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The Wyndham Rewards Earner® Card comes with no annual fee and is one of three credit cards available that earn Wyndham Rewards points. Wyndham Rewards is the loyalty currency for several hotel brands, including Wyndham, Wingate by Wyndham, Ramada, Super 8, and Days Inn. The Wyndham Earner Card gives you automatic Gold elite status in the Wyndham Rewards loyalty program. And one of the best perks of the card is the outstanding value you can get by using your Wyndham points to book Vacasa vacation rentals.
Here's everything you need to know about the Wyndham Earner Card to help you decide if this is the right card for you.
- 5X points on Hotels by Wyndham and gas purchases
- 2X points on eligible dining and grocery purchases (excluding Target® and Walmart®)
- 1 point per dollar on all other purchases (excluding Wyndham timeshare down payments)
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Wyndham Earner Card Pros
- No annual fee.
- Complimentary Wyndham Gold elite status.
- Redeem 10% fewer Wyndham Rewards points for awards with Wyndham and Vacasa.
Wyndham Earner Card Cons
- Limited earning bonus categories.
- Other than Vacasa vacation rentals, Wyndham hotels are not very aspirational.
- No anniversary points without spending heavily on the card.
Wyndham Earner Card Welcome Bonus
Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first 90 days.
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Wyndham Earner Card Benefits
Besides the welcome bonus, the Wyndham Earner Card has some decent benefits that may make it worth keeping. Remember, the Wyndham Earner Card has no annual fee, so there isn't much of a downside to keeping it each year.
Complimentary Wyndham Gold elite status
While Wyndham Gold elite status isn't worth a ton, it does offer increased earnings on paid Wyndham stays as well as a few minor perks. These include a preferred room choice and late checkout (subject to availability), plus the 10% bonus earnings.
No foreign transaction fees
If you're traveling outside the country, rest easy knowing you won't pay any foreign transaction fees when you use your card abroad.
Discount on award stays
Probably the best perk of the Wyndham Earner Card: You'll pay 10% fewer points when redeeming for free nights through the Wyndham go free program. That includes using Wyndham points for Vacasa vacation rentals (see below), meaning you could pay 13,500 points per bedroom per night, rather than 15,000.
Access to Vacasa vacation rentals
While all Wyndham Rewards members have access to using their Wyndham points for Vacasa vacation rentals, cardholders of the Wyndham Earner Card card can get a decent stash of points to use for vacation rentals. While Wyndham and Vacasa devalued some bookings in this partnership recently, this can still be one of the best uses of Wyndham points.
Anniversary points
Each year on your anniversary, you'll receive 7,500 bonus Wyndham Rewards points if you've spent at least $15,000 in purchases on the card. Since the earning rates on the Wyndham Earner Card aren't great (see below), this probably isn't a great use of spending.
Wyndham Earner Card Earning Rates
On everyday purchases, you'll earn Wyndham Rewards points at the following rates:
- 5X points on Hotels by Wyndham and gas purchases
- 2X points on eligible dining and grocery purchases (excluding Target® and Walmart®)
- 1 point per dollar on all other purchases (excluding Wyndham timeshare down payments)
- If you want more Wyndham perks, consider the Wyndham Rewards Earner® Plus Card. It has similar perks — including access to Vacasa vacation rentals and the 10% discount on award stays — but offers better perks and a higher elite status tier with a $75 annual fee. See our full Wyndham Earner Plus Card review for more details.
- If you want rewards you can use with Wyndham and other programs, look into the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card. For no annual fee, you'll earn 1.25X miles per dollar on every purchase, plus 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. Capital One miles can be transferred to 19 airline and hotel programs, including Wyndham, Virgin Red, Choice Hotels, Air France, and more. However, you won't get any Wyndham-specific benefits. Learn more in our Capital One VentureOne review.
- If you want flexible points with a 10% points benefit, check out the Citi Rewards+® Card. While you won't get any benefits from Wyndham itself, you'll pay no annual fee, and you can transfer your Citi points to Wyndham at a 5:4 ratio (or a 1:1 ratio if you have a Citi card with an annual fee). When making purchases, the card automatically rounds up to the nearest 10 points, plus you get 10% of your redeemed points back each year, valid on the first 100,000 points you redeem annually. Our Citi Rewards+ Card review has further details on this and other cardholder benefits.
