September 12, 2023
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World of Hyatt is one of the best hotel loyalty programs around, offering valuable rewards points, great properties and strong elite benefits. Even the infrequent traveler can unlock great value with World of Hyatt, from free nights to club room upgrades and other great experiences. Topping things off are the excellent co-branded World of Hyatt credit cards for personal and business use that make earning lots of points and elite status even easier.
With an average value of $0.017 per point when used toward hotel stays, no other hotel points rival the value of Hyatt rewards points.
By taking advantage of seasonal pricing on award nights, members can redeem points starting at just 3,500 points. And luxury and all-inclusive resorts are readily available as well starting at just 17,000 points per night. While World of Hyatt’s footprint is smaller than other hotel brands, it has some of the most desirable hotels in the world.
| Hyatt quick facts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Number of properties | Over 1,000 | |
| How many Hyatt points do you need for a free night? | 3,500 to 45,000 | |
| Redemption options |
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| Point value | ~$0.017 (10,000 Hyatt points are worth $170) | |
| Pros |
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| Cons |
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Yes, the World of Hyatt program is worth it, especially since the program is free and easy to join. Hyatt points are more valuable than other hotel brands and elite status offers attractive benefits. The fact that award nights start at just 3,500 points with off-peak pricing means you don’t need to accrue many points for a free stay. World of Hyatt Credit Card makes it easy to earn both plenty of points for award stays and elite night credits toward status tiers.
A Hyatt point is worth around $0.017, based on our sampling of domestic and international properties with various booking periods ranging from booking the week-of to booking six months in advance.
In general, you’ll get between $0.01 and $0.025 cents per Hyatt point. However, the value of Hyatt points varies greatly depending on how you use them.
Hyatt points are generally valued at around $0.017 per point — if a hotel stay is worth $0.017 per point or more, then it’s likely worth it to use them. To calculate the value of Hyatt points, use this simple equation:
Cash price (including taxes and fees) / Number of points needed for hotel stay = Points value for that specific reservation
World of Hyatt offers excellent value for travelers who are Hyatt loyalists. There are many advantages to the World of Hyatt program but it makes sense to understand its limitations as well.
Hyatt has over 1,000 properties in over 69 countries around the world. Properties span all six inhabited continents. With 19 unique hotel brands and one non-hotel fitness brand, finding a fit for your particular travel style with Hyatt is easy to do.
Possibly the greatest weakness in an otherwise fantastic program is the relatively few number of hotels worldwide. Compared with Hilton, IHG and Marriott, with each having over 6,000 properties worldwide, Hyatt has just over 1,000 global properties.
Hyatt has one of the poorest representations of the other major hotel brands in Europe, with only ~7% of its portfolio located on the continent. However, if you include the World of Hyatt participating SLH properties, Hyatt fares a bit better. Hyatt quadrupled its presence in Europe recently through its SLH partnership.
| Brand | Type of property | # of locations |
|---|---|---|
| Alila | Unique luxury hotels in less-traveled locations | 17 |
| Andaz | Luxury lifestyle brand with local focus | 24 |
| Caption by Hyatt | Upscale select-service lifestyle brand | Coming soon (500 hotels announced) |
| Destination Hotels | Diverse, independent U.S. hotel collection | 63 |
| Grand Hyatt | Worldwide full-service luxury brand | 59 |
| Hyatt | Upscale full-service | 14 |
| Hyatt Centric | Upscale lifestyle brand in popular destinations | 49 |
| Hyatt House | Upscale, select-service, extended stay | 125 |
| Hyatt Place | Upscale select-service | 403 |
| Hyatt Regency | Upscale, full-service, business | 226 |
| Hyatt Zilara | Upscale adult-only all-inclusive resorts | 3 |
| Hyatt Ziva | Upscale family-focused all-inclusive resorts | 6 |
| Joie de Vivre | Boutique hotels with independent originality | 21 |
| Miraval | All-inclusive luxury wellness resorts | 3 |
| Park Hyatt | Flagship luxury brand | 45 |
| Thompson Hotels | Refined, luxurious urban hotels | 15 |
| Unbound Collection | Independent upscale full-service collection | 28 |
| UrCove by Hyatt | Upscale, business-centric, launching in China | 10 |
While Hyatt points are valuable, they can be hard to come by. Compared to other loyalty programs, options for earning Hyatt points are fairly limited (for instance, Hyatt does not have a dining or shopping program). Still, there are some viable options for earning Hyatt points quickly — especially through hotel stays and co-branded credit cards.
