# What Credit Card rewards do you get for paying your maintenance fees?



## cbyrne1174 (May 16, 2021)

The Wyndham credit card doesn't seem to have much value when I did the math, so I just use 2% cash back. My MF are going to be about $4200 a year on 742,000 points, which gives me back $84/year.


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## Rolltydr (May 16, 2021)

cbyrne1174 said:


> The Wyndham credit card doesn't seem to have much value when I did the math, so I just use 2% cash back. My MF are going to be about $4200 a year on 742,000 points, which gives me back $84/year.


I do the same as you. About 3-4 years ago, Wyndham/Barclays reduced the value of their card. At that point, I shopped around and settled on the Citi Cashback card which pays 2% back for all charges, regardless of type. My mfs are about $5800/yr and I get over $116 back on 779k points.


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## Mongoose (May 16, 2021)

For comparison.  If you have HICV, the IHG premier card is the way to go.  I get 10x points on MF's. So my $1900 yields 19,000.  You can get rooms starting at 10,000 per night. It also goes towards elite status with IHG.  On a similar topic we love our AMEX Gold for food and groceries its 4x the spend.


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## cbyrne1174 (May 16, 2021)

Rolltydr said:


> I do the same as you. About 3-4 years ago, Wyndham/Barclays reduced the value of their card. At that point, I shopped around and settled on the Citi Cashback card which pays 2% back for all charges, regardless of type. My mfs are about $5800/yr and I get over $116 back on 779k points.



That's the one I just got. My Capital One was downgraded to 1.5%


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## rickandcindy23 (May 16, 2021)

cbyrne1174 said:


> That's the one I just got. My Capital One was downgraded to 1.5%


The Venture card still gets 2% doesn't it?


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## rickandcindy23 (May 16, 2021)

Chase Sapphire Reserve is still our go-to card for maintenance fees and travel.  I have some huge points built up and used much of the points we had for home improvement purchases at Lowe's and Home Depot, plus I paid us back for our groceries this past year.  I still have over 600,000 points.  When I pay Vistana next month, it will be more.  I cannot seem to use the points for airfare through the Expedia Travel.  The value is not where it used to be.  Calling them is a nightmare of holding time.  I transferred a bunch of our points to Southwest to use that way.  So disappointing.  

We have the old Amex that is now Bonvoy.  I am considering the use of that card for our MF's next month.  Hotel points are not really something we use much.  I have to think this through.


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## hjsweet2002 (May 16, 2021)

We don't charge a lot so we use the Wyndham Barclay card.  We use it for the highest end Wyndham hotels like the Grands and stays at Wyndham resorts when available. It has been very useful when driving to and from Wyndham resorts.


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## HDiaz1 (May 16, 2021)

Chase UR points. I use the Chase Ink BP which gives me 3X points on all travel. I agree with you, I also have the Wyndham cc but I never use it.


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## paxsarah (May 16, 2021)

I too use the Chase Sapphire Reserve. However, since they upped their annual fee, I'm going to call and see if they'll give me a retention offer, otherwise I'll probably cancel it before it renews and get the Sapphire Preferred instead.


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## cbyrne1174 (May 16, 2021)

I also recently got the Amex Blue Cash preferred card. I almost never fly, only drive and rarely eat out. It gives me 6% back on groceries and 3% back on gas, so I am also able to save on more than just my maintenance fees. I also do have the 5% Walmart Card from Capital One, I just prefer to avoid Walmart for food when I can because it's usually to overpriced for what you get compared to Aldi. I think I'm going to go check out one of the Wilderness resorts next summer, so it's nice being able to get a little bit back on the cost of food and gas.


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## ausman (May 16, 2021)

cbyrne1174 said:


> The Wyndham credit card doesn't seem to have much value when I did the math, so I just use 2% cash back. My MF are going to be about $4200 a year on 742,000 points, which gives me back $84/year.




I just switched to a Bank Of America Rewards card which gives 3% back . You nominate the category between:

GasOnline ShoppingDiningTravelDrug StoresHome Improvement and Furnishings

I have two of these cards and keep one permanently as Travel (timeshares are classed as travel) and alternate the other depending on purchases. Can nominate once a month.

Prior to that I used a Wells Fargo Amex which also gives 3% back on travel. Both types of cards are no fee cards


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## Sandy VDH (May 16, 2021)

HGVC goes on the AMEX aspire, as paying MF triggers the $250 resort credit annual bonus.  I was going to drop this card because I wasn't getting use out of the travel $250 annual bonus component, but since they added the $20 a month on Restaurants I figured I would get 11 months X $20 or $220 worth from that.  If I get $130 worth of use out out of the $250 travel then it has paid for itself, and the rest becomes a bonus.  I have used $70 so far for baggage,  so it is likely going to happen.  That along with the free night make into +ve territory on Benefits vs Annual fee.

Everything else MF wise I put on the CSR card and get UR points.  Since it 3X for Travel (including most TS MFs payment) and then they offer 50% bump that is really 4.5X for most travel related items.  But since they have been allowing Groceries and Dining to also quality for this bump, I have not paid for groceries and eating out yet this year.  I had over 700,000 points that I had been saving up, so 100 points gets you $1.50 on the bumped up categories.  I usually only use UR points to purchase travel via the portal, but with no flying anywhere for 18 months I was glad they offered groceries and meals at the 50% bump.  I have book 2 airfares so far this year with the UR points as well.  This card is just the most flexible of all the card choices out there.  Love that about this card.


