World of Hyatt Credit Card Review: Elite Status, Free Nights and More

If you’re a Hyatt fan with good / excellent credit, the World of Hyatt Credit Card can be well worth it. You get plenty of perks for a $95 annual fee, including a free night at a Category 1-4 property every year — easily covering the cost.

The card also helps you rack up bonus points — starting with a generous welcome offer — for free stays and room upgrades, plus automatic Discoverist status. Even better, you’ll get elite qualifying nights that can bring you closer to coveted Globalist elite status.

The main downside? Hyatt has a smaller footprint than Hilton, Marriott or IHG. But with over 1,450 properties in 79 countries, there are still plenty of options.

We use calculations to estimate the value of each card for the average cardholder, based on LendingTree and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

• Average value over two years (80% of rating): We calculate the value of rewards and perks for the average cardholder using U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and an annual spend of $20,000, minus the annual fee. This value includes the card’s sign-up bonus, annual bonus (including free night certificates) and travel perks like lounge access and travel credits. We look at the average rewards earned over two years to balance out a card’s ongoing value with its first-year value.
• Flexibility of rewards (15% of rating): We consider how easy the rewards are to use, looking at factors like expiration dates, minimum thresholds to redeem, blackout dates and the availability of flexible redemption options like travel statement credits and cash back.
• Other features (5% of rating): We also compare a card’s benefits, such as purchase protections, travel protections and elite status benefits, against benefits from other cards.

• Annual fee: $95
• Regular purchase APR: 19.99% - 28.49% variable
• Foreign transaction fee: $0
• Sign-up bonus: 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.
• Rewards: 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. 2 Bonus Points per $1 spent at restaurants, on airline tickets purchased directly from the airline, local transit and commuting as well as fitness club and gym memberships. Plus, earn 1 Bonus Point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
• Other benefits:
  • Free night at any Category 1–4 Hyatt hotel or resort after each card anniversary
  • Extra free night at any Category 1–4 Hyatt hotel or resort if you spend $15,000 in a calendar year
  • Automatic World of Hyatt Discoverist status
  • 5 tier qualifying night credits towards status each year
  • 2 additional qualifying night credits per every $5,000 spent on your card
• Recommended credit: Good / Excellent

• Free night award

  One of the card’s best perks is its free night award certificate. Each year on your card anniversary, you’ll receive one free night at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort. In addition, you can also get another free night if you reach $15,000 in spending for the calendar year. Considering that most stays are above $95, if you take advantage of this benefit, you’ll have already outearned your annual fee.

  Although the free night award only applies to properties up to Category 4, you can still find very nice properties both in the U.S. and abroad, like the Hyatt Regency Seattle and Hyatt Place London City East.

• Large sign-up bonus

  You’ll 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.

  This is a very valuable offer — however, you’ll have to spend a lot over six months to earn the full bonus. If you’re looking to earn a lot of Hyatt points quickly, you may be better off with the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve^® (see rates & fees). You can earn more points for a lower spending requirement in a shorter amount of time with these cards, and you can transfer your Chase UItimate Rewards^® points to World of Hyatt.

  → See the best credit card sign-up bonuses

• Earn valuable Hyatt points at a high rate

  Hyatt points can be hard to come by, and this card lets you earn them at a good pace. You’ll 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. 2 Bonus Points per $1 spent at restaurants, on airline tickets purchased directly from the airline, local transit and commuting as well as fitness club and gym memberships. Plus, earn 1 Bonus Point per $1 spent on all other purchases.

  While this rate may seem lower than other hotel cards, like the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card, keep in mind that Hyatt points are worth far more than the typical hotel point — around $0.02 per point by our estimates. That makes the World of Hyatt Credit Card one of the most potentially rewarding hotel cards for ongoing purchases:

  	Rewards earned per $1*
  Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card	$0.043
  Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card	$0.035
  World of Hyatt Credit Card	$0.025
  Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card	$0.024
  IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card	$0.019
  Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card	$0.019

  *Based on LendingTree’s value methodology

• Great redemption options

  While many hotel rewards programs feature inflated points and award nights that require tens to hundreds of thousands of points, you can stretch Hyatt points a long way.

  Redemptions start at a very reasonable 3,500 points for an off-peak standard night, and you can find desirable properties and locations in even the lowest tiers of the Hyatt rewards chart.

• Standard night award pricing

  Hotel Category	Standard room points per night	Regency/Grand Club points per night	Standard suite points per night	Premium suite points per night
  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	50,000	61,000	80,000

  → Learn the best ways to earn and redeem Hyatt points.

• Get automatic elite status with genuine hotel perks

  Once you become a cardmember, you’ll get automatic Hyatt Discoverist status — this comes with features like premium internet, late checkout, bottled water, waived fees on reward stays and other perks. It’s a better status feature than competing hotel cards like the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless^® Credit Card — that card bumps you up to Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite Status, but the only real perk it provides is late checkout.

