Which credit card should you use for Wyndham stays?

1 month ago 57

Editor's note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.

There is a wide range of hotel options in the Wyndham Rewards program — from budget-friendly hotels like Days Inn and Super 8 through Ramada and Tryp to upscale brands like Wyndham Grand and Registry Collection Hotels. That includes Caesars Rewards locations as well, thanks to its partnership with Wyndham.

With so many options to choose from, which credit card should you use to pay for a Wyndham Rewards hotel: a Wyndham Rewards card or something else? Here's a closer look.

Comparing credit cards for a Wyndham hotel stay

Aside from using a Wyndham cobranded credit card, you might also consider using a good travel rewards card that earns transferable points. Let's look at some common options and what you could get when using these cards.

Card nameEarning rate at Wyndham hotelsValue of the rewards earned*Wyndham-related benefits from the cardAnnual fee

Wyndham Rewards Earner® Business Card	8 points per dollar	8.8 cents	Complimentary top-tier Diamond status provides benefits like late checkout, early check-in, upgrades to suites at check-in (based on availability), status match opportunities with Caesars Rewards and elite status perks with Avis and Budget car rental programs Redeem 10% fewer points on Go Free award redemptions. Access to reduced rates on hotel bookings. 15,000 bonus points on your cardholder anniversary each year	$95
Wyndham Rewards Earner® Plus Card	6 points per dollar	6.6 cents	Complimentary Platinum status provides benefits like late checkout, early check-in, upgrades to preferred rooms at check-in (based on availability), status match opportunities with Caesars Rewards, elite status perks with Avis and Budget car rental programs and 15% bonus points on paid stays Redeem 10% fewer points on Go Free award redemptions Access to reduced rates on hotel bookings. 7,500 bonus points on your cardholder anniversary each year	$75
Wyndham Rewards Earner® Card	5 points per dollar	5.5 cents	Complimentary Gold status provides benefits like late checkout, upgrades to preferred rooms at check-in (based on availability) and 10% bonus points on paid stays. Redeem 10% fewer points on Go Free award redemptions. Access to reduced rates on hotel bookings. 7,500 bonus points on your cardholder anniversary each year	$0
American Express® Green Card	3 points per dollar	6 cents	None	$150
Chase Sapphire Reserve®	3 points per dollar (or 10 points per dollar if booked via Chase Travel℠ after receiving the $300 annual travel credit).	6.15 cents (or approximately 20 cents)	None	$550
Citi Strata Premier℠ Card (see rates and fees)	3 ThankYou points per dollar (or 10 points per dollar if booked through CitiTravel.com)	5.4 cents (or 18 cents)	None	$95
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card	2 miles per dollar (or 10 miles per dollar if booked via Capital One Travel)	3.7 cents (or 18.5 cents)	None	$395 (see rates and fees)

* Bonus value is an estimated value based on TPG's October 2024 valuations and not the card issuer.

The information for the Wyndham Earner Business, Wyndham Earner Plus, Wyndham Earner and Amex Green cards has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Which card should you use?

In many of life's choices, you can't have everything you want at the same time. However, with Wyndham hotel stays, that's not necessarily true. The most important benefits given to you by having a Wyndham credit card don't require you to actually pay with that credit card to receive the perk.

Benefits of having a Wyndham credit card

If you hold the Wyndham Earner Plus card, you'll enjoy benefits like late checkout and room upgrades regardless of what credit card you pay with during your stay.

Interestingly, this even applies to the "cardmember discounted rate" for saving money on hotel bookings. The terms and conditions of this benefit don't require you to pay with a Wyndham card to unlock the cardmember discounted rates.

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You can enjoy this benefit as long as you are logged in to your associated account when booking online or by providing your account number if booking over the phone.

You'll also enjoy other benefits with Wyndham Rewards regardless of which card you use to settle your final bill. This includes earning bonus points associated with your elite status tier.

Members earn 10 points per dollar, and elite members can earn 10%, 15% or 20% extra points, depending on their status. This isn't contingent on paying with a Wyndham credit card. You also don't need to pay with a Wyndham credit card to take advantage of the reduced rate on Go Free (free night awards) redemptions; this benefit allows cardholders to use 10% fewer points on award stays.

Furthermore, you can enjoy a unique benefit of Wyndham Rewards: rollover nights. Here's how this works: You need 15 nights per year to qualify for Platinum status and 40 nights to qualify for Diamond.

If you stay 20 nights with Wyndham this year, you have five nights more than you needed for Platinum but not enough to reach Diamond status. Those extra nights will roll over into next year to give you a head start. This benefit is available regardless of how you pay for your stays throughout the year.

What type of points do you want to earn?

If you hold a Wyndham card, these benefits will apply regardless of how you pay, so the question becomes what type of points and how many of them you want to earn.

Do you want to earn an 8.8% return on spending (according to TPG's October 2024 valuations) and are OK with points that can only be used in one way (i.e., with Wyndham Rewards)? This is your path if you pay with the Wyndham Earner Business card.

Or would you prefer to earn a 5.4% return on spending with the Citi Strata Premier and have options for how to use your points, including transferring them to Wyndham for hotel redemptions?

It's also worth pointing out that you can earn more rewards by booking through Chase Travel or Capital One Travel with the right card. However, you will likely forgo your status perks and benefits, since these are considered third-party bookings.

Bottom line

There are many hotel credit cards and numerous other travel rewards credit cards that you could use to pay for an upcoming hotel stay at a Wyndham property. Whether you're staying at the most expensive or most affordable hotel in the Wyndham Rewards program, the way you earn points and the perks available to you won't change.

Thus, the decision hinges on the type of points you want to earn — Wyndham Rewards points or transferable points — and the value you assign to them.

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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