Wyndham Rewards Earner® Premier Card Review

Overview

The Wyndham Rewards Earner Premier is the top-tier Wyndham card, at a $395 fee, and this is where I get skeptical. Wyndham is a budget hotel program, and paying a premium-card fee for a value-focused loyalty program is a tough sell unless you stay at Wyndham a great deal.

The earning and perks are fine, but $395 is a lot to spend chasing flat-rate budget award nights. For most Wyndham fans, a cheaper Wyndham card makes far more sense.

Our 2.5 out of 5 rating

Each score weighs the rewards rate, value after the annual fee, welcome offer, points flexibility, and perks, with every point valued at a flat 1 cent. This is our editorial assessment to help you compare cards, not a guarantee of approval or of the value you will get.

Rewards: how it earns

You earn 4x on gas, dining, and groceries, plus points and status perks at Wyndham. The rates match the mid-tier card, and while the status and award-night benefits are stronger, they are still tied to a budget program whose nights do not cost many points to begin with.

Brand and bonus rates: beyond the everyday categories above, this card also earns:

• 8x points on Hotels by Wyndham stays

Every point and mile above is valued at a flat 1 cent, the same honest standard we use for every card. Run your own spending through the calculator to see what this card would actually return for you.

Pros and cons

The welcome bonus

The welcome bonus is large: up to 120,000 points after meeting the higher spending and Wyndham-stay requirements. Generous, but it takes real spending to unlock.

Is it worth the annual fee?

The $395 fee is the problem. For a budget hotel program where award nights are already cheap, paying a premium fee rarely pencils out unless you are an extremely heavy Wyndham guest. Most people should choose the free or $75 Wyndham card and pocket the difference.

First-year value vs ongoing value

The welcome bonus makes year one the high point: roughly $1,705 in value once you count the bonus, this card’s rewards, and its credits, minus the $395 fee. After that, the honest figure is about $505 a year, so judge whether it earns its keep on the ongoing number, not the first-year headline.

*First-year value counts the welcome bonus, estimated rewards, and annual credits, minus the annual fee; ongoing value is a typical year after. Every point at a flat 1 cent, on average spending.

Benefits and protections

Beyond the rewards, the perks and protections worth knowing about include:

• Top-tier Wyndham Rewards Diamond status
• $100 annual Wyndham hotel credit after $100 in Wyndham spend
• Up to $120 per year in meal delivery credits ($10 per month)
• Complimentary Wyndham Rewards Insider membership and points that never expire
• $395 annual fee

Statement credits

• $100 annual Hotels by Wyndham statement credit (after $100 in Wyndham spend)
• $120 annual meal delivery statement credit ($10 per month)

Who should get it, and who should skip it

If you stay at Wyndham constantly and will squeeze every perk out of the premium tier, the Earner Premier can theoretically work, but that is a narrow group.

For nearly everyone else, the free Earner or the $75 Earner Plus delivers the same flat-rate budget nights for a fraction of the cost. Paying $395 for a value-hotel program is hard to recommend.

Frequently asked questions

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