One of the best ways of earning Hyatt points is by purchasing hotel rooms directly from Hyatt. Award nights start at 5 base points per dollar spent (taxes not included) for regular members and go as high as 6.5 points per dollar for Globalist members. Plus, you can earn additional points for ongoing promotions.
Some room charges are also eligible to earn base points, including spa, food and beverage purchases, but it depends on the property. Alcoholic beverage purchases billed to your room may not earn base points, depending on the property you are staying at. Elite bonus points are earned as redeemable points, but these are not counted as base points toward elite status.
| Status level | Points earned/$1 spent |
|---|---|
| General member | 5 |
| Discoverist (10% bonus) | 5.5 |
| Explorist (20% bonus) | 6 |
| Globalist (30% bonus) | 6.5 |
The World of Hyatt credit cards are another great source of Hyatt points — especially for new members who can earn the cards’ sign-up bonuses. Card members get an additional 4 points on the Hyatt purchases with the cards and qualify for other great hotel perks, including automatic Discoverist status with Hyatt.
| Credit Cards | Welcome Offer | Rewards Rate | Annual Fee | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
World of Hyatt Credit Card
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Earn up to 60,000 Bonus Points - Earn 30,000 Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Plus, up to 30,000 More Bonus Points by earning 2 Bonus Points total per $1 spent in the first 6 months from account opening on purchases that normally earn 1 Bonus Point, on up to $15,000 spent. | Earn up to 9 points total per $1 spent at Hyatt - 4 Bonus Points per $1 when you use your card at Hyatt hotels & 5 Base Points per $1 from Hyatt as a World of Hyatt member | $95 | |
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World of Hyatt Business Credit Card
Review Coming Soon
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60,000 Bonus Points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Earn an additional 15,000 Bonus Points after you spend $12,000 within the first 6 months of account opening. | Earn 9x points total for Hyatt stays and experiences. 4 Bonus Points per $1 spent with your card at Hyatt hotels. Plus, 5 Base points from Hyatt per eligible $1 spent as a World of Hyatt member. 2 Bonus Points per $1 spent in your top three spend categories (out of 8 total categories) each quarter through 12/31/24, then your top two categories each quarter. 2 Bonus Points per $1 spent on fitness club and gym memberships. 1 Bonus Point per $1 spent on all other purchases. Terms apply. Click to Learn More. | $199 | Review Coming Soon |
Co-branded credit cards aren’t the only cards that can help you earn more points toward future Hyatt stays. Hyatt is one of Chase’s 10+ hotel and airline transfer partners. If you have an eligible Chase credit card, you can transfer your Ultimate Rewards points at a 1:1 ratio in increments of 1,000 points to World of Hyatt.
| Credit Cards | Welcome Offer | Rewards Rate | Annual Fee | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
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Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. | Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3x on dining, and 2x on all other travel purchases, and $50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit, plus more. | $95 | |
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Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Review Coming Soon
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Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards® | Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards® immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases | $550 | Review Coming Soon |
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Chase Freedom Flex℠
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Earn a $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Plus, earn 5% cash back on grocery store purchases (excluding Target and Walmart) on up to $12,000 spent in the first year. | 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate. Enjoy new 5% categories each quarter! Plus, earn 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3% on dining and drugstores, and 1% on all other purchases. | $0 | |
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Chase Freedom Unlimited®
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Earn an extra 1.5% on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) — worth up to $300 cash back. That's 6.5% on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 4.5% on dining and drugstores, and 3% on all other purchases. | Enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 1.5% on all other purchases | $0 | |
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Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
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Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. | Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year. Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases—with no limit to the amount you can earn. | $95 | |
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Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
Review Coming Soon
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Earn $900 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. | Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase made for your business | $0 | Review Coming Soon |
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Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
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Earn $900 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening | Earn 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each account anniversary year. Earn 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year. Earn 1% cash back on all other card purchases with no limit to the amount you can earn. | $0 |
*These cards allow you to transfer Ultimate Rewards points to Hyatt. If you own one of these cards, you can transfer points from any no-annual-fee Ultimate Rewards cards that you own as well.