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## r4rab (May 17, 2021)

Sandy VDH said:


> HGVC goes on the AMEX aspire, as paying MF triggers the $250 resort credit annual bonus.  I was going to drop this card because I wasn't getting use out of the travel $250 annual bonus component, but since they added the $20 a month on Restaurants I figured I would get 11 months X $20 or $220 worth from that.  If I get $130 worth of use out out of the $250 travel then it has paid for itself, and the rest becomes a bonus.  I have used $70 so far for baggage,  so it is likely going to happen.  That along with the free night make into +ve territory on Benefits vs Annual fee.
> 
> Everything else MF wise I put on the CSR card and get UR points.  Since it 3X for Travel (including most TS MFs payment) and then they offer 50% bump that is really 4.5X for most travel related items.  But since they have been allowing Groceries and Dining to also quality for this bump, I have not paid for groceries and eating out yet this year.  I had over 700,000 points that I had been saving up, so 100 points gets you $1.50 on the bumped up categories.  I usually only use UR points to purchase travel via the portal, but with no flying anywhere for 18 months I was glad they offered groceries and meals at the 50% bump.  I have book 2 airfares so far this year with the UR points as well.  This card is just the most flexible of all the card choices out there.  Love that about this card.



Don't forget that the CSR card gives you $300 credit for travel purchases annually and MFs count as that. Also the $100 TSA credit every 4 years, Lyft bonuses (if that's your thing), Door Dash (have only used it for the $60 annual free credit), travel lounges and some other miscellaneous benefits (their trip delay and other insurances seem pretty good although I've never had need to use them. I find the Chase travel site to have cheaper air fares than the Amex rewards site (where I have a lot of points also) when comparing the same flights.

If you rent a car, this is definitely the card you want to put it on. While many/most cards have car rental insurance, it is secondary to your personal auto insurance. The CSR card has it as primary. I used to pay something like $20/rental to Amex for this. The Points Guy has some very good articles comparing various cards especially travel cards. While this one is expensive I find it very easy to get at least $300-$400 value out of it without even trying or performing any redemptions.


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## Sandy VDH (May 17, 2021)

r4rab said:


> The Points Guy has some very good articles comparing various cards especially travel cards. While this one is expensive I find it very easy to get at least $300-$400 value out of it without even trying or performing any redemptions.



I love my CSR card,  I would consider getting rid of my HH Aspire, but NEVER my CSR.


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## rickandcindy23 (May 17, 2021)

Sandy VDH said:


> I love my CSR card,  I would consider getting rid of my HH Aspire, but NEVER my CSR.


I agree with that.  I have the Aspire card and think it's very expensive for the little value I get from it, especially lately with the lack of travel and use of hotels.  It's crazy expensive to keep that one.  I love CSR.  Wyndham MF's on that one are a big plus.


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## cbyrne1174 (May 17, 2021)

Sandy VDH said:


> I love my CSR card,  I would consider getting rid of my HH Aspire, but NEVER my CSR.



The Chase SR card is mainly if you frequently fly correct?


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## Sandy VDH (May 17, 2021)

cbyrne1174 said:


> The Chase SR card is mainly if you frequently fly correct?



No it is very flexible and can be used for a number of different strategies.  I use it to pay my MFs (and also travel and dining) which give me 3X points, and with the 50% bonus to book travel (or right now dining or groceries) I get back 4.5% which is definitely one of the better reimbursements around.


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## VacationForever (May 17, 2021)

basham said:


> I just switched to a Bank Of America Rewards card which gives 3% back .


I have the BOA premium rewards and get an automatic 75% bump due to our relationship.  3.5 cents per dollar on all dining and travel, 2.6 cents per dollar on all other spendings.


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## jules54 (Jun 2, 2021)

Great info all. I assume CSR is Chase Sapphire Rewards correct? It’s time for a new credit card for me. Cancelled the Capitol One Savory as it paid 4% on dining out. Covid took care of that. The card itself was very cool made of some type of metal composite. Unfortunately not cool enough to cover the annual fee. Made some money the last few years, but now time to move on. Been using my Chase Ink for years for Wyndham fees 2%(points) and 5% on Cable,Cell Phone, Streaming type services.
Thought about trying the Wyndham Rewards Card did the math and Wyndham Maintenance fees pay between 4-6% and other Wyndham Hotels, gas.  We travel a lot needing nightly stays between resorts which use as low as 7,500 miles for free stays. A lot of Wyndham resorts are on the list some very reasonable like Avenue Plaza 15,000 pts per nite for 1 bedroom free with points. With bonus points for new users on the regular no yearly fee card I would get 130,000 pts the first year. With the Earner plus with 75.00 annual fee I would get 190,000  which would cover yearly fee with about 100.00 more remaining.
Does anyone use this card? Only makes sense if you pay Wyndhams Fees, and travel.


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## jules54 (Jun 2, 2021)

Oh no now I’m going have to go down the credit card Points research rabbit hole......help meeeeee


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## spackler (Sep 8, 2021)

I know the Barclays Wyndham credit cards aren't usually the first choice around here but the signup bonuses have gone up:









						[Expired] Barclays Wyndham Cards: Up To 90,000 Points [Last Day] - Doctor Of Credit
					

Barclays is offering increased bonuses on the Wyndham cards of up to 90,000 points




					www.doctorofcredit.com
				




Up to 8x points for spending at Wyndham properties...not sure if that includes maintenance fees, however.


