World of Hyatt is the loyalty program for Hyatt Hotels and Resorts. While Hyatt has a smaller global footprint compared to larger hotel chains, it arguably has the strongest loyalty program of the world’s major brands. Earning World of Hyatt points and climbing up the elite status ladder isn’t as easy as other programs, and it requires a bit more work. However, if you’re able to navigate your way through Hyatt’s lucrative loyalty program, you’re sure to be handsomely rewarded.
Earning World of Hyatt Points
There are many ways to earn World of Hyatt points, including through credit cards, hotel stays, buying points outright, and a host of other methods.
Credit Card Welcome Bonuses
The easiest way to earn tidy sums of World of Hyatt points is through US-issued credit cards.Hyatt has exclusively partnered with Chase to offer two co-branded World of Hyatt credit cards: one personal card, and one business card.The personal card typically offers a welcome bonus of 30,000–60,000 World of Hyatt points after you meet the minimum spending requirement in the first three months.On the other hand, the business card typically has a stronger welcome bonus, with up to 60,000 World of Hyatt points after you meet the minimum spending requirement in the first three months as a cardholder.
Earn World of Hyatt points through credit card welcome bonusesIn addition to the welcome bonus, both cards come with additional benefits.For example, you can earn World of Hyatt qualifying night credits through spending on your credit card, which helps you unlock status tiers and other Milestone Rewards without necessarily staying at Hyatt properties.The personal card also offers one Free Night Award every year on your cardholder anniversary that can be used at any Category 1–4 Hyatt hotel.Meanwhile, the business card comes with an annual $100 (USD) Hyatt credit, which is broken up into two $50 (USD) statement credits when you have a single transaction of $50 (USD) or more made at Hyatt Hotels and Resorts.Credit Card Spending
Once you’ve received your Chase World of Hyatt card and earned the welcome bonus, you’ll continue to earn World of Hyatt points by using your card for purchases.With the personal card, the earning rates are as follows:- 4 World of Hyatt points per US dollar spent at all Hyatt hotels and participating partners
- 2 World of Hyatt points per US dollar spent at restaurants, tickets purchased directly from airlines, local transit and commuting, and gym memberships
- 1 World of Hyatt point per US dollar spent on all other purchases.
- 4 World of Hyatt points per US dollar spent at all Hyatt hotels and participating partners
- 2 World of Hyatt points per US dollar spent on gym memberships
- 2 World of Hyatt points per US dollar spent in your top three spend categories each quarter until the end of the first year, and then 2 points per US dollar spent in your top two spend categories each quarter thereafter.
Transferring from Chase Ultimate Rewards
In addition to having the only co-branded Hyatt card, Chase is also the only major bank that offers members the option to transfer points to Hyatt. Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be transferred to World of Hyatt points at a ratio of 1:1.Chase Ultimate Rewards cards consistently offer high welcome bonuses, and provide a great way to rack up a large World of Hyatt points balance should you choose to transfer them over.The transfer time from Chase Ultimate Rewards to World of Hyatt is almost instant.Staying at Hotels
Aside from points earned through credit cards, there are a number of ways to earn World of Hyatt points, and the next most common method is through engaging with and spending money at Hyatt properties, which primarily means staying at hotels.As Hyatt has continued to expand, they’ve added more hotels and companies under the World of Hyatt loyalty program. In addition to Hyatt hotels, you’ll also earn World of Hyatt points for stays at Small Luxury Hotels and MGM Resorts, as well as on Lindblad Expeditions.
Earn World of Hyatt points at a variety of Hyatt hotels, Small Luxury Hotels, and MGM ResortsYou'll earn 5 World of Hyatt points per dollar spent at Hyatt hotels, which comes in addition to the point you'd normally earn with your credit card and status.This means that if you were to use one of the co-branded Chase cards, you’ll earn a total of 9 World of Hyatt points per US dollar spent at specific Hyatt hotels and resorts, as well as at partner hotel and resorts.Furthermore, anyone with status will earn slightly more World of Hyatt points on eligible purchases, with either a 10%, 20%, or 30% bonus, depending on your status level.Other Hyatt Activity
In addition to staying at Hyatt hotels, you can earn World of Hyatt points at the same rate of 5 points per US dollar spent on dining and spa treatments at participating hotels.If you are a meeting or event planner, you can also earn 1 World of Hyatt point per US dollar spent for hosting a qualifying meeting or event, up to a total of 50,000 World of Hyatt points.Note that having elite status will not give you an additional 10%, 20%, or 30% bonus on World of Hyatt points earned through spending for a qualifying meeting or event.For example, a Hyatt Globalist who pays with a World of Hyatt credit card will earn 10.5 points per US dollar spent at Hyatt properties, which is a great kickback. We value World of Hyatt points at 1.5 cents per point (USD), and so you can think of this earning rate as equivalent to around a 15.75% return at Hyatt hotels.Promotions
On top of earning points in the ways already covered, Hyatt will often have promotions to encourage you to stay at their properties. Some of these promotions reward you for staying at specific properties or brands.
