Guide: 9 Best Ways to Maximize Wyndham Rewards (and what NOT to redeem)

Welcome to the ultimate Wyndham Rewards guide. In this post, I’ll cover the 9 best ways to make use of your Wyndham Rewards points – whether you’re thinking of traveling now or in the future. And, I’ll discuss what you absolutely should NOT do with your Wyndham Rewards points.

How much are Wyndham Rewards points worth?

Each Wyndham Rewards point is worth about 0.7 cents, but some redemptions can give you a value of over 2 cents per point. The best ways to maximize your Wyndham Rewards points are always the ones that make each point worth as much as possible! In this Wyndham Rewards guide, I’ll give you some specific ideas for that.

How do I earn Wyndham Rewards points?

Before talking about maximizing your Wyndham Rewards points with the best redemptions, let’s give a quick overview of how you earn them. These are the easiest ways to earn Wyndham points:

Stay at Wyndham hotels

Staying at a Wyndham hotel will earn you 10 points per dollar, unless you’re a Wyndham elite; Diamonds earn 12 points per dollar. (Minimum earning is 1000 points per stay regardless of status.) Wyndham used to make Diamond status matches very easy and free. These days, they’re a little harder to come by, but I cover a comprehensive guide to getting the highest hotel status possible, including at Wyndham. For instance, there’s a way to get Caesars status and use that to match to Wyndham!

Stay at Caesars hotels

Earning rates at Caesars are the same as at Wyndham, i.e. $1 in spend gives you 10 points, unless you have elite status. Caesars and Wyndham are partners, meaning if you’re a Caesars elite, you can get your status transferred to Wyndham, and vice versa. (Here’s info about how.)

Get a Wyndham credit card

There are two Wyndham Rewards credit cards, one with a $0 annual fee and one with a $75 annual fee.

$0 Annual Fee Wyndham Rewards Card:

The $0 AF card provides a signup bonus of 15,000 points and comes with Gold status. Only Diamond status grants you free suite upgrades, but Gold elite status gives you free late checkout and preferred rooms, so it’s worth something.

$75 Annual Fee Wyndham Rewards Card:

For a $75 AF, you get a signup bonus of 30,000 points and Platinum status. Again, only Diamond status will get you free suite upgrades, but Platinum gets you free early check-in on top of free late check-out and preferred rooms.

Neither of these cards have impressive earning rates, but the signup bonuses and elite statuses are valuable.

Order DoorDash (only through September 30, 2020)

If you order DoorDash food delivery through Wyndham’s site directly, you’ll get 250 points for every eligible order. (And, if you’ve never ordered DoorDash before, first-time customers get 2,000 Wyndham Rewards points.)

This offer is only good ’til September 30, 2020, so jump on it!

Transfer from Capital One

You can transfer points from Capital One to Wyndham Rewards at a rate of 2:1.5, so that 2,000 Capital One points equals 1,500 Wyndham Rewards points. You earn transferable Capital One points with a Venture- or a Spark-branded card; there are currently 4 such business and personal cards on the market.

I generally don’t recommend transferring from Cap One to Wyndham unless you have a specific, high-value redemption in mind. Why? Because Cap One rewards are worth around 1.4 cents apiece, and Wyndham Rewards are only worth about 0.7 cents, AND you’re paying 1.333 Cap One points for every Wyndham point. (Because 1.333 = 2/1.5, which is the transfer ratio.) There are situations where this can be a good redemption, though.

Here is the math you should follow to see if you’re getting good value out of your CapOne:Wyndham Rewards transfer.

The example: Let’s say I want to book a 4-night stay at the Club Wyndham Kona Resort, and it’s possible for me to book with either points or cash. A one-bedroom suite is available for 15,000 points per night on the days I want. The cash cost for the same room is $925 for those 4 nights, including all taxes and fees. I have zero Wyndham Rewards points, but plenty of Capital One miles.

Step 1. How many Wyndham points do I need? In this case, 60,000 (=4 nights * 15,000 Wyndham points per night)

Step 2. How many Cap One miles would that cost me? In this case, 80,000 (=60,000 * (2/1.5), rounded up)

Step 3. How much are those Cap One miles “worth”? Multiply by .014, because CapOne miles are worth about 1.4 cents apiece. In this case, $1,120 (=80,000 required Cap One miles in our previous step * .014)

Step 4. Compare the cash cost to the Cap One value. In this case, I’d be giving up $1,120 worth of Cap One miles, to book a room that would cost me $925 in cash. That’s not a good deal.

Math tells you that in the scenario above, you should NOT transfer your Capital One miles. However, everyone is different, and you might have extenuating circumstances. Maybe you’re about to close your Capital One card and need to get rid of those miles, AND you’re meeting family or friends at that particular resort. Whatever the case, it’s your decision, just arm yourself with that information. (Don’t you love how my Wyndham Rewards guide included a little math lesson??!)

Other ways to earn Wyndham points

There are a few other ways to earn Wyndham points too, which I cover in detail in my guide, When do Wyndham points expire? That article goes through every possible way to keep your points active – and many of them earn points at the same time.