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## jwalk03 (Sep 8, 2021)

jules54 said:


> Great info all. I assume CSR is Chase Sapphire Rewards correct? It’s time for a new credit card for me. Cancelled the Capitol One Savory as it paid 4% on dining out. Covid took care of that. The card itself was very cool made of some type of metal composite. Unfortunately not cool enough to cover the annual fee. Made some money the last few years, but now time to move on. Been using my Chase Ink for years for Wyndham fees 2%(points) and 5% on Cable,Cell Phone, Streaming type services.
> Thought about trying the Wyndham Rewards Card did the math and Wyndham Maintenance fees pay between 4-6% and other Wyndham Hotels, gas.  We travel a lot needing nightly stays between resorts which use as low as 7,500 miles for free stays. A lot of Wyndham resorts are on the list some very reasonable like Avenue Plaza 15,000 pts per nite for 1 bedroom free with points. With bonus points for new users on the regular no yearly fee card I would get 130,000 pts the first year. With the Earner plus with 75.00 annual fee I would get 190,000  which would cover yearly fee with about 100.00 more remaining.
> Does anyone use this card? Only makes sense if you pay Wyndhams Fees, and travel.



CSR is Chase Sapphire Reserve.  It’s a $550 annual fee but has a ton of great benefits so if you use it right it’s pretty easy to make-up the large annual fee.

As mentioned it provides PRIMARY rental car coverage so it’s always the best choice for a car rental.  (The Sapphire Preferred card also provides primary coverage and only has a $95 annual fee.)

The sign-up bonus is almost always higher on the Preferred than the Reserve card.  My wife just got a Preferred Card and got 100,000 UR points sign-up bonus.  The offer for Reserve was only 50k UR points.


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## paxsarah (Sep 8, 2021)

jwalk03 said:


> It’s a $550 annual fee but has a ton of great benefits so if you use it right it’s pretty easy to make-up the large annual fee.


Basically, the $300 travel credit (MFs count) makes it effectively a $250 annual fee for the Reserve. If you’re a big traveler, I think it’s pretty easy to make that up. That said, I did just cancel mine before my anniversary date to apply for the Preferred and its 100k bonus. Our traveling is pretty modest compared to some (we don’t fly a lot) so the Preferred should be the sweet spot for us.


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## rickandcindy23 (Sep 8, 2021)

We have been able to use the lounges lately, which has been great.  The CSR comes with that lounge benefit.  There was a great lounge at LAX.  It was actually the Alaska lounge.  

We ate in SFO at a couple of restaurants for free.  That was nice.

Before Covid, we were having a great time visiting the lounges, then they started limiting guests.  Now it seems almost back to normal.  We will see.


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## TheHolleys87 (Sep 9, 2021)

paxsarah said:


> Basically, the $300 travel credit (MFs count) makes it effectively a $250 annual fee for the Reserve. If you’re a big traveler, I think it’s pretty easy to make that up. That said, I did just cancel mine before my anniversary date to apply for the Preferred and its 100k bonus. Our traveling is pretty modest compared to some (we don’t fly a lot) so the Preferred should be the sweet spot for us.


So you dropped the Reserve and were then able to get the Preferred and the bonus? We have the Reserve; it’s in DH’s name and we just dropped me as an authorized user to save that fee. I wonder whether they’d give me the Preferred and the bonus if I applied.


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## r4rab (Sep 9, 2021)

TheHolleys87 said:


> So you dropped the Reserve and were then able to get the Preferred and the bonus? We have the Reserve; it’s in DH’s name and we just dropped me as an authorized user to save that fee. I wonder whether they’d give me the Preferred and the bonus if I applied.



We have the Reserve. My wife is still an authorized user. She just got the Preferred and we are working towards the bonus (100K points) on her card.


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## jwalk03 (Sep 9, 2021)

TheHolleys87 said:


> So you dropped the Reserve and were then able to get the Preferred and the bonus? We have the Reserve; it’s in DH’s name and we just dropped me as an authorized user to save that fee. I wonder whether they’d give me the Preferred and the bonus if I applied.



Yes- you can definitely apply and qualify for the bonus on the Preferred card.


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## paxsarah (Sep 9, 2021)

TheHolleys87 said:


> So you dropped the Reserve and were then able to get the Preferred and the bonus? We have the Reserve; it’s in DH’s name and we just dropped me as an authorized user to save that fee. I wonder whether they’d give me the Preferred and the bonus if I applied.


Yes, I dropped the Reserve, waited until after my next statement closed to be on the safe side, and then applied and was approved for the Preferred. (The bonus is listed as a benefit but we haven't finished the 3 months spend yet to receive it. It's been over 48 months since my Reserve bonus was earned.) I would guess that especially since you're no longer an authorized user on the other one, you should be able to get the Preferred with the bonus.


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## r4rab (Sep 9, 2021)

And then you transfer the 100K points to the Reserve account holder...


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## 90_Min_Sales_Pitch (May 7, 2022)

Here it goes, reviving an old thread.  Some excellent suggestions here, such as the CSR and CSP, as well as the BofA Premium and Customized Cash cards.  If you bank at Huntington or US Bank, there are a couple cards that offer 4% cash back on travel.  The Citi Custom Cash offers 5% on a variety of categories, including travel, limited to $500 in the top category of spend per month.

