If you’re looking to add a hotel-branded credit card to your portfolio, the World of Hyatt Credit Card is an obvious choice for consumers who frequently stay at Hyatt properties, because the card automatically grants you Hyatt Discoverist status as well bonus points that can be used toward upgrades and free nights. While not as large as Marriott or IHG, there’s still enough there to make joining the World of Hyatt worth considering — Hyatt operates 15 brands, ranging from the luxury Park Hyatt to the value Hyatt Place, with more than 975 properties in 69 countries across six continents.

• Sign-up bonus

  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. If you manage to earn all the points available, you can use them to book a weekend in mid-February at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa in Southern California.

• Rewards

  It pays to sign up for the World of Hyatt loyalty program. Members who are also cardholders get the following rewards rate: 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. The card offers higher points per dollar spent at restaurants, airline tickets and local transit/commuting, along with fitness club and gym memberships.

• Bonus points

  Every time you redeem 50,000 points, you receive 5,000 bonus points. Also earn 5,000 bonus points for each friend who gets the World of Hyatt Credit Card, up to 25,000 a year.

• Numerous redemption options

  Redeem your Hyatt points on the following:

  • Free room nights and upgrades.
  • Transfer points to 27 airline partners.
  • Avis® car rentals.
  • Dining, spa experiences, in-room movies, parking and transportation at participating hotels.
  • MGM Resorts International brands in Las Vegas.
  • FIND Experiences, including a tandem paragliding flight, goat yoga in Las Vegas and a pasta-making class and dinner at Chicago’s Amalfi Coast restaurant.
  • Exhale boutique fitness classes and spa therapies.
  • Share them with family and friends.

  World of Hyatt comes with eight hotel categories, ranging from 5,000 to 40,000 points per free night for a standard room. Category 1 hotels include the budget Hyatt House and Hyatt Place brands. Category 8 hotels cover Hyatt’s partnership with Small Luxury Hotels of the World^TM such as Palazzo Vecchietti in Florence, Italy. There are no blackout dates on reward stays.

• Free night

  Cardmembers receive a free night at any Categories 1 through 4 Hyatt hotel or resort every cardmember anniversary year — and get another free night after spending $15,000 during a cardmember anniversary year.

• Discoverist status

  The World of Hyatt Credit Card confers automatic Discoverist status on the cardholder. That comes with a 10% points bonus, a free bottle of water daily, a late check-out and free premium in-room internet where available.

• Low transfer value for points

  Don’t transfer your Hyatt points to airline partners. With a lousy 5,000 points to 2,000 airline miles conversion rate (a 2.5:1 ratio), you’re better off using your points for free hotel room nights and upgrades.

• Fewer properties to stay at

  Hyatt has a much smaller portfolio of properties to choose from compared to competitors such as Marriott, IHG and Hilton. If you care about having a wide variety of locations to choose from, this could possibly cramp your style when it’s time to book reward nights. That said, Hyatt still has a worldwide hotel network.

• Annual fee

  The World of Hyatt Credit Card has a $95 annual fee. This is pretty typical for hotel and travel cards — but if you don’t travel frequently enough to make the annual fee worth it, you may prefer a card like the Marriott Bonvoy Bold^® Credit Card, which has a $0 annual fee.

• No points for third-party retailers

  Know that you won’t earn points if you book rooms using third-party online retailers such as Expedia.com or Travelocity.com. But you’ll still earn points on incidental charges including resort/destination fee, additional-cleaning fees, spa, food, beverages and lounges, laundry, dry cleaning and telephone.

• Must call to book a suite

  Want to use your points to book a standard or premium suite? You can’t do it on the World of Hyatt website. Instead, you must call customer service at (800) 544-9288.

• Points can expire for 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.

Compare it to the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

 

Travelers who want the flexibility to use their points for stays at any hotel may prefer a card such as the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, which lets you earn 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day; 5 Miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel; 5 Miles per dollar when you book on Turo, the world’s largest car sharing marketplace, through May 16, 2023.

Like the World of Hyatt Credit Card, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card charges an annual fee of $95. It comes with a generous signup bonus: enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.

Finally, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is one of four Capital One travel-branded cards that allow cardholders to transfer the miles they earn to 14 travel loyalty programs, including Air Canada,  Avianca and Finnair — at a better rate than the World of Hyatt Credit Card.

Benefits on the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card include extended warranty, travel accident insurance, and auto rental collision damage waiver. Neither card charges a foreign transaction fee, so you can use either one when traveling outside the United States without worrying about getting hit with extra charges.

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 such as the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card might offer you more flexibility.