The loyalty program for Hyatt Hotels and Resorts is known as World of Hyatt. With only around 1500 properties worldwide, World of Hyatt is well behind Marriott and Hilton, though Hyatt has been making strides to address this. While it lacks in worldwide footprint, it makes up for this as the program is often regarded as one of the most rewarding hotel loyalty programs for point and miles enthusiasts.
Those that are able to reach their top-tier Globalist status are treated to the best suite of benefits among the major hotel brands. However, a drawback of the program is that its mid-tier elite status provides limited benefits.
Regardless of your status, World of Hyatt maintains a reasonable award chart along with their partnership with Mr. and Mrs. Smith, it’s hard to deny the appeal that World of Hyatt presents.
Acquiring Hyatt Points
For Canadians, there are three primary ways to accumulate World of Hyatt points: staying at World of Hyatt hotels, credit card welcome bonuses, and making purchases with World of Hyatt co-branded credit cards. Furthermore, Hyatt offers the option to buy World of Hyatt points directly, as well as the ability to transfer from Chase Ultimate Rewards.
World of Hyatt is also a 1:1 transfer partner of Bilt Rewards. This US-based program doesn’t get much attention here on Frugal Flyer – or anywhere in Canada for that matter – as there’s currently no easy path for Canadians to obtain their cards. Consequently, we won’t be discussing this program, though do be aware that they are an option for people that are able to obtain the Bilt Mastercard.
As with other hotel loyalty programs, in order to accumulate points for your stay, you must make your reservation directly with World of Hyatt. If you choose to book through a third-party booking portal, you will typically not be eligible to earn World of Hyatt points, qualifying nights, or enjoy the perks associated with your status.
Stay at Hyatt Properties
Staying at Hyatt properties will be the most straightforward method of accumulating World of Hyatt points. As a member of World of Hyatt, you will earn 5 World of Hyatt points per dollar (USD) spent. From there, depending on your status, you’ll earn an additional 10%, 20%, or 30% on any eligible rate including incidental charges during your stay.
World of Hyatt loyalty program terms state that eligible incidental charges vary depending on the property, but generally include resort/destination fees, additional cleaning fees (where applicable), spa, food, beverage, and lounge expenditures (except at outlets not operated by the hotel or resort) and other charges, such as laundry, dry cleaning, and telephone.
Credit Card Bonuses
In order to accumulate a meaningful amount of World of Hyatt points, as Canadians we have to solely rely on welcome bonuses from the Chase-issued Ultimate Reward earning credit cards and co-branded World of Hyatt Visa cards.
The Chase Ultimate Rewards earning cards you’ll want to prioritize are the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and Chase Ink Business Cash credit card. Welcome bonuses from these cards usually range from 80,000 – 100,000 Ultimate Rewards after meeting the minimum spend requirement and will be the most consistent avenue for earning World of Hyatt points.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is a credit card that earns Chase Ultimate Rewards points and is available to individuals in the United States.
Check out our Chase Sapphire Preferred card review for more details.
60,000 Ultimate Rewards
$4,000
$925+
$95
No
–
Both the co-branded Chase World of Hyatt Visa card (US) and Chase World of Hyatt Business Visa card (US) typically offer weaker welcome bonuses of around only 50,000 – 60,000 World of Hyatt points but offer additional perks such as an annual Category 1-4 free night award and automatic Discoverist status.
The Chase World of Hyatt credit card earns Hyatt points and gives cardholders one annual free night at a category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort.
30,000 World of Hyatt
$3,000
$415+
$95
No
–
You’ll need to have an established US credit history to be eligible for Chase credit cards. Once you’ve held at least one US American Express card (via either Nova Credit or Amex Global Transfer) for a minimum of one year and obtained an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), you should be all set to make your jump in the Chase ecosystem.
Credit Card Spending
If you’re wanting to earn World of Hyatt points directly with the program, Chase issues the co-branded Chase World of Hyatt Visa card (US) and Chase World of Hyatt Business Visa card (US). However, co-branded hotel credit cards are generally a poor choice for everyday spending for the majority of people, and the co-branded World of Hyatt cards are no exception.
Therefore, if your goal is to earn World of Hyatt points, you’ll be better served to put your spending on either one of the Chase Sapphire cards or one of the Ink Business cards to maximize their more favorable spending category multipliers.