- 6X points on Hotels by Wyndham and gas purchases
- 4X points on eligible dining and grocery purchases (excluding Target® and Walmart®)
- 1 point per dollar on all other purchases (excluding Wyndham timeshare down payments)
- 5 Miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 5 Miles per dollar on purchases through Capital One Entertainment (through 12/31/2025)
- 1.25 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day.
- 2X ThankYou® Points at supermarkets and gas stations for the first $6,000 per year and then 1X Points thereafter
- 1X points on all other purchases
- Automatically rounds up to the nearest 10 points on every purchase - with no cap
- 5X points on Hotels by Wyndham and gas purchases
- 2X points on eligible dining and grocery purchases (excluding Target® and Walmart®)
- 1 point per dollar on all other purchases (excluding Wyndham timeshare down payments)
The earning rates on the Wyndham Earner Card aren't much. In most cases, you're likely to find a different credit card with better earning rates, with the possible exceptions of Wyndham hotels and gas purchases. If you have great uses for Wyndham Rewards points, such as using them for lucrative Vacasa vacation rental bookings, you might also find value in using this card for dining and grocery purchases. If not, you're probably better off spending with another card in most cases.
Related: The Best Rewards Credit Cards for Each Spending Category
Redeeming Points With the Wyndham Earner Card
On average, AwardWallet users redeem Wyndham Rewards points for 1.27¢ apiece. Here's a look at the many ways you can redeem Wyndham Rewards points and which will provide good value.
Wyndham go free stays
The most straightforward way to redeem your Wyndham points is for free stays at Wyndham hotels. Wyndham has a three-tier award chart; hotels cost 7,500, 15,000, or 30,000 points per night. And with the Wyndham Earner Card, you get a 10% discount on all go free redemptions, meaning a free night could cost as few as 6,750 points.
Wyndham go fast stays
Wyndham's cash + points booking option is called go fast. You'll pay a small points copay (often around 3,000 Wyndham Rewards points) and a cash amount for each night. Run the numbers on the particular hotel you're looking to book, as this typically doesn't provide great value for your points.
Vacasa vacation rentals
One of the best uses of Wyndham Rewards points is using them to book Vacasa vacation rentals. Up until early 2024, you could book nearly all Vacasa vacation rentals for only 15,000 points per bedroom per night. However, in early 2024, Wyndham and Vacasa raised the price to 30,000 points per bedroom per night on properties with an average nightly rate above $250. Still, you can get upwards of 2–3 cents per point in value for your Wyndham Rewards points here. That's much higher than the average of 1.27¢ most users get.
Related: How To Use Points and Miles for Vacation Home Rentals
Gift cards, merchandise, and other redemption options
This option is your last resort, but you can redeem Wyndham points for things like gift cards, experiences, merchandise, point transfers, or even an AARP membership. Generally, you'll get poor value from your points here.
Related: When Do Wyndham Rewards Points Expire?
Application Restrictions
As a Barclays-issued product, the Wyndham Earner Card is subject to the bank's credit card application restrictions. Anecdotally, Barclays will consider the number of credit cards you've opened recently and recent inquiries showing on your credit report.
You also may not receive the bonus on this card if you currently have or have had the card. From the offer terms:
“These bonuses and/or incentives are intended for applicants who are not and have not previously been Wyndham Rewards Earner® cardmembers. You understand and agree that you may no longer be eligible for any bonuses and/or incentives in connection with a new Wyndham Rewards Earner® Card Account after this Card Account is opened. If you receive a bonus or incentive for which you are not eligible due to your status as a current or former Wyndham Rewards Earner® cardmember, we may revoke the bonus or incentive, or reduce your Points by the amount of the bonus or incentive or charge your Card Account for the fair value of the bonus or incentive, at our sole discretion.”
Related: How To Plan a Long-Term Credit Card Strategy
Cards That Compete With the Wyndham Earner Card
If this isn't the right card for your wallet, here are some other options to consider:
Related: The Best Rewards Credit Card Offers for This Month
Bottom Line
If you're interested in staying at Wyndham or Vacasa properties, the Wyndham Earner Card is a valuable wallet addition that can make each stay more rewarding. Access to a quality welcome bonus provides Wyndham Rewards points usable for stays at Wyndham hotels or Vacasa vacation rentals. Plus, you'll get access to the 10% award discount — a great perk for a card with no annual fee.
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