Today was supposed to be the day that Wyndham Worldwide “spread the magic” of its loyalty rewards program. For 12 hours, former members of Starwood’s SPG program would get the chance to swap their points at a 4-to-1 ratio for Wyndham Rewards points, plus receive a status level match.
But Wyndham pulled the offer before it started, citing “obvious and significant examples of fraud.” Here’s the full text of its statement, issued this morning and posted on Facebook:
“Today’s Wyndham Rewards trade up was offered in the spirit of generosity. Before the offer even began, there were obvious and significant examples of fraud. Much to our dismay and disappointment, we have to cancel this promotion. We will, however, make a donation of 5 million Wyndham Rewards points to charity, as the work they do on behalf of others is real magic.
“We know some of you had the best intentions, and we want to reward you with what you’ve earned. If you believe you’ve met all of the terms & conditions below, and have already submitted via email, we will be in contact in response to your inquiry.
“We’re sad to have to cancel this promotion, but remain dedicated to winning your loyalty.”
In order to participate in the program, SPG members needed to donate their SPG point balance to a preferred, approved charity and then send proof of the donation to a Wyndham Rewards email via two screen shots – one showing a confirmation of the donation, and the second showing the member’s account activity page with a zero balance. There was no cap on how many points members could donate or earn.
Wyndham had not replied to requests for comment by press time.