The Barclays Wyndham Rewards® Earner℠ Card is a basic no-annual-fee hotel card that provides automatic Gold status and bonus points on gas and hotel stays. This entry-level card offers straightforward value through its 10% discount on award stays, though premium perks are notably absent.
This credit card review will cover everything you need to know about this card to determine if you should add this card or a different card to your wallet. Let’s dive right in.
Welcome Bonus of Wyndham Earner
The Wyndham Earner Card currently offers the following welcome bonus: Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first 90 days.
Before rushing to apply, you should know about some key restrictions that could affect your eligibility. Barclays tends to be quite selective about credit card applications, making approval more challenging than with other issuers. You’ll have better approval odds if you have fewer than six hard inquiries on your credit report in the past 24 months.
Previous cardholders should note that you generally won’t be eligible for the bonus if you currently have or previously had this specific card. This applies even if you received a bonus on the card in the past.
Earning Points with Wyndham Earner
The Wyndham Earner Card earns points at the following rate:
The 5x earnings on both hotels and gas makes this card compelling for road warriors who frequently stay at Wyndham properties. However, the 2x categories are fairly limited compared to transferable points cards that often offer better rewards on dining and groceries.
For everyday spending, you’d likely get better value from a card earning flexible points that can transfer to multiple hotel and airline partners. While the gas bonus is solid, the overall earning structure is fairly restrictive unless you’re specifically loyal to Wyndham hotels.
No Annual Fee
The Wyndham Rewards Earner Card has no annual fee. You’ll get solid value through benefits like automatic Wyndham Gold status, a 10% discount on award stays, and the ability to earn 7,500 bonus points after spending $15,000 in purchases during your card anniversary year.
Card Benefits of Wyndham Earner
Here are the card benefits and perks of the Wyndham Earner Card: Wyndham Gold Status: The Wyndham Earner offers automatic Gold elite status. The benefits of Wyndham Gold include a preferred room, 10% points bonus, late checkout, and an “Experience” discount on award stays. Spending Bonus: If you spend $15,000 in a calendar year on the Earner card, you can get an annual bonus of 7,500 points. 10% Award Discount: Wyndham cardholders automatically get a 10% discount on free night (Go Free) awards, which normally cost 7,500, 15,000, or 30,000 points. With the discount, the free nights cost 6,750 points, 13,500 points, or 27,000 points, depending on the category. Booking Discount: Cardholders save 7% or 12% off the Best Available Rate. The typical Member Rate is a 5% to 10% discount, so this benefit is only about a 2% extra discount. 0% Intro APR for 15 months on balance transfers made within 45 days of account opening. There is a balance transfer fee of the greater of $5 or 5%. After the promotional period, a variable APR will apply: 20.74%, 24.99% or 29.99%, based on your creditworthiness. No Foreign Transaction Fees: You’ll save money on every purchase while traveling internationally since this card doesn’t add the typical 3% surcharge that many other cards impose.
Redeeming Wyndham Rewards Points
Wyndham Rewards offers a variety of redemption options, but using points for free hotel stays typically provides the best value. The program has a straightforward three-tier award chart, with nights costing 7,500, 15,000, or 30,000 points depending on the property. This simplicity makes it easy to plan and budget for reward stays. For maximum value, look for high-end properties or book during peak travel times when cash rates are elevated. The 7,500-point tier can be particularly useful for road trips, offering budget-friendly stays along major routes. At the 15,000-point level, you’ll find appealing options like the Club Wyndham Kona Hawaiian Resort. The top 30,000-point tier includes upscale hotels in major cities, such as The New Yorker in Manhattan. If you’re short on points, consider Wyndham’s “Go Fast” option, which allows you to combine points and cash for discounted stays. This can help stretch your points further, especially for longer trips. An intriguing alternative is using points for Vacasa vacation rentals. At 15,000 points per bedroom per night, this can offer excellent value, particularly for larger properties. However, availability can be limited, and bookings must be made by phone.
Pros and Cons
Here are the advantages and disadvantages of this card:
Pros:
Strong Gas Station Earnings: The card offers 5x points on gas purchases, providing excellent value for everyday transportation expenses.
