The
Wyndham Credit Card is a good card to consider if you stay at Wyndham hotels on a regular basis and you have a credit score of
700 or higher. The card is worth its
$75 annual fee if you earn its initial and annual bonuses or you spend a lot on gas, dining and groceries in addition to Wyndham stays.
What I Like About the Wyndham Credit Card
Valuable initial bonus
Right now, you can get
45,000 points after spending $1,000 in the first 90 days. Those bonus points are worth around
$481.5 in Wyndham reservations, on average, according to our research.
Even if you mainly want to save on one big trip involving a stay at a Wyndham and you don’t plan to be a frequent guest, it’s worth applying just to get this bonus and other first-year perks. That said, if you really want to maximize your savings, there are
better bonus offers out there.
Anniversary bonus that offsets the fee
Keeping this card open year after year is pretty much a no-brainer, considering that you’ll get 7,500 bonus points after each account anniversary. Those points are worth around
$80.25 toward a Wyndham stay, so they basically cancel out the card’s annual membership fee. You just need to choose a redemption method that gets you at least 1 cent per 1 point.
4-10 points per $1 spent in bonus categories
The
Wyndham Credit Card rewards you with
6 points per $1 spent Wyndham hotels purchases and on gas, 4 points per $1 spent on dining and groceries, and 1 point on all other purchases.
The minimum rate is available from most credit cards with rewards, so it’s nothing special, but the bonus categories could help you save a lot of money if they line up well with your spending habits. The more you spend in these bonus categories, the better this card will be.
Platinum status automatically
Normally, you need to spend 15 nights at Wyndham properties in a year to qualify for Platinum status in the Wyndham Rewards program. With the
Wyndham Credit Card, you get it automatically, saving you a lot of time and money. This gets you benefits like early check-in, late check-out, preferred rooms, rental car upgrades and more.
Wyndham Rewards is a very good loyalty program, too, ranking
third among hotel rewards programs, according to WalletHub research. To learn more, check out our complete
Wyndham Rewards review.
What I Don’t Like About the Wyndham Credit Card
$75 annual fee
On paper, the
Wyndham Credit Card’s
$75 annual fee is about three times higher than average. This makes the card less-than-ideal for light spenders and infrequent hotel-goers.
That said, if you stay at Wyndham hotels at least once a year and you take full advantage of the card’s annual bonuses, the card’s annual fee is effectively $0. It can be completely cancelled out by annual bonus points.
High APR
Once the card’s 0% introductory APR promotion ends, carrying a balance from month to month will get very expensive. The card’s regular APR ranges from higher-than-average for someone with excellent credit to way higher-than-average for credit card users overall.
The exact rate you’re assigned depends on your overall creditworthiness when you get approved for an account, but it’s not going to be low in any case. Fortunately, if you pay your bill in full by the due date every month, you won’t have to pay interest charges.
Pricey balance transfer fee
Even though it offers a 0% introductory APR on balance transfers, this card is not a great option for that type of transaction. Its
5% (min $5) balance transfer fee is higher than average, and you can get 0% rates that last well over a year longer than this one.
If you have high interest debt that you’re looking to get rid of, you should check out our editors’ picks for the
best balance transfer credit cards instead.
Limited redemption options
Like with other hotel credit cards, you’ll get the most value from your points if you redeem them for stays at Wyndham hotels and resorts. Wyndham points are worth an average of
1.07 cents per point that way.
You can also redeem for things like gift cards, merchandise, tours, activities and more. However, you might get much less value. If you want more flexible travel rewards, you might instead want to opt for a card like the
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.
Requires good credit
The
Wyndham Credit Card is for people with good or excellent credit. Based on our experience, that means you likely need a credit score of 700 or higher to have good odds of being approved. You can
get your free credit score right here on WalletHub to estimate your chances. You can also compare our editors picks for the
best hotel credit cards to see if there’s a better fit for your situation.
Less attractive consolation prize
If you don’t get approved for the Visa Signature version of the
Wyndham Credit Card, you’ll automatically be considered for the Visa Platinum version, which might have a higher fee or lesser benefits.
Note: This review is not provided, commissioned or endorsed by any issuer. Opinions and ratings are our own.
