Wyndham Rewards Earner Card review: Solid perks with no annual fee
Editor's Note
Wyndham Rewards Earner Card overview
The Wyndham Rewards Earner® Card is a no-annual-fee card from an underrated hotel brand with some properties that really provide outsize value. You don't have to stay frequently at Wyndham properties to consider adding this card to your wallet. It offers automatic Wyndham Rewards Gold status, solid everyday earning categories and valuable discounts on award stays. Card rating*: ⭐⭐⭐
*Card rating is based on the opinion of TPG's editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.
Wyndham recently refreshed its entire credit card portfolio, and the no-annual-fee Wyndham Rewards Earner Card picked up several meaningful improvements.
While it still doesn't come with premium travel perks, it now offers stronger everyday earning categories, a 10% discount on award stays, automatic Gold elite status in the Wyndham Rewards program and no foreign transaction fees, making it one of the more compelling no-annual-fee hotel credit cards.
The recommended credit score for this card is at least 670. However, it is possible to get approved with a lower score.
Let's look at whether the Wyndham Rewards Earner Card should be in your wallet.
The information for the Wyndham Rewards Earner Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Wyndham Rewards Earner Card pros and cons
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Wyndham Rewards Earner Card welcome offer
New applicants can earn up to 75,000 bonus points: 30,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 90 days from account opening, plus 45,000 additional bonus points after spending $500 at Wyndham properties in the first 180 days from account opening.
According to TPG's July 2026 valuations, Wyndham Rewards points are worth 0.7 cents each, making 75,000 bonus points worth $525.
It's important to note that Barclays can be very inquiry-sensitive, so I recommend being under 6/24 before applying for this card. In other words, you shouldn't have more than five hard inquiries on your credit report in the past 24 months before applying for the Wyndham Rewards Earner Card.
Additionally, I recommend being at 0/6 before applying, as some reports from Reddit users indicate that Barclays is sensitive to very recent inquiries. That means that, ideally, you shouldn't have any hard inquiries on your credit report within the past six months.
It may not make the difference between approval and rejection, but being at 0/6 and under 6/24 can raise your odds for approval.
Related: The current best credit card welcome bonuses
Wyndham Rewards Earner Card benefits
The Wyndham Rewards Earner Card offers a handful of valuable perks despite charging no annual fee.
The card's biggest ongoing benefit is automatic Wyndham Rewards Gold status, which includes:
- Preferred room selection
- Late checkout (where available)
- Bonus points on paid stays
- Complimentary Wi-Fi
Cardholders also receive:
- 10% off Wyndham Go Free award stays
- A 15% discount when purchasing Wyndham Rewards points
- Cardmember booking discounts on eligible paid stays
- 7,500 anniversary bonus points after spending $15,000 annually
- No foreign transaction fees
- $0 fraud liability protection
While these benefits don't rival those offered by premium hotel cards like the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, they're impressive for a card with no annual fee.
Earning points on the Wyndham Rewards Earner Card
The Wyndham Rewards Earner Card earns:
- 5 points per dollar spent on Wyndham hotel purchases
- 3 points per dollar spent on eligible Wyndham vacation club, gas and EV, dining and grocery store purchases (excludes Walmart and Target)
- 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases (excluding Wyndham vacation club down payments)
The expanded bonus categories make this card more rewarding for everyday spending, particularly if you regularly spend on dining, groceries or gas.
Remember that you'll earn an extra 10% bonus points on every Wyndham purchase you make with this card thanks to having Gold status.
Related: How to choose a hotel credit card
Redeeming points on the Wyndham Rewards Earner Card
The Wyndham Rewards Earner Card gives you plenty of ways to redeem your points, including for hotel stays, airline transfers, gift cards, merchandise, statement credits, tours and experiences, charitable donations and even an AARP membership.
However, I generally recommend redeeming Wyndham points for hotel stays, as that's where you'll typically get the best value.
Unlike many hotel loyalty programs that have adopted dynamic award pricing, Wyndham continues to use a fixed award chart.
Beginning Sept. 15, award nights will be priced at one of four levels: 5,000, 15,000, 30,000 or 45,000 points per room, depending on the property. While the addition of a new 45,000-point tier represents a modest devaluation for a small number of Wyndham's most premium hotels, fixed pricing still makes it easy to know exactly how many points you'll need before you book.
Wyndham offers two types of award bookings:
- Go Free awards let you redeem points for the full cost of your stay.
- Go Fast awards combine points and cash for a discounted redemption.
