Your guide to the Wyndham Rewards program

As the loyalty program of upscale and lifestyle hotels like Wyndham and TRYP by Wyndham, as well as midscale and value chains such as Ramada and Travelodge, Wyndham Rewards is your key to points and perks.

Those perks begin from your very first stay with free WiFi for all entry-level blue members, and with a Gold card – currently yours after just five nights – there's free late check-out, too.

Wherever your travels may take you in 2023 and beyond, here's what you need to know about Wyndham Rewards. 

What is Wyndham Rewards?

As a global hotel loyalty program, Wyndham Rewards members can earn and spend points at over 9,000 hotels worldwide.

These are spread across 80+ countries, with 22 brands participating in the program, as below. 

Which hotels are affiliated with Wyndham Rewards?

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts encompasses a wide range of accommodation brands ranging from higher-end luxury through to 'value'-based chains and extended stay properties.

At that higher end of the spectrum, Wyndham and Wyndham Grand are of course covered, as are Dolce Hotels and Resorts and The Registry Collection properties.

TRYP by Wyndham, Esplendor, Dazzler and Trademark are affiliated too, as are Ramada, La Quinta, Vienna House, Wingate by Wyndham, Wyndham Garden, Wyndham Alltra AmericInn and Baymont hotels.

Travelodge, Howard Johnson, Super 8, Days Inn, Microtel by Wyndham and Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham round out the program.

While Wyndham Rewards may not have the geographic footprint of some of the other hotel loyalty programs, properties under the hotel group's umbrella can be found in a widerange of destinations across the globe, including Australia.

How to join the Wyndham Rewards program

You can join the Wyndham rewards program from anywhere in the world through the Wyndham Rewards website. Joining is free and there are no annual fees to maintain your Wyndham Rewards membership.

After signing up, you will begin earning points whenever you stay at a Wyndham property, which can later be redeemed for a variety of rewards, such as free hotel bookings and room upgrades.

Wyndham Rewards membership tiers

Beyond the entry level of Blue, Wyndham Rewards has three elite membership levels.

• Blue membership is that beginner-level tier, given immediately upon joining. Right off the bat, you'll get free WiFi and can earn points with every stay, as well as access to discounted rewards member rates and Rollover Nights, which see any excess qualifying nights at the end of your membership year counted towards your next status qualification.
• Gold membership can be yours after just five nights, offering all the benefits of Blue plus late check-out (subject to availability), 10% bonus points earned on every stay, preferred room choice and a dedicated customer service line.
• Platinum membership is unlocked after 15 nights, combining all the perks of Blue and Gold but with a higher 15% points bonus on hotel stays, plus free early check-in upon request, car rental upgrades with Avis and Budget in the USA and Canada, an elite status match to Caesars Rewards, and more.
• Diamond membership is achieved after 40 nights. Being the program's top tier, you'll enjoy all the rewards of the lower levels (with a higher points bonus of 20%), plus upgrades to hotel suites (subject to availability), a complimentary snack or beverage at check-in, and free Gold membership for a friend or family member.

How do I earn Wyndham Rewards points?

Booking hotel stays is not the only way to earn Wyndham Rewards points. Members can find a variety of ways to boost their points balance through the Wyndham Rewards website, including flights, online shopping and car rentals.

Earn Wyndham Rewards points on hotel stays

For every qualifying stay at a hotel affiliated with Wyndham Rewards, you're guaranteed to earn at least 1,000 points.

However, there's a good chance you can earn more, with an earn rate of 10 points per US$1 spent – plus the additional bonus if you’re a Wyndham Gold, Platinum or Diamond member – covering most bookings.

This means if your hotel folio is equivalent to US$100 or less, you'll earn that 1,000-point minimum. If your bill is US$101 or more, you'll instead earn 10 points per US$1, giving you in excess of 1,000 points.

Earn Wyndham Rewards points on flights

Taking a flight soon? You can opt to earn points or miles directly into your frequent flyer account in lieu of Wyndham Rewards points.

Wyndham Rewards Blue and Gold members get one mile per US$1 spent on eligible stays with most airline partners, while Platinum and Diamond members get 2 miles per US$1 on the same.

