Wyndham Rewards Earner® Premier Card
A $395-a-year hotel card from Barclays.
Rates, fees, and full terms are set by Barclays and can change. See current rates & fees on the issuer’s site, and always confirm the latest terms before applying.
Our review
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.
Think twice if: you are a typical Wyndham guest, since $395 is hard to justify for a budget hotel program.
Our 6.0 out of 10 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.
Earning rates at a glance
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.
| Category | Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hotels by Wyndham | 8x | Bonus category |
| Dining and restaurants | 4x | Bonus category |
| Groceries | 4x | Bonus category |
| Gas | 4x | Bonus category |
| Travel | 4x | Bonus category |
| Streaming | 1x | Base rate |
| Everything else | 1x | Everything else |
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.
Best ways to earn & redeem
Put your dining, groceries, and gas spending on this card to earn at its highest rates, and let a different card handle the categories it does not bonus. Its dining rate is among the stronger ones you will find in that category.
When you cash in, redeem the miles or points inside the single loyalty program this card is tied to. We value every point at a flat 1 cent, so treat any transfer upside as a bonus rather than the baseline — see what your points are really worth.
Pros and cons
- 4x on gas, dining, and groceries
- Stronger Wyndham status and award-night perks
- Large welcome bonus
- $395 fee is steep for a budget hotel program
- Points locked to Wyndham
- Cheaper Wyndham cards deliver most of the value
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
| Welcome bonus | Up to 120,000 points |
| To earn it | $6,000 in 120 days + $750 on Wyndham in 180 days |
| Est. first-year value* | $1,705 |
| Est. ongoing value / yr* | $505 |
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.
Alternatives to the Wyndham Rewards Earner® Premier Card
Pairs well with
The Wyndham Rewards Earner® Premier Card earns the most in its bonus categories, so pair it with a no-fee flat-rate card to cover everything it only earns a base rate on.
Frequently asked questions
Best-card guides featuring this card
Learn more
How does it rank for your spending?
Every card is ranked by what it actually returns on the way you spend. Run your numbers and see where the Wyndham Rewards Earner® Premier Card lands.
Calculate My CardOffer details verified against issuer sources as of November 2026. Editorial opinions are our own. Cardocrat values all points at a flat 1 cent and never inflates redemptions.