And for Wyndham:

Wyndham Earner = 2X on MF
Wyndham Earner+ = 4X on MF
Wyndham Business = ? (No multiplier listed in the terms and conditions, so I guess 1X)


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## cbyrne1174 (May 7, 2022)

90_Min_Sales_Pitch said:


> Here it goes, reviving an old thread.  Some excellent suggestions here, such as the CSR and CSP, as well as the BofA Premium and Customized Cash cards.  If you bank at Huntington or US Bank, there are a couple cards that offer 4% cash back on travel.  The Citi Custom Cash offers 5% on a variety of categories, including travel, limited to $500 in the top category of spend per month.
> 
> And for Wyndham:
> 
> ...


I tried using the citi custom cash for my MF and it doesn’t count as travel.


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## chapjim (May 7, 2022)

I'm not very creative but I'm loyal as can be.  I've been a member of Navy Federal Credit Union since 1974 and use their MasterCard for recurring payments like maintenance fees, insurance bills, etc., and their VISA card for other purchases.  I don't know what the cash back is but every now and then, when I've accrued enough points, I get a $500 VISA card and send it to one of my kids (kids are in their 40s).

I don't shop around for better rates because most likely, a better rate would mean less convenience.   NFCU is one of the great financial institutions in the country,.


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## Eric B (May 7, 2022)

chapjim said:


> I'm not very creative but I'm loyal as can be.  I've been a member of Navy Federal Credit Union since 1974 and use their MasterCard for recurring payments like maintenance fees, insurance bills, etc., and their VISA card for other purchases.  I don't know what the cash back is but every now and then, when I've accrued enough points, I get a $500 VISA card and send it to one of my kids (kids are in their 40s).
> 
> I don't shop around for better rates because most likely, a better rate would mean less convenience.   NFCU is one of the great financial institutions in the country,.



Well, you've got me beat by 7 years - I've only been a member for 41 years....


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## chapjim (May 7, 2022)

Eric B said:


> Well, you've got me beat by 7 years - I've only been a member for 41 years....



I opened a North Island FCU account in 1968.  My first ship was homeported at NAS North Island in Coronado.  Changed to NFCU in 1974 because is was way more convenient than NICFU.


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## Eric B (May 7, 2022)

chapjim said:


> I opened a North Island FCU account in 1968.  My first ship was homeported at NAS North Island in Coronado.  Changed to NFCU in 1974 because is was way more convenient than NICFU.



Thank you for your service!  Even though it was on a target instead of a boat….


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## WManning (May 7, 2022)

Sandy VDH said:


> No it is very flexible and can be used for a number of different strategies.  I use it to pay my MFs (and also travel and dining) which give me 3X points, and with the 50% bonus to book travel (or right now dining or groceries) I get back 4.5% which is definitely one of the better reimbursements around.


You can also get cash back, use points to pay credit card, 100,000 points will also get you $1250 in travel if booked on Chase site or transfer to Southwest or United 1:1. I like the use of it on rental cars where it is primary for insurance.


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## 90_Min_Sales_Pitch (May 7, 2022)

cbyrne1174 said:


> I tried using the citi custom cash for my MF and it doesn’t count as travel.



Interesting.  I wonder if it codes as something travel related by other cards?



chapjim said:


> I'm not very creative but I'm loyal as can be.  I've been a member of Navy Federal Credit Union since 1974 and use their MasterCard for recurring payments like maintenance fees, insurance bills, etc., and their VISA card for other purchases.  I don't know what the cash back is but every now and then, when I've accrued enough points, I get a $500 VISA card and send it to one of my kids (kids are in their 40s).
> 
> I don't shop around for better rates because most likely, a better rate would mean less convenience.   NFCU is one of the great financial institutions in the country,.



You are certainly not wrong.  Warren Buffet has used the American Express Green card for decades.  It would be a distraction, and cost him money, to focus on multiple cards.  For me, it is just a game that is enjoyable to play.



WManning said:


> You can also get cash back, use points to pay credit card, 100,000 points will also get you $1250 in travel if booked on Chase site or transfer to Southwest or United 1:1. I like the use of it on rental cars where it is primary for insurance.



We've been more loyal to American Express, but I am considering the new Ink Premier card from Chase.  Capital One Venture X and Spark Business also have primary insurance.  This perk is underrated IMO, especially for those of us who fly in to rent a car, even if only once a year.


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## chapjim (May 7, 2022)

Eric B said:


> Thank you for your service!  Even though it was on a target instead of a boat….



And thank you for yours and I'm happy for you that nobody left any doors open.


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## cbyrne1174 (May 7, 2022)

90_Min_Sales_Pitch said:


> Interesting.  I wonder if it codes as something travel related by other cards?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Timeshares are excluded from the travel category for the custom cash card. I use my citi double cash for maintenance fees, and my custom cash/Walmart card for groceries. Both give me 5% back on my food, but the Walmart one only works if you do grocery pickup.


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## r4rab (May 9, 2022)

My time share MFs earn 3x points on my CSR and are flagged as travel-related.


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## OutSkiing (May 10, 2022)

I use the Barclays Wyndham Rewards Earners card without the $75 fee to pay maintenence fees. Being a platinum card owner gets 20% bonus points earned and also 20% discounts .. on reservations made with WR points. We make good use of this for overnight stays on driving trips and for occational Wyndham Grand type stays.

Also, if you sit through a Wyndham sales update you can get up to 25,000 WR points which can add quite a lot.

