Hyatt Hotels & Resorts has arguably the most valuable hotel rewards program in the US If you’re a Hyatt loyalist or have a Hyatt co-branded credit card in your wallet, here’s what you should know about earning and redeeming points—as well as others perks you might get—when you stay at the hotel chain’s properties.
What Is the World of Hyatt Program?
World of Hyatt is the flagship rewards program for Hyatt Hotels & Resorts. The hotel brand first launched its loyalty program in 1987, calling it Hyatt Gold Passport. In 2017, the company renamed the program to its current “World of Hyatt” moniker.
Members of the loyalty program can earn and redeem points in a variety of ways, with redemption options including free hotel stays, on-property perks, other forms of travel, and more.
How Can You Enroll in the World of Hyatt Program?
It’s free to join World of Hyatt. You can become a member online through the program website, through the hotel chain’s mobile app, or by applying for a World of Hyatt credit card. Once you’ve joined, you’ll receive a membership number, which you add to your reservations to ensure that you receive points for your stays.
What Hotels Are Part of the Hyatt Hotels & Resorts Network?
Hyatt has 16 different brands you can choose from when you travel:
- Alila
- Andaz
- Caption by Hyatt
- Destination by Hyatt
- Grand Hyatt
- Hyatt Centric
- Hyatt House
- Hyatt Place
- Hyatt Regency
- Hyatt Zilara
- Hyatt Ziva
- Joie de Vivre Hotels & Resorts
- Miraval
- Park Hyatt
- The Unbound Collection by Hyatt
- Thompson Hotels
Hyatt Hotels & Resorts was founded in 1957 when businessman Jay Pritzker purchased the Hyatt House motel in Los Angeles. Today, the hotel chain has more than 1,150 properties, including hotels, all-inclusive resorts, and wellness resorts in 70 countries.
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Program points are worth more than any other US-based hotel loyalty program.
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Hyatt-branded credit card holders get automatic elite status.
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No blackout dates on award stays
How to Earn World of Hyatt Points
Hyatt offers several different ways loyalty members can earn points, and you don’t necessarily need to stay at the hotel to rack up rewards (but that’s a good place to start).
Stay at Hyatt Hotels
As a standard program member, you’ll earn 5 points per dollar on each stay at Hyatt properties. You’ll also get that rate when you spend money on incidental charges and eligible non-stay charges, including dining, spa services, and other amenities.
However, some routine charges don’t earn points, including:
- Retail outlet charges
- Taxes
- Service charges
- Casino charges
- Gratuitities
- Pay-per-view movies
- Gift cards and certificates
- Vouchers and services provided by third-party vendors
There is no limit to how many points you can earn during a stay with Hyatt.
Note
You won’t earn points on room bookings you make through a third-party site like Travelocity, Expedia, or Orbitz.
Use the World of Hyatt Credit Card
Hyatt offers one co-branded credit card, the Chase-issued World of Hyatt Credit Card. It lets you earn 4 points per dollar spent on Hyatt purchases (in addition to the 5 base points you earn as a member) and 2 points per dollar on dining, local transit and commuting, flights purchased directly with airlines, and fitness club/gym memberships. All other purchases will net you 1 point per dollar spent.
The card, which charges a $95 annual fee, also comes with a handful of other perks. These include a welcome bonus for new cardholders, one free stay every year at a Category 1-4 property, and the chance to earn a second free night when you spend $15,000 each year. New cardholders who apply before Sept. 30, 2021, you will also get two Tier-Qualifying Night Credits for each night they stay from Aug. 16, 21 through Dec. 31, 2021. You’ll also earn Hyatt Discoverist status, which offers more perks when you stay at Hyatt properties (more on that later).
Other Ways to Earn World of Hyatt Points
- Stay at partner hotels: Members will also earn 5 points per dollar on stays at Small Luxury Hotels and MGM Resorts properties.
- Host a meeting or event: You can earn 1 point per dollar on qualifying meetings and events held at a Hyatt property up to 50,000 points.
- Book experiences: Members can earn 10 points per dollar spent on FIND and Exhale experiences, which include a variety of wellness, culinary, and fitness experiences. You’ll also earn 5 points per dollar on Lindblad Expeditions, in addition to a $250 onboard credit.
- Fly with American Airlines: If you have elite status with World of Hyatt, you can earn 1 point per dollar on qualifying flights with American Airlines—that’s on top of any thousands you earn from the AAdvantage frequent flyer program.
- Fly with other airlines: When you fly with one of Hyatt’s 25 airline partners, you can opt to receive World of Hyatt points instead of miles with that airline’s loyalty program.
- Rent a car with Avis: You’ll receive 500 points and up to 25% off when you book a qualifying rental with Avis and include Hyatt’s discount code and your membership number.
Do World of Hyatt Points Expire?
Yes, World of Hyatt points do expire after your account has been inactive for 24 months. Fortunately, there are several ways to keep your account active, including:
- Earning points
- Redeeming points
- Receiving credit with a travel partner or getting M life Rewards tier credits on stays with Hyatt
- Gifting eligible awards to another World of Hyatt member
- Converting points into thousands or a credit with a travel partner
- Purchasing points
- Combining your points with another member’s account
- Maintaining an active World of Hyatt Credit Card linked to your program account
How to Use World of Hyatt Points
You’ll get the most value using your World of Hyatt points to book award stays at one of the chain’s properties. However, if you want some more flexibility, the program offers a handful of other redemption options.
Book Hyatt Stays
When booking a stay at a Hyatt property, The Balance has found that World of Hyatt points are worth an impressive 1.88 cents apiece on average—that’s more than any other US-based hotel rewards program.