The only departure from this recommendation would be if you are paying a cash rate for your Hyatt stays. The World of Hyatt Visa cards earn 4 World of Hyatt points per dollar (USD) spent. This is in addition to the base 5 World of Hyatt points you’ll earn as a member, for a total of 9 World of Hyatt points per dollar (USD) spent when paying with a co-branded Chase World of Hyatt Visa. Plus, any additional points based on your World of Hyatt status.
| Credit Card | Earn Rate on Hyatt Purchases | Earn Rate on Other Categories |
|---|---|---|
| Chase World of Hyatt Credit Card | 4 points per USD spent | 2 points per dollar spent at restaurants, on airline tickets purchased directly from the airline, local transit, and commuting as well as fitness club and gym memberships. 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases |
| Chase World of Hyatt Business Credit Card | 4 points per USD spent | 2 points total per dollar spent in your top two categories each quarter. Eligible categories are: – Dining – Shipping – Airline tickets when purchased directly with the airline – Local transit & Commuting – Social Media & Search Engine Advertising – Car Rental Agencies – Gas stations – Internet, Cable & Phone Services 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases |
If you don’t have your Individual Taxpayer Identification Number yet, consider using our ITIN service as a step toward your first Chase credit card.
Purchase Hyatt Points
World of Hyatt charges 2.4 cents per point USD when purchasing points. Approximately 3 to 4 times a year, World of Hyatt offers promotions on points purchases, typically providing a bonus of 25% to 30% on points acquired. These promotions effectively reduce the cost of each point to less than 2 cents per point. Points purchases are limited to a maximum of 55,000 per year, however, this cap is often doubled to 110,000 to coincide with purchase promotions.
If you’re seeking to boost your points balance for a hotel redemption, this can serve as a feasible solution if you’re a bit short for an upcoming redemption. Additionally, you might find value in acquiring points during a promotional period, as the cost of buying and redeeming points could be more economical compared to paying cash rates for certain properties.
World of Hyatt points can be purchased at this link.
Points purchases are not sold directly by Hyatt, but instead, the purchase is processed by Points.com. The transaction will not code as a travel purchase, so you’ll want to use any card with a high base earning rate. Additionally, we recommend using a US-issued credit card rather than a Canadian credit card. This is to avoid being charged sales tax on top of your points purchase, as you’ll be charged Canadian sales tax if your billing address is in Canada.
Other Ways to Earn World of Hyatt Points
Apart from the aforementioned methods to accumulate World of Hyatt points, there are various additional ways to earn points while making other travel-related expenditures.
- American Airlines AAdvantage – World of Hyatt Partnership. World of Hyatt elite members (Discoverist and above) can earn 1 World of Hyatt point for every eligible $1 spent on qualifying American Airlines flights. Link your World of Hyatt and American Airlines AAdvantage accounts here.
- Book a Rental Car with Avis. Members can earn 500 Bonus Points and up to 25% off base rates for each qualifying rental at participating Avis locations worldwide. Book your reservation with Avis Worldwide Discount (AWD) number K817700 on Avis.com and associate your World of Hyatt membership number with your Avis reservation.
- Book a Cruise with Lindblad Expeditions. Provide your World of Hyatt number when booking and earn 5 points for every $1 spent with Lindblad Expeditions. Members also receive Hyatt qualifying nights towards status and a $250 on-board credit.
- Meetings and Events. Organizers can earn 1 World of Hyatt point per dollar spent on all meetings and events, up to 50,000 points per stay.
FIND Experiences. Looking for something unique to do on your vacation? When booking an experience with FIND you’ll earn 10 World of Hyatt points per dollar spent. These wellness-inspired experiences include activities such as cooking classes, hot air balloon rides, walking tours, and more.
Redeeming Hyatt Points
To get the most value out of your World of Hyatt points, we strongly advise using them exclusively for stays at Hyatt hotels and their partners. Though, as we’ll cover a bit later, redeeming for car rentals, spa treatments or experiences can make sense in some situations.
World of Hyatt Award Charts
World of Hyatt stands as one of the last remaining hotel loyalty programs to publish a fixed-rate award chart. This is one of the main reasons Hyatt is so revered among points and miles enthusiasts, as there is a good deal of certainty that a free night award will consistently represent good value.
The points cost of a World of Hyatt free night award is determined by several factors:
- Hotel Category: World of Hyatt properties are designated a category from 1-8, with Category 1 being the least expensive and Category 8 being the most expensive.
- Peak, Standard, and Off-Peak Dates: Every World of Hyatt free night is flagged as off-peak, standard, or peak. Depending on the days you book there may be some fluctuation in the daily points pricing of your stay, with off-peak nights costing slightly less and peak nights costing slightly more.
- Room Type: The type of room booked will affect the cost of a free night award. You can spend additional points to upgrade to a club room, suite, or premium suite. These prices are also subject to the category of the hotel and peak/off-peak pricing.
The following award chart is applicable to standard room free nights at Hyatt hotels and resorts including SLH properties:
Room upgrades get exponentially more expensive for higher-category hotels while only a slight increase in points is required to upgrade your room in a lower-category hotel. Upgrades at Category 1 hotels start at 3,000 points per night for a standard suite and go up to 21,000 points for a Category 8 hotel.
World of Hyatt has just over 100 all-inclusive hotels and resorts across nine different brands. The majority of Hyatt’s all-inclusive properties are located in Mexico, The Caribbean, and Central America, with the remaining 20 or so concentrated in the Mediterranean.
These properties are subject to a separate all-inclusive award chart. Resorts are assigned one of six different categories ranging from Category A to Category F, with Category A being on the low end of cost, while Category F resorts are the most expensive.
Much the same as with Hyatt hotels and resorts, all-inclusive free night awards are subject to off-peak, standard, and peak pricing, and room upgrades to suites are available for an increased price. Prices quoted are for single or double occupancy, with more points being required for additional guests.
On their own separate award chart is Miraval Resorts, which is Hyatt’s ultra-luxury all-inclusive brand. There are only three Miraval Resorts properties, all of which are located in the US.
Prices quoted are again subject to off-peak, standard, and peak pricing and are further broken down into room type and single or double occupancy.
Every award night at Miraval Resorts includes a $175 resort credit per person, food and beverage, complimentary wellness activities, lectures, fitness classes, and more.
Stay at Hyatt Properties
To redeem World of Hyatt points or use a World of Hyatt free night certificate for a complimentary stay, visit the Hyatt website or open the World of Hyatt app and enter the destination, dates and select “Use Points”.
After choosing the property you wish to stay at, the available rooms for booking with points will be displayed. Some properties may only offer specific room types for points, while others allow guests to upgrade to a higher room type for additional points. In this example, only the base-level room is available to be booked for a free night.
Once you’ve selected your room, you’ll be presented with the option to pay for the free night entirely with points, your Hyatt free night certificate, or a combination of points + cash.
On a Points + Cash redemption, the points required are only 50% of a normal redemption with an additional sum of money ranging from 50% – 70% off the standard rate of your room type. Consider this option if you’re a little short for a free night, but first, check if it’s more cost-effective to buy the additional points you need instead of making a Points + Cash booking.
In addition to using your World of Hyatt points for free nights, you can use points to upgrade your room type on paid stays.
Other Ways to Redeem World of Hyatt Points
As we’ve already mentioned, redeeming your World of Hyatt points for hotel stays will almost always result in receiving the most value from your points. Yet, some of World of Hyatt’s partners could actually be worth considering in some circumstances, as some actually offer reasonable redemption rates.
Lindblad Expeditions
Redeeming your World of Hyatt points with Lindblad Expeditions can be a good use of World of Hyatt points with their unique itineraries and reasonable redemption rates, as it allows you to redeem points at a rate of 1.6 cents (USD) per point.
This partnership is quite appealing as there are limited options for using points to embark on cruises to exotic and hard-to-reach destinations like the Antarctic or Galapagos Islands. World of Hyatt members will receive a $250 (USD) onboard credit per reservation. However, Lindblad Expedition cruises, while offering solid value, are very expensive. Their cheapest expedition to Antarctica will require in the neighborhood of 1 million World of Hyatt points.
Dining, Spa, and Incidentals
When visiting a participating location, it’s possible to redeem World of Hyatt points for spa treatments and dining, even if you are not a guest of the hotel. If you are a guest of the hotel, you’ll also be able to redeem for other incidentals such as in-room movies, parking, transportation, and more.
The redemption value increases the more points you use. Redemptions start at 1,000 points, which will get a $10 (USD) credit for a value of 1 cent per point (USD). Redeeming a max of 65,000 World of Hyatt points will earn a $1,000 (USD) credit for a value of just over 1.5 cents per point (USD).
Avis Car Rentals
For 6,000 World of Hyatt points per day, members can rent an intermediate-size car. If a specific car rental you’re looking at is coming in well over $100 (USD), this could be worth considering. If the value is anything less, you’re better off saving your points as the value just isn’t there.
FIND Experiences
FIND offers 200+ experiences across 75+ destinations in 30 countries to all World of Hyatt members. By redeeming World of Hyatt points for FIND experiences, you’ll receive a consistent value of 1.4 cents per point (USD).
FIND Experience pricing starts at around 1,000 World of Hyatt points and goes up 200,000 at the top end. Some examples of FIND Experiences are a Balinese Cooking class in Bali for 6,000 points or truffle hunting in Budapest for 10,333 points.
Meetings and Events
While not a redemption most people will consider, you can redeem World of Hyatt points towards a credit for meeting and event spaces at Hyatt properties.
As an event planner, you can redeem at a rate of 1.33 (USD) cents per point.