Bob


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## HitchHiker71 (May 12, 2022)

OutSkiing said:


> I use the Barclays Wyndham Rewards Earners card without the $75 fee to pay maintenence fees. Being a platinum card owner gets 20% bonus points earned and also 20% discounts .. on reservations made with WR points. We make good use of this for overnight stays on driving trips and for occational Wyndham Grand type stays.
> 
> Also, if you sit through a Wyndham sales update you can get up to 25,000 WR points which can add quite a lot.
> 
> Bob



I routinely get 45-60k WR points for attending sales updates.  25k is low - the lowest I've ever received is 30k WR points.  Sometimes I'll take 15-20k WR if I'm also getting a gift card or another perk.  Hold out for more WR points - they will almost always give you more than 30k if you hold out especially if this is the only perk you're asking for to attend a sales update.


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## 90_Min_Sales_Pitch (Jun 9, 2022)

90_Min_Sales_Pitch said:


> Here it goes, reviving an old thread.  Some excellent suggestions here, such as the CSR and CSP, as well as the BofA Premium and Customized Cash cards.  If you bank at Huntington or US Bank, there are a couple cards that offer 4% cash back on travel.  The Citi Custom Cash offers 5% on a variety of categories, including travel, limited to $500 in the top category of spend per month.
> 
> And for Wyndham:
> 
> ...



I tested the Wyndham Business Credit Card, it earns nothing on maintenance fees.  We've set the Wyndham Earner+ for automatic payments.


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## weemoeway (Jun 27, 2022)

I am thinking about finally getting Earner, or Earner+. There is actually a button option in Barclays to initiate the upgrade to Earner. Additionally, a similar upgrade to + is offered in the main menu, Offers section. I am wondering if it's safer to apply for a new Earner card (I believe I can specify to tie in my current WR Member account), then cancel the old card, instead of doing the upgrade, as I am looking for a seamless transition.

Earner is auto Gold and I am currently Platinum. Is it wrong to think there is a possibility they could botch up my status?

Also, there is the message that gives me additional possible concern:

*When you update your account to the Wyndham Rewards Earner® Card, you will no longer be eligible to receive earn benefits associated with your current Wyndham Account.*

I am still in no big hurry to get Earner or +. I actually have 2 Wyndham CCs, as one gets 3pts for timeshare MF. Neither Earner cards seem to match that. The other card is the one I would swap for Earner. I have no particular need to keep that CC#, as it isn't my oldest.

Ultimately I want to wait until I will likely be able to easily do the "spend $1000 in 90 days for x bonus points."


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## 90_Min_Sales_Pitch (Jun 28, 2022)

weemoeway said:


> I am thinking about finally getting Earner, or Earner+. There is actually a button option in Barclays to initiate the upgrade to Earner. Additionally, a similar upgrade to + is offered in the main menu, Offers section. I am wondering if it's safer to apply for a new Earner card (I believe I can specify to tie in my current WR Member account), then cancel the old card, instead of doing the upgrade, as I am looking for a seamless transition.
> 
> Earner is auto Gold and I am currently Platinum. Is it wrong to think there is a possibility they could botch up my status?
> 
> ...



I upgraded from the old Wyndham Card to Earner+, and had not hiccups with my existing Wyndham Account.  Maybe they're referring to benefits from your old card?  Earner+ gets 4pts for timeshare MF, where Earner gets 3.  These cards will not downgrade your status if you've exceeded what they offer automatically.


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## weemoeway (Jun 28, 2022)

90_Min_Sales_Pitch said:


> I upgraded from the old Wyndham Card to Earner+, and had not hiccups with my existing Wyndham Account.  Maybe they're referring to benefits from your old card?  Earner+ gets 4pts for timeshare MF, where Earner gets 3.  These cards will not downgrade your status if you've exceeded what they offer automatically.



I am happy to hear that. It makes me feel better. 

I just now looked at the T&C for both, and regular Earner seems to be 2pts for MF right now. Plus does show 4pts. I didn't notice that before, as it didn't show on the brief comparison page.

Since I am leaning towards Plus, I suppose I will be able to actually consolidate into one card!


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## Jan M. (Jun 28, 2022)

We're still using our Costco Visa for our maintenance fees and I'm trying to figure out if there's a different card we'd be better off using. I'm more interested in the cash back. We stay in hotels so seldom that getting reward points isn't a big consideration.

I've heard that the Chase Sapphire card is the best one to have. How does it compare to this Wyndham card? Is there another card that's better than either?


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## 90_Min_Sales_Pitch (Jun 28, 2022)

Jan M. said:


> We're still using our Costco Visa for our maintenance fees and I'm trying to figure out if there's a different card we'd be better off using. I'm more interested in the cash back. We stay in hotels so seldom that getting reward points isn't a big consideration.
> 
> I've heard that the Chase Sapphire card is the best one to have. How does it compare to this Wyndham card? Is there another card that's better than either?



Honestly, Costco is a decent card for travel at 3%.  It can be difficult to jump up to 4% without bank loyalty and/or an annual fee.  The Chase Sapphire Preferred is a great card, but not the strongest for travel expense.   I would only recommend the Wyndham Card in your case, unless you wanted to redeem at Wyndham timeshare locations, which can be limited.   Since we've only got a couple small contracts, this is still useful for us, such as 3 nights in August in Kauai, and 4 nights in September in Scottsdale.


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## weemoeway (Aug 11, 2022)

weemoeway said:


> I am happy to hear that. It makes me feel better.
> 
> I just now looked at the T&C for both, and regular Earner seems to be 2pts for MF right now. Plus does show 4pts. I didn't notice that before, as it didn't show on the brief comparison page.
> 
> Since I am leaning towards Plus, I suppose I will be able to actually consolidate into one card!