Hyatt partners with both Small Luxury Hotels of the World and MGM Resorts / M Life Rewards. You can earn Hyatt points by booking these hotels through Hyatt channels. Earning on MGM Resorts and SLH stays is the same as with Hyatt, including the 10%/20%/30% bonus points depending on your Hyatt elite status. World of Hyatt members may also match their elite status to M Life for additional benefits when staying at MGM properties.
You can earn 10 base points per $1 in the U.S. and Mexico on a variety of unique experiences, ranging from fitness or cooking classes to paragliding with an instructor. Additionally, you’ll earn 4 base points per $1 when you pay with your World of Hyatt credit card.
Earn World of Hyatt points as you travel to some of the most remote corners of the world with Lindblad Expeditions. World of Hyatt members earn 5 base points per $1 spent, plus standard elite member bonuses based on elite tier. Additionally, each night that’s part of the experience counts toward elite status. As a World of Hyatt member, you’ll receive a $250 onboard credit per reservation to cover incidental expenses.
Hyatt also partners with American Airlines so that elite members in both programs can receive reciprocal benefits. One of the perks is the ability to earn 1 World of Hyatt bonus point for every eligible $1 spent on qualifying American Airlines flights. This is in addition to any AAdvantage miles you would earn on your flights.
To be able to earn points for American Airlines flights, you’ll need to link your World of Hyatt and AAdvantage accounts. Visit this page and click the “Link Accounts Now” button.
In a partnership with Avis, World of Hyatt members can earn 500 points per qualifying rental with Avis. Additionally, you’ll receive up to 25% off base rates as a membership benefit. To earn Hyatt points and receive your discount with Avis, provide Avis Worldwide Discount (AWD) number K817700 and your World of Hyatt number.
Planning an event or meeting at a Hyatt property? Make sure you add your World of Hyatt number, as this is another easy way to earn Hyatt points. Hyatt awards 1 point per eligible dollar spent for hosting meetings or events with Hyatt, up to 50,000 bonus points per event. These are not base points, so they will not count toward tier status. However, you can qualify for Hyatt elite status based on meetings or events hosted.
| Membership level | Qualifying meetings/events points/$1 |
|---|---|
| Member | N/A |
| Discoverist | 3 |
| Explorist | 10 |
| Globalist | 20 |
Through its partnership with Points.com, Hyatt members can buy up to 55,000 World of Hyatt points per calendar year. All purchases are in increments of 1,000. Note that buying points is rarely a good idea, as you’ll generally pay more than what points are worth. However, occasionally point buying can make sense (e.g., if you need to top off your balance for a redemption) — especially if you can take advantage of a special promotion. For instance, at the time of writing there is a 30% bonus on points purchased through March 7, 2022.
People may also purchase World of Hyatt points as a gift for someone else. Purchases follow the same limits whether you are buying points for yourself or as a gift.
Other World of Hyatt members can transfer points to you at no charge. To transfer points, you and the gift-giver must complete this form, then email or fax it to World of Hyatt customer service. Each person may only participate in one transfer every 30 days.
World of Hyatt routinely runs promotions, ranging from earning additional points on stays to rebates on award nights. Here are a few examples of promotions at the time of writing:
The primary use of Hyatt points is for hotel stays with World of Hyatt. This is where you will find the best value. World of Hyatt uses a few different award charts for determining how many points are required for an award night. Hyatt recently released pricing for premium suites, which means that you can book a wide variety of room types using your Hyatt points and know the cost upfront. Here are your best options:
Free nights with Hyatt are generally the best way to go with your points. World of Hyatt has off-peak, standard and peak pricing for each tier and category of rooms. For example, a Category 4 standard room ranges from 12,000 points for an off-peak night to 18,000 points for a peak night. You only need 3,500 points to book a room at the lowest tier in off-peak season, while premium suites can range as high as 90,000 points.