No Annual Fee Value: You’ll receive automatic Gold status, award discounts, and earning potential without paying any annual fees.
Award Chart Pricing: Wyndham uses a fixed award chart rather than dynamic pricing, making it easier to plan redemptions and potentially get outsized value.
Vacasa Rental Access: You can redeem points for vacation rentals through Vacasa at reasonable rates, providing flexibility beyond traditional hotel stays.
Cons:
Limited Premium Benefits: The card lacks premium perks like free night certificates or significant travel protections that other hotel cards offer.
Modest Elite Status: While Gold status is included, it only provides basic benefits like late checkout and preferred room selection.
Basic Earning Structure: Outside of gas and Wyndham purchases, the earning rates on dining and groceries are relatively low compared to competing cards.
Alternatives to Wyndham Earner
Now that you know about this credit card’s various benefits and pros and cons, it’s time to see its alternatives.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (review) is one of the most popular travel rewards cards because it offers nice welcome bonus and extra points on travel and dining, which can be transferred to airline and hotel partners or redeemed directly for travel at a rate of 1.25 cents per point through Chase Travel℠. The Sapphire Preferred also offers great travel and purchase protections for a card with a $95 annual fee. Welcome Bonus: Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. Earning Rewards: 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 3x points on dining, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs), 2x points on all other travel purchases, and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases. Card Benefits: Ability to transfer to airline and hotel partners, 25% bonus when redeeming points through Chase Travel, $50 annual hotel stay credit via Chase Travel, 10% anniversary points bonus, no foreign transaction fees, primary rental car insurance, trip delay insurance, trip cancellation insurance, baggage delay insurance, purchase protection, and extended warranty. Transfer Partners: Aer Lingus, Air Canada Aeroplan, British Airways, Emirates, Air France KLM Flying Blue, Hyatt, IHG, Iberia, JetBlue, Marriott, Singapore KrisFlyer, Southwest, United, and Virgin Atlantic.
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card (review) offers nice rewards at Hilton properties while providing automatic Gold status that includes valuable perks like room upgrades and breakfast benefits. This mid-tier Hilton card hits a sweet spot for occasional Hilton guests who want elite perks without premium card costs. Welcome Bonus: bonus_miles_full Earning Rewards: 12x points on eligible purchases made directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio; 6x points at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations; 4x Points on U.S. Online Retail Purchases; 3x points for all other eligible purchases. Main Benefits: Hilton Gold elite status, up to $200 Hilton credit (up to $50 in statement credits each quarter for purchases made directly with a Hilton property), free night award after eligible spending of $15,000 in a calendar year, and National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive Status.
Bilt Mastercard®
The Bilt Mastercard® (review) lets you earn valuable travel rewards on rent payments without fees while offering bonus points on dining and travel purchases. This no-annual-fee card stands out for its unique rent payment feature and strong travel benefits like rental car coverage and trip protection. Earning Rewards: 5x points on Lyft; 3x points on dining; 2x points on travel purchases; 1x points on rent payments without any transaction fees up to 100,000 points per year, and 1x points on everything else. (Five transactions are required per billing cycle to earn points.) Card Benefits: No transaction fees to pay rent and earn 1x points, primary rental car insurance, cell phone protection, trip delay and trip cancellation insurance, purchase protection, and no foreign transaction fees.
Is the Wyndham Earner Worth It?
The Wyndham Earner Card The Wyndham Rewards Earner Card, despite having no annual fee, offers limited value for most travelers due to its restricted earning categories and basic benefits package.
While the card provides Gold status, the perks at this level are minimal, offering little more than preferred room selection and late checkout when available. The card’s earning rates on gas and Wyndham stays can be outperformed by general travel cards that offer more flexibility with their rewards.
Wyndham’s hotel portfolio largely consists of budget properties, making it difficult to find truly aspirational redemptions for your points outside of select Vacasa vacation rentals.
Unless you frequently stay at Wyndham properties or specifically need this card for Vacasa bookings, you’d likely be better served by a general travel rewards card that offers more versatile points and broader redemption options.
