Wyndham credit cards
$75
30,000 Wyndham Points
$1,000 initial spend
($240 net value, .24/$)
Signup Bonus Chart5x Wyndham Purchases (≈4%)
2x Groceries and Gas (≈1.6%)
2x Utilities (≈1.6%)
1x Everywhere Else (≈0.8%)
No Foreign Transaction Fee
After you've finished collecting more valuable signup bonuses, you might think about getting the Wyndham credit card for a year. Because Wynhdam charges the same number of points for any of its hotels, it sometime offers fantastic value, compared to the other hotel programs. It is nice to have a little stockpile of Wyndham points, that you are ready to use at a moment's notice. And unlike most other programs, you can't just buy a bunch of points when you need them. Ideally, you'd wait until unitl a 45,000 point signup bonus, which is often available.
A little known "feature" of the Wyndham card is a free two night stay at the Atlantis Resort each year. The card comes with Wyndham Platinum status, which is automatically matched to Total Rewards Platinum status, which entitles you to a free visit to Atlantis every year. If you can take good advantage of this benefit, it is worth hundred of dollars. Combined with the annual points bonus, and other benefits of this card, you may decide to make it a permanent part of your core credit card collection.
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No Annual Fee Version
The Wyndham card also has a no-annual-fee version.
The no-annual-fee version has a smaller signup bonus. The normal offer is 15,000 points (on first purchase), rather than 30,000 points. You'll also receive less in the way of benefits, as described below.
if you are going to mess around with this card, either as part of your core credit card collection, or just to collect the signup bonus, the regular version is almost always your better option.
Collecting the Signup Bonus
Our base value for Wyndham points is .8 cents per point. Wyndham only requires 15,000 points for a free hotel night at any of their hotels. Since most of their hotels are inexpensive, you won't get much value from your points, even at these lower award rates. But, when there is a nice Wyndham hotel available, in an expensive destination, Wyndham award nights are a steal. By saving your points for these occasions, you can easily get more than 1.2 cents in value per point. How Much are Hotel Points Worth?
- The normal signup bonus is pretty good. The normal signup bonus of 30,000 points is valued at $240 (at .8 cents per point), and is good for two free nights at any Wyndham hotel (Go Free Rewards), or 10 nights, where you can make a reduced cash payment for your room (Go Fast Rewards). We value the points at around . Because you can't purchase more than 5,000 Wyndham points per year, the credit card is one of the only ways to get enough points for free nights.
- A 45,000 point signup offer is sometimes available. You may want to wait to see if it comes back.
- 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.
- If you no longer want the card, rather than cancelling, consider downgrading to the no-annual-fee version. You can hold onto that card indefinitely, and get at least some extra benefits at from the automatic Wyndham Gold status. And, you'll also continue to be able to earn slightly-better-than-normal reward rates on utility payments. Note that you'll need to wait until after your first anniversary to convert.
After subtracting the annual fee, and the opportunity cost of using the card for $1,000 of spending, the calculated net value of the sign-up is $240 (24 cents per dollar spent). Your value may be higher or lower, depending on how much you value the points. How Much are Hotel Points Worth?
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.
Other Notable Benefits
- Wyndham Platinum elite status. This 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 will be automatically matched to Total Rewards Platinum status. Total Rewards is the loyalty program of the Caesers 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, complete with an "Activity Pass" that includes some free food and activities, as well as free parking at the Las Vegas and Atlantic City casinos.
- 6,000 annual bonus points. This is valued at $72.
- 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, and gives you Wyndham Gold elite status, instead of Platinum. This lower level of elite status doesn't come with early check-in, and the annual point bonus, and won't be matched by the Total Rewards program.
Bonus Categories
- This card earns more valuable rewards on your Wyndham purchases than almost any other card. 5x Wyndham points are valued at 4 cents per dollar, which is better than any card except the Chase Sapphire Reserve and probably the Citi Premier and Prestige Cards.Best Credit Cards for Travel Spending.
- There are better options for your grocery and gas purchases. The bonus category rewards from Wyndham are more valuable than what you would earn from a good general-purpose reward card, but you can earn even more valuable rewards from other cards. Best Credit Cards for Grocery Spending. Best Credit Cards for Gas Spending.
- This is one of the only cards that earns bonus rewards on utility payments. It usually isn't worth getting this card, just to earn these bonus rewards. But, if you want the card for other reasons, and don't mind building up your Wyndham balance, you should probably use it to pay your Utility Bills.
- 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.