Transfer Hyatt Points to Airlines
World of Hyatt points can be transferred to 25 partner airlines. For the majority of airlines, points transfer at a rate of 2.5:1. Meaning you’ll receive 2,000 airline miles for every 5,000 World of Hyatt points you transfer. There are a handful of airlines that convert at a slightly higher rate, though for the most part, you can expect to receive the base rate of 0.4 airline miles per World of Hyatt point.
World of Hyatt points can be transferred to airlines here.
Points transfers require a minimum of 5,000 World of Hyatt points with additional increments of 1,250 points. Moreover, for every 50,000 World of Hyatt points transferred, you’ll receive 5,000 bonus airline miles. Also note that transfers from World of Hyatt to airlines won’t be suitable for booking last-minute flight awards, as Hyatt’s terms state that transfers can take 6-8 weeks to process.
World of Hyatt Elite Status
World of Hyatt elite status is generally regarded as one of the most valuable hotel loyalty programs due to its consistent application of benefits for members that hold status. Having said that, it’s important to note that holding a premium co-branded credit card, unlike the other North American hotel loyalty programs, won’t immediately elevate your status to higher tiers.
As we’ve already mentioned, World of Hyatt’s fixed-rate award chart remains the large impetus behind the program’s popularity, along with Milestone Rewards and Brand Explorer there’s a ton of perks for every member to take advantage of, regardless of what status level you hold. Most importantly – unlike Marriott and Hilton – World of Hyatt’s status benefits are universally recognized at all their properties worldwide.
World of Hyatt has four status tiers: Member, Discoverist, Explorist, and Globalist. Like all other hotel elite statuses, each level grants members various benefits, including late check-in and check-out, room upgrades, free breakfast, lounge access, and more.
Since there’s no way of fast-tracking your way to status with Hyatt, the most common way for members to earn status is to meet the nightly stay requirements. Cardholders of either of the co-branded World of Hyatt cards from Chase will be granted 5 qualifying nights per year as a benefit of the card. In addition, you can accumulate two qualifying nights for every $5,000 (USD) spent using the personal card, and five qualifying nights for every $10,000 (USD) spent using the business card.
Meeting the requirements for base points or meetings and events will be quite challenging for most. Reaching the Globalist status threshold will require $20,000 (USD) spent in a calendar year and meetings or events must have at least 10 paid guest rooms associated with the event to qualify.
Benefits of World of Hyatt Elite Status
World of Hyatt’s top-tier Globalist status is considered the best in the business among points and miles enthusiasts. You’ll be entitled to waived resort fees, suite upgrades, 4:00 pm late check-out, free parking, and free breakfast.
Only top-tier Globalist status members receive free breakfast and lounge access, which leaves the lower-tier statuses (Discoverist and Explorist) as perhaps not quite as rewarding as the mid-tier statuses of competing hotel loyalty programs. However, they still enjoy the advantage of a 2:00 pm late check-out, room upgrades, and waived resort fees on free nights.
Milestone Rewards
Aside from the elite benefits detailed in the preceding section, Hyatt also grants Milestone Rewards to its members upon achieving specific numbers of elite-qualifying nights annually.
Milestone Rewards are accessible to everyone, not just elite members, and depend on the number of nights stayed in a calendar year. They kick in after 20 qualifying nights and continue every 10 qualifying nights, up to a maximum of 100 nights. These rewards encompass bonus points, free night awards, suite upgrade awards, and additional perks.
The gap between earning Explorist and Globalist status is quite large, with 30 nights required for Explorist and 60 nights for Globalist. Consequently, Milestone Awards are a way of providing additional benefits for members who exceed the Explorist requirements but fall short of reaching Globalist status. Additionally, Globalist members can continue to earn meaningful perks past the 60 night threshold required to requalify for Globalist status.
Brand Explorer
The Brand Explorer Award from World of Hyatt offers a free night at a Category 1-4 hotel when you complete a stay at five different Hyatt brands. This is not an annual benefit, meaning you can take multiple years to complete five stays and your progress towards a free night is never reset.
There are currently 28 different brands within the World of Hyatt portfolio, thus allowing the opportunity to earn up to five additional free nights throughout your membership lifetime.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, World of Hyatt points will expire after 24 months of continuous account inactivity. Earn, redeem, purchase, or transfer points from Chase at least once every two years to prevent Hyatt points from expiring.
Yes, Hyatt allows members to freely share and combine points with others. Fill out this form and email it to [email protected]. Members are limited to one point-sharing activity per month. Learn more about combining World of Hyatt points.
Points transfers initiated from Chase are instant and should be in your World of Hyatt account in less than one minute.
One World of Hyatt point is worth approximately 2 cents. This should be the minimum redemption value to aim for when making a free night booking.
Yes, free night certificates earned from the World of Hyatt credit cards or Brand Explorer expire exactly one year after the date of issue.
Free Night Awards earned from Milestone Rewards expire 180 days after being issued.