• Helps you earn Hyatt Globalist elite status

  The World of Hyatt Credit Card can help you get to Hyatt’s top loyalty status (known as Globalist) faster. You’ll receive five qualifying night credits toward your next tier status every year, plus two additional qualifying night credits every $5,000 you spend on the card.

  Many cardholders cite the World of Hyatt Credit Card as a must-have for Hyatt members who want to achieve Globalist status. That’s because getting to Globalist status is no easy feat — you’ll need 60 tier-qualifying nights or 100,000 base points.

  Some of the unique perks you’ll get include:

  • 30% bonus on eligible purchases
  • Room upgrades (as available at check-in) on standard suites
  • Late checkout at 4 p.m.
  • Club access or breakfast for up to two adults and two children (must be registered guests
  • Priority access to rooms
  • Free parking on free night awards

• $95 annual fee

  You will have to pay a $95 annual fee — but as long as you book a few stays with Hyatt per year, the perks easily justify the fee. But if you’re more of a once-per-year traveler, a general rewards card (like the Chase Freedom Flex^℠) might be a better fit for you, since you’ll have more redemption flexibility.

• Somewhat limited hotel footprint

  First, the good news: Hyatt has expansive coverage, with 1,450 properties in 79 countries around the world. However, compared to the 6,000-plus in IHG’s portfolio, Hilton’s 8,000-plus and Marriott’s 9,000-plus, you won’t have nearly as many options.

• Free night certificate limited to Category 1-4 properties

  The World of Hyatt Credit Card free night is only good for Category 1 through 4 properties. It’s less valuable than the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card’s free night certificate, which can be used at any Hilton hotel (with only a few exclusions). However, it’s not the only free award night with limitations. For instance, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless^® Credit Card restricts use of its certificate to properties at or under 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.

  If you’re planning to use your free night for an upcoming trip, keep in mind that some popular destinations — Manhattan, for example — may not have Category 1-4 properties at all.

• Perks and rewards mostly limited to Hyatt

  As is the case with most hotel-branded cards, your perks and rewards are all geared toward your Hyatt stays. So if you don’t stay with Hyatt exclusively, or at least frequently, this may not be the best card for you. Instead, consider a general travel card (like the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card) that lets you enjoy perks at a variety of hotels, as well as for other aspects of your trip.

• Points can expire with inactivity

  You must have qualifying activity in the World of Hyatt program or on the credit card at least once every 24 months so you don’t lose your points.

World of Hyatt Credit Card vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

If you’d like to keep your travel options open with another Chase card, the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card is an excellent choice. It has the same $95 annual fee, plus a phenomenal sign-up bonus. And since World of Hyatt is one of the card’s 1:1 hotel transfer partners (along with IHG and Marriott), you can use points for Hyatt properties. You’ll also have the flexibility to redeem your points on other things, too, like flights.

However, if you’re a Hyatt loyalist who prefers to stay with one brand and you’re aspiring to attain hotel status for extra perks, then the World of Hyatt Credit Card is a better fit.

World of Hyatt Credit Card vs. IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card

If you’re torn between which hotel’s co-branded credit card is best for you, the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card is worth a look. Like the World of Hyatt Credit Card, it’s issued by Chase and has a similar annual fee ($95).

It offers a free night certificate on your card anniversary, though it doesn’t offer the opportunity to earn an additional free night. It also grants you automatic Platinum elite status. But unlike Hyatt’s card, there’s no option to climb beyond that tier unless you spend $40,000 each calendar year. Plus, while IHG’s card seems to offer higher earning rates, IHG award nights typically require a lot more points than Hyatt.

That said, IHG redeems itself with a great perk: book three award nights, and your fourth night is free — perfect for stretching your points on longer stays.

World of Hyatt Credit Card vs. Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

Prefer a card with more flexibility? The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card might suit you better than the World of Hyatt Credit Card. It lets you earn a huge sign-up bonus and also offers a high rewards rate on every purchase.

World of Hyatt isn’t a transfer partner, but you can still redeem miles to cover a wide range of travel expenses — including flights, hotels, rental cars and more — at a rate of 1 cent per mile. This card also offers more premium travel benefits, like airport lounge access.

It does come at a higher $395 annual fee (see rates & fees). However, you’ll get up to $300 in statement credits each year for bookings through the Capital One Travel portal that can help offset most of the fee. If you’re an avid traveler, you’ll find that the benefits and rewards on this card far exceed the annual fee.

The main question to ask when evaluating this card is how often you stay at Hyatt properties. For the loyal Hyatt traveler, the World of Hyatt Credit Card has a lot to offer in terms of a generous rewards rate, an annual free night and annual Discoverist status. However, if you don’t want to be wedded to a specific hotel chain, a card like the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card might offer you more flexibility.