Just to beat a dead horse...

I was about to do the Earner+ upgrade, but noticed the bonus offer to get 60k WR points after spending $1,000 in the first 90 days is only available if I open a new card. A call to someone in the Philippines confirmed my suspicion.

I think the main downside to Earner/+ is that neither gives 2pts for all other spend. I noticed one of my other WR cards does, so it looks like I will end up keeping that one.


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## HitchHiker71 (Aug 11, 2022)

weemoeway said:


> Just to beat a dead horse...
> 
> I was about to do the Earner+ upgrade, but noticed the bonus offer to get 60k WR points after spending $1,000 in the first 90 days is only available if I open a new card. A call to someone in the Philippines confirmed my suspicion.
> 
> I think the main downside to Earner/+ is that neither gives 2pts for all other spend. I noticed one of my other WR cards does, so it looks like I will end up keeping that one.



You can simply apply for the new Wyndham affinity card on the website as opposed to converting your existing card - then cancel your existing legacy Wyndham affinity card once you get everything moved to the new Earners+ card - this way you are creating a net new credit card account and will receive the 60k WR points after spending $1000 within 90 days.


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## DTKENT1 (Aug 11, 2022)

HitchHiker71 said:


> I routinely get 45-60k WR points for attending sales updates.  25k is low - the lowest I've ever received is 30k WR points.  Sometimes I'll take 15-20k WR if I'm also getting a gift card or another perk.  Hold out for more WR points - they will almost always give you more than 30k if you hold out especially if this is the only perk you're asking for to attend a sales update.


Do you only earn the points with the credit card? How do they know when you do an owner update??


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## HitchHiker71 (Aug 11, 2022)

DTKENT1 said:


> Do you only earn the points with the credit card? How do they know when you do an owner update??



I generate WR points via a combination of using the Earners+ card for almost everything (I average between 15-20k points earned per month - sometimes as low as 10k), and attending sales update meetings periodically.  We don't attend updates as much these days for various reasons, but we still attend them occasionally.  At the larger resort sales locations like NH or TOTG I won't attend for less than 60k WR points.  At the smaller resort locations I'll start at 45k WR points - which is almost always never initially approved at the desk - but then I miraculously get a phone call shortly after we get to our room that my request has been approved.  We haven't been burning a ton of WR points for travel the past several months - so I don't feel the need to attend updates when we don't need the points.  I'm currently sitting at 381k WR points in our account - and that's after burning through most of what we'll use for CY 2022 to send our kids on their vacations in areas where timeshares don't have much availability (such as VA beach where our daughter prefers to go).  

I'm not sure what you're asking about how do they know when you do an owner update?  What are you trying to ascertain with this question?


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## DTKENT1 (Aug 11, 2022)

HitchHiker71 said:


> I generate WR points via a combination of using the Earners+ card for almost everything (I average between 15-20k points earned per month - sometimes as low as 10k), and attending sales update meetings periodically.  We don't attend updates as much these days for various reasons, but we still attend them occasionally.  At the larger resort sales locations like NH or TOTG I won't attend for less than 60k WR points.  At the smaller resort locations I'll start at 45k WR points - which is almost always never initially approved at the desk - but then I miraculously get a phone call shortly after we get to our room that my request has been approved.  We haven't been burning a ton of WR points for travel the past several months - so I don't feel the need to attend updates when we don't need the points.  I'm currently sitting at 381k WR points in our account - and that's after burning through most of what we'll use for CY 2022 to send our kids on their vacations in areas where timeshares don't have much availability (such as VA beach where our daughter prefers to go).
> 
> I'm not sure what you're asking about how do they know when you do an owner update?  What are you trying to ascertain with this question?


I guess I'm asking how the points get applied? I just attended an owner update yesterday here at seawatch and no one asked if I had a card or about applying points. They just gave me my 150$ Amex gift card and thats it. I guess I just don't see the connection as the card is technically a WR card not timeshare points. I may just be confused.


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## HitchHiker71 (Aug 11, 2022)

DTKENT1 said:


> I guess I'm asking how the points get applied? I just attended an owner update yesterday here at seawatch and no one asked if I had a card or about applying points. They just gave me my 150$ Amex gift card and thats it. I guess I just don't see the connection as the card is technically a WR card not timeshare points. I may just be confused.



They give you a small foldable brochure - similar in size to a small greeting card - that is provided by the Wyndham Hotels system.  This card contains a code and a website link that you use to add/redeem the agreed upon WR points grant within your WR account.  You must have an active WR account to do this.  You can also use the WR mobile app for this redemption process.


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## Eric B (Aug 11, 2022)

They usually email me in parallel with giving me the pamphlet.


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## HitchHiker71 (Aug 11, 2022)

Eric B said:


> They usually email me in parallel with giving me the pamphlet.



Interesting - I've always just received the small pamphlet - never received an email - I will have to remember to ask about the email next time.


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## r4rab (Aug 11, 2022)

Personally, I always will go for the Amex card (minimum of $150) for an update. We have not had such good luck with the quality of the Wyndham hotel brands and the points are not really so good for other things (although I did use many for MFs a while back since they were going to expire). Also WR points expire 4 years after earning them. For MFs we use a different travel card whose points can be redeemed for various hotel stays & airlines. I suggest looking at the Chase Sapphire cards. Or take a look at a cash back cc. A key point can be whether or not the card issuer puts MFs in the travel expense category.