9 Best Ways to Maximize Wyndham Rewards

This Wyndham Rewards guide wants you to make the most out of your points redemptions. Without further ado, these are some of the best values you can get for your Wyndham Rewards points.

Free stays at Wyndham Vacation Club properties

Part of Wyndham’s business includes Vacation Clubs, which is like a euphemism for “timeshares.” Timeshares are generally not a good deal for most consumers to buy and own.

While I don’t recommend owning a timeshare, I do recommend staying in one, because they tend to be located in expensive resort areas, and the “rooms” are usually suites with 1 or 2 actual bedrooms. This is a great option for families versus your typical hotel room. Keep in mind, timeshare properties typically do not offer free, daily housekeeping, because many guests are timeshare “owners.” You should be prepared to either not have your room serviced every day, or expect to pay a fee for it. These are not “hotels” in the traditional sense.

All Wyndham Vacation Club properties are only 15,000 Wyndham Rewards points per night, usually with zero resort fees. This is often going to be an excellent value, especially when you consider that you’re getting much more than a small, typical hotel room. Here is the full list (filter for “Wyndham Vacation Resorts”). Some of my favorites include…

#1: Waikiki Marina Resort at the Ilikai (Honolulu, HI): 15,000 points/night

For 15,000 points and no resort fee, you can land a studio or one-bedroom condo, both with full kitchens. This hotel is on the shores of Waikiki Beach. Other Wyndham Waikiki properties are similar (but IMO not quite as ideally located) and include Club Wyndham at Waikiki Beach Walk and Club Wyndham Royal Garden at Waikiki. Cash rates (with taxes/fees) vary from about $200-$400; you’re getting a good value regardless.

#2: Vino Bello Resort Napa (Napa, CA): 15,000 points + $25 resort fee/night

The Vino Bello Napa is the only property on this list to charge a $25/night resort fee. But, for that and 15,000 points/night, you get a 1-bedroom condo with a King bed, separate living and dining area, and a full kitchen. Suites even come with a washer/dryer, a jetted tub, and a bottle of wine on arrival! This hotel has multiple pools, hot tubs, a fire pit, and a free evening shuttle to and from downtown Napa. With cash rates around $300 all-in, this is a great value.

#3: Club Wyndham Kona Hawaiian Resort (Kailua-Kona, HI): 15,000 points/night

These Hawaii resorts are an excellent value. Kailua-Kona is on the sunny, lively west coast of Hawaii’s Big Island. At 15,000 points per night, and with no resort fee, the Club Wyndham Kona offers studios and one-bedroom suites. The property has plenty of pools and outdoor activities too. Cash rates are typically $200-$260/night, so you’ll get a great value for your Wyndham Rewards points here.

#4: Club Wyndham Park City (Park City, UT): 15,000 points/night

Book way in advance for this one. It’s a ski-in, ski-out resort, and cash rates during high season can be as much as $500. (Low season tends to be around $160.) Park City, UT is a great town with a lot to do besides skiing, if you’re visiting in the warmer months. The resort has a pool, hot tubs, and a picnic area.

#5: WorldMark Whistler (Whistler, Canada): 15,000 points/night

This is another ski resort on the list and it has a lot of amenities. You’re right by the slopes, and just a 5-minute walk from a big park with lots of hiking and mountain biking options too. They have a heated outdoor pool and hot tub as well. For 15,000 points, you can get a one-bedroom suite, with a full kitchen, washer/dryer, and even a fireplace. Note, many Canadian hotels only have Queen beds instead of Kings – this one is no different, unfortunately. Room rates vary from about $110/night to $400. I’d probably pay cash at the lower end of that range, but it’s a great value for your points at the upper end.

Free stays at other high-end properties

Aside from their timeshare properties, Wyndham has a big range of brands, from the budget Super 8s and Days Inns to the higher-end Wyndhams, Wyndham Grands, and TRYPs. Wyndham’s non-timeshare properties are more like traditional hotels, where you can expect housekeeping and you’ll typically have standard rooms.

The higher-end brands are generally where you’ll get the most bang for your buck, err, point.

These are some of my favorite redemptions outside of Wyndham’s timeshare properties.

#6: Mills House Wyndham Grand Hotel (Charleston, SC): 30,000 points/night

This is a unique, historic hotel in a fantastic location. It’s right by lots of museums, it’s in the middle of downtown, and it boasts a great pool. Standard rooms are about $300/night including taxes. So at 30,000 points, you’re getting a solid value of 1 cent per Wyndham point.

#7: Costa Blu Beach Resort, Trademark Collection by Wyndham (San Pedro Town, Belize): 15,000 points/night

This is an all-suite hotel with kitchenettes and separate sitting areas. The location is right on the beach, and the pool is pretty spectacular too. Note, the furnishings are a little dated, so if super-modern is your thing, you might not love this property. With cash rates around $180/night, you’ll get a value of around 1.2 cents per Wyndham point.