The current promotions can be found on the Hyatt website, and we also will keep you updated with detailed articles whenever it becomes available. To register for a promotion, you simply need to provide your World of Hyatt number.Buy World of Hyatt Points
By far the quickest way to rack up your World of Hyatt points balance is to purchase them outright. Hyatt offers the opportunity for members to purchase up to 55,000 World of Hyatt points per calendar year at a standard rate of 2.4 cents per point (USD).While buying points at this rate isn’t always advisable, there are some situations where it could make sense, as long as you’ll be getting more than 2.4 cents (USD) in value out of the points you’ve bought.Hyatt also runs promotions on purchased points a few times throughout the year. The best offer we've seen in recent years is a 30% discount on purchased points.
There is usually a minimum number of points required to be purchased in order to trigger the discount, but this usually lowers the purchase price to a more reasonable level.For example, with a 30% discount, the price is lowered to 1.68 cents per point (USD). At this price, there's certainly value to be found if you have a specific redemption in mind.American Airlines
All elite World of Hyatt members can earn 1 World of Hyatt point per US dollar spent on qualifying American Airlines flights. In order to be eligible, you must link your World of Hyatt and American Airlines AAdvantage accounts.Additionally, if you have elite status with both American Airlines and World of Hyatt, you can also earn 1 AAdvantage mile per US dollar spent on qualifying Hyatt stays.These bonus points and miles earned are on top of, rather than instead of, the usual World of Hyatt points or AAdvantage miles you earn.Avis
World of Hyatt members who rent a car with Avis will receive 500 World of Hyatt points.In order to receive the 500 points, you must book your reservation with the discount number K817700 on Avis.com, and then associate your World of Hyatt membership number with your Avis reservation.
Not only will you receive 500 World of Hyatt points, but you’ll also receive up to 25% off the base rate of your Avis rental at participating Avis locations.Bilt Rewards
Bilt Rewards is a US-based company that offers Bilt Rewards points to members. To earn points, you must either use the dedicated co-branded Bilt Mastercard for purchases or use the Bilt Rewards platform for paying rent, as long as your landlord is part of the Bilt Rewards Alliance.Bilt Rewards points can be transferred to World of Hyatt points at a ratio of 1:1.FIND Experiences
FIND Experiences is a Hyatt program through which members have the opportunity to book experiences all over the world with either points or money.
If you book a FIND Experience as a World of Hyatt member, you'll earn 10 World of Hyatt points per US dollar spent on experiences in the United States and Mexico. Redeeming World of Hyatt Points
World of Hyatt points can be used for a number of different travel-related experiences, and there is a lot of value to be found in redeeming points.We’ll look at all of the options available, keeping in mind the best option and value comes from redeeming World of Hyatt points for hotel stays.
Hotel Stays
The biggest strength of the World of Hyatt program can be found in Hyatt’s fixed award chart. As most hotel loyalty programs have shifted to a dynamic pricing model, World of Hyatt is unique in that redemptions are based on a fixed-pricing model.In fact, all Hyatt hotels are priced based on a fixed award chart that changes between off-peak, standard, and peak pricing. One night at a Hyatt hotel can cost anywhere from 3,500 to 45,000 World of Hyatt points, depending on the category of the hotel and whether your booking day falls on an off-peak, standard, or peak pricing date.
