The first day of 2014 Daily Getaways deals on Monday, May 19 are sets of Wyndham Rewards points for $6.00 per 1,000 points or $5.40 per 1,000 points when paying with American Express. This post explains why I think buying Wyndham Rewards points are a decent deal and why there will be far less competition to buy these points through Daily Getaways in 2014 compared to the past three years.
The main thing to know is these Wyndham Rewards offers are for points purchases and there is no restriction on how you use the points. The 2 nights at a Ramada for $240 is actually a purchase of 40,000 points. Ramada is simply brand advertising. When you buy Wyndham Rewards points through any of these five offers, the points are not limited to stays at Ramada hotels or any of the specific brands mentioned.
Analysis of the Wyndham Rewards points offers
Wyndham Rewards points are available through five different offers on Monday, May 19 at 1:00pm ET. Price is reduced 10% when paying with American Express.
The number of points varies for the other four offers, yet the price per 1,000 points is the same at $6.00 per 1,000 points or $5.40 with American Express payment.
Super 8 offer = 14,000 points
- 14,000 points for $84 ($75.60 Amex price).
- $6.00 per 1,000 points ($5.40 per 1,000 points Amex price).
- Purchase Limit 2 sets per member.
- Points expire 4 years from date of deposit.
- Points may be deleted after 18 months of no account activity.
Days Inn offer = 32,000 points
- 32,000 points for $192 ($172.80 Amex price).
- 450 sets available.
- $6.00 per 1,000 points ($5.40 per 1,000 points Amex price).
- Purchase Limit 1 set per member.
Ramada offer = 40,000 points
- 40,000 points for $240 ($216.00 Amex price).
- 440 sets available
- $6.00 per 1,000 points ($5.40 per 1,000 points Amex price).
- Purchase Limit 1 set per member.
Wingate offer = 60,000 points
- 60,000 points for $360 ($324 Amex price).
- 100 sets available
- $6.00 per 1,000 points ($5.40 per 1,000 points Amex price).
- Purchase Limit 1 set per member.
Wingate offer = 75,000 points
- 75,000 points for $450 ($405 Amex price).
- 200 sets available
- $6.00 per 1,000 points ($5.40 per 1,000 points Amex price).
- Purchase Limit 1 set per member.
A Wyndham Rewards member has the potential to buy a total of 235,000 points for $1,269. Most Wyndham hotels run 30,000 points per night, so that is $162 per night for a Wyndham hotel at 30,000 points.
Is this a good deal for points?
For me, the purchase of Wyndham Rewards points is a hotel rate discount. I have saved many hundreds of dollars on hotel stays buying points through the annual Daily Getaways.
Earlier this year when Wyndham Rewards was reassigning hotels to their nine tier reward chart, there was a mistake and I booked a 5-night stay in New York City for 70,000 points when the hotel should have been 150,000 points. That was just a lucky mistake for me getting a $250 per night hotel for 14,000 points which cost $75.60 in Daily Getaways last year.
Wyndham New Yorker at 14,000 points per reward night (Deal Gone) Loyalty Traveler March 5, 2014. I could not have taken advantage of this offer without my 2013 purchase of Wyndham Rewards points during Daily Getaways.
My great Wyndham Hotel stay last week on points.
Mills House Charleston, Wyndham Grand is a lovely upper upscale hotel where I stayed last week in South Carolina at 30,000 points per night when the rates were about $250 per night.
I definitely recommend this hotel in Charleston for its central location. I’ll write a review of the property this week. Here is an example of how buying Wyndham Rewards points can be a good deal for a hotel like The Mills House Charleston SC.
The Mills House, Wyndham Grand Charleston SC July 3 to July 7 four nights is 120,000 points or $950 for the stay when paying a prepaid nonrefundable rate and $1,271 after tax on a flexible rate allowing cancellation up to 48 hours before arrival with no penalty.
Buying 120,000 Wyndham Rewards points on May 19 will cost $648 with an American Express card next Monday. That reduces the rate by 30% for an award stay compared to the prepaid, nonrefundable rate.
There are Wyndham hotels and resorts around the world where these kind of values can be found.
Personally I tend to use my Wyndham Rewards points for hotels like Ramada where 14,000 points I can buy for $75 gets a free room night at a $130 hotel in some desert town of Utah or New Mexico or a resort spot like Bend, Oregon when road tripping in summer.
No airline miles competition this year for Wyndham Rewards
Wyndham Rewards points were the hottest deal around in 2011 and 2012 when points were sold for under $3.00 per 1,000 points. It was possible in 2011 and 2012 to buy 48,000 Wyndham Rewards points for $135 and exchange those points to 19,200 airline miles in American, Delta and United or other airline partners. You can see why Wyndham Rewards members snatched up all the sets of points within seconds.
In 2013 the price of points went to $6 per 1,000 points ($5.40 with American Express payment). Still, this meant a member could buy 100,000 points for $540 and exchange those points into 40,000 airline miles. Loyalty Traveler post: July 2, 2013 – 16,000 miles for $216 with Wyndham Points in Daily Getaways
Then, on January 31, 2014 Wyndham Rewards cut the exchange rate for points-to-miles by half. Now $540 to buy 100,000 points = 20,000 airline miles. Gone with the Wyndham Rewards: points-to-miles rate cut by half Jan 31, 2014.
Wyndham Rewards will not fly off the Daily Getaways shelf in 2014 now that they are not valued as cheap airline miles. This is good news for travelers who want to buy points for hotel rate discounts.
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Ric Garrido of Monterey, California is writer and owner of Loyalty Traveler.
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