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A few weeks ago, I wrote a post on increased Wyndham credit card offers, and that they are very much worth considering (for some). I estimate that you can get at least $1k in value, and that’s on the low side. The offers are set to expire on October 14th. Currently, the main appeal of Wyndham program is the ability to redeem points towards Vacasa properties.
I’m sure me and my husband aren’t the only ones who absolutely need privacy from our kids in order to enjoy a vacation. And that’s something you can get in a one-bedroom apartment or a cabin, all for only 15,000 points per night (13,500 with new Wyndham credit cards) .
To me, this is the biggest selling point of Wyndham/Vacasa partnership. That, plus the ability to visit remote places where you normally won’t find any chain properties.
That being said, there are serious caveats you need to be aware of. I’ve mentioned the draconian cancellation policy where you lose ALL the redeemed points unless you cancel 30 days in advance. Also, the booking process is a bit tedious, since you have to call or email Vacasa with booking details, and wait a few days to hear back from them.
But there is another caveat you need to be aware of if interested in a Wyndham card for the sole reason of Vacasa partnership.
Canceling a reservation can be a pain in the behind!
Seriously, it’s absolutely infuriating. So, I’m a person who likes to plan trips in advance. Many end up on the chopping block, but I figure there is no harm in locking in a low rate ahead of time. Well, that may be true with most hotel programs, but certainly not Wyndham.
A few months ago, I redeemed some Wyndham points on a condo in New Smyrna Beach in Florida. We were supposed to go there in March for kids’ spring break. I wasn’t sure I would keep it, and it wasn’t that hot of a deal, to be honest.
Well, turns out, my husband is scheduled to supervise a major IT project around that time, so it’s a no-go. Since I was able to reserve this Vacasa rental via email, I naturally thought I could cancel it via email as well. Nope!
I received a reply saying I have to call Wyndham in order to cancel. That seems super inefficient, but OK. So, I called Wyndham and after spending half hour on the phone and getting transferred a few times, a friendly rep was ready to finalize the cancellation request…and then I got disconnected.
Not wanting to call, I reached out to Wyndham via Twitter. Crickets. So, I reluctantly called Wyndham again. Another half hour on the phone, with the rep trying to find my Vacasa reservation in their system. I get transferred to a supervisor and she tells me my reservation is finally cancelled, and that I would be getting an email, as well as redeposit of points within an hour. Crickets again.
I waited till the next day, and since nothing changed, decided to explore other options. I logged in to my account, and looked for a chat button. There was none, but I could send a message and Wyndham rep would respond within 48 hours. Or so they claimed.
It was certainly worth a shot, plus I had plenty of time. It would stink if I only had say, 31 days before the reservation date.
Two days later, my points’ refund appeared in the account, though I never actually got any reply from Wyndham. So, I’m not sure if it was due to sent message or my previous phone call. I’m assuming it’s the former.
Either way, my advice is to not book a Vacasa reservation via Wyndham unless you are relatively certain about your travel plans. Not unless you are ready to deal with potential aggravation and multiple phone calls. This is not a program where you should make a bunch of speculative reservations just because.
I still think the current Wyndham offers are a good deal (with caveats)
Just to be clear, we don’t make any commission on them. And no, they are not in the same category as 100k offer on Chase Sapphire Preferred (my personal referral link, still works). I absolutely believe you should forget Wyndham cards if you haven’t yet taken advantage of it.
But if you already got that offer (plus a few others), and are looking for points that will be redeemable towards mountain cabins and beachfront condos, Wyndham cards should be on your radar. Just remember, it’s the Avianca of hotel programs. Proceed with caution and be mentally prepared to deal with lots of nuisance.
Ironically, it’s what will probably insure that Wyndham/Vacasa partnership will survive longer than expected due to sheer frustration involved. And of course, the cancellation policy will be a deal breaker for many.
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Author: Leana
Leana is the founder of Miles For Family. She enjoys beach vacations and visiting her family in Europe. Originally from Belarus, Leana resides in central Florida with her husband and two children.
[…] written about the new partnership between Wyndham and Vacasa a few times, and finally had a chance to stay in one property over the weekend. The experience was mostly […]