There are a total of eight hotel categories, with Category 1 being the cheapest, and Category 8 requiring the greatest number of points to book a free night.Furthermore, you can spend more World of Hyatt points in order to upgrade your room, and there are additional award charts for booking a club room, a standard suite, or a premium suite.Similar to booking a regular room, these prices are also tied to the category of the hotel and are subject to off-peak, standard, or peak pricing dates.A modest bump in points is required to upgrade your room at a lower category hotel, while a significant number of points are required to upgrade a room at a higher category hotel. For example, only 3,000 extra World of Hyatt points are needed for a Category 1 upgrade to a standard suite, while a Category 8 standard suite will cost 21,000 extra World of Hyatt points.In addition to hotels, Hyatt has expanded their portfolio to include all-inclusive resorts. These specific properties can also be booked with World of Hyatt points at a fixed award chart subject to off-peak, standard, and peak pricing, but the award chart is different.Instead of numbers, the resorts are assigned letters. Currently, there are six resort hotel categories ranging from Category A to Category F. Hyatt currently only has Category A, B, and C all-inclusive resorts for the most part, as there is only a single Category F resort.
All of Hyatt’s all-inclusive resorts are found in the Caribbean or Latin America, and can be booked for 12,000 World of Hyatt points at the low end of Category A, and 29,000 points at the high end of Category C for a standard room. Similar to hotels, club rooms, standard suites, and premium suites at all-inclusives can be booked for more World of Hyatt points.If you have more than two people staying at an all-inclusive, additional points will be required per person. The number of points required will vary depending on the category of the hotel, and whether or not it’s during the off-peak, standard, or peak season.
Miraval Resorts are an outlier when it comes to using World of Hyatt points to book a free night. The three Miraval Resorts are all located in the US, and they follow their own award chart.
The price required to book a free night with points changes based on off-peak, standard, and peak dates, single occupancy or double occupancy, and the type of room you want to book.The cheapest room is a single-occupancy standard room, which costs 40,000 points during off-peak pricing, and the most expensive is a double occupancy premium suite, which costs 137,000 World of Hyatt points during peak pricing.Every award night at a Miraval resort includes a $175 (USD) resort credit per person.All hotels and resorts that can be booked with points can be found on the World of Hyatt website.
You can easily search by location and hotel category number; however, in order to determine whether or not the hotel will be priced at off-peak, standard, or peak pricing, you’ll have to search for your specific date.If you don’t have enough World of Hyatt points for a specific redemption, Hyatt allows you to combine points and cash to secure your stay. You’re only required to use 50% of the points required, and then you will only have to spend between 30–50% of the purchase price.
This can be a great option if you don’t have enough points, or if you want to make your World of Hyatt points go further.In addition to free nights, Hyatt allows you to use your World of Hyatt points for room upgrades when you originally booked your room with cash. A club room costs 3,000 points, a standard suite upgrade costs 6,000 points, and a premium suite upgrade costs 9,000 points.Other Ways to Redeem
Even though redeeming World of Hyatt points for hotel or resort stays is by far the best option, there are some other noteworthy redemption options that may actually make sense for a specific travel need.Lindblad Expeditions
In 2019, Hyatt partnered with Lindblad Expeditions, and the partnership allows World of Hyatt members to redeem points for expeditions.Lindblad Expeditions is a company that offers adventure-style cruises to unique destinations around the world, including the Galapagos Islands and Antarctica.Unlike at Hyatt hotels and resorts, there is no fixed award chart; however, Lindblad Expeditions seems to price each World of Hyatt point at around 1.6 cents per point (USD). This can certainly be a great redemption, as we value World of Hyatt points at 1.5 cents per point (USD).
Keep in mind that despite the generous value, Lindblad Expedition cruises are on the pricier side, and would require quite a few World of Hyatt points. If you go ahead and book a cruise, as a World of Hyatt member you’ll receive a $250 (USD) onboard credit per reservation.Dining, Spa, and More
Specific participating Hyatt hotels and resorts allow you to use your World of Hyatt points towards specific on property experiences such as dining and spa treatments.In order to find out whether or not your Hyatt hotel offers this redemption option, you can search on the dedicated website. The more points you redeem, the better value you get.
