Hyatt is another Daily Drop favorite and hopefully a favorite of yours, as well, if you took advantage of that killer Bilt promo that tempted us with free Hyatt Explorist status just for linking your accounts.
In fact, we think Hyatt has one of the best hotel elite status programs out there (many thanks to its high-value rewards program and fixed-price award bookings). You’ll often be able to stay at a Hyatt for far less a night (in points) than Marriott, for example.
However, its global reach is far less than some of its bigger brothers (like Hilton and Marriott), but you’ll still find around 1,500-ish properties in its portfolio 👇
Courtesy of Hyatt
The World of Hyatt loyalty program includes 19 global portfolio brands, but some of the most popular ones that you may recognize include Hyatt Place, Hyatt Regency, Grand Hyatt, Park Hyatt, and Hyatt Ziva.
But because Hyatt tends to occupy mostly popular tourist destinations or big cities, you may not always be able to find a Hyatt property in off-the-beaten-path areas.
Elite Status
There are three status tiers that exist in Hyatt’s world: Discoverist, Explorist, and Globalist. And yes, there’s also a “Member” tier that is free to join.
Here’s a look at Hyatt’s elite qualifications and benefits charts 👇
Courtesy of Hyatt
Courtesy of Hyatt
Per usual, let’s do some explainin’ about all that’s going on here.
Member tier:
You’ll earn 5x Base Points per dollar when staying at Hyatt properties. Plus, you’ll also have access to member rates, free night perks (more on that later), and the ability to status match to MGM Sapphire.
You might be thinking, “Where the heck did MGM come from?” Just so you’re in the know, MGM and Hyatt have an interesting partnership that includes status matching to different tier levels between the two programs.
Is it sorta random? Yeah… But could it benefit you? Yeah… so, hush.
Discoverist status:
You’ll earn Discoverist status just by staying 10 qualifying nights or racking up 25,000 Base Points. If you don’t want to do those things, you can open the World of Hyatt credit card or the World of Hyatt Business credit card to receive automatic Discoversit status.
Additionally, you’ll receive a 10% bonus on top of the 5x Base Points