While some of us are fans of a solid discount stay at a pet-friendly La Quinta, even luxury travelers should be eyeing the current La Quinta sale, in which now through August 31 the hotel chain is selling its points at up to a 25% discount. Why's that? Because Wyndham bought La Quinta, and points can be transferred between the two programs at a 1:1 rate.
Wyndham Rewards is #2 on our list of the most undervalued hotel loyalty programs, as you can redeem just 15,000 points for a free night at any property worldwide — from the Super 8 in the bad part of town to Wyndham Grand properties or all-inclusive Viva resorts.
While there are dozens of properties that provide solid value from Wyndham points, these high-value redemptions aren't available in many places, which is why TPG conservatively values Wydnham Rewards points at just 1.2 cents each. But, you can easily get more than $180 (15,000 points x 1.2 cents) in value from a free night if you're headed to Hawaii, the Caribbean or even a big city like New York or Chicago.
So, if you're able to redeem Wyndham points for at least 1.2 cents each, and La Quinta points transfer to Wyndham at a 1:1 ratio, it makes sense to jump on buying La Quinta points for under 1 cent each. And, that's what you can get right now when you buy 10,000 La Quinta points at a 25% discount:
To get the full 25% discount, you'll need to buy 10,000 points, which will cost a total of $97.50 — or 0.975 cents per point — through Points.com.
The downside with this opportunity: each member can only purchase a maximum of 10,000 points per year. But you can also build up your balance a bit more by earning 1,500 La Quinta points for linking a Visa card to La Quinta's "Redeem Away!" program.
Which Credit Card You Should Use
While we haven't tested buying La Quinta points with various credit cards — like we have for United, IHG and Starpoints — one card that has reliably earned 3x points on Points.com purchases is the Ink Business Preferred Credit Card. So, don't pass up the opportunity to earn 3x points (6.3% return) if you have that card.
Otherwise, consider using the The Blue Business®️ Plus Credit Card from American Express (2x Membership Rewards points on the first $50,000 per yer; then 1x, 3.8% return), Chase Freedom Unlimited (1.5x Ultimate Rewards points, 3.15% return) or Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard (2x Arrival miles, 2.11% return including a 5% points rebate).
H/T: Doctor Of Credit