At a minimum, 1,000 World of Hyatt points will get you a $10 (USD) credit, which is a very low redemption value of 1 cent per point (USD). At the higher end, 65,000 World of Hyatt points will cover $1,000 USD, which is a much better redemption rate of 1.54 cents per point (USD).Future Meeting Credit
If you’re an event planner, you can redeem World of Hyatt points for future meeting credit at a rate of 1.33 cents per point (USD). While this isn’t a terrible option, you can certainly get better value if you save those points for hotel or resort stays instead.Avis Award Certificate
Redeeming World of Hyatt points for a one-day Avis car rental is a relatively unknown World of Hyatt redemption option, and perhaps for good reason. An intermediate size, four door, one-day Avis rental can be had for 6,000 World of Hyatt points.We value 6,000 World of Hyatt points at around $90 (USD), and you can almost always find a one-day car rental for less than that.Transferring World of Hyatt Points to Airlines
Another redemption option is to transfer World of Hyatt points to a variety of airline loyalty programs.All airlines require a minimum of 5,000 World of Hyatt points, with further increments of 1,250 points, to be transferred to their loyalty program. You'll also get bonus miles or points for every 50,000 World of Hyatt points transferred; however, the number of points or miles you receive depends on the airline to which you are transferring points.Aeromexico stands out as the airline that gives the best transfer rate. You'll get 0.8 Aeromexico Club Premier points per World of Hyatt point, in addition to a bonus of 10,000 Club Premier points for every 50,000 World of Hyatt points.This means that if you were to transfer 50,000 World of Hyatt points, you’d get 50,000 Aeromexico Club Premier points.Air China and China Eastern Airlines get 0.64 miles for every World of Hyatt point, with a bonus of 8,000 miles for every 50,000 World of Hyatt points transferred.Virgin Atlantic Flying Club gets 0.6 points for every World of Hyatt point, with a bonus of 7,500 miles for every 50,000 World of Hyatt points transferred.
You can transfer World of Hyatt points to Virgin Atlantic Flying ClubAt a much lower rate, Qantas and Southwest Airlines give 0.48 points for every World of Hyatt point, with a bonus of 6,000 points for every 50,000 World of Hyatt points transferred.All other airlines will give you the worst rate of 0.4 points or miles per World of Hyatt point, with an additional 5,000 miles or points for every 50,000 World of Hyatt points transferred.FIND Experiences
World of Hyatt points can be used to book Hyatt’s FIND Experiences. Launched in 2018, FIND Experiences offer World of Hyatt members the chance to book unique food, fitness, relaxation, or adventure experiences.
You can book FIND Experiences with either cash or World of Hyatt points, and you'll typically get 1.4 cents per point (USD) of value, which isn't terrible. Tips & Tricks for Redeeming World of Hyatt Points
As we’ve already covered, there’s a lot to the World of Hyatt program. However, in order to fully optimize your experience, there are a couple more things you can do.To begin, Hyatt has historically been very generous with suite upgrades. So, even if you aren’t a Globalist, it's certainly worth utilizing your "suite-talking" skills, and reaching out to the property beforehand to see if they can accommodate you, especially if your trip includes a special celebration such as a birthday or anniversary.
Hyatt hotels are generally quite generous with upgradesHyatt’s Free Night Awards can be earned a number of different ways, and usually can be redeemed at a range of hotels. While technically you can redeem a Category 1–4 Free Night Award at a Category 1 hotel, you're much better off using points or cash and saving it for the highest possible category you can.An amazing benefit offered to Hyatt Globalist members is the ability to book for another person through Hyatt’s Guest of Honor program. This program allows you to use your own points to book a stay for another person, and even if that person doesn’t have any elite status with Hyatt, they'll still be treated as if they were Globalist members themselves.The Guest of Honor program is a great way to generously gift family or friends with a luxurious experience they otherwise may not have been able to come across on their own.While the Guest of Honor program is reserved for Globalist members, all World of Hyatt members can share points, Free Night Awards, and select room upgrades with another World of Hyatt member.Hyatt will also allow you to combine you points with another member by filling out a point combining request form.This can be done once every 30 days, but can only be done "for the purpose of supplying the transferee with enough points for an immediate redemption".
