Frequent Miler's latest team challenge, Million Mile Madness, is almost done! The last two weeks Greg, Nick, and Stephen competed to earn 1 Million SAS miles by flying 15 airlines. But who completed the challenge with the most Speed, Affordability, and Style?
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Wyndham Rewards and Marathon MakeItCount are offering the opportunity to earn 500 bonus Wyndham Rewards points and save $0.40 per gallon on up to 20 gallons when you join and make your first in-store purchase or fill up in February. You’ll also warn an ongoing earn rate of 2 Wyndham points per gallon on fuel and varying amounts for select in-store purchases. Note that you can alternatively sign up to earn Southwest Rapid Rewards points, albeit without the initial bonus and only earning 1 Southwest point per gallon of fuel (plus the in-store purchase offers). If you have Marathon stations in your area (apparently they are all East Coast?), it’s worth signing up for the discount and initial bonus points as well as potentially for the in-store offers.
The Deal
- Wyndham Rewards and Marathon makeitcount are offering 500 bonus Wyndham Rewards points and $0.40 off per gallon on up to 20 gallons when you sign up for makeitcount and make your first fill-up
- Direct link to this promotion
Key Terms
- Wyndham Rewards members earn 2 points per gallon plus bonuses for select in-store purchases
- It is unclear how long you have to make your first fill-up, but it may need to happen by the end of February
- See promotion landing page for full terms
Quick Thoughts
Stephen initially wrote about this back in 2018 when Marathon initially partnered up with La Quinta and Southwest. Apparently, Wyndham opted to continue the partnership post-merger with La Quinta and they are currently offering the 500-point bonus when you sign up and make your first transaction this month. Note that you can switch rewards programs at any time, so you could sign up now for the initial discount and 500 bonus Wyndham points and then switch to earning Southwest points in the future.
The ongoing earn rate on fuel isn’t going to make a difference in anyone’s life as it is 2 Wyndham points per gallon or 1 Southwest Rapid Rewards point per gallon, not per dollar.
However, there are also in-store offers on various items. If you’re the type to head into the store for a drink or snack, you may want to keep an eye on these bonus offers as I imagine they could start to add up over time. Note these are in Wyndham Rewards points. I assume the Southwest earning rate may be lower.
If you choose to earn Southwest Rapid Rewards points (either straight out of the gate or after the initial Wyndham bonus), note that Reader Chelsea had previously told us that these in-store bonuses do count toward the companion pass. Please don’t try to Twix or Flipz your way to 125,000 points, but it’s nice to see an additional opportunity to pick up points if you’re a little short.
I don’t have any Marathon stations near me and won’t be taking a road trip that will take me past them any time soon, but if I did I’d be happy to take Marathon up on a nice little discount and some easy Wyndham points.
Further, while Wyndham Rewards points aren’t among the most valuable hotel currencies, I like that you can essentially link your Wydnham Rewards or Southwest account with your phone number then double-dip with a credit card that earns a category bonus at gas stations. In fact, if you link via your phone number, you may also be able to stack with other card-linked programs if you find Marathon available via any.
Overall, this is nice chance to save a few bucks on a fill-up and earn rewards for fuel purchases. It isn’t immediately clear how long after registration you have to make your first fill-up, but I believe it may be required by the end of this month.
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Seems that the Wyndham 500 points promotion has disappeared already.
You can still get it through the Wyndham Rewards site. Click “explore the program”, ways to earn, more ways.
Just drove across Indiana today on I65 and there are plenty of Marathon stations there. Not exactly “East Coast”. A quick search shows them in Illinois in plenty of places – Chicago, Peoria, Springfield, etc. And several locations in Minneapolis. So it might be worth a look for anyone not on the East Coast before you decide it may not be for you.
Good to know. A reader commented last time saying they were East Coast-only. Glad to hear they are more widespread.
I downloaded the app on my smart phone and the $.40 off/gal expires 05/31/2020.
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