A Credit Card I’d Never EVER Consider Now Becomes One on My Radar

Note: I do not have an affiliate relationship with this card.

Some exciting news just came out of the blue, and I just blogged about it earlier today. If you missed this truly ground-breaking news, you can catch it here. In summary, Wyndham Rewards is introducing flat-rate redemptions of 15,000 points at ALL of their properties starting May 11, 2015.

I really am excited about this launch, and I am already coming up with a points-maximizing strategy. I’ve already come up of a list of “aspirational” Wyndham properties that I’m considering (see below), but before that: I desperately need some Wyndham points.

Since a large chunk of my points and miles in general come from credit card sign-up bonuses, the first thing I did was took a hard look at the Wyndham Rewards Visa cards:

The cards above seem to be the best available public offers. The card on the left comes with a $69 annual fee and the potential to earn 3 free nights at ANY Wyndham property. The card on the right has no annual fee and the potential to earn one free night at ANY Wyndham property.

I’m really not a fan of paying annual fees, but paying $69 for 45,000 points and a very easy minimum spend requirement sounds like a no-brainer to me.

I can almost bet my bottom dollar that this credit card offer will disappear ASAP since it was obviously structured to compliment the OLD [and crappier] award chart:

I really haven’t done a round of applications in a while, and now that this one is on my radar, I’m thinking it might be time (I’m also considering the 60,000-point Southwest Business card).

Here are 5 Wyndham properties that caught my eye:

• Shelborne Wyndham Grand South Beach: I LOVE escaping to South Beach frequently with my Avios, but hotels are always pricey! 15,000 points a pop with no blackout dates is looking very delicious at the moment.
• Wyndham Istanbul Old City: This property seems like it’s in a great location in Istanbul and I definitely plan to visit again. The reviews on TripAdvisor look great too.
• Wyndham Koloa Landing at Poipu Beach Wyndham Grand Resort: Kauai is hard to find a deal at a nice hotel. I’ve heard great things about this property, and it’s fairly new.
• TRYP by Wyndham Times Square South: 15,000 points to stay at a new hotel in Times Square? Yes, please.
• Wyndham Bonnet Creek Orlando: In October, we took a family trip to Orlando and had such a great time that we’re looking to go back again in the fall. Though hotels in Orlando are generally inexpensive and plentiful, I wouldn’t mind checking out this resort.

What are your thoughts? Are you thinking about getting a Wyndham Visa as well? If so, what properties would you redeem your free nights at?

I think it’s so funny that I am not reconsidering a program that has once left a bad taste in my mouthing the past. I would have never thought in a million years I’d be considering a Wyndham Rewards credit cards… man, they must be doing something right….