Tag Archives: Wyndham Rewards

Are Daily Getaways Worth It Anymore?

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Old-timer travel hackers will remember the golden days when buying Wyndham points could mean ultra-cheap airline miles when Daily Getaways used to be interesting.  Those days are long gone and no further proof is needed than seeing 1143 Wyndham packages still for sale at 5pm EST.  I remember back in 2012 (before I started this blog) setting an alarm for 2am my time to get ready with browsers loaded to compete to buy Wyndham points and they would sell out in seconds.  Nowadays these point packages have such limited use and you can often find these hotels cheaper on online booking sites that it’s no longer worth it.  Sad!

 

Daily Getaways First 2 Weeks Announced

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In the past, Daily Getaways were one of my favourite ways to buy airline miles at very cheap prices.  Back in the day, you could acquire United, American, US Airways & other miles for around $7-8 per block of 1000 miles by purchasing Wyndham miles at Daily Getaways and then transferring them.

Last year the price was raised to around $13 per block of 1000 miles which still wasn’t bad if you live outside the USA and can’t manufacture spend. Earlier this year, Wyndham cut the transfer rate to airlines in half without warning which basically kills this deal as no one is going to pay $27 for 1000 miles unless they are desperate for a top up.  And most people can do a helluva lot better than a Super 8 if they have a budget of $84!

This year there isn’t much to interest eco-tourists.  I wouldn’t buy points for a hotel, I would rather use a portal such as Pointshound and have a wider choice.  Here are the first 2 weeks in case anyone is interested.  The only possible bargain I can see is Choice ONLY if you are going to use them in Europe.  Don’t bother using them in Australia, the rates are too high.  The program also has an annoying 60 window for booking hotel rewards which cramps the style of those who like to book early.

IHG Rewards are a good deal if you are planning to use them at an expensive place like Bora Bora, Paris or any of the 50,000 point properties which would cost $292.50 a night if you have an Amex.  Hilton is way too expensive, at that level I would be Pricelining for a 4 or 5* hotel.  Don’t bother!

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In past years I used to get up at 3am in Brisbane to buy these and they sold out in seconds.  This year, I’ll probably wake up at my normal time to see packages going begging.

United Airlines: Earn 25% More Miles When You Convert Points Into Miles

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This is one of those bonuses many of us wait for to get rid of those extra hotel points we may have accumulated but can’t use.  Since most of our travel is staying in eco-lodges where you can’t pay with points, we value airline miles more as we still need to get to the place!  So here’s the deal:

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Here’s the link to register if you didn’t get the email.  Make sure your transferred points earn at least 5000 miles or you won’t get the bonus.  The normal 5000 miles becomes 6250 miles with the 25% bonus.  This is a complete table of conversion rates.

  • Marriott – minimum conversion of 16,000 points to earn 5000 United miles plus bonus.
  • Hilton – minimum conversion of 50,000 points to earn 5000 miles plus bonus.
  • SPG – minimum conversion of 10,000 points to earn 5000 miles plus bonus.
  • IHG Rewards – minimum conversion of 30,000 points to earn 6000 miles plus bonus (can only do increments of 10,000 points)
  • Club Carlson – minimum conversion of 50,000 points to earn 5000 miles plus bonus.
  • Hyatt – minimum conversion of 12,500 points to earn 5000 miles plus bonus.
  • Choice – minimum conversion of 25,000 points to earn 5000 miles plus bonus.
  • Wyndham – minimum conversion of 16,000 points to earn 6400 miles plus bonus.  (2 x 8000 to 3200 fixed award level).

So is it a good value to make these conversions?  This is where you need to have an idea of how many hotel point redemptions you will be making in the next couple years or so and if you have enough points to do them with anything left over.  You may have a surplus of hotel points if you got the affiliate credit card or bought some on special during a promo.

Wyndham is currently selling their points with a 20% bonus.  This can work well if you need to top up your United account for an award.  For example:

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Buy 20,000 Wyndham points for $220 and get 4000 points as a bonus for 24,000 all up.  These 24,000 points convert in 3 x batches of 8000 (3 x 3200) so you end up with 9600 United miles.  Add on the 25% bonus and the final total is 12,000 United miles for your outlay of $220.

If you wanted to buy 12,000 United miles at the regular price, it would cost you $451.50 so you are buying them at less than half price.  I don’t advise buying miles on speculation as they could devalue before you get a chance to redeem them but this is a good way to top up for an award you will be redeeming soon.

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Wyndham Rewards – Best Uses for Eco-Travelers

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WHICH HOTELS DO THEY HAVE?

Wyndham Rewards is the frequent guest program of several different hotel chains.

Wyndham Hotels

The largest presence is in the USA with over 6500 hotels.  This can come in handy if you are connecting to an overseas flights and want a budget hotel for the night near the airport.  The odds are great that Wyndham will have several hotels near most major airports with free shuttles.

They also have a number of hotels overseas, some of which are in countries that will attract eco-travelers and birders.  I have highlighted these in yellow.

Wyndham Overseas Hotels

HOW MANY POINTS DO YOU NEED?

