Wyndham Rewards has just launched its latest promotion on purchased points, which offers the lowest price I ever recall seeing on such a deal from the program. I’ll cover all the details, though let me note upfront that I’d still only recommend taking advantage of this with a specific use in mind. Thanks to Nick Reyes at Frequent Miler for flagging this.
In this post:
Promotion on purchased Wyndham Rewards points
Through Tuesday, December 31, 2024, Wyndham Rewards is offering a discount on purchased points. It seems that members are being targeted for either a 35%, 40%, of 45% bonus. In all cases, that offer should kick in as long as you purchase at least 3,000 points in one transaction. If you purchase points, they’ll post to your account within 72 hours.
How much does it cost to buy Wyndham points?
Ordinarily you can buy Wyndham Rewards points for 1.3 cents each, before any discounts or bonuses. If you maxed out the promotion:
- With a 35% discount, you could purchase 200,000 points for $1,690, which is a rate of 0.85 cents per point
- With a 40% discount, you could purchase 200,000 points for $1,560, which is a rate of 0.78 cents per point
- With a 45% discount, you could purchase 200,000 points for $1,430, which is a rate of 0.72 cents per point
Ordinarily, when Wyndham Rewards offers a promotion on purchased points, the program offers either a 30-40% bonus or a 25-30% discount, so this is potentially the best promotion we’ve seen from the program.
How many Wyndham points can you buy?
Wyndham Rewards lets members purchase up to 100,000 points per account per calendar year, before any bonuses. However, during this promotion the maximum has been doubled, to 200,000 points.
Which credit card should you buy Wyndham points with?
Wyndham Rewards points purchases are processed by points.com, meaning they don’t count as a hotel purchase for the purposes of credit card spending.
I’d recommend using a card with which you’re trying to reach a minimum spending requirement, or a credit card that maximizes your return on everyday spending, like the Chase Freedom Unlimited® (review), Citi Double Cash® Card (review), or Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card (review).
When in doubt, review which credit cards are best for buying points and miles.
- Earn 1% cash back when you make a purchase, earn 1% cash back when you pay for that purchase
- $0
- Earn 3% Cash Back on Dining
- Earn 3% Cash Back at Drugstores
- Earn 1.5% Cash Back On All Other Purchases
- $0
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- Global Entry/TSA Pre-Check Credit
- $95
- Earn 2x miles per dollar on every purchase
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- 10,000 bonus miles every account anniversary
- $395
- 2x points on purchases up to $50k then 1x
- Access to Amex Offers
- No annual fee
Is buying Wyndham Rewards points worth it?
Generally speaking, I only recommend buying points when you have a specific short-term use in mind. In the case of Wyndham Rewards points:
- I could see value in topping off a Wyndham Rewards account for the purposes of a redemption, given the low minimum number of points you can purchase to unlock the discount
- While Wyndham Rewards doesn’t have that many aspirational properties, the program does have a fixed price award chart, and there could be value in redeeming points at destinations over peak travel dates (for example, if there’s a major football game in town)
- Wyndham Rewards has a partnership with Vacasa, allowing you to redeem points for a home rental for outsized value
How many points do you need for a Wyndham redemption?
When it comes time to redeem Wyndham Rewards points, there are three tiers of hotels:
- About a third of properties cost 7,500 points per night
- A majority of properties cost 15,000 points per night
- A few hundred hotels cost 30,000 points per night
For example, at a cost of 0.72 cents per point (with a 45% discount), this would be the equivalent of paying:
- $54 for a night at an entry level property
- $108 for a night at a mid-range property
- $216 for a night at a premium property
While I wouldn’t say there’s widespread appeal to buying Wyndham Rewards points for these kinds of redemptions, there are some situations where the numbers will work out. Perhaps the best value would come in situations where you just need to buy a few thousand points to have enough for an award stay.
What brands belong to Wyndham Rewards?
Wyndham Rewards has more than 9,000 hotels across 20 brands in 80+ countries. Some of the most popular Wyndham Rewards brands include Registry Collection, Wyndham Grand, Dolce, Wyndham, La Quinta, Wingate, Wyndham Garden, Ramada, Days Inn, Super 8, Howard Johnson, and Travelodge.
How do you redeem points for a Vacasa rental?
It’s possible to redeem Wyndham Rewards points for vacation rentals with Vacasa, and this has the potential to be a great deal. However, unfortunately this was recently devalued. If you want to book a Vacasa rental, you’ll pay either 15,000 or 30,000 points per night:
- The cost is 15,000 points per night per bedroom, when the rental has an average cost of up to $250 per night
- The cost is 30,000 points per night per bedroom, when the rental has an average cost of $251-500 per night
In many cases this is an opportunity to get outsized value with Wyndham Rewards points. To take advantage of this, just browse Vacasa’s website to find the home you’d like to stay at, and then call Wyndham Rewards at 866-996-7937 to book.
How much are Wyndham Rewards points worth?
Everyone will value points differently, but personally I value Wyndham Rewards points at ~0.7 cents each. Admittedly that’s a very conservative valuation, and if you value the Vacasa partnership, you should be able to get way more value out of points than that.
Do Wyndham Rewards points expire?
Wyndham Rewards has one of the most complicated points expiration policies of any hotel loyalty program:
- Points expire if you have no account activity for 18 months; eligible activity would be any points earning or redemption transaction
- Regardless of activity, points expire four years after they’re earned
Bottom line
Wyndham Rewards is offering a 35-45% discount on purchased points, which is an opportunity to buy points for 0.72-0.85 cents each. While I most definitely wouldn’t speculatively buy Wyndham Rewards points points at this cost, there are some situations where the math works out, especially if you can redeem points for a Vacasa rental at a property that offers good value.
To those who are Wyndham Rewards fans, are there any properties you can get outsized value at with this promotion?
Might a 3,000 point purchase make sense for anyone who is approaching an 18-month expiration deadline with no near-term travel plans?
Why do they say 'our best sale of the year' when they had 60% off literally a month ago lol
@ SD -- That was a 60% bonus, not a 60% discount.