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## DTKENT1 (Aug 11, 2022)

HitchHiker71 said:


> They give you a small foldable brochure - similar in size to a small greeting card - that is provided by the Wyndham Hotels system.  This card contains a code and a website link that you use to add/redeem the agreed upon WR points grant within your WR account.  You must have an active WR account to do this.  You can also use the WR mobile app for this redemption process.


interesting...... I do have an account and it is active as I travel for work and use the account to aquire points. But I've never been given anything like this. I have from the last two updates attended amex authorization paper and a scrap piece of paper they wrote date time and salesmans name nothing more. This happend in smoky mountains last fall and here at the beach yesterday. I'm going to go and inquire about it before I leave. 

Thank you for all the help.


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## HitchHiker71 (Aug 11, 2022)

DTKENT1 said:


> interesting...... I do have an account and it is active as I travel for work and use the account to aquire points. But I've never been given anything like this. I have from the last two updates attended amex authorization paper and a scrap piece of paper they wrote date time and salesmans name nothing more. This happend in smoky mountains last fall and here at the beach yesterday. I'm going to go and inquire about it before I leave.
> 
> Thank you for all the help.



These days they seem to always default to the AMEX gift cards and they don't mention WR points as often nowadays at least IME.  We do take the AMEX gift cards on occasion - or we choose local incentives such as free parking (NH), or free tickets to local entertainment venues (such as Busch Gardens when in Williamsburg).  You have to choose and agree upon your gift before attending the sales update - if you already accepted the AMEX gift card - you're not going to be able to swap it out for WR points after the fact.


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## HitchHiker71 (Aug 11, 2022)

r4rab said:


> Personally, I always will go for the Amex card (minimum of $150) for an update. We have not had such good luck with the quality of the Wyndham hotel brands and the points are not really so good for other things (although I did use many for MFs a while back since they were going to expire). Also WR points expire 4 years after earning them. For MFs we use a different travel card whose points can be redeemed for various hotel stays & airlines. I suggest looking at the Chase Sapphire cards. Or take a look at a cash back cc. A key point can be whether or not the card issuer puts MFs in the travel expense category.



We have certain hotels that we always stay at every year - particularly locally in OCMD area.  There are two HoJo's hotels in OCMD that are just your average hotels, but they are oceanfront so it's all about the view really.  As Diamond WR members we also get free suite upgrades and we get to choose our room numbers (which we always do at the hotels we frequent).  There's also Vacasa which is worth checking out - as you can use your points to rent vacation homes with your WR points.  We haven't done this firsthand yet but it's on our list to do soon.


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## DTKENT1 (Aug 11, 2022)

HitchHiker71 said:


> These days they seem to always default to the AMEX gift cards and they don't mention WR points as often nowadays at least IME.  We do take the AMEX gift cards on occasion - or we choose local incentives such as free parking (NH), or free tickets to local entertainment venues (such as Busch Gardens when in Williamsburg).  You have to choose and agree upon your gift before attending the sales update - if you already accepted the AMEX gift card - you're not going to be able to swap it out for WR points after the fact.


Gotcha. Thank you again.


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## hjsweet2002 (Aug 11, 2022)

We use the Wyndham Earners reward card for all our charges.  Our monthly bill. Usually runs about 2500-3000 a month.  We use the reward points for hotels as we travel to and from resorts.  We usually only use the free hotels when hotel prices range over 150 per night.  We are staying in Quincy MA for three nights free where as it wold cost about 170 a night or a savings of about 500.  We have used it also to book nights at Wyndham resorts such as Inn on Long Wharf in Newport RI.


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## auntiepen (Aug 11, 2022)

paxsarah said:


> Basically, the $300 travel credit (MFs count) makes it effectively a $250 annual fee for the Reserve. If you’re a big traveler, I think it’s pretty easy to make that up. That said, I did just cancel mine before my anniversary date to apply for the Preferred and its 100k bonus. Our traveling is pretty modest compared to some (we don’t fly a lot) so the Preferred should be the sweet spot for us.



I assume that if you use CSR to pay for Wyndham maintenance fee you will get credit of $300 from the card company as it considered as travel credit $300?  I wonder why the Amex platinum doesn’t consider the maintenance fee as travel expenses


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## r4rab (Aug 12, 2022)

auntiepen said:


> I assume that if you use CSR to pay for Wyndham maintenance fee you will get credit of $300 from the card company as it considered as travel credit $300?  I wonder why the Amex platinum doesn’t consider the maintenance fee as travel expenses


Check out the differences between the Amex Platinum & Chase Sapphire Reserve on The Points Guy website. The CSR card is very broad in its categorization of travel expenses. The Amex card is much more restrictive. I believe (going from memory) you must designate an airline each year and that is where the travel credit applies.


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## jules54 (Aug 12, 2022)

We took a few updates in 2021 and they offered the Rewards points plus some other items. I agreed with HH always ask for a higher amount and they will say no, but someone will call your room later and raise the stakes. When I took the reward points I had to go back to the desk at 2 different resorts to have them added. The sales department was doing it then. Some resorts ask for a deposit before the presentation and then refund your credit card after you have taken the update. Incentive to show up. In New Orleans at Avenue Plaza I had to go to the sales desk check in to get my credit card refundEd. That stuff wears me out, but my warning here is to double check everything that sales said they would do before you leave the resort. Some resorts I must be on the do not tour list as first they check the list and then give brochures of the area.