Cardholders receive a 10% discount on Go Free awards, reducing award costs to as few as 4,500 points per bedroom at the lowest tier.
Most Wyndham properties fall into the three lowest award tiers, while only a small number of luxury hotels now cost 45,000 points per night. There are no blackout dates on standard award stays, provided award availability exists.
TPG lead points and loyalty writer Katie Genter secured award stays for just 7,500 points per night in Jeju, South Korea, and 15,000 points per night in Hawaii. She has also gotten excellent value redeeming points for Vacasa stays.
Beyond Wyndham hotels, you can also redeem points for stays at Wyndham vacation club resorts, Caesars Rewards properties, Vacasa vacation rentals, Landal GreenParks properties and cottages.com listings.
Caesars Rewards hotels generally cost between 15,000 and 30,000 Wyndham Rewards points per room, per night, though blackout dates apply. Most Caesars properties on the Las Vegas Strip cost 30,000 points per room.
For Vacasa vacation rentals, properties with an average nightly rate (including taxes and fees) of up to $250 cost 15,000 points per room, per night, while rentals averaging $250.01 to $500 per night cost 30,000 points per room.
Finally, Wyndham vacation club owners can also convert Wyndham Rewards points into Maintenance Dollars to help offset annual maintenance fees.
Related: Wyndham Rewards will move to 4 award tiers, with top hotels costing 45,000 points
Transferring points on the Wyndham Rewards Earner Card
Wyndham has a small but mighty list of airline transfer partners. Although it has an impressive list of transfer partners, you generally will receive better value when you redeem your points for Wyndham stays instead of transferring them.
Partners include notable airlines like Air Canada, Avianca, Turkish Airlines and United Airlines.
Points are transferred at a 5:1 ratio, and you must transfer at least 6,000 points. This equates to 6,000 Wyndham points, equaling 1,200 partner points or miles.
Given this transfer ratio, I strongly advise against using this as a redemption method unless you need to top off your existing points or miles balance for an award ticket.
Related: Should you transfer hotel points to airline partners?
Which card competes with the Wyndham Rewards Earner Card?
- If you prefer more Wyndham benefits: The Wyndham Rewards Earner® Plus Card is the older sibling of the Wyndham Rewards Earner Card with a $95 annual fee. It offers perks like automatic Wyndham Diamond status for the first year (Platinum thereafter) and earns 4 points per dollar spent on dining, groceries (excluding Target and Walmart) and travel purchases. You'll still receive discounts on awards and cash stays, as well as other perks. To learn more, read our full review of the Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card.
- If you prefer a business card: The Wyndham Rewards Earner® Business Card has a $149 annual fee and comes with complimentary Wyndham Diamond status. Additionally, cardholders receive 15,000 bonus points after each cardmember anniversary (after paying the annual fee). The card also comes with discounts for award and cash stays. To learn more, read our full review of the Wyndham Rewards Earner Business Card.
- If you prefer to earn a flexible currency: The Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card has no annual fee and earns 1.25 miles per dollar spent on all purchases. Capital One has an extensive roster of 15-plus transfer partners, including Wyndham Rewards, and miles can be transferred at a 1:1 ratio. To learn more, read our full review of the Capital One VentureOne Rewards.
The information for the Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card and the Wyndham Rewards Earner Business Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
For additional options, check out our full lists of the best hotel credit cards and the best travel rewards credit cards.
Is the Wyndham Rewards Earner Card worth it?
The Wyndham Rewards Earner Card is much easier to recommend after Wyndham's portfolio refresh.
Although it lacks premium travel benefits, it offers meaningful value without charging an annual fee. Automatic Gold status, discounted award stays, solid everyday earning categories and no foreign transaction fees make it attractive even for travelers who only stay with Wyndham occasionally.
Travelers who stay with Wyndham frequently may still be better served by a more premium Wyndham option, but casual Wyndham guests should find plenty of value here.
Bottom line
Wyndham significantly improved its no-annual-fee Wyndham Rewards Earner Card with expanded bonus categories and enhanced redemption benefits.
Automatic Gold status, a 10% discount on award stays, anniversary bonus points and no foreign transaction fees make it an easy card to keep long term, particularly for travelers who occasionally stay at Wyndham properties but don't want to pay an annual fee.
If you're looking for a no-annual-fee hotel credit card, the Wyndham Rewards Earner Card deserves a closer look — especially if you expect to stay with Wyndham at least occasionally.
Related: Best hotel rewards programs in the world: Which one is right for you?
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Cons
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