Although Category 1 is the lowest category hotel, it includes some pretty nice Hyatt Place and Hyatt House properties in a few desirable locations. The lowest tiers of Hyatt’s chart, in general, are an excellent value, allowing you to book nicer-than-average hotels with a modest number of points.
On the highest end of the chart, you will find some great unique luxury hotels, thanks to Hyatt’s new partnership with Small Luxury Hotels of the World. All of Hyatt’s standard brands will be priced within Categories 1 through 7. You will only find Destination by Hyatt Residence and SLH properties priced in Category 8.
Here are some other good uses of points:
| Hotel Category | Standard room | Regency/Grand Club | Standard suite | Premium suite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3,500-6,500 | 5,500-8,500 | 6,500-9,500 | 7,000-13,000 |
| 2 | 6,500-9,500 | 10,500-13,500 | 11,500-14,500 | 13,000-19,000 |
| 3 | 9,000-15,000 | 14,000-20,000 | 17,000-23,000 | 18,000-30,000 |
| 4 | 12,000-18,000 | 18,000-24,000 | 21,000-27,000 | 24,000-36,000 |
| 5 | 17,000-23,000 | 24,000-30,000 | 29,000-35,000 | 34,000-46,000 |
| 6 | 21,000-29,000 | 29,000-37,000 | 36,000-44,000 | 42,000-58,000 |
| 7 | 25,000-35,000 | 34,000-44,000 | 43,000-53,000 | 50,000-70,000 |
| 8 | 35,000-45,000 | 45,000-55,000 | 56,000-66,000 | 70,000-90,000 |
Savvy traveler tip: Hyatt makes it extremely easy to book hotel stays with your points. You simply need to search a destination at hyatt.com and select the “Use Points” checkbox. Once you select a property, you can easily toggle between cash rates and points rates, or select a room type to view all available rates.In addition to the standard award chart, Hyatt uses a separate award chart for its all-inclusive Hyatt Zilara and Hyatt Ziva properties. Award nights for these hotels match the highest tiers of the Hyatt chart: Depending on the hotel and the time of booking (off-peak peak/standard/peak) you can book an award night with 21,000 to 45,000 points.
Rates are based on two-person occupancy, with an extra charge for each additional person up to a maximum of four people per room. Keep in mind that the Zilara properties are adults-only, while the Ziva welcomes families traveling with children.
| Property | Standard room | Suite | Additional points per person |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hyatt Zilara Cancun | 21,000-29,000 | 35,000-45,000 | 10,500-14,500 |
| Hyatt Zilara Cap Cana | 21,000-29,000 | 35,000-45,000 | 10,500-14,500 |
| Hyatt Zilara Rose Hall | 21,000-29,000 | 35,000-45,000 | 10,500-14,500 |
| Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos | 17,000-23,000 | 27,000-37,000 | 8,500-11,500 |
| Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta | 17,000-23,000 | 27,000-37,000 | 8,500-11,500 |
| Hyatt Ziva Cancun | 21,000-29,000 | 35,000-45,000 | 10,500-14,500 |
| Hyatt Ziva Cap Cana | 21,000-29,000 | 35,000-45,000 | 10,500-14,500 |
| Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall | 21,000-29,000 | 35,000-45,000 | 10,500-14,500 |
Hyatt also has special pricing for its Miraval Resorts, which are luxury all-inclusive experiences. The range of these bookings is much higher than the regular Hyatt award chart. Awards start at 40,000 points for an off-peak single-occupancy standard room and range to a sky-high 137,000 points for a Premium suite during peak season. Additionally, you’ll receive a resort credit of $175 per person to cover extra charges.
| Hotel | Standard room | Suite | Premium suite |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-occupancy | 40,000-50,000 | 65,000-85,000 | 95,000-115,000 |
| Double-occupancy | 57,500-72,000 | 82,500-107,000 | 112,500-137,000 |
Hyatt also lets you upgrade your room using World of Hyatt points. This is only applicable to cash bookings. Upgrades with Hyatt can be a good value at high category properties when cash rates are cheap. For example, booking a Club room at a Category 6 property requires 8,000 more points per night than booking a standard room. If you pay cash, you can obtain this Club upgrade for just 3,000 points per night.
| Room upgrade award | Points per night |
|---|---|
| Regency/Grand Club room upgrade | 3,000 |
| Suite upgrade | 6,000 |
| Premium suite upgrade | 9,000 |
Hyatt also allows members to use half the required points for a hotel category and the rest in cash to give you more flexibility when booking free nights. Pricing for Points + Cash redemptions also follow the off-peak, standard and peak pricing schedules.
