The Complete Guide to Wyndham Rewards Elite Status

If Wyndham is your hotel of choice when traveling for business or pleasure, joining the Wyndham Rewards loyalty program can help you unlock some small perks that make your stay a little more pleasant (at least, if you’re in the highest tier of elite status, Diamond).

Once you're enrolled in Wyndham's rewards program, you can work your way up to one of three Wyndham elite rewards tiers, which are Gold, Platinum and Diamond. But just how hard is it to do, and is it worth your time?

While Wyndham Rewards is far from the best hotel elite status programs out there, it can be worth pursuing Wyndham elite status particularly if you frequent Wyndham hotels. And with more than 9,000 hotels worldwide, it's very likely you would frequent what is one of the world's largest and most recognizable hotel brands.

We break down everything you need to know about Wyndham Rewards elite status, including how to earn it, what it's worth and how to flex your Wyndham status to receive Caesars Rewards status, too.

» Learn more: Your guide to the Wyndham rewards award chart

The higher your tier, the more benefits you'll receive as a Wyndham Rewards elite status member. Here's a look at some of the highlights of each status tier:

The most attractive benefit might be the accelerated rewards earnings on base points associated with each elite status tier. Normally on qualified stays, you'd earn 10 base points per $1 or 1,000 points — whichever is greater.

Once you've got Gold status, you'll earn a small points earning bonus, though it doesn't really become a meaningful boost until you've got Diamond status. You'll need a minimum of 7,500 points to book a free Wyndham award night (unless you're booking points and cash rates, which start at 1,500 points). So landing a 20% bonus each time you stay at Wyndham can help you rack up free award nights that much faster.

Wyndham Gold status

How to earn: Earn after staying 5 qualifying nights or automatically by holding the Wyndham Rewards Earner® Card, which has a $0 annual fee.

Estimated value per year of Gold status: $3

Accelerated earning rate: +10% points

Best benefit: Late checkout

Wyndham Platinum status

How to earn: Earn after staying 15 qualifying nights or automatically by holding the Wyndham Rewards Earner® Plus Card, which has a $75 annual fee.

Estimated value per year of Platinum status: $12

Accelerated earning rate: +15% points

Best benefit: Early check-in and Caesars Rewards status match.

Wyndham Diamond status

How to earn: Earn after staying 40 qualifying nights.

Estimated value per year of Diamond status: $802

Accelerated earning rate: +20% points

Best Wyndham Diamond benefits: Suite upgrades and welcome amenity at check-in.

» Learn more: The sneaky ways hotel programs can restrict 'free' award nights

The Wyndham Rewards program has four status tiers: Blue, Gold, Platinum and Diamond (though there are just three 'elite' status tiers, as everyone automatically holds Blue status simply by joining). There are three ways to earn elite status with Wyndham Rewards:

• Staying at Wyndham properties and earning qualifying nights.

• Matching your status through another hotel loyalty rewards program.

• Opening certain Wyndham credit cards.

Here's a breakdown of each method of earning Wyndham Rewards elite status.

Booking hotel nights

You can earn Gold, Platinum or Diamond status in Wyndham Rewards by booking a certain number of hotel nights in a calendar year.

Nights must be "qualifying nights," which basically means nights booked on employee discounts or certain promotions don't count. Additionally, nights booked through third-party websites and apps won't count toward elite status (only nights booked through WyndhamRewards.com count toward reaching the next status tier). In general, a qualifying night through Wyndham means a paid night during a qualified stay at a participating property, with an average daily rate of at least $25.

Here's how many nights you need to stay in a calendar year to earn each year of elite status:

Match elite status from other hotels to Wyndham

You can sometimes snag Wyndham Rewards elite status without booking any nights at all if you're an elite member in another participating hotel loyalty program.

Wyndham has been known to offer hotel matching in the past through other hotel loyalty programs including Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors and World of Hyatt.

Check Wyndham's status match page to see if there are any current offers up for grabs.

If there are available status match offers, you'll typically have to request it through Wyndham by providing proof of status in another program. The equivalent status you'll receive from Wyndham Rewards depends on which tier of enrollment you have in the program you're matching from.

Earn status with certain Wyndham credit cards

If you don't have any hotel stays lined up in the near future, there's an easier way to qualify for elite status. You can open one of two co-branded Wyndham Rewards credit cards to enjoy complimentary elite status. It's a hassle-free way to get access to elite benefits even if you're booking your very first stay.

Wyndham Rewards Earner® Card

• Annual fee: $0

• Automatic Gold elite status.

• Intro offer: Earn 30,000 bonus points, enough for up to 4 free nights after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 90 days.

Wyndham Rewards Earner® Plus Card

• Annual fee: $75

• Automatic Platinum elite status.

• Intro offer: Earn 45,000 bonus points, enough for up to 6 free nights after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 90 days.

» Learn more: Wyndham Rewards Visa review: Decent rewards for no fee

There is one benefit that's a bit tougher to quantify, as it doesn't even hold any value within Wyndham hotels. But, it might be the most valuable Wyndham elite status of them all: Caesars Rewards status match. If you have Wyndham Rewards Platinum or Diamond status, you're able to match your status in the Caesars Rewards program.

For those staying at Caesars Entertainment brands including Harrah’s, Horseshoe and Caesars Palace, which are properties found in major gambling destinations including Las Vegas and Atlantic City, this can be ultra-valuable.

Here's how it works:

Platinum benefits include complimentary parking at participating properties and a complimentary stay at The Atlantis, Paradise Island.

Diamond status can be incredibly worthwhile, with perks including:

• Free play during your stay at The Atlantis.

• A $100 celebration dinner at a Caesars restaurant.

• Waived resort fees.

To get in on the deal, you'll have to link your two rewards accounts. There's also some fine print to consider, like Caesars Rewards will not grant status to Wyndham Rewards members who came into the program from a tier match promotion.

But if you earn Wyndham status outright, then you can find yourself with some ultra-valuable Caesars benefits.

» Learn more: Best Caesars hotels in Las Vegas for all types of travelers

Diamond, the highest tier of Wyndham elite status, could be worth the effort if you frequently stay at Wyndham hotels, you already have elite status in a partner hotel loyalty program or you want the Caesars benefits (including that Atlantis resort stay).

Luckily, the rewards aren't too hard to earn, especially compared to many other hotel loyalty programs that often require 50 or more days stayed per year to earn status. Staying five nights (which you need to earn Gold status) is pretty reasonable. The only reason NerdWallet recommends striving for Platinum status is to take advantage of that Caesars Rewards status match.

For what it’s worth, the Wyndham Rewards loyalty program generally offers flexibility when it comes to earning status as well as redeeming rewards, so it’s tough to knock it. Just keep in mind that Wyndham points expire after four years, so redeem your rewards to avoid losing them.