Earn Wyndham Rewards points on credit cards spend, experiences and more…

Credit cards can be a handy way of amassing Wyndham Rewards points, as they allow you to rack up points on your everyday spending.

In Australia, Commonwealth Bank allows you to transfer Award points to Wyndham Rewards at a 3:1 ratio. That’s one Wyndham Rewards point per dollar spent each time you swipe your CommBank Ultimate Awards credit card, for instance. 

Feeling touristy? You’ll get 10 points per dollar spent when you book tours, experiences or activities through the Wyndham Experience platform. 

Alternatively, Wyndham Rewards points can also be earned when shopping online through the Wyndham Rewards shopping portal, with qualifying Avis car rentals and by organizing business events or gatherings at Wyndham properties. 

If you have a specific reward in mind but don't have enough points, you can also purchase Wyndham points online in increments of 1,000, up to a total of 60,000 points per year.

Read: Here's why you shouldn't buy hotel loyalty points right now

How do I use Wyndham Rewards points?

You can redeem Wyndham Rewards points in multiple ways, but the most common path is to spent them on hotel stays.

Wyndham hotel stays using Wyndham Rewards points

The program offers the choice between "Go Free" and "Go Fast" rewards.

Go Free bookings are complimentary stays purchased entirely with points – requiring either 7,500, 15,000 or 30,000 points per night, depending on the hotel – while Go Fast reservations are similar to the 'cash plus points' option at other hotel chains.

These Go Fast bookings allow members to spend just 1,500, 3,000 or 6,000 points per night, plus a cash amount on the side as part of the reservation.

This allows members to use their points faster and save money on bookings by cashing in their points, although some travellers may naturally prefer the concept of 'free' stays, via the Go Free path.

Convert Wyndham Rewards points into airline miles, rail points

Although hotel bookings using points generally provide better value in Wyndham Rewards, members can also convert their Wyndham Rewards points into frequent flyer points or miles with a range of airline partners, plus others on the ground.

These transfers take place at a 5:1 rate across all programs, with a minimum conversion amount of 6,000 Wyndham Rewards points per transfer.

This makes 6,000 Wyndham points equal to 1,200 frequent flyer points (or 1,200 points in other ground-based programs).

Conversion partners include:

• Aeromexico Club Premier
• Air Canada Aeroplan
• American Airlines AAdvantage
• Avianca LifeMiles
• HNA Group's Fortune Wings Club
• Frontier Airlines' Frontier Miles
• Payback Points
• Turkish Airlines' Miles & Smiles
• United MileagePlus

While Wyndham has no Australian frequent flyer partners, the airlines it does partner with still provide many opportunities for Australian travellers to spend their points.

For example, American Airlines' frequent flyer program enables flight bookings right across the Oneworld alliance, including Qantas domestic flights within Australia.

Virgin Australia flights, on the other hand, can be booked using miles from Fortune Wings Club: the loyalty program of Hainan Airlines and Hong Kong Airlines.

More broadly, flight bookings across Star Alliance are possible from the frequent flyer programs of Air Canada, Avianca, Turkish Airlines and United, while AeroMexico unlocks reward flights across SkyTeam.

Of course, given the 5:1 conversion rate to these programs from Wyndham Rewards, the best use of these conversions would be to top-up an existing mileage balance, if you're just a small stack of miles short of your desired reward.

Even so, the earning rate of at least 10 points per USD spent to begin with – plus bonus points offered to elite Wyndham Rewards members – could still make this option more rewarding than earning miles directly, as outlined above.

Use Wyndham Rewards points for merchandise, gift cards

Like many loyalty programs, Wyndham Rewards members can also use their points to purchase various items, activities and gift cards.

The number of points needed for each reward option may vary, although again, using points for hotel stays – or failing that, to top-up your frequent flyer account – may be a better option.

Do Wyndham Rewards points expire?

Wyndham Rewards points will only remain valid if there is account activity within an 18-month period; otherwise, they will expire. 

Moreover, all points earned will automatically expire 4 years after being earned, regardless of any other activity in the account. You can check when your Wyndham points will expire by logging in to your Wyndham Rewards account and click on My Activity.

Also read: Your guide to the IHG Rewards Club program

Chris C.

Chris is a a former contributor to Executive Traveller.