner Visa.
- Foreign Transaction fee: None.
FAQs
Is the Wyndham Rewards loyalty program free?
Yes, there is no fee to join the loyalty program, and members are currently offered 15% off their next stay.
Do Wyndham Rewards points expire?
Points will expire after 18 months of inactivity. One benefit of having a Wyndham credit card is that you can keep your loyalty account active with small purchases, even if you don’t travel for 18 months.
How much is a Wyndham Rewards point worth?
According to Bankrate valuations, one point is worth 0.9 cents. That means the 100,000-point sign-up bonus is worth roughly $900 when redeemed. Reward hotel stays fall into three tiers: 7,500, 15,000, or 30,000 points per bedroom, depending on the property and location.
Is the Wyndham Rewards travel app any good?
The Wyndham Mobile app is free to download and has good reviews. The app has a 4.6 out of 5 stars rating on Google Play and 4.8 stars in the Apple App Store.
What is Status Match?
Status Match allows you to match your status from other hotel rewards programs to the corresponding Wyndham tier from lowest to highest: Gold, Platinum or Diamond. For example, if you have a top-tier World of Hyatt status of Globalist, Wyndham will bump you up to the top-tier Wyndham Diamond level.
Wyndham will honor the hotel loyalty program status from the following hotels: Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, Choice Privileges, Best Western Rewards, World of Hyatt, IHG One Rewards, Radisson Rewards, Radisson Rewards Americas and Omni Select Guest.
Can I transfer points from other credit cards to Wyndham?
Yes. You can transfer Capital One miles to your Wyndham Rewards account at a one-to-one ratio. Popular Capital One travel cards include the Venture Rewards Credit Card and the Venture X Rewards Credit Card.
Rewards cards dos and don'ts
As with any rewards credit card, be sure to weigh these benefits against fees — a $75 annual fee in this case — and make sure you understand how to use the card effectively. That said, $75 may be more than offset by those maxing out the benefits.
In addition, while reward credit cards are great if you use them wisely, always pay them off in full and on time each month to avoid interest, which can dwarf any rewards you earn. Don't change your spending habits to earn extra points. That's a slippery slope that can lead to overspending.
If this is your first foray into credit cards, or you just want a refresher, make sure you know how to choose a credit card. And ensure you are familiar with what counts as a good credit score.
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As an independent publication dedicated to helping you make the most of your money, the article above is our view of the best deals and is not the opinion of any entity mentioned such as a card issuer, hotel, airline etc. Similarly, the content has not been reviewed or endorsed by any of those entities.
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