Several months back, Wyndham Rewards announced that it would be implementing alterations to its award pricing. These updates are now effective as of today, so I want to examine how these modifications are applied in reality.
The program has transitioned from having an award chart with three tiers to one with four tiers — the least expensive properties have seen a price reduction of up to 33%, while premium properties have experienced a price hike of up to 50%.
Wyndham Rewards introduces changes to the award chart
Until now, Wyndham Rewards operated with three award pricing tiers for redeeming free night awards, with properties costing 7,500 points, 15,000 points, or 30,000 points per night.
That situation has changed. From September 15, 2026, we now have four pricing tiers, where hotels cost either 5,000 points, 15,000 points, 30,000 points, or 45,000 points per night.
As you can see, two tiers have stayed the same, properties in the lowest tier have seen a 33% drop in cost, and properties in the highest tier have gone up by 50%.
Now that the new pricing is active, what are we observing? The changes align with expectations. Wyndham properties typically regarded as superior, which usually require high cash payments, are now priced at 45,000 Wyndham Rewards points per night.
What I find particularly intriguing is the proportionate increases between the tiers. 15,000 amounts to three times the points of 5,000. 30,000 is double that of 15,000. 45,000 represents 1.5 times the points for 30,000. Thus, in terms of relative cost, the most notable shift is from the lowest tier to the second lowest tier.
I mention this because it’s remarkable that a hotel priced at $48 per night costs 5,000 points, whereas a hotel with a rate of $59 per night requires 15,000 points. Clearly, one offers a significantly better redemption value compared to the other (one is 23% more costly in cash, 200% more in points), something to consider when evaluating the program’s newly established sweet spots.
Additionally, below is the more premium of the two properties, boasting a 4.1-star rating, whereas the less premium variant has received a 1.4-star rating. YIKES.
Clearly, this isn’t great news, but it doesn’t come as a shock
To Wyndham Rewards’ credit, I value that the program gave advance warning about the pricing adjustments and continues to provide an award chart, a feature lacking in many hotel loyalty programs today (World of Hyatt is essentially the only other one). Furthermore, this marks Wyndham’s first introduction of a new award category since 2019, which is quite notable.
Wyndham Rewards stands out as the only major hotel loyalty program without any form of dynamic award pricing, meaning that you pay the same regardless of when you redeem. I conceptually appreciate this, as it can potentially deliver substantial value.
Wyndham Rewards stresses that these changes are part of its “commitment to simplicity and helping members make the most of their points.” It’s clear, however, that these adjustments are largely unfavorable:
– Properties priced at 5,000 points per night present an excellent value on points, even if they aren’t particularly desirable
– It appears that many hotels have moved from a rate of 7,500 points per night to 15,000 points per night, which signifies a substantial price hike
– Wyndham does not have a vast selection of aspirational properties, so a 50% increase in award pricing at premium properties restricts the potential to obtain great value
Regarding my assessment of Wyndham Rewards points, I previously valued them at 0.7 cents each, but I recently revised my evaluation to 0.6 cents each. With the current changes, that valuation might still be a touch high unless you’re mostly redeeming at properties priced at 5,000 points per night.
Final thoughts
Wyndham Rewards has revamped its award pricing for bookings effective September 15, 2026. On the positive side, the program retains an award chart with static pricing.
Wyndham has transitioned from three categories to four — while redemptions used to be priced at 7,500, 15,000, or 30,000 points per night, we now observe rates of 5,000, 15,000, 30,000, or 45,000 points. Naturally, it’s disappointing to witness a rise in costs for top properties.