It varies widely depending on the chain.  Hotels overseas tend to be more expensive than those in the USA.

Wyndham Awards

For example, LAX has several hotels all ranging between 14,000 to 16,000 redemption.

Wyndham LAX Awards

Same hotels if you pay cash/credit – notice that they are not expensive!  Not a good use of points!

Wyndham LAX $$$

Now let’s look at Brazil as an example.  Most people will use Sao Paulo as an entry or exit point for Brazil and I do recommend spending your last night here to make sure you don’t miss your connection home.  Linhares is prime birding country but there are better options to stay which I will be blogging about later.  The Parana property is near Curitiba which also has good birding in the area.

Wyndham Brazil

HOW DO YOU EARN POINTS?

1.  Stay at Wyndham chain hotels.

Wyndham T&Cs

Wyndham T&Cs

2.  Get the credit card.

Wyndham Credit Cards

 

3.  Rent a car.

Wyndham Car Rentals

4.  Use their other partners.  Out of these 3, the rate for flowers is pretty bad compared to other programs.  The Energy one doesn’t look very good either.  The Liberty Mutual quote can get you 500 points within a month if you are trying to top up to another level.

Wyndham Other Partners

WHAT IS THE BEST USE OF WYNDHAM REWARDS POINTS?

The best use, especially for eco-travelers is transferring them to an airline.  Why?  Because in most countries, the Wyndham properties aren’t too expensive and Wyndham often has bonus promos going on.  You can acquire a lot of points very quickly.  I will blog about any promos that come up.   Here is the list of redemption to airline miles partners.  3 of our top 8 frequent flyer programs are available as transfer partners – American, United and US Airways.

Airline mileage transfer rates
8,000 Wyndham Rewards points = 3200 airline miles
17,500 Wyndham Rewards points = 7000 airline miles
30,000 Wyndham Rewards points = 12,000 airline miles

Wyndham Airline Mile Transfers

WYNDHAM’S SECRET WEAPON

This is not a hack or a trick, it is in the T&Cs of the Wyndham hotel program.  What this means, is when there is a very lucrative promo running and you don’t live near any Wyndham hotels, you can simply book ANY hotel participating in the promo, give your credit card to pay for it and then simply not show up!  I have seen some really good promos in the past such as one where you get 16,000 bonus points for staying at specified hotels that could be booked for around $60.  This gives a huge discount to buying airline miles if you maximize such a promo and transfer as I said above!  I will let you know when such promos are running.

Wyndham T&Cs

IN SUMMARY

I recommend that eco-tourists pay cash (credit card) if they are staying at a Wyndham hotel, accumulate the points and transfer to an airline.  The hotels that we would be using are generally not expensive so the airline miles are a much better value.

 

 

Hotel Point Earning Credit Cards USA Edition And Best Uses for Eco-Travelers

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This is a continuation of the Mileage Earning Credit Card post.  General advice for Americans about credit cards can be found there.

BEST HOTEL POINT EARNING CREDIT CARDS FOR ECO-TRAVELERS

CCs

Generally speaking, hotel point earning credit cards will be less valuable for eco-travelers than for mainstream tourists looking for elite status and 5 star accommodations.  The eco-lodges we are seeking won’t be affiliated with any of these programs.  There are a couple of good uses of hotel points.

  • Stays at gateway hotels in your departure city or the gateway city from where you will travel on to the rainforest, savannah or other habitat.
  • Hotel points can be converted into airline miles to top up your accounts so you can get a free ticket faster and signup bonuses really speed this along.

Here are my recommendations:

1.  Club Carlson Visa (blogged about here):  Issued by US Bank, several versions so choose the one that suits you best and you could get at least 2 free nights at any Club Carlson hotel.  My main interest in this card is the 50k after any first spend and second award night free so I will probably go for the Visa Signature in my next app-o-rama.  They have fairly decent transfer rates to airline miles and you can choose from 20 airline programs.  The best ones for eco-travelers are AA, BA, DL, UA and US.

2,000 points 250 miles
50,000 points 8,000 miles
100,000 points 18,000 miles

2. Priority Club Visa:   Issued by Chase, signup bonus is currently 60k after $1000 spend.  Historically, it’s gone as high as 80k with no minimum spend but all the Chase cards seem to have at least a $1000 in 3 month spend these days.  Annual fee of $49 is waived the first year but you get a free night certificate each year starting on your first anniversary so this card is well worth keeping.  I’m into my 3rd year with this card and have redeemed my free night at hotels that range between $160 and $230 a night.  Transfer rates to airlines are a flat 10k PC = 2k airline miles and their partners include AA, BA, DL, QF, SQ, US, UA, and DJ.

3.  SPG American Express:  Issued by American Express, signup bonus is usually 25k of which you get 10k after first spend and 15k after spending $5000 within 6 months.  They occasionally have specials where you get a total of 30k of which 20k requires the 5k spend.  Annual fee $65, waived first year.  Best values are Cash and Points redemptions which give a huge savings on regular hotel rates with fewer points than an outright free night redemption.  SPG has an amazing transfer program which is usually 1 SPG = 1 airline mile but if you transfer 20k, you get a bonus of 5k.  LOTS of partners but best ones for eco-travelers are AA, BA, DL, SQ and US.  In this case, UA is not a good option as the rate is only 2 SPG = 1 UA.

4.  Hilton Honors (several cards):  Hilton has cards issued by Citibank and Amex.  The Citicards have free night certificates or 40k sign up bonus and come in $95 annual fee/no annual fee versions.  The Amex cards give you 40k signup bonus  and come in $75 annual fee/no annual fee.  Minimum spends are between $750-$3000 in 3 months so you really need to compare all the cards on their site.  Transfer rates to airlines are very poor:  10k HH = 850 airline so only get  these cards if you want to use them for hotel rooms.

5.  Marriott Rewards Visa:  Reviewed by me and I can get you a nice bonus if you let me refer you to join Marriott Rewards.  See details on this post.  Issued by Chase, signup bonus 50k and one free night at Cat 1-4 after $1000 spend in 3 months.  Historical high 70k.  Annual fee $85 waived first year, and you receive an anniversary bonus of one free night stay at a Category
1-5 hotel every year.  Transfer rates to airlines is somewhat complicated so best to see it on their site.    AA is not a partner but eco-travelers may be interested in BA, UA, US, GOL (Brazil domestic flights), Avianca-Taca, LAN, Qantas.

6.  Hyatt Gold Passport Visa:  Issued by Chase, signup bonus is 2 free nights at any Hyatt worldwide after $1000 spend in 3 months.   People seem to find the best value in either Sydney or various European properties so limited usefulness to eco-travelers.  You get free night certificates, not points so you can’t use this signup bonus to transfer to airlines.

7.  Wyndham Rewards Visa:  Issued by Barclays, sign up bonus currently 16k, historical high 30k, no minimum spend, just “first purchase”.  Good transfer rates to airlines.  Wyndham properties are usually reasonably priced so I would just pay for hotels and transfer these points to an airline.  Rates are 8k Wyndham = 3200 airline, 17,500 Wyndham = 7000 airline, 30k Wyndham = 12k airline.  Best partners for eco-travelers:  AA, DL, UA, US.

8.  Choice Privileges Visa:  Issued by Barclays, sign up bonus 8k first spend, + 24k after using the card to pay for a stay at a Choice hotel.  No annual fee.  Transfers to airlines 5k Choice = 1k airline, partners include AA, DL, UA, US.

9.  Best Western MasterCard:  Issued by Barclays, signup bonus 16k after first spend, no annual fee.  Transfers to airlines 5k Choice = 1k airline, partners include AA, DL, US and Avianca LifeMiles.

I have put these credit cards in roughly the order of which I think they have value to eco-travelers.  People seeking elite status or stays at European and North American city properties would most likely prioritize cards in a different order.  If the SPG card didn’t have such a high spend requirement, I would have put it first but $5000 could be a challenge.  Please feel free to ask questions in the comments below.

Flexible Points Credit Cards

Hotel Chains

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These are the main hotel chains you will find at the typical gateway city.  In some cases, the parent company has several brands and they all use the same loyalty program.  I have provided links to the loyalty program on their website.  When you have a layover at a gateway city traveling to or from your destination, be sure to check if you can use your hotel points for a free night.  I generally try to stay as close to the airport as possible and get an early flight onwards but if the city interests you, you may want to layover a few days.

  • Accor:  Ibis, Mercure, All Seasons, Novotel, Sofitel
  • Best Western
  • Carlson Rezidor:  Country Inns & Suites, Park Inn, Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Radisson Hotels & Resorts  Tara’s Tips
  • Choice Hotels:  Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, MainStay Suites, Suburban Extended Stay,, Econo Lodge, Rodeway Inn and Ascend Collection
  • Hilton Worldwide:  Conrad® Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by HiltonTM, Embassy SuitesTM, Hampton Inn & Suites®, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Garden Inn®, Homewood Suites by Hilton®, Waldorf Astoria® Hotels & Resorts
  • Hyatt:  AmeriSuites, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, Hyatt Place, Hyatt Summerfield Suites
  • Intercontinental Hotels Group: Candlewood Suites, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Hotel Indigo, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Staybridge Suites
  • La Quinta Inns & Suites
  • Marriott:  Autograph Collection®, Courtyard by Marriott® , EDITIONSM, Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott® , JW Marriott® , Marriott® Hotels & Resorts, Renaissance® Hotels, Residence Inn by Marriott®, SpringHill Suites by Marriott®, TownePlace Suites by Marriott®, Marriott Executive Apartments®, Marriott Vacation Club® (mileage-earning stay)  Tara’s Tips
  • Starwood Hotels:  Aloft, Element, Four Points, Le Meridien, The Luxury Collection, Sheraton, St. Regis, W Hotels, Westin Hotels & Resorts
  • Wyndham:  Wyndham Hotels and Resorts®, Wingate® by Wyndham, Hawthorn Suites® by Wyndham, Ramada®, Days Inn®, Super 8®, Baymont Inn & Suites®, Microtel Inns & Suites®, Howard Johnson®, Travelodge® Knights Inn®, Tryp by Wyndham