#8: Wyndham Loutraki Poseidon Resort (Loutraki, Greece): 15,000 points/night

Loutraki is a resort town in Greece, a short drive from Corinth and 50 miles from Athens. You’ll do a lot of lounging by the pool and sea in Loutraki, and this property has private beach access. You’re close enough to Athens or Corinth to take some easy day trips there too. All rooms at this hotel are suites, but some suites even have their own private pools or hot tubs outdoors. (This is one benefit to having Wyndham Diamond status; you can’t count on getting the special upgrades, but it’s possible.) Standard rooms run about 160EUR, providing you a value of about 1.4 cents per Wyndham Reward point.

Discounted stays (“Go Fast”) at high-end properties

In all of the above properties in this Wyndham Rewards guide, I illustrated how to get free nights using Wyndham Rewards points. However, you can also get great value for fewer points using Wyndham’s “Go Fast” promotion, where you pay 1,500, 3,000, or 6,000 points per night, plus a varying amount of cash.

This is true for ALL of the properties listed above. Usually, if you find “Go Free” availability, you can also find “Go Fast” availability. But for some properties, you won’t be able to find any “Go Free” availability, so let’s talk about how to evaluate whether “Go Fast” makes sense with an example here.

#9: Club Wyndham Ka Eo Kai (Princeville, Kauai, HI): 3,000 points + ~$140/night

This is a Club Wyndham property, so you can expect condo-like features with kitchens in the suites. I didn’t place it in the list of Club Wyndham properties above, because I couldn’t find any “Go Free” reward nights at this property. However, I found plenty of “Go Fast” availability for one-bedroom condos with kitchens. Princeville, Kauai is located on the north shore of the island and has fantastic snorkeling; it’s really a great location. These rooms cost 3,000 points per night plus about $140, all-in.

Here is the math you should follow to see if you’re getting a good value from your points using the “Go Fast” rates:

Step 1: Compare the cash cost to the “Go Fast” cost. In this example, it cost $140/night + 3,000 points OR $235/night – for the same exact room and dates. (Make sure you’re comparing the same dates and room types, and also make sure you’re including all taxes and fees!) In this example, you’re effectively getting a $95/night discount by paying the “Go Fast” cost.

Step 2: Determine how much your cash discount is worth, in points. In this example, you’re “paying” 3,000 points for a discount of $95. This is a redemption rate of 3.16 cents per point, which is actually the highest out of all properties on this list! (3.16 cents/point = $95 * 100 cents/$1 dollar, divided by 3,000 points)

“Go Fast” is a great way to maximize a small amount of Wyndham Rewards points. Note that cash rates vary, but generally, you’ll still have to pay the majority of the cost in cash.

Low-value Wyndham redemptions

There are a number of other ways to redeem your points, but I don’t recommend them in this Wyndham Rewards guide. Why? Because Wyndham points are worth about 0.7 cents, and these redemptions are all worth significantly lower than that. You should avoid these ways of redeeming your Wyndham Rewards points:

Gift cards

You can redeem Wyndham Rewards for gift cards at various stores and restaurant chains, all at very low values. For instance, a $25 Amazon.com gift card costs 7,500 Wyndham points, providing you a value of only 0.33 cents per point. (It also deprives you of a free night at a lower-end property!) Other gift cards are similar; $25 Macy’s and Papa John’s gift cards also cost 7,500 Wyndham points each. Don’t do it.

Points transfer partners

Surprisingly, Wyndham Rewards transfer over to a number of airline partners, including United MileagePlus, American Airlines, and Aeroplan. However, I don’t recommend doing this because most transfers start at 6,000 Wyndham points and only convert to 1,200 airline points. You’re effectively taking each of your Wyndham points and dividing by 5. Since Wyndham points are worth 0.7 cents per point, and these airline points are worth between 0.7 and 1.6 cents apiece, you’re getting a really poor value here. (As of this writing, United MileagePlus has a limited-time promo where 6,000 Wyndham points = 2,400 United MileagePlus miles. This is still a poor redemption rate.)

Merchandise

Please don’t use your Wyndham Rewards points on their “merchandise.” As of this writing, a Costco one-year membership costs 18,693 points when redeemed through Wyndham Rewards. This costs $60 in cash, meaning your Wyndham points are only worth 0.3 cents apiece.

Other possible purchases of “merchandise” receive similarly low value. Again, don’t do it.

Other redemptions

Generally speaking, the worst things you can do with your Wyndham Rewards points is to NOT use them to stay at Wyndham hotels. However, you might be thinking, “When can I use my Wyndham points? It’s the middle of a pandemic and I have no reason to travel right now.”

Well, I still advocate holding onto your Wyndham points. Just make sure they don’t expire, and if there’s any risk of them expiring, check out my guide to keeping Wyndham points active.

Bottom line

I hope you learned more about maximizing your Wyndham points in my Wyndham Rewards guide! At the very least, I hope you got some good ideas about future redemptions. If you feel I missed any great Wyndham properties, let me know in the comments!