Wyndham Sweet Spots: Maximize Your Points During Peak Travel Times

Wyndham has over 9,000 hotels across 20 brands and a straightforward rewards program, which gives award travelers a lot of choices to save money on hotel stays. Wyndham points can come in handy whether you’re looking to book a trip to New York City, time at Disney World with the kids, or a vacation to Hawaii.

Wyndham categorizes hotels into a simple, three-tiered award chart.  You’ll pay 7,500, 15,000 or 30,000 points per night, depending on the hotel’s tier. Unfortunately, you can’t redeem points to stay at Wyndham’s all-inclusive properties, but there are many terrific hotels you can book with points among their other brands.

Wyndham also offers an opportunity to book discounted room nights with points plus cash. You’ll pay 1,500, 3,000 or 6,000 points per night plus a cash supplement, depending on the tier of the hotel. The cash portion varies based on the regular room rate for your desired travel dates. You’ll have to run the numbers, but this can be a worthwhile way to book in certain instances, especially at top-tier hotels when the room rate is relatively inexpensive.

» Learn more: Wyndham Rewards: The complete guide

NerdWallet currently values Wyndham points at 0.9 cent each, making 10,000 points worth $90. However, you’ll see a few sweet spots below showing it’s possible to get more value for your points.

» Learn more: The complete guide to earning Wyndham points

Wyndham sweet spots

With more than 9,000 hotels, the best Wyndham points redemption is the one that will help you achieve your travel goals. There’s no right or wrong way to use your points. However, if you’re looking to maximize the value of your points, be sure to compare the cash rate to the points cost for your destination and dates.

Since Wyndham doesn’t change award pricing based on demand, it’s possible to get outsized value for your points during peak travel periods. Here are a few of our favorite sweet spots for redeeming Wyndham Rewards.

» Learn more: The complete guide to redeeming Wyndham points

Wyndham Santa Monica at the Pier

Use 30,000 Wyndham points per night to stay steps from the famous Santa Monica Pier and a few blocks from the 3rd Street Promenade. If you book this property with cash you might pay around $300 per night. At that rate, your Wyndham points are worth 1 cent apiece, beating out the average 0.9 cent apiece.

The New Yorker, A Wyndham Hotel

Located on 8th Avenue in Manhattan, the New Yorker is a great example of how Wyndham’s points pricing system lets you find great deals at high demand times. A room night will cost you 30,000 Wyndham Rewards Points any time of year. That’s a bad deal in low demand times, when rooms can go for as little as $111 per night — a value of 0.37 cent per point. But stay there on New Year’s Eve, when Manhattan hotel room prices are famously outrageous, and your 30,000 points get you a room that’s going for $372 per night. That means your points are worth 1.2 cents each, beating the average Wyndham points value by a good margin.

Club Wyndham Kona Hawaiian Resort

Escape to this Hawaiian resort on the Big Island for 30,000 Wyndham points per night. Compare that to the cash price of $329 per night and once again you’ve beaten the 0.9 cent average. These are two-bedroom units for the points equivalent of about $270 per night, an attractive deal for families who want to enjoy the two outdoor pools, barbecue grills and warm spirit of aloha.

Wyndham Lake Buena Vista Disney Springs Resort Area

Families traveling to Disney World might consider using Wyndham “Go Fast” rewards to stay at this Official Walt Disney World Hotel, which means guests can take advantage of Extra Magic Hours to enjoy attractions at select parks before or after hours. For 6,000 points plus $153 per night, you even get shuttle service to surrounding Disney World parks.

The bottom line

Like all hotel loyalty programs, Wyndham Rewards offers the best value to members who use it strategically. Always check multiple dates and properties when planning a trip and check the cash price so you can be sure you’re getting the most out of your points.

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