World of Hyatt Elite Status
If Hyatt’s fixed award chart is what draws people to the World of Hyatt program, it’s the World of Hyatt elite status and Milestone Rewards that encourages people to stay and continue to engage with the World of Hyatt program.The World of Hyatt has three elite status tiers: Discoverist, Explorist, and Globalist.Discoverist can be earned by staying 10 nights, earning 25,000 base points, or hosting three qualified meetings or events.Explorist can be earned by staying 30 nights, earning 50,000 base points, or hosting 10 qualified meetings or events.Globalist can be earned by staying 60 nights, earning 100,000 base points, or hosting 20 qualified meetings or events.While there are technically three paths to status, the most common and easiest method for reaching elite status with Hyatt is to meet the night requirements.
Earn Hyatt Globalist status by staying 60 nights at Hyatt-affiliated hotels in a calendar yearEarning base points requires quite a bit of spending at Hyatt hotels: $5,000 (USD) for Discoverist, $10,000 (USD) for Explorist, or $20,000 (USD) for Globalist. Reaching elite status by hosting meetings or events is especially difficult, as one qualified meeting or event requires you to have at least 10 paid guest rooms.Staying 10, 30, or 60 nights is also made easier by the fact that qualifying nights can be earned by spending money on one of the two Chase co-branded credit cards.The Chase World of Hyatt personal card gives you two qualifying nights per $5,000 (USD) spent with the card, while the Chase World of Hyatt business card gives you five qualifying nights per $10,000 (USD) spent.If you’re able to reach Hyatt’s top Globalist tier, you’ll be treated to free breakfast for yourself and a guest, free parking on award nights, access to the Guest of Honor program, complimentary upgrades to standard suites, and a 4pm late check-out.
Enjoy free breakfast as a perk of Hyatt Globalist statusDiscoverist and Explorist status members don’t receive complimentary breakfast, but still have the benefit of 2pm late check-out and upgrades (as available), excluding suites and rooms with Club Lounge access.In addition to earning Globalist status through the ways already mentioned, Hyatt offers Lifetime Globalist status given to any World of Hyatt member who has earned at least 1,000,000 base points, which equals a spending of $200,000 (USD). It doesn’t matter if the $200,000 (USD) was spent over the course of many years or all in one night, as there are no other requirements.Lifetime Globalist members receive all the benefits Globalist members receive, as well as additional benefits that include four complimentary Suite Upgrade Awards each year, one Category 1–7 Free Night Award each year, and access to a dedicated My Hyatt Concierge agent.Another benefit of having a World of Hyatt elite status is the ability to status match to MGM Rewards. Hyatt Discoverist members can match to MGM Pearl status, and Hyatt Explorist and Globalist members can match to MGM Gold status.
Milestone Rewards
A unique and powerful World of Hyatt feature is the Milestone Rewards. Keep in mind that this is separate from earning elite status, which allows members to receive different rewards for earning base points or staying a certain number of nights.
Starting at 20 nights stayed or 35,000 base points earned, World of Hyatt members receive two Club Lounge Access Awards.At 30 nights or 50,000 base points earned, you receive one Category 1–4 Free Night Award and two Club Lounge Access Awards.At 40 nights or 65,000 base points earned, you receive a choice of 5,000 World of Hyatt points, a $100 (USD) Hyatt gift card, or a discount of 10,000 points on a FIND Experience.At 50 nights or 80,000 base points earned, you receive two Suite Upgrade Awards.At 60 nights or 100,000 base points earned, you receive one Category 1–7 Free Night Award, two Suite Upgrade Awards, and access to My Hyatt Concierge.After 60 nights, you have a choice of 10,000 World of Hyatt points or one Suite Upgrade Award after every 10 nights from 70–100 nights.Milestone Rewards are designed so that members will continue to be rewarded for their activity and will want to engage more with Hyatt even if they may not reach the next elite status, or if they've already reached the highest Globalist status.Brand Explorer
Hyatt has certainly found creative ways to help keep members engaged and to incentivize continued engagement with their program. In addition to status and Milestone Rewards, Hyatt offers a Brand Explorer award.Over the lifetime of your membership, for every five unique Hyatt brands you stay at on cash bookings, redeeming points, or redeeming a Free Night Award, you'll earn a free night at a Category 1–4 hotel.There are over 20 brands that count towards the Brand Explorer award, so there are potentially four free nights to be earned.Conclusion
Despite having a relatively small footprint, the World of Hyatt loyalty program is still incredibly strong. With many ways to earn and countless ways to redeem World of Hyatt points, this is certainly a program worth engaging in if you are interested in exploring some amazing hotels during your travels.