Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card Review [2024]: Get Free Stays and Bonus Points

CREDIT CARDS - HOTEL CREDIT CARDS
Earn bonus Wyndham Rewards points whenever you use your Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card.
Updated Oct. 4, 2024
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If you’re a fan of Wyndham hotels, the Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card is one of the best hotel credit cards available. You receive an automatic Wyndham Rewards Platinum membership, which includes benefits like early check-in, Caesars Rewards status match, and Avis and Budget car rental upgrades.

In addition, you can earn bonus points on all your purchases, and you get 6,000 anniversary points each year. With this earning potential, you might be able to start staying at hotels for free in no time.

This Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card review will help you decide whether this card deserves a spot in your wallet.

Earn Rewards for Wyndham Stays

Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card
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Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card

Current Offer

75,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 in the first 180 days

Annual Fee

$75

Rewards Rate

6X points at participating By Wyndham properties and gas purchases; 4X on eligible dining and grocery store purchases (excluding Target and Walmart); 1X on everything else

Benefits and Drawbacks
Card Details

In this Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus review:

Who should get the Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card?

If you’re a traveler who likes to stay in Wyndham hotels, consider the Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card. Wyndham is one of the world’s largest hotel chains, comprising more than 9,000 hotels in more than 80 countries. It operates across 20 different brands and partners with Caesars Entertainment and its hotels, including Caesars Palace, Planet Hollywood, and Rio.

This particular card comes with a $75 annual fee, but you can offset the annual cost with the card’s benefits. The automatic Wyndham Rewards Program Platinum membership can offset the fee itself, but you also get anniversary points and a lot of potential for earning hotel rewards on purchases.

With a Wyndham Rewards Platinum membership, you can also status match to a Caesars Rewards Platinum membership, so you automatically get the benefits of both memberships just by having this card. With Caesars Rewards Platinum status, you get a complimentary stay at the Atlantis, Paradise Island in the Bahamas, complimentary parking at many hotel destinations, and discounts on hotel stays.

Card basics

Card type Travel
Credit card issuer Barclays
Annual fee $75
Intro bonus 75,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 in the first 180 days
Reward rate 6X points at participating By Wyndham properties and gas purchases; 4X on eligible dining and grocery store purchases (excluding Target and Walmart); 1X on everything else
Recommended credit score Excellent, Good
Intro APR 0% on Wyndham timeshare purchases for 6 billing cycles, then 20.99% to 29.99% (variable); 0% for transfers posted in the first 45 days from account opening for 15 months, then 20.99% to 29.99% (variable)
Foreign transaction fee None

Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card benefits and perks

  • Generous sign-up bonus: You can earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 in the first 180 days of account opening.
  • Bonus points: Earn 6X points at participating By Wyndham properties and gas purchases; 4X on eligible dining and grocery store purchases (excluding Target and Walmart); 1X on everything else.
  • Automatic Platinum membership: Cardholders automatically receive Wyndham Rewards Platinum membership and its accompanying benefits. Benefits include free Wi-Fi, preferred room choice, late checkout, and early check-in (when available).
  • Caesars status match: Wyndham Rewards Platinum members can automatically receive a status match to a Caesars Rewards Platinum membership. This includes complimentary Caesars hotel parking and discounted hotel rates.
  • Wyndham footprint: Wyndham has the most hotel properties in the world, with more than 9,000 hotels to choose from. This makes it easier to earn and redeem your Wyndham Rewards points and leverage your automatic Platinum membership benefits.
  • Anniversary points: Receive 6,000 bonus points after each cardmember anniversary.

Drawbacks to the Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card

  • Annual fee: This card has a $75 annual fee, but you should be able to easily offset its cost if you take advantage of the card’s benefits.
  • No free night: Although you do receive 6,000 bonus points each year after your card anniversary, you do not receive a free anniversary night. Also, because award nights start at 7,500 points, your 6,000 anniversary points wouldn’t be enough for an award night on their own.
  • No premium benefits: The best travel credit cards come with premium benefits like airport lounge access or annual travel credit. You won’t find those benefits on this card.

Earning and redeeming Wyndham Rewards points

Potential earnings in years one and two

Here's a look at how your points can add up with the Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card. To calculate these values, we used a point valuation of 1 cent.

Remember, this is an estimation. The actual value will be determined by how much you spend and in which categories you spend.

Year one earnings: $1,763

Year two earnings: $1,101

These values are based on the FinanceBuzz Credit Card Rewards Valuation Model, which takes a look at points earned via spending, the welcome bonus, and the annual fee.

These values account for spending in the general travel category, not specifically with Wyndham hotels. If you use your card to book hotel stays at Wyndham properties frequently and factor in the 6,000-point anniversary bonus, your year one and two earnings will likely be higher.

Best ways to earn

The best way to earn with the Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card is by making purchases at Wyndham properties and paying for everyday expenses. You can earn 6X points at participating By Wyndham hotels, Wyndham Vacation Rental North America properties, Wyndham timeshare properties, and gas purchases. You can also earn 4X points on eligible dining and grocery store purchases (excluding Target and Walmart).

