The Barclays Wyndham Rewards Visa is a hotel credit card that any serious traveler should at least consider. If you catch this card at the right time, you can cover some quality free nights at Wyndham properties.
In this review article, I’ll tell you everything you need to know about this card including things like the bonuses offered, the value of the bonus spend categories, and elite status benefits.
Table of Contents
Wyndham Rewards Visa overview
- Decent welcome bonus (varies 30,000 to 45,000 after spending $1,000 in the first 90 days)
- 5 points per $1 spent on Wyndham
- 2 points per $1 spent on gas, utility, and grocery store purchases
- 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Platinum status
- No foreign transaction fees
- $75 annual fee
I would not say that this is the best hotel credit card out there, but it’s one of the more underrated hotel credit cards in my opinion when you can catch the bonus at its high point.
Tip: Use WalletFlo for all your credit card needs. It’s free and will help you optimize your rewards and savings!
Wyndham Rewards Visa welcome bonus
The Wyndham Rewards Visa offers a welcome bonus that tends to fluctuate between 30,000 and 45,000 points.
Typically, the minimum spend requirement is very obtainable asking for only $1,000 in spend in the first 90 days after account opening.
Wyndham offers a very simplified reward structure.
A standard award which is called a Go Free award will cost you one of three prices: 7,500, 15,000, or 30,000 points per bedroom.
You can also book a Go Fast award that offers even cheaper award prices which come in three forms as well: 1,500, 3,000, or 6,000 points per bedroom. The catch is that you’ll be paying a cash co-payment along with that.
So on one extreme end, the 30,000 point bonus would only get you one night at a top property. Meanwhile, you could stretch 30,000 points into 20 nights at the cheapest rate if you are willing to cough up a lot of cash payments.
Personally, I would plan on going for the bonus when it’s at 45,000 points and expect to use that on about three nights priced at 15,000 points per night.
If you want to check out some of the top properties to use your points at check out our detailed breakdown of the 37 best Wyndham properties.
You can also search for hotel properties here.
Wyndham Rewards Visa eligibility
Barclays, like many other banks, has its own unique set of credit card approval rules. Many of these are “soft rules” meaning that they are not always enforced. Still, it’s a good idea to be aware of what these rules are.
So to keep tabs on all of these rules, I would recommend that you check out the free app WalletFlo so that you can automate your eligibility for all of these terms and conditions. It will also help you optimize your cards by keeping track of what cards earn you the most points, annual fees, etc.
Wyndham Rewards Visa bonus categories
- 5 points per $1 spent on Wyndham
- 2 points per $1 spent on gas, utility, and grocery store purchases
- 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
5X on Wyndham
Using a WalletFlo valuation of .87, 5X comes out to 4.3% back.
Since you will also have at least Platinum status, you’ll be earning an additional 11.5 points per dollar spent for a total of 16.5 points. So your total return on Wyndham spend would be at least 14.3% back. That’s actually very competitive and it’s definitely a strong point of this credit card.
The drawback is that unlike other hotel cards like the World of Hyatt Card, you can’t transfer points earned from a major flexible points program to your loyalty account. This makes it tougher to build up a high balance of Wyndham points so it’s definitely something to consider.
2X on gas, utility, and grocery store purchases
2X comes out to 1.74% back on gas, utility, and grocery stores. This is not a good return on these categories. If you are trying to maximize points for travel on these categories, there are much better cards out there.
For example, you could be earning 4X on US supermarkets with the American Express Gold Card — a card that I use for most of my everyday spending. And if you want to earn hotel points on something like gas, the Hilton Surpass is a great option, as it earns 6X on U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations.
1X on all other purchases
Earning 1X on all purchases means you’ll be getting about .87% back. Again, this is not a good return and you will be way better off utilizing a card like the Chase Freedom Unlimited which earns 1.5X on all purchases.
Wyndham Rewards Visa Benefits
Platinum status
One of the major perks of the Wyndham Rewards Visa is automatic Platinum status.
While Platinum status is technically a mid-tier status for Wyndham, it functions more like a lower tier hotel elite status.
That’s because it’s pretty light on the upgrade benefits and doesn’t offer free breakfast or lounge access. It does have some unique perks like rollover nights, a discount on activities in the city you’re staying in, free wifi, and a few others.
Here’s a quick rundown of the Platinum perks:
- Discounted room rate
- 10 points per dollar (or 1,000 points) plus a 15% bonus
- Rollover nights
- Free wifi
- Go Free PLUS
- Go Fast PLUS
- Dedicated Member services
- Preferred Room Choice
- Late Check-out
- Early Check-in
- Avis and Budget upgrades
Tip: To check out the credit cards with the best elite status click here.
Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection
If you are approved for the Visa Signature version of this card you’ll have access to the Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection. That’s a special network of luxury properties located all around the world and you can receive elite like benefits at those which include perks like:
- Best available rate guarantee
- Automatic room upgrade when available
- Complementary in room Wi-Fi when available
- Complementary breakfast for two
- $25 food and beverage credit
- VIP guest status
- Late checkout upon request when available
Visa signature benefits
Additional visa signature benefits that you might have via this card include:
Extended warranty protection
Extended warranty protection will double the term of your eligible U.S. manufacturer’s warranty up to 1 additional year on eligible warranties of 3 years or less.
This means that if your warranty is six months, it will be extended to one year. And if your warranty is two years, it will be extended one additional year.
Roadside Dispatch
Roadside dispatch is a pay-per use roadside assistance program that is available 24 hours a day and seven days a week. When you are in need of assistance, you simply call them and provide your location and they will arrange for whatever help you need such as a tow truck or locksmith.
Travel and Emergency Assistance Services
As part of your travel protection, you’ll have travel and emergency assistance services. Basically, you can get assistance finding the right doctor or arranging emergency transportation or even getting assistance finding the right prescription.
This coverage applies to you, your spouse, and dependent children under 22 who are traveling.
Auto Rental Coverage
When you use the Wyndham Rewards Visa to pay for your rental vehicle, you’ll get built-in rental coverage. You’ll be covered for things like physical damage, theft, and certain other loss of use charges. This coverage is not primary so if you want the best rental car coverage from a credit card you should look to a card like the Chase Sapphirre Preferred.
Balance transfer perks
Finally, you’ll also get 0% introductory APR for the first fifteen billing cycles following each balance transfer. It’s not very common for co-branded hotel credit cards to offer 0% APR on balance transfers so this is a unique perk.
Wyndham Rewards Visa FAQ
No, there are no foreign transaction fees.
Yes, you can check your application status for this card or any other Barclays card you apply for. To find out how to do that check out the article here.
The Wyndham Rewards Visa earns 5X on all Wyndham purchases.
The annual fee is $75 and sometimes it is waived the first year. Check your offer for details.
Yes, you can downgrade the Wyndham Rewards Visa to the no annual fee version.
A standard award which is called a Go Free award will cost you one of three prices: 7,500, 15,000, or 30,000 points per bedroom.
But you can also book a Go Fast award which will cost you one of three prices: 1,500, 3,000, or 6,000 points per bedroom. The catch is that you’ll be paying a cash co-payment along with that.
Yes, the Wyndham Rewards Visa comes with Platinum elite status which is the mid-tier status for Wyndham. Benefits include free Wi-Fi, upgrades to preferred rooms, elite roll-over nights, and discounts on activities near the location of your stay. It does not provide free breakfast or lounge access.
No, the Wyndham Rewards Visa does not come with a free anniversary night. This is unlike other co-branded hotel credit cards like those issued from Marriott, IHG, and Hyatt that offer free anniversary nights. Click here to see which credit cards come with the best free anniversary nights.
Final word
If you catch this card at the higher bonus of 45,000 points, you can score multiple free nights and that is what I would be shooting for. I think the bonus earning for Wyndham properties is great especially when you consider the bonus you get for having Platinum status, but I would not use his card for every day spending on categories like gas and groceries. There are better alternatives for that.
Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned travel expert covering destinations along with TSA, airline, and hotel policies. Since 2014, his content has been featured in publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, and CNBC. Read my bio.
