The Pros and Cons of the World of Hyatt Program

The Hyatt rewards program, World of Hyatt, has some really loyal fans. The program takes excellent care of its elite members with great perks, but there are benefits for everyone, especially those with the World of Hyatt Credit Card. Its low annual fee of $95 comes with:

• A 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.

• 4x points at Hyatt properties for every dollar spent.

• 2x points on special categories like dining, flights and gym memberships.

• A free night certificate every anniversary year.

With more than 1,000 properties in 68 countries, the opportunity to earn and redeem World of Hyatt points is huge. Still, Hyatt’s size is limited when compared to other big programs like Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy.

World of Hyatt features 20 different brands (hotels, resorts, spas and more) that are each crafted for unique travel needs. Those include:

• Design-focused hotels like Andaz.

• Luxury options like Park Hyatt.

• Affordable brands like Hyatt Place.

• Hyatt House for extended-stays.

• Hyatt Zilara, an adults-only all-inclusive resort.

• Hyatt Ziva, an all-inclusive experience designed for families.

Whatever your travel style, Hyatt probably has you covered. World of Hyatt also has some all-inclusive properties in its portfolio, including:

• Secrets Resorts & Spas.

• Dreams Resorts & Spas.

• Breathless Resorts & Spas.

• Zoëtry Wellness & Spa Resorts.

• Alua Hotels & Resorts.

Hyatt opened 100 hotels in the past year alone.

The Hyatt loyalty program takes care of its elite members with bonus points and the possibility of room upgrades. Its top-level Globalist tier comes with the best perks, including:

• Complimentary breakfast for two (or club lounge access).

• Waived resort fees on both paid and award stays.

• 30% bonus on points earning.

• Late check-out up to 4 p.m.

• Suite upgrades.

In addition, the program offers Globalist members a unique Guest of Honor benefit that allows members to book an award stay for someone else while letting them take advantage of elite perks.

To achieve Globalist, members must stay 60 eligible nights, earn 100,000 base points or have 20 qualifying events or meetings at a World of Hyatt property. The program also gives Globalist status to American Airlines ConciergeKey members.

Nerdy tip: To help travelers, Hyatt has lowered by 50% the requirements for earning all elite tiers in 2021. This means you can achieve Globalist status with 30 eligible nights or by earning 50,000 base points.

World of Hyatt allows members to use points to pay for an upgraded room or a suite redemption. This is not a dynamic-pricing rate like you might find with Hilton Honors, but rather a set points redemption rate. This means you can set the goal of earning enough points to upgrade to a better hotel experience on your next trip.

• Earn and redeem points with Lindblad Expeditions, an adventure cruise company. Nights spent aboard Lindblad ships even count toward World of Hyatt elite status.

• World of Hyatt members can earn and redeem points at MGM properties. Members can also enjoy reciprocal elite status benefits with M Life Rewards.

• Earn or redeem points at Exhale for fitness classes and spa treatments.

• Earn points with partners such as Avis and Miraval.

• Redeem points for FIND experiences for a host of educational and wellness activities.

While Hyatt continues to grow, it still has a notably smaller footprint of hotels around the world. This means you are less likely to find a World of Hyatt property where you need to go when compared with bigger programs like Marriott Bonvoy or Hilton Honors.

One excellent benefit found with other programs is the opportunity to score a discount on five-night stays. For example, Marriott Bonvoy offers the fifth night free when booking for award nights. Hilton Honors offers a similar benefit for its elite members. Unfortunately, this is not possible with World of Hyatt.

World of Hyatt has joined the likes of other loyalty programs with peak award pricing, which it plans to introduce in October 2021. The program continues to offer a helpful award chart that ranks its properties by category and provides a base-level points rate. But, the new award pricing divides the points rate into three sections (off-peak, standard and peak).

While this means that the off-peak rate has gotten lower, it also means that many properties will now charge more points when staying on a peak night. Off-peak and peak pricing also applies to Points + Cash rates.

Do it. The free World of Hyatt program can be rewarding for travelers, and the brand’s growing roster of hotels around the world makes it easier than ever to take advantage of its perks. Vacationers can find numerous all-inclusive hotels to choose from, and the Small Luxury Hotels of the World partnership unlocks the door to hundreds of smaller hotels that do not have a loyalty program of their own.

With an award chart serving as your guide for redemptions, planning for a future stay is easier than with brands like Hilton Honors and IHG Rewards. You can also use the World of Hyatt Credit Card and the transfer option with Chase Ultimate Rewards® to grow your points balance.

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2021, including those best for: