Wyndham Rewards Devaluation
Wyndham Rewards is making one of the biggest changes to its award chart in years. Beginning September 15, 2026, the program will expand from its current three-tier redemption system to four award tiers, introducing both cheaper and more expensive award options.
Currently, free nights cost 7,500, 15,000, or 30,000 points. Under the new structure, members will be able to redeem points at 5,000, 15,000, 30,000, or 45,000 points per bedroom per night.
According to an email sent to members (HT: Anna in our Facebook Group), the new 5,000-point tier means some hotels will become cheaper to book with points. However, Wyndham is also introducing a new 45,000-point tier for what it describes as “a small number of our most elevated hotels.”
The company says hotels will be redistributed across all four tiers. While many properties will remain at their current redemption level, some will move down in price and others will move up, with the majority expected to fall into the 5,000-, 15,000-, or 30,000-point tiers. But while it may start there, we all know that the top tier will eventually have more and more properties.
Wyndham says the changes reflect the growth of its portfolio over the past several years, which now includes significantly more upscale, lifestyle, and all-inclusive properties.
The announcement comes just days after Wyndham unveiled a major refresh of its co-branded credit card lineup, adding higher welcome bonuses, new coupons and higher annual fees. There’s also the brand new $395 Wyndham Rewards Earner® Premier Card.
Guru’s Wrap-up
I think we can confidently call this a devaluation. The addition of a 5,000-point redemption tier might see some properties drop by 2,500 points, but those are probably not the ones that most people are looking at. On the other hand, introducing a 45,000-point tier means Wyndham’s most desirable hotels will become 50% more expensive on points. That’s a huge jump.
We’ll have a better idea once Wyndham publishes the full list of hotels moving between tiers. If you have an upcoming award stay at a property that could move up, it may be worth locking in your reservation before the new pricing takes effect on September 15, 2026.