The cost of a night can vary, though, depending on the category of the hotel or resort you visit. Here’s what you can expect to pay in points per night when you book an award stay using your World of Hyatt points.
| Category | Standard Room | Regency/Grand Club | Standard Suite | Premium Suite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5,000 | 7,000 | 8,000 | 10,000 |
| 2 | 8,000 | 12,000 | 13,000 | 16,000 |
| 3 | 12,000 | 17,000 | 20,000 | 24,000 |
| 4 | 15,000 | 21,000 | 24,000 | 30,000 |
| 5 | 20,000 | 27,000 | 32,000 | 40,000 |
| 6 | 25,000 | 33,000 | 40,000 | 50,000 |
| 7 | 30,000 | 39,000 | 48,000 | 60,000 |
| 8 | 40,000 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Some of the chain’s luxury and partner brands require more points, depending on the type of room you choose:
- Hyatt Ziva and Hyatt Zilara: Start at 20,000 points per night
- Miraval Resorts: Start at 45,000 points per night
- Small Luxury Hotels: Start at 12,000 points per night
- MGM Resorts: Start at 12,000 points per night
The value of your points can vary based on the number of points required for a hotel stay and the cash price of the same reservation. According to our analysis of rewards point values, World of Hyatt points tend to be worth slightly more when you use them to book award stays at luxury hotels in the program.
If you don’t have enough points to cover a full stay, Hyatt’s Points + Cash program lets you pay for half the award night with points and the other half with cash. For example, if a night typically costs 15,000 points, you can use 7,500 points and pay the remainder in cash.
Note
You typically don’t need to pay taxes and fees on award stays. If the property charges resort fees, they’re waived for members booking with rewards.
You can book a stay through Hyatt’s website or mobile app or by calling its reservation line.
Upgrade Hotel Reservations
If you’ve booked your stay with cash but want a better room, you can also use your points to get an upgrade. Regency Club and Grand Club upgrades cost 3,000 points per night, and suite and premium suite upgrades cost 6,000 and 9,000 points, respectively.
Transfer Points to Partner Airline Loyalty Programs
Hyatt allows you to transfer your points to 24 different airlines. The ratio is 2.5:1, which means for every 5,000 points you transfer away from Hyatt, you’ll only get 2,000 miles in return. This is the best transfer ratio among the major hotel loyalty programs, but it is not a good use of points. Avoid this redemption option if you can.
Other Ways to Use World of Hyatt Points
Depending on what you want to do, Hyatt offers a few other redemptions you can consider. However, based on the lower value you’ll get for your points, it’s best to avoid these if possible:
- Book Avis rental cars
- Get on-property credits for dining, spa services, and more
- Book FIND or Exhale experiences or a Lindblad expedition
- Earn credits of $200 to $1,000 for a future meeting or event
- Gift your points to another World of Hyatt member
World of Hyatt Elite Status
The World of Hyatt program has three elite status tiers—Discoverist, Explorist, and Globalist—and each one comes with its own set of perks for members who qualify. Some of the basic perks include points bonuses on Hyatt stays, special rates, premium internet, and more.
How to Earn World of Hyatt Elite Status
Becoming a member of the program is free, and you don’t need to meet any requirements to get the benefits of the basic Member tier. However, if you want to upgrade to elite status, you’ll need to stay a certain number of nights, earn a minimum number of base points, or host a certain number of meetings or events each year.
| Tier | Nights | Base Points | Meetings and Events |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discoverist | 5 | 12,500 | 3 |
| Explorist | fifteen | 25,000 | 10 |
| Globalist | 30 | 50,000 | twenty |
As with other loyalty programs, you’ll need to requalify for status every year with two exceptions. You can achieve Lifetime Globalist status if you accumulate one million base points over your lifetime, and as a World of Hyatt Credit Card holder, you’ll automatically get Discoverist status every year. What’s more, the World of Hyatt Credit Card offers five qualifying night credits toward your next status tier, plus an additional pair of qualifying nights for every $5,000 you spend on your card.
This means you could reach Explorist status by spending $25,000 on the card in a year and Globalist status after spending $100,000.
You can also achieve status with Hyatt if you’re an elite status member of the M life Rewards program, which is run by MGM Resorts:
- Sapphire matches to World of Hyatt Member
- Pearl matches to World of Hyatt Discoverist
- Gold, Platinum, and NOIR match to World of Hyatt Explorist
Benefits of World of Hyatt Elite Status
The perks that come with Hyatt elite status are abundant, especially as you climb up the ladder. Here are some of the best perks you can get:
- Bonus points when you book stays with cash
- Waived resort fees on free night awards
- Status match with M life Rewards
- Room upgrades when available
- Late checkout
- Guaranteed room availability
As a Globalist member, you’ll also get free parking on free night awards, priority access to rooms, and club access or breakfast.
The Bottom Line
The World of Hyatt program is the best in the hotel industry in terms of point value, and if you qualify for elite status, you get solid perks when you stay at Hyatt hotels and resorts. The status match with the M life Rewards program can also come in handy if you’re planning a trip to Las Vegas or one of MGM Resorts’ other properties.
One thing to keep in mind, though, is that Hyatt has a much smaller footprint than other hotel chains. Its portfolio of more than 1,100 properties pales in comparison to Marriott International’s and Wyndham’s, which have more than 9,000, respectively. But if you prefer Hyatt over other brands and want to take advantage of its valuable rewards program, joining World of Hyatt may be worth that trade-off.
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