Wyndham Credit Cards
$75
45,000 Wyndham Points
$1,000 initial spend
($270 net value, .27/$)
Signup Bonus Chart6x Wyndham Purchases (≈4.8%)
6x Gas (≈4.8%)
4x Restaurants (≈3.2%)
4x Groceries (≈3.2%)
1x Everywhere Else (≈0.8%)
No Foreign Transaction Fee
The Wyndham Business Card is interesting for its Wyndham Diamond status. Not only do you get some nice benefits at Wyndham hotels, you also can get automatically matched to Caesar's Diamond status, which provides some very valuable benefits at the many casinos that participate in Caesar's loyalty program. The annual fee is offset by the 15,000 point annual bonus. The personal Earner Plus version of the card comes with lessor Platinum status with both programs, which allows for a free stay at Atlantis, but doesn't provide the other valuable benefits.
If you aren't interested in holding onto the business card, you might want to eventually sign up for the Earner+ version, earn the signup bonus, and then downgrade to the no-annual-fee Earner version after the first year.
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Wyndham Card Options
There are three Wyndham cards. Wyndham Webpage.
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Earner+. If you are primarily interested in the signup offer, this is the best version. It offers the same signup bonus as the Business card, costs $20 less, and can be downgraded to the no-annual-fee card after the first year. $75 annual fee. Barclays Webpage. Signup Bonus Chart. |
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Earner business. If you are willing and able to get business cards, the business version is the better long-term option. For only $20 more in annual fees, you'll get automatic Diamond status (instead of Platinum), 8x points per dollar on Wyndham stays and Gas (instead of 6x), an extra 7,500 anniversary points every year and a potentially useful 5x points on utilities. $95 annual fee. Barclays Webpage. Signup Bonus Chart. |
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Earner. This is a great downgrade option for the Earner+ card, you'll maintain your eligibility for the 10% discount on Go Free award stays, the cardholder discount on room rates, and the limited benefits that come with Wyndham Gold status. If this is the card you want for the long term, sign up for the Earner+, get the larger signup bonus, and then convert it at the end of the year. |
Wyndham Points
You should be able to get values of more than .8 cents per point on many Wyndham award bookings and you can sometimes get much more on particularly good redemptions (when rates are higher than normal). How Much are Hotel Points Worth?
One of the best uses of Wyndham points is to book Vacation rentals through Vacasa and Cottages.com at only 15,000 points per bedroom per night. You can often get 1.5 - 3 cents per point in value.
Collecting the Signup Bonus
- The main reason to get the Wyndham Business Card is the high-level elite status, not the signup bonus, and maybe the annual points boost. The signup bonus is just a nice side-benefit of getting the card.
- Otherwise, the signup bonus is not that good. The typical signup bonus is 45,000 Wyndham points, valued at $360 (at .8 cents per point). After subtracting the annual fee and the opportunity cost of using the card for $1,000 of spending, the calculated net value for the initial year is $230 (23 cents per dollar spent). Your value may be higher or lower, depending on how much you value Wyndham points. How Much are Hotel Points Worth?
- It is possible to earn the same signup bonus multiple times. Barclays has no real limit on the number of times you can get the bonus. Hold onto the card until close to the end of your first year, cancel it, wait a few months, and reapply.
However, if you have been actively signing up for credit cards, it can sometimes be hard to get approved for new cards from Barclays. If you really want to keep the card part of your core credit collection, don't cancel it, counting on being able to be re-approved for the card a few months later. But if you are mainly interested in the signup bonus, there is little harm in trying.
Notable Benefits
- Wyndham Platinum elite status. Entitles you to a preferred room (upon availability), late checkout, and early check-in, among other benefits. You'll also get an annual bonus of 3,000 points. Wyndham Status Benefits.
- Total Rewards Platinum elite status. Your Wyndham Platinum status can be automatically matched to Total Rewards Platinum status. Total Rewards is the loyalty program of the Caesars and Harrah's family of casinos. Platinum status entitles you to a free three night stay every year at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas (for each night you'll still need to pay a $50+tax resort fee plus a $5 per person gratuity) as well as free parking at the Las Vegas and Atlantic City casinos.
- 7,500 annual bonus points. This is valued at $60.
- 10% discount on Go Free awards. For example, a normal hotel will cost 13,500 instead of 15,000 points and a fancier hotel will cost 27,000 instead of 30,000.