The upside here is that you won’t have to accumulate a ton of points before you can use them. The downside is that you don’t get any extra value by choosing the Points + Cash rate. You’ll pay half the points and 50% to 70% of the going rate for the night, according to its website. Points + Cash stays also lose out on 100% award stay benefits, like waived resort and parking fees. Because of this rule, you may be better off splitting your reservation into all points for some nights and all cash for the others.
Whether a redemption of your World of Hyatt points is good or not often depends on your personal preferences and what the value per point is that you’re receiving. These redemptions tend to offer lower value compared to other methods, so they are generally a bad option for most travelers.
World of Hyatt elite status is Hyatt’s way of rewarding you for your loyalty to its hotel chain. Each tier of elite status provides valuable perks that will make your Hyatt stays even more enjoyable. With perks like suite upgrades and waived resort fees, the highest tier of Hyatt elite status can be extremely valuable — worth around $5,000 per year, by our estimates.
You typically need to earn status through either nights or base points, although there are ways to shortcut this. Alternatively, you can qualify for Hyatt elite status based on meetings or events planned.
| Status levels | Nights | Base points | Meetings and events |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discoverist | 10 nights | 25,000 base points | 3 meetings/events |
| Explorist | 30 nights | 50,000 base points | 10 meetings/events |
| Globalist | 60 nights | 100,000 base points | 20 meetings/events |
| Lifetime Globalist | N/A | 1,000,000 Lifetime base points | N/A |
World of Hyatt offers a variety of benefits to its elite members, including bonus points, room upgrades, free breakfast and waived fees. Here are the benefits of Hyatt elite status at each level.
The lion’s share of elite benefits kick in when you attain Hyatt Globalist. The perks you enjoy as a Globalist are well worth the effort of attaining this top tier.
The World of Hyatt does offer a lifetime status program where you can earn top-tier Globalist for life. The qualification requirement is simple: Earn 1,000,000 base points in the World of Hyatt program. There is no route to Lifetime Globalist through either nights or events.
The qualification requirement of 1 million World of Hyatt points is a major hurdle, as it equates to $200,000 spent with Hyatt Hotels.
Yes, World of Hyatt is free to join. You can enroll here.
Yes, World of Hyatt points expire after 24 months of inactivity. Members can extend the life of their points by staying at a Hyatt property, earning base points, or holding a meeting or event at Hyatt.
Hyatt Hotels Corporation manages and franchises hotels under the 19 different hotel brands, which include Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Grand Hyatt and Park Hyatt, among others.
Yes, you can buy World of Hyatt points directly here.
You can enroll in the World of Hyatt loyalty program here.
Stays prior to enrollment in World of Hyatt are not eligible for Tier-Qualifying Night credit or base points. World of Hyatt members may request stay credit for up to one year after checkout. To request retroactive credit, you’ll need to complete and submit your request using the past stay credit form and allow two to three weeks for Hyatt to process the credit.
Your World of Hyatt number will be provided on the confirmation page after joining World of Hyatt. When logged into your account, click on your name in the upper right corner to view your number. Your member number also appears at the top of the Hyatt mobile app.
World of Hyatt Globalists have an exclusive number to reach customer service. This number is (800) 544-9288. Globalists also receive a Hyatt Concierge that is able to help them with their needs. Once you reach Globalist elite status, your concierge will reach out to make an introduction and provide their email and phone contact information.
The information related to the World of Hyatt Credit Card, World of Hyatt Business Credit Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve®, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Freedom Flex℠, Chase Freedom Unlimited®, Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card and Ink Business Cash® Credit Card has been collected by LendingTree and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication. Terms apply.
The above offers and/or promotions may have since changed, expired, or is no longer available. Check the Issuers’ website for more details.
