World of Hyatt Credit Card Review: A Highly Rewarding Loyalty Program and 60,000 Bonus Points

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All information about the World of Hyatt Card was collected independently by Slickdeals and has not been reviewed by the issuer.

Hotel Loyalty is Better with This Card

I know a lot of people who are easily confused by the loyalty programs from the major hotel chains. And to those who don’t travel very often, there might not seem to be much difference between them.

But for those who travel regularly, the World of Hyatt program stands out by offering the most valuable rewards and benefits. And the key to unlocking those benefits is the World of Hyatt credit card from Chase.

Sign-up Bonus

This credit card offers points in the World of Hyatt loyalty program, which I'll explain in detail below. With the current sign-up bonus, new applicants earn up to 60,000 bonus points.

Here's how the sign-up bonus works. New cardholders can earn 30,000 points after spending $3,000 on new purchases within the first three months of account opening. You can also earn an additional 30,000 bonus points by earning 2x points total on each dollar spent in your account’s first six months. 

Rewards Rate

This hotel credit card offers you up to 9x points per dollar on Hyatt stays — 4x points on qualified purchases at Hyatt properties, plus up to 5x points per dollar that you’d normally earn from Hyatt as a World of Hyatt member. It also features 2x points for spending at restaurants, on airline tickets purchased directly from the airline, local transit and commuting, as well as fitness club and gym memberships and 1x point per dollar spent elsewhere. 

• 9x points:
  • Hyatt stays
• 2x points:
  • Restaurants
  • Flights purchased directly with airlines
  • Local transit and commuting
  • Gym memberships and fitness clubs
• 1x points:
  • All other purchases

Annual Fee

The World of Hyatt Card has a $95 annual fee and no foreign transaction fees. 

Benefits

For those who travel regularly, the World of Hyatt program stands out by offering the above-average benefits, and the World of Hyatt Credit Card from Chase gives you access to this valuable hotel rewards program. 

Free Hyatt Stays

Cardmembers receive a free night certificate at a category 1-4 hotel each year, and another when they use their card to spend $15,000 in a calendar year. You also receive five night stay credits each year, and another two stay credits for every $5,000 spent.

Complimentary Discoverist Status

The World of Hyatt Card also offers entry-level Discoverist status, just for being a cardmember. Benefits include baggage delay and lost luggage insurance, as well as trip cancellation/trip interruption coverage.

Purchase Protection

When shopping, your eligible purchases are covered by a damage and theft protection policy as well.

How the World of Hyatt Program Works

Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort & Spa

The World of Hyatt program is free to join. If you're already a member, you'll need to add your membership number during the application process for the World of Hyatt Credit Card. If you haven't joined yet, Hyatt will automatically enroll you when you get approved for the card. 

How to Earn World of Hyatt Points

The World of Hyatt program offers several different ways to earn points in addition to the rewards you'll earn with the co-branded credit card. You'll earn 5 points per dollar on the following:

• Stays at Hyatt Hotels and Resorts.
• Dining, spa services and other eligible expenses at Hyatt properties.
• Stays at Small Luxury Hotels of the World properties.
• Stays at MGM Resorts.
• Overseas itineraries with Lindblad Expeditions.

You'll earn 10 points per dollar on FIND experiences, which you can book directly through Hyatt, and you can also rack up bonus points when you host qualifying meetings and events at Hyatt properties, book Avis rental cars or book flights with American Airlines. For the American Airlines bonus, you'll need to be an elite member with Hyatt, which comes automatically with the credit card.

All that said, the most convenient way to rack up World of Hyatt points is by using your World of Hyatt Credit Card because it offers points on every single purchase you make. 

How to Redeem World of Hyatt Points

The best way to redeem your Hyatt points is for stays at Hyatt properties. Redemptions start at just 5,000 points per night for a standard room, though you can go as low as 3,500 during off-peak times. You can even book one of the hotel chain's all-inclusive resorts starting at 15,000 points per night (12,000 during off-peak times). 

If you want to use your points to book club, standard suite or premium suite rooms, or you want to add more than two people to an all-inclusive room, you'll need more points per night.  If you don't have enough points for a stay, you can mix rewards and cash. Review the World of Hyatt award chart for more details.

Other redemption options include:

• Stays at Miraval Resorts, MGM Resorts and Small Luxury Hotels of the World
• Room upgrades
• Dining, spa and other on-property services
• FIND experiences
• Meetings and events
• Lindblad Expeditions itineraries
• Avis rental cars

You can also transfer your points to more than 25 airline frequent flyer programs or share them with another World of Hyatt member. Before you redeem your points, it's a good idea to calculate how much value you're getting from the redemption. Simply divide the cash price of the redemption by the number of points required to cover the cost. You can often get upwards of 2 cents per point on Hyatt stays, so keep that in mind to determine if another redemption is worth it.

Hyatt

World of Hyatt Elite Status Levels

The hotel rewards program has three different elite status levels, Discoverist, Explorist and Globalist. As a World of Hyatt Credit Card holder, you automatically get Discoverist status, and you can work your way up to Globalist status, depending on how much you spend on the card—you'll need to spend a total of $140,000 each year to do that, though. 