- Cardmember booking discount. Cardholders are entitled to 2% extra savings on the "best available rate" (12% or 7% rather than the normal member discount of 10% or 5%).
- Access to the Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection. As with all Visa Signature cards, you'll get access to Visa's luxury hotel program. Whenever you book one of the 900+ participating hotels, you'll receive a set of valuable benefits, including free breakfast, late check-out, and a $25 food and beverage credit. The Visa program has slightly weaker benefits than the other luxury hotel programs, but includes a larger number of more affordable hotel options and a best price guarantee. Take Advantage of Luxury Hotel Programs for Valuable Extra Perks.
- Access to Visa Signature Offers. Your card entitles you to a set of special offers available from Visa.
The no-annual fee version doesn't come with the annual point bonus (unless you spend $15,000 with the card), gives you Wyndham Gold elite status (instead of Platinum), and earns 5x points on Gas and at Wyndham (rather than 6x). Gold elite status doesn't come with early check-in and the annual point bonus and won't be matched by the Total Rewards program.
Extra Benefits of the Business Version
The business version costs an extra $20 per year ($95) but comes with some valuable extra benefits.
- Suite upgrades. Your diamond status entitles you to suite upgrades on every stay, subject to availability and hotel participation.
- Free snack or beverage at most hotels.
- 2 Free passes to a local experience with Go Free awards. This benefit only works with a limited set of tours and attractions in a limited set of cities, but when it is available, it can be pretty valuable.
- A set of valuable Caesars Total Rewards benefits, including:
- Waived resort fees. These fees are notoriously expensive at the Las Vegas casinos.
- 2 free show tickets every month. At your choice of many different shows in Las Vegas. You can't book shows ahead of your visit.
- Annual "Celebration Dinner". You'll get a $100 credit to your choice of dozens of casino restaurants each year. You can even combine credits from multiple cardholders on the same meal.
- Priority check in. Which can actually be pretty useful at some overcrowded casinos.
- Enhanced access to Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. You'll get extra free nights and off-peak access to the nicer Coral tower plus $75 in extra free slot play.
- 15,000 annual bonus points (rather than 7,500 points).
All of these benefits (except the 15,000 anniversary bonus points) are a byproduct of getting Wyndham Diamond status. Historically, Wyndham has been generous about matching people with status in other programs. As a result, there is a good chance you could receive these benefits without needing to sign up for the Wyndham Business Card. But having the card locks in the benefits, regardless of Wyndham's current status matching policies.
Bonus Categories
- You might want to use these cards for your Wyndham purchases. 6x Wyndham points is valued at 4.8%. That's better than what you'd earn from all but the best travel reward cards. The business card's 8x Wyndham points (6.4%) is even more competitive. Best Credit Cards for Travel Spending.
- If you value Wyndham points, the bonus category rewards on gas are great. The 8x reward rate on the business card is the highest available form any card, and the 6x reward rate on the Earner+ is still a great option. Best Credit Cards for Gas Spending.
- The personal card's bonus rewards on dining and groceries aren't as useful. 4x Wyndham points (3.2%) is less valuable than the rewards you are likely to get from other cards. Best Credit Cards for Restaurant Spending. Best Credit Cards for Grocery Spending.
- The business version is one of the few cards that earns bonus rewards on Utility spending. You'll receive 5x points valued at 4 cents per dollar. The same rate is also available on eligible marketing and advertising expenses.
- You don't want to use these cards for your everyday spending. You'll earn higher rewards from a good general-purpose reward card. Get a Great General Purpose Reward Card and Use It for All of Your Spending.
Getting Rid of the Card
- You can cancel without worrying about losing your Wyndham points. Once you earn them, they are treated like any other points in your Wyndhan account.
- You can downgrade the Earner+ card to the no-annual-fee version. If you do, you'll retain your 10% discount on Go Free award redemptions and some other minor benefits. You'll also be able to upgrade back to the better version without needing to worry about getting approved again.
- But if you keep a Barclays Card and don't spend on it, you can have a harder time getting approved for new Barclays cards.
- You can wait to cancel the card until after the annual fee shows up on your statement. As long as you cancel within 30 days of the statement closing date, Barclays will refund the fee.
- You might be able to receive a retention offer to keep your card. It could be enough to make it worthwhile to keep the card.