I’ve earned lots of points this year from strictly fuel purchases on my Wyndham Earner Business Visa. I guess excessive spend on fuel should be expected when one lives in California…I’m going to be earning even more, with the soaring price of fuel. As my first account anniversary approaches, I found I have just enough points for two free night at the 15,000-point level. Things is, I have to use the Wyndham Earner reward night discount to book it.
I thought this would be as easy as finding the hotel I want to book, logging into my account, and booking. Turns out it’s not this easy.
How to Get the Wyndham Earner 10% Reward Night Discount
Wyndham Earner credit card holders get 10% off award nights, which is a nice discount. This applies whether you have the personal version of the card or a business Visa. But you can’t book online. Yes, in the 21st century, you have to call Wyndham. At least they tell you how to use your discount when you’re booking online. Call (866) 996-7937 to book an award using the Wyndham Earner reward night discount.
Luckily, the call was easy. I was quickly connected with a representative and was able to book in under 10 minutes. This is probably 8 minutes longer than it would have taken me online, though. This extra step was quite unexpected.
I ended up having to change the reservation, which required a second call. Luckily, this one was even quicker. And, twice, I was offered both a “discounted rental car” and the opportunity to listen to a timeshare deal. Not their words, but I knew exactly what “offer” I would be pitched.
Mixed Feeling on Unnecessary Extra Legwork
I’ll be completely honest in saying that I have a very different perspective on the steps required to book the Wyndham Earner 10% reward night discount than I have on booking difficult airline awards. With obscure airline programs, such as Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles, the booking difficulty is a barrier to entry. I see it as a plus for those able to do the legwork, and a guard against the program devaluing their sweet spot awards.
In the case of the card benefit, it’s a published perk. Why does it have to be this difficult?
The technology to allow online booking exists. Other hotel chains manage to let you use free night certificates and make discounted award reservations, including the ability to handle discounts. It seems this would be a pretty easy change. But maybe not worth the investment by Wyndham Rewards? It would certainly take the pressure off phone agents having to manage member calls.
Wyndham Earner Reward Night Discount: Final Thoughts
Or, maybe, the upside is getting agents to try to sell you a discounted car rental and connect you with another representative to try to sell you a timeshare. That is some incremental revenue, even if very few Wyndham Earner cardmembers take them up on it.
In any case, I hope that the Wyndham Earner Reward night discount becomes available to book online. At the rate that I earn points, I’ll be making at least a couple of these every year. Maybe more, if gas prices remain this painfully high.
1 comment