Without the credit card, here's how you can earn each status level:

• Discoverist: Stay 10 nights, earn 25,000 base points or host three meetings or events.
• Explorist: Stay 30 nights, earn 50,000 base points or host 10 meetings or events.
• Globalist: Stay 60 nights, earn 100,000 base points or host 20 meetings or events.

You can also earn lifetime Globalist status if you earn a total of 1 million lifetime base points. Regular program members get special rates on cash stays, waived resort fees on award stays and a match to MGM Rewards Sapphire status. With the elite levels, here's how the perks break down:

Discoverist

All of the basic member benefits plus:

• 10% bonus points on Hyatt stays and other eligible purchases.
• Match to MGM Rewards Pearl status.
• Premium internet.
• Bottled water.
• Preferred room upgrade within the type of room category you booked.
• Elite check-in.
• Late checkout (2:00 p.m.).
• Bonus points on American Airlines flights.

Explorist

All of the Discoverist benefits plus:

• 20% bonus points on Hyatt stays and other eligible purchases.
• Match to MGM Rewards Gold status.
• Room upgrade to a higher category, excluding suites and rooms with club lounge access.
• Guaranteed room availability 72 hours in advance.

Globalist

All of the Explorist benefits plus:

• 30% bonus points on Hyatt stays and other eligible purchases.
• Waived resort fees on Eligible Rates & Free Night Awards
• Room upgrade, including standard suites.
• Late checkout (4:00 p.m.).
• Guaranteed room availability 48 hours in advance.
• Club lounge access or breakfast.
• Free parking during award stays.
• Priority access to rooms when checking in early.
• Ability to gift Globalist benefits to your "guest of honor."

Milestone Rewards

Along your way to elite status, you’ll earn milestone rewards when you reach a certain number of base points or night credits earned each year. You can earn the night credits through paid stays, award nights or the use of free night stay certificates. Even the elite night credits you earn with your World of Hyatt Credit Card count. However, points earned with your card aren't qualifying because they're considered bonus points.

You'll need at least 20 night credits or 35,000 base points to get started, and you'll earn different rewards in 10-night intervals (the base point increments can vary) up to 100 nights.

Here are the current milestones awards:

• 20 nights or 35,000 base points: Two Club Lounge Access Awards.
• 30 nights or 50,000 base points: One Category 1-4 Free Night Award and two Club Lounge  Access Awards.
• 40 nights or 65,000 base points: 5,000 Bonus Points, a $100 Hyatt Gift Card or 10,000-point savings on a FIND experience.
• 50 nights or 80,000 base points: Two Suite Upgrade Awards.
• 60 nights or 100,000 base points: One Category 1-7 Free Night Award, two Suite Upgrade Awards and access to My Hyatt Concierge.
• Each additional 10 nights: 10,000 Bonus Points or one Suite Upgrade Award.

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Bottom Line

If you're loyal to Hyatt, this is a card to get. Once you reach Globalist status, you can say goodbye to annoying charges like resort fees, parking and even breakfasts, while enjoying some outstanding room upgrades. Even if you don't reach top-tier status, there are so many worthwhile perks to get excited about.

So when paying for your stays with your points or free night certificates (or a combination of both), your final bill can be zero. This is true because the vast majority of cities and states tax hotel stays based on the rate paid. And when you pay nothing, you owe no tax. Throw in a room upgrade or two, and you’ll regularly be enjoying stays in rooms that normally sell for thousands of dollars, with the potential for absolutely no charges on your final bill. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

• How much is 60,000 Hyatt points worth?

  Hyatt points are valued at 1.8 cents each (our independent valuation and not given by the issuer). In turn, the 60,000-point sign-up bonus could yield $1,080. You'll want to strive for hotel award redemptions that are valued at 1.8 cents or more. 

  To scoop up the World of Hyatt card sign-up bonus, you'll need to spend $3,000 within the first three months of opening your account to earn 30,000 points, and then earn up to an additional 30,000 bonus points by earning 2X points for every dollar spent in the first six months, up to $15,000.

• What credit card gives you status at Hyatt?

  Such perks include Award Nights (aka free night stays) at Hyatt hotels or partner hotels. And depending on your membership level — which is based on the number of points you've earned — other perks include

  -Resort fees waived
  -Premium internet
  -Free bottled water
  -Free room upgrades 
  -Elite check-in
  -Late check-out 

• How many points do I need for a free night at Hyatt?

  Points earned through the World of Hyatt credit card can be redeemed at Hyatt hotels and partner hotels. Each Hyatt hotel is given a category between 1 and 8. 

  Category 1 hotels require the least amount of points to book a room, and starts at 3,500 points a night if you're traveling during the off-peak season. (Standard award nights start at 5,000 points per night.)

  Category 8 requires the most number of points, with Category 8 hotels starting at 35,000 points a night. The number of points required to book an Award Night depends on the time of year you're booking and the type of room.

• Do Hyatt points expire?

  Points accrued as a World of Hyatt cardholder won't expire as long as you keep the account open. To maintain an open account, there needs to be activity on your card at least once every 24 months. If your card is inactive for 24 consecutive months, you'll lose any unredeemed points.

  While your points will be forfeited, the good news is your account remains open.

  You can remain active in the rewards program for your card in a number of ways: by earning points, receiving points through a partner program, redeeming points, gifting a program award, converting your points through Partner Program awards, or purchasing or combining points.