Wyndham Rewards Adding a Fourth Award Tier: Lowest Tier Is Cheaper, Top Tier Is More Expensive

Updated: June 25, 2026, 9:30am CDT

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Table of Contents

What’s Changing With Wyndham Rewards?
Why This Matters
Final Thoughts

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Wyndham Rewards is making its biggest structural change since launching its fixed-tier award chart in 2019. Starting September 15, 2026, the program will expand from 3 redemption tiers to 4.

Depending on where the hotels you care about land, that’s either good news or a reason to book soon before pricing changes.

What’s Changing With Wyndham Rewards?

The current Wyndham Rewards award chart tops out at 30,000 points per night, with the lowest tier sitting at 7,500 points. Here’s how things will look after September 15:

5,000 points (new lowest tier, down from 7,500)
15,000 points (unchanged)
30,000 points (unchanged)
45,000 points (new highest tier)

The biggest win for most members is the lower starting price in the lowest category. Free nights will now start at 5,000 points instead of 7,500. That’s a genuine improvement, especially for anyone holding a modest stash of points and booking one of the program’s many budget-friendly properties.

Wyndham Southbury exterior — Wyndham Southbury. Image Credit: Jessica Merritt

The new 45,000-point tier is the other side of that coin. Wyndham says it will apply to a “small number” of its most premium properties — think luxury and all-inclusive resorts — but the program hasn’t released a list of which hotels are moving where. That’s the same approach Wyndham took earlier this year when it reshuffled categories on April 15, when roughly 12% of properties changed tiers. This time, the redistribution spans all 4 tiers, with Wyndham saying the bulk of movement will be concentrated across the 3 lowest levels.

Why This Matters

For budget-conscious redeemers, a new 5,000-point starting price is a real improvement. If you’re holding points from a Wyndham co-branded credit card and want to book an inexpensive stay, you’ll pay less.

The risk is on the premium end. If you’ve been eyeing a high-end Wyndham resort and it lands in the new 45,000-point tier, that’s a 50% increase over the current 30,000-point price. Without knowing exactly which properties are moving up, there’s real uncertainty here.

There’s good news, though: Wyndham is protecting existing bookings. If you book before September 15 and your hotel later moves to a lower tier, the difference in points is automatically refunded. If it moves up, your booking is honored at the original rate. That’s a no-bad-news window for anyone planning a future stay.

Most hotels can be booked up to a year in advance, and award bookings are refundable. That means booking now to lock in current rates is a smart move if you have a specific property in mind.

Bottom Line:

Wyndham hasn’t released a full list of which properties are changing tiers. That lack of transparency makes it harder to make informed decisions. Keep an eye on WyndhamRewards.com, where the program says updated FAQs will be posted alongside the announcement.

Final Thoughts

Expanding to 4 tiers is a reasonable evolution for a program that’s added a lot of luxury and all-inclusive inventory since 2019. The lower entry point at 5,000 points is a win. The new 45,000-point tier is a devaluation for anyone whose favorite hotel ends up there.

Until Wyndham releases the full list of affected properties, the safest move is to book anything you’re already planning before September 15. You’re insulated on both sides — and if your hotel’s rates go up, you’ve locked in the better rate in advance.