Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card Review: Great Benefits and Earning Potential with a Low Annual Fee

Overview of the Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card

Even if you aren't a dedicated Wyndham follower, the Wyndham Rewards Earner® Plus Card is worth your attention. It offers a robust welcome bonus along with benefits like automatic elite status, an anniversary points bonus, and a generous earning rate, all for a reasonable annual fee. Card Rating: ⭐⭐⭐½

The card rating reflects the perspective of TPG's editors and is not swayed by the card issuer.

In the crowded hotel industry, Wyndham might not be your go-to name, but they provide some fantastic hotel options and a suite of cobranded credit cards to complement them.

With a $75 annual fee, the Earner Plus card sits just above the basic Wyndham Rewards Earner card. Even if Wyndham isn't your usual choice for stays, you can still take advantage of the card's generous welcome bonus, automatic elite status, and discounts on award redemptions.

To qualify for this card, a minimum credit score of 670 is suggested. However, approval may still be possible with a lower score.

Let’s evaluate if the Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus card is worth adding to your wallet.

The details for the Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus card have been gathered independently by Dinogo. The information presented here has not been reviewed or endorsed by the card issuer.

Pros and Cons of the Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card

Welcome Offer for the Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card

New users of the Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus can receive 75,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 within the first six months of opening their account. This amount can cover up to ten nights. This special offer is available until January 8, 2025.

According to TPG's September 2024 valuations, this bonus is valued at $825. Considering the low spending requirement, this represents an excellent value for the points earned.

Keep in mind that Barclays tends to be sensitive to inquiries, so it's advisable to be under 6/24 before applying for this card. In simpler terms, you should have no more than five hard inquiries on your credit report in the last 24 months prior to applying for the Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus.

Benefits of the Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card

The Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus provides automatic Wyndham Platinum status. This status level offers advantages such as complimentary Wi-Fi, early check-in and late checkout, room selection preferences, a 15% bonus on points for stays, a status match with Caesars Rewards, and upgrades for car rentals at Avis and Budget.

The Wyndham Rewards Platinum status alone can easily justify the $75 annual fee for the card. Along with automatic Platinum status, the card provides:

• Anniversary bonus points: Receive 7,500 bonus points each year after paying the annual fee, valued at $83 based on TPG's September 2024 valuations
• Discounts on paid and award stays: Earner Plus cardholders enjoy a special rate for cash stays and a 10% discount on Go Free award stays
• No foreign transaction fees

Earning Points with the Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card

The Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card offers:

• 6 points for every dollar spent at Wyndham hotels and on gas
• 4 points for every dollar spent on dining and at grocery stores (excluding Walmart and Target)
• 1 point for all other purchases

According to TPG's September 2024 valuations, these rates translate to a 6.6% return on purchases made at Wyndham and for gas, 4.4% on dining and grocery purchases, and 1.1% on all other transactions.

These earning rates are excellent for Wyndham stays and gas purchases; however, there are other cards that offer better rewards in everyday categories, such as dining at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets, like the American Express® Gold Card.

How to Redeem Points with the Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card

The Wyndham Earner Plus card offers numerous options for redeeming your points, including hotel stays, gas, airline tickets, event tickets and experiences, gift cards, merchandise, charitable donations, tours, activities, and AARP membership.

The most beneficial way to use your points is for stays at Wyndham hotels.

Wyndham stands out as one of the few hotel brands that still employs a fixed award chart rather than dynamic pricing, allowing you to achieve greater value. Additionally, there are no blackout dates for Wyndham properties.

Wyndham provides two types of redemptions: Go Fast and Go Free. Go Free allows you to use points to cover the entire cost of the room, while Go Fast lets you combine points with cash. Cardholders enjoy a 10% discount on all Wyndham Go Free hotel redemptions.

Go Free award nights are available in three tiers: 7,500, 15,000, and 30,000 points per night. Higher-tier properties and those booked during peak travel seasons typically cost 30,000 points per night.

Go Fast award nights are also available in three tiers, starting at 1,500, 3,000, and 6,000 points per night, in addition to a cash payment.

According to TPG's senior points and miles writer Katie Genter, "I've redeemed Wyndham points for 15,000-point nights in Hawaii and 7,500-point nights in South Korea, including the stunning island of Jeju. Additionally, I’ve found great value in redeeming points for Vacasa stays, although it’s become more challenging with the reduced cap on average costs per bedroom for 15,000-point nights."

You can also utilize your points for a Wyndham Vacation Club stay, beginning at 7,500 points per bedroom per night. As a cardholder, you can use your points to make reservations at Caesars Rewards properties, Vacasa vacation rentals, Landal GreenParks, and on Cottages.com.

Wyndham timeshare owners have the option to use their points for maintenance fees by converting them into Maintenance Dollars. For Caesars properties, the cost ranges from 15,000 to 30,000 Wyndham points per bedroom per night. Note that certain blackout dates may apply.

Wyndham points can only be used to book Vacasa vacation rentals if the average nightly price, including all fees, is below $500. You’ll need 15,000 points per bedroom per night for rentals with an average rate under $250 and 30,000 points per bedroom per night for those averaging between $250.01 and $500.

Transferring points from the Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card is also an option.

Wyndham boasts a strong selection of airline transfer partners. Nevertheless, redeeming your points for Wyndham stays typically offers better value compared to transferring them to partner airlines.

Wyndham partners with nine airlines for point transfers, including AeroMexico Club Premier miles, Air Canada Aeroplan points, American Airlines AAdvantage miles, Avianca LifeMiles, Frontier Airlines Frontier Miles, Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles, and United MileagePlus miles.

All points are transferred at a ratio of 5:1, with a minimum transfer of 6,000 points required. This means 6,000 Wyndham points equal 1,200 points with partners. Given this ratio, I highly advise against using this method for redemption.

What cards are in competition with the Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card?

If you're looking for additional Wyndham Rewards benefits or prefer a different kind of reward, consider selecting one of the following cards instead:

• If you want to avoid an annual fee: The Wyndham Rewards Earner® Card is the smaller sibling of the Earner Plus and has no annual fee. It offers benefits like automatic Wyndham Gold status and earns 5 points for every dollar spent on Wyndham stays and gas. You will still enjoy discounts on award and cash stays.
• If you wish to earn flexible rewards: The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card provides 2 miles per dollar on all purchases, includes a credit for Global Entry/TSA PreCheck fees, and has a $95 annual fee (see rates and fees). Capital One miles can be transferred to Wyndham. For more information, check our full review of the Venture Rewards.
• If you need a business card with enhanced status: The Wyndham Rewards Business Earner® Card offers complimentary Wyndham Diamond status. This card also awards 15,000 bonus points after each cardmember anniversary and includes discounts for award and cash stays. To learn more, refer to our full review of the Wyndham Business Earner.

For more options, explore our complete list of the best hotel credit cards.

The information regarding the Wyndham Rewards Earner card and Wyndham Rewards Business Earner card has been independently gathered by Dinogo. The card details presented on this page have not been reviewed or supplied by the card issuer.

Is the Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card a worthwhile investment?

This card is easily justifiable and worthwhile if you often stay at Wyndham properties. It provides automatic Wyndham Platinum status, a favorable earnings rate on Wyndham stays and gas purchases, along with a 10% discount on all award redemptions. If your stays are infrequent, you might find the no-annual-fee Wyndham Rewards Earner card more suitable.

Final thoughts

The Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus is a strong option that makes sense for most Wyndham travelers. With an excellent earnings rate and automatic elite status, this card is definitely one to consider for your wallet.

Additionally, a generous welcome bonus can significantly enhance your Wyndham Rewards account balance.