The Complete Guide to Wyndham Rewards Elite Status

If you frequent Wyndham hotels, pursuing Wyndham elite status could be worthwhile. And with more than 9,000 hotels worldwide, it's very likely you would frequent what is one of the world's largest and most recognizable hotel brands.

We break down everything you need to know about Wyndham Rewards elite status, including how to earn it, what it's worth and how to flex your Wyndham status to receive Caesars Rewards status, too.

» Learn more: Your guide to the Wyndham rewards award chart

The higher your tier, the more benefits you'll receive as a Wyndham Rewards elite status member. Here's a look at some of the highlights of each status tier:

The most attractive benefit might be the accelerated rewards earnings on base points associated with each elite status tier. Normally on qualified stays, you'd earn 10 base points per $1 or 1,000 points — whichever is greater.

Once you've got Gold status, you'll earn a small points earning bonus, though it doesn't really become a meaningful boost until you've got Diamond status. You'll need a minimum of 7,500 points to book a free Wyndham award night (unless you're booking points and cash rates, which start at 1,500 points). So landing a 20% bonus each time you stay at Wyndham can help you rack up free award nights that much faster.

The Wyndham Rewards program has four status tiers: Blue, Gold, Platinum and Diamond (though there are just three 'elite' status tiers, as everyone automatically holds Blue status simply by joining). There are three ways to earn elite status with Wyndham Rewards:

• Staying at Wyndham properties and earning qualifying nights.

• Matching your status through another hotel loyalty rewards program.

• Opening certain Wyndham credit cards.

Here's a breakdown of each method of earning Wyndham Rewards elite status.

Booking hotel nights

You can earn Gold, Platinum or Diamond status in Wyndham Rewards by booking a certain number of hotel nights in a calendar year.

Nights must be "qualifying nights," which basically means nights booked on employee discounts or certain promotions don't count. Additionally, nights booked through third-party websites and apps won't count toward elite status (only nights booked through WyndhamRewards.com count toward reaching the next status tier). In general, a qualifying night through Wyndham means a paid night during a qualified stay at a participating property, with an average daily rate of at least $25.

Here's how many nights you need to stay in a calendar year to earn each year of elite status:

Match elite status from other hotels to Wyndham

You can sometimes snag Wyndham Rewards elite status without booking any nights at all if you're an elite member in another participating hotel loyalty program.

Wyndham has been known to offer hotel matching in the past through other hotel loyalty programs including Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors and World of Hyatt. If you have Wyndham Rewards Platinum or Diamond status, you're able to match your status in the Caesars Rewards program.

Check Wyndham's status match page to see if there are any current offers up for grabs.

If there are available status match offers, you'll typically have to request it through Wyndham by providing proof of status in another program. The equivalent status you'll receive from Wyndham Rewards depends on which tier of enrollment you have in the program you're matching from.

Diamond, the highest tier of Wyndham elite status, could be worth the effort if you frequently stay at Wyndham hotels, you already have elite status in a partner hotel loyalty program or you want the Caesars benefits (including that Atlantis resort stay).

Luckily, the rewards aren't too hard to earn, especially compared to many other hotel loyalty programs that often require 50 or more days stayed per year to earn status. Staying five nights (which you need to earn Gold status) is pretty reasonable. The only reason NerdWallet recommends striving for Platinum status is to take advantage of that Caesars Rewards status match.

For what it’s worth, the Wyndham Rewards loyalty program generally offers flexibility when it comes to earning status as well as redeeming rewards, so it’s tough to knock it. Just keep in mind that Wyndham points expire after four years, so redeem your rewards to avoid losing them.