Categories Rewards rate
Purchases at participating By Wyndham hotels, Wyndham Vacation Rental North America properties, Wyndham timeshare properties, and gas purchases 6X
Eligible dining and grocery store purchases (excluding Target and Walmart) 4X
All other purchases 1X

Maximizing your redemptions

The Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card earns Wyndham Rewards on every purchase, which is perfect for award night redemptions at Wyndham properties. You can also redeem points for online shopping and gift cards, but award night redemptions offer the best value.

The minimum number of points you need for a hotel stay is different at each property, but with Wyndham, it’s 7,500. Because award nights start at only 7,500 points per night, you can earn enough points each year with normal spending and anniversary points for at least one award night each year. Of course, this depends on how often you spend with your card throughout the year.

Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card transfer partners

You can transfer your Wyndham Rewards points to more than 10 Wyndham transfer partners, including many popular airlines. For example, if you want to use Wyndham Rewards points to book a flight, you can transfer your points to United MileagePlus. Then use them to book a United Airlines flight using MileagePlus miles.

Wyndham Rewards transfer partners include:

Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card FAQs

What credit score do you need for a Wyndham credit card?

You likely need a good or excellent credit score to qualify for the Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card. A good FICO score starts off at 670. An excellent score is 800 or above. Barclays ultimately has the final say on who qualifies for its credit cards.

Is the Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus a good card?

The Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card is a good card for travelers who want to earn Wyndham Rewards points and like to stay at Wyndham properties. It also has good earning potential that can offset the $75 annual fee.

Do Wyndham points expire?

Wyndham Rewards points may be canceled or forfeited if you don’t have any account activity for 18 consecutive months. Account activity includes any change in your point balance, which may result from earning points, redeeming points, or transferring points.

How much are Wyndham Rewards points worth?

The cash value of Wyndham Rewards points can vary depending on how you redeem them, though they’re typically worth about 1 cent apiece. Calculate how much your hotel points are worth by following these steps:

  1. Find the cash price of the hotel room
  2. Multiply the cash price by 100 to get the value in cents
  3. Divide the value in cents by the points value of the same hotel room

Let’s say a Days Inn by Wyndham costs $80 or 7,500 points per night. Multiply $80 by 100 to get 8,000 cents and divide 8,000 cents by 7,500 points. You end up with a valuation of about 1.01 cents per point, which is on par with the average value of Wyndham Rewards points.

How do you earn Wyndham Rewards points?

The easiest way to earn Wyndham Rewards points is through paid stays at Wyndham properties around the world. If you use the Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card to book your stay, you can earn 6X points at participating By Wyndham hotels, Wyndham Vacation Rental North America properties, Wyndham timeshare properties, and gas purchases.

You can also earn Wyndham Rewards points through these methods:

  • Online shopping via the Wyndham Rewards shopping portal
  • Avis and Budget car rentals
  • Food delivery orders with DoorDash
  • Fuel and select item purchases from participating Marathon Gas locations
  • Purchasing points
  • Sharing your opinion with Opinion Rewards Panel

Other cards to consider

With its great earning potential and anniversary points each year, the Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card offers a lot of value for Wyndham loyalists. However, if you want to avoid the $75 annual fee, consider the Wyndham Rewards Earner Card which has $0 annual fee. You won’t get any anniversary points, but you can still earn Wyndham Rewards points on purchases without worrying about an annual cost.

If you want one of the best travel credit cards out there, the Chase Sapphire Preferred is an excellent option. This travel rewards card earns flexible Chase Ultimate Rewards points that aren’t tied to a specific airline or hotel. You can redeem them for travel directly through the Chase travel portal or transfer them to more than 10 Chase transfer partners. Transfer partners include both airlines and hotels, like JetBlue, Southwest Airlines, and World of Hyatt.

Earn Rewards for Wyndham Stays

Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card
4.3
info

Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card

Why We Like It

75,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 in the first 180 days

See how these cards compare:

Wyndham Rewards Earner® Card
Wyndham Rewards Earner® Card
  • 45,000 bonus points after you spend $2,000 in the first 180 days
  • Earn up to 5X points on eligible purchases
  • Introductory APR on purchases and balance transfers
  • Automatic Wyndham Rewards Gold level membership
  • No annual fee
  • No foreign transaction fee
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
  • Generous welcome offer valued at up to $1,050 when redeemed via Chase Travel
  • High rewards on dining and bookings via Chase Travel
  • 25% more value when redeeming points for travel through Chase Travel
  • Up to $50 in annual statement credits for hotel stays booked through Chase Travel
  • Receive valuable travel protections like trip delay reimbursement and primary rental car insurance

Author Details

Ben Walker, CEPF, CFEI® Ben Walker, CEPF, CFEI®, is credit cards specialist. For over a decade, he's leveraged credit card points and miles to travel the world. His expertise extends to other areas of personal finance — including loans, insurance, investing, and real estate — and you can find his insights on The Washington Post, Debt.com, Yahoo! Finance, and Fox Business.