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## HitchHiker71 (Aug 12, 2022)

jules54 said:


> We took a few updates in 2021 and they offered the Rewards points plus some other items. I agreed with HH always ask for a higher amount and they will say no, but someone will call your room later and raise the stakes. When I took the reward points I had to go back to the desk at 2 different resorts to have them added. The sales department was doing it then. Some resorts ask for a deposit before the presentation and then refund your credit card after you have taken the update. Incentive to show up. In New Orleans at Avenue Plaza I had to go to the sales desk check in to get my credit card refundEd. That stuff wears me out, but my warning here is to double check everything that sales said they would do before you leave the resort. Some resorts I must be on the do not tour list as first they check the list and then give brochures of the area.



Starting in 2022 (perhaps even in the last half of 2021), we now receive the gifts up front before attending the sales update - right when we check in at the front desk to attend the sales update itself.  The WR points redemption codes haven't always been activated at that time though - it seems to depend on the resort.  I have literally been sitting in the sales update and have tried to redeem the WR points codes and some have worked right then - others failed but then worked later the same day.  I've also noticed more resorts asking for a credit card deposit - which we usually refuse to give - IME they won't require the credit card deposit even if they act like it's a requirement - it's really just a tool to ensure you actually show up.  We have rarely canceled attending an update once we agree to do so, so for us I've never had the parking pass marketing reps outright refuse to allow us to attend a sales update without a deposit on a credit card.


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## DTKENT1 (Aug 12, 2022)

HitchHiker71 said:


> Starting in 2022 (perhaps even in the last half of 2021), we now receive the gifts up front before attending the sales update - right when we check in at the front desk to attend the sales update itself.  The WR points redemption codes haven't always been activated at that time though - it seems to depend on the resort.  I have literally been sitting in the sales update and have tried to redeem the WR points codes and some have worked right then - others failed but then worked later the same day.  I've also noticed more resorts asking for a credit card deposit - which we usually refuse to give - IME they won't require the credit card deposit even if they act like it's a requirement - it's really just a tool to ensure you actually show up.  We have rarely canceled attending an update once we agree to do so, so for us I've never had the parking pass marketing reps outright refuse to allow us to attend a sales update without a deposit on a credit card.


Yes it's weird how they operate.... Tenn they took a deposit refused us without it. They called several times till we gave in. Tenn also didn't give gifts until the end of out 60 minutes that ended up being 2 hours as they said sorry it was on us for asking questions. lol Then here in myrtle they asked I refused the deposit on the card (as I am still trying to get mine refunded from tenn) but they said no worries be there at 1:30. But we received gifts upfront Luke you noted but Tenn did it at the end. My question is could there be a diffrence depending on the resort ypu are in?


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## troy12n (Aug 12, 2022)

I use the Wyndham Rewards Visa to do my MF, because you get 4x WR points for anything Wyndham. I am curious if after this new "Paymentus" cutover if we still get the bonus WR points. 

When I paid off my loan, I paid it off using the WR card and got something like 250,000 WR points out of it. Had to make several transactions and paid it off in full via wire transfer in the course of a month, but it was so nice getting out of that garbage loan.


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## 90_Min_Sales_Pitch (Aug 14, 2022)

r4rab said:


> Check out the differences between the Amex Platinum & Chase Sapphire Reserve on The Points Guy website. The CSR card is very broad in its categorization of travel expenses. The Amex card is much more restrictive. I believe (going from memory) you must designate an airline each year and that is where the travel credit applies.



You choose an airline, and it only counts towards incidentals, such as food, luggage, change fees, etc.  I have the Hilton Aspire which has a similar credit, and so far have only redeemed $22.50 this year.  In hind sight I should have picked Hawaiian Airlines, it would have saved us $120 in bag fees from one island hop!


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## callwill (Aug 14, 2022)

DTKENT1 said:


> Yes it's weird how they operate.... Tenn they took a deposit refused us without it. They called several times till we gave in. Tenn also didn't give gifts until the end of out 60 minutes that ended up being 2 hours as they said sorry it was on us for asking questions. lol Then here in myrtle they asked I refused the deposit on the card (as I am still trying to get mine refunded from tenn) but they said no worries be there at 1:30. But we received gifts upfront Luke you noted but Tenn did it at the end. My question is could there be a diffrence depending on the resort ypu are in?


Which resort in TN? Visiting Nashville end of september and wondering what to expect...


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## Breezy52 (Aug 14, 2022)

I like to play the credit card game for larger bonuses.  When I see a large bonus on a card I like, I pay whatever is left on my maintenance fees with the new card to get to the required spending.  Then I look at what cards I might drop.  This year we got 2 chase cards, Marriott and Sapphire Preferred.  It may not be the best way to go but I prefer getting the spend out of the way.


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## callwill (Aug 14, 2022)

I used to get the spend out of the way pretty quickly when i had kids in college and tuition was due...


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## DTKENT1 (Aug 14, 2022)

callwill said:


> Which resort in TN? Visiting Nashville end of september and wondering what to expect...


sorry was smoky mountains Sevierville


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## echino (Aug 15, 2022)

3% cash back


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## 90_Min_Sales_Pitch (Oct 7, 2022)

I'm not sure if this card will count MF as travel, but I'm definitely interested regardless.

Synovus Travel Rewards Visa

5x points on up to $5,000 annually in net spend for travel purchases, including hotel, airlines, car rental, and vacation packages
3x points on up to $3,000 in net spend quarterly for purchases in a Dynamic Earn category of your choice (gas set as default)
Your points are worth 20% more when redeemed for travel rewards.
Pay no annual membership fee for the first year. Just $50 per year afterward.


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