Wyndham Rewards Earner Business Card Review 2024

Many business credit cards seem focused on the model of a C-suite executive with perks such as airline lounge access or elite luxury hotel status.  Wyndham is self-aware and deserves credit for designing the Wyndham Rewards Earner Business Card for a large segment of the business market: small business owners, middle managers and road warriors whose business travels have an emphasis on the word “road”.

With brands from Days Inn to Travelodge to Super 8, Wyndham hotels are visible from almost every interstate exit. If you’re running a delivery route or managing a district of restaurants, a Wyndham chain hotel sign can be a welcome beacon after a long day of working from your vehicle.

The new Wyndham Business card will reward you generously for your travels with 8 points per dollar spent on your Wyndham hotel purchases and a whopping 8 points per dollar on gas purchases. It’s easy to visualize a Monday to Friday business trip on the road earning you enough points for a free night to enjoy on a weekend. At 8 points per dollar, you only need $843.75 in spending at hotels and on gas to earn the 6,750 points required for a night at a low-level Wyndham hotel after taking the 10% cardholder discount into account.

The reality is that you don’t even need to spend $800 and change at hotels and on gas to earn a free night because you’re earning 10 Wyndham points per dollar for your stays in addition to the points earned on your card. Adding those points to the equation means that you’ll be earning free nights faster than you can say “Super 8”.

While you’re on the road you’re also earning 5 points per dollar spent on utilities (including cell phone bills), advertising and marketing.

The card does charge an annual fee of $95, which is moderate for a business card not focused on upper management. However, the benefits and earnings rate would more than make up for the fee as long as you consistently stay at Wyndham hotels and use the card on your hotel and gas purchases.

Status doesn’t matter so much at a Days Inn, but at Wyndham’s selected higher end hotels Diamond Status in Wyndham Rewards will mean you’re eligible for perks such as upgrades and late check out. That doesn’t mean that Diamond Status has no value outside of those selected Wyndhams, though.

There are two Diamond benefits that even budget travelers will benefit from. The first is that Diamond Status offers a 20% points bonus on your earnings, meaning you earn 12 points per dollar spent at Wyndham instead of the 10 that standard members get. The second is that Wyndham has reciprocal benefits with Caesars Rewards, affording Diamond Status in Caesars program as well as Wyndham. Caesars Rewards status gives important benefits such as a $100 annual anniversary dinner, free show tickets and no pesky resort fees on Caesars hotel stays.

• Welcome bonus: Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 90 days of account opening, plus an additional 50,000 bonus points after spending $15,000 on purchases within the first 12 months
• $95 annual fee
• Wyndham Diamond status just for holding the card
• Get 15,000 anniversary points each year after the first year you hold the card
• No foreign transaction fees

Earning Rewards

The Wyndham Business card earns 8 points per $1 spent on Hotels By Wyndham and gas purchases, 5 points per $1 spent on marketing, advertising and utilities and 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.

In addition to the bonus categories, you’ll earn an additional 2 points per dollar on your Wyndham hotel purchases due to the Diamond Status you receive just for being a cardholder.

You’ll also receive a welcome bonus: Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 90 days of account opening, plus an additional 50,000 bonus points after spending $15,000 on purchases within the first 12 months

Redeeming Rewards

Wyndham has a three-tier hotel structure for its Go Free awards, costing 7,500,15,000 and 30,000 points per night.  Wyndham Business cardholders get a 10% discount on all award stays, meaning an effective cost of 6,750, 13,500 and 27,000 points, respectively.

It’s also possible to use Wyndham Rewards points at Wyndham timeshare properties at tiered rates, but they are charged per bedroom per night. This means a two-bedroom timeshare rental will cost twice the one-bedroom cost for a night’s stay. Prices start at 7,500 points per bedroom per night.

In addition to free nights, Wyndham has a cash and points system called Go Fast. Prices vary by property and date. Go Fast awards allow you to stretch your hotel points as you can redeem as few as 1,500 Wyndham Rewards points towards a night’s stay in addition to a cash co-pay.

Wyndham Rewards has partnerships with Vacasa, Landal GreenParks and Cottages.com which offer vacation rental units for award redemption.  These units can be especially valuable for families since many of them feature multiple bedrooms and provide kitchen and living area facilities.

Rewards Potential

Small business cards’ reward potential will vary widely by the type of business and how you use the card. For comparison purposes, Forbes Advisor assumes a small business or sole proprietorship. Using a variety of government and industry sources, Forbes Advisor has pegged the 70th percentile of earners at $118,438.

The Wyndham Business card earns 8 points per dollar spent at Wyndham hotels, and an additional 2 points per dollar for being a Diamond Member. Our sample business spends $2,858 annually at hotels, earning 28,580 points. (If you are specifically seeking out a Wyndham card your hotel spending is likely quite a bit higher, but for consistency, we’re using the typical number for this income level.)

Earning 8 points per dollar spent on $3,562 in gas will earn 28,496 points, 5 points per dollar on $2,493 in marketing, advertising and utilities would earn 12,465 points and $30,424 on remaining expenses that can be charged to a credit card would be an additional 30,424 points, for a total of 99,965 Wyndham Rewards points in addition to the first year welcome bonus. These points could be used for up to 13 nights at a low-level property or could be used on a splurge of three nights at a luxury hotel.

• Free employee cards. No fee to add employee cards to your account.
• Fraud protection. You’re not responsible for any charges you don’t make
• Discounted rates. Cardholders get better rates on hotel stays
• Points don’t expire. As long as you hold the card, your points will remain active
• Visa Signature benefits. This includes secondary car rental insurance, purchase protection and extended warranty coverage on eligible items.
• Cellphone protection. Pay your monthly cell phone bill with the card and get coverage for eligible damage or theft for up to $600 per claim, up to a $1,000 maximum per year ($50 deductible).

Interest Rates

• APR on purchase: 21.24% - 29.99% variable
• APR on balance transfer: 21.24% - 29.99% variable
• Foreign purchase transaction fee: [card_foreign_transaction_fee pid=”52410″

Wyndham Rewards Earner® Business Card* vs. The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card

If you travel regularly for business but want to have luxury options available for redeeming your points, a chain such as Hilton might be a better option. Hilton has properties such as Hampton Inn and Hilton Garden Inn that are on a similar level as most Wyndham properties, but also has luxury brands such as Waldorf Astoria and Conrad.

The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card has a notable earnings rate of 12 Hilton Honors Bonus Points per dollar on eligible purchases at participating hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio and 5 Hilton Honors Bonus Points per dollar spent on the first $100,000 in purchases each calendar year, 3 points thereafter.

The card also has an especially generous welcome bonus considering the $195 annual fee (Terms apply. See rates & fees). However, also consider that Hilton Honors point values are tied to the price of a hotel room on a given night, meaning that you can pay up to 120,000 points for a single night at a luxury hotel.

Wyndham Rewards Earner® Business Card* vs. Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

Since Wyndham status doesn’t mean much at most of their properties, you may do better with a general travel rewards card. The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card has some similar bonus categories: Earn 3 points per dollar on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases.

The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card allows you to redeem your Ultimate Rewards points for 1.25 cents each through the Chase travel portal or to transfer them at a 1:1 ratio to over a dozen hotel and airline partners including Hyatt and Southwest. The card also has an especially generous welcome bonus: 100,000 points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card charges a $95 annual fee.

Wyndham Rewards Earner® Business Card* vs. The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card

If you prefer cash to hotel points, a card like The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card is a better choice for you. It’s also better for those who value simplicity with earnings of 2% cash back on all eligible purchases on up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1% with no categories to track. With no annual fee (Terms apply. See rates & fees), it’s a better choice if you’re not sure you’ll spend enough to justify an annual fee, especially if you know you’ll spend under $50,000.

If you’re a road warrior who leans toward hotels right off the interstate, the Wyndham Rewards Earner Business Card is a no-brainer. Between the outsized rewards on gas and the low spending required to earn enough points for an award night, you’ll be earning rewards hand over fist. But if your preferences lean toward hotels with valet parking or bespoke toiletries, look elsewhere.

Forbes Advisor considers a variety of criteria when assigning credit cards a rating. Cards are graded based on numerous factors, including:

• Annual fees
• Welcome bonus offers
• Ongoing earning rates
• Value of individual points or miles
• Included travel or merchant credits
• Additional cardholder benefits

Card features we expect cardholders to use the most often are weighted more heavily in our ratings. Altogether, the factors come together to provide a star rating for each individual card.

To learn more about our rating and review methodology and editorial process, check out our guide on how Forbes Advisor rates credit cards.

To view rates and fees for The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card, please visit this page.
To view rates and fees for The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, please visit this page.