The galvanized wires used in cable bridges can fail due to fretting fatigue. Experimental results have shown that defects resulting from the galvanization process are a possible source of initiation for fatigue cracks and make the life shorter than that of a wire without a galvanized layer. The investigation presented in this paper uses strain-based fracture mechanics to analyze the influence of these defects on the fatigue life of galvanized wire. The presented analysis considers nonlinear material behaviour. A 3D finite element model is used to compute the required stress field. Stress intensity factors are obtained by a proposed numerical point load weight function, and shape factors are found for the surface and deepest points of the semielliptical crack. Plain fatigue tests of galvanized wires are performed to calibrate key model parameters. The calibrated model is then shown to provide reasonably accurate but systematically conservative estimates of the fatigue life under fretting conditions typical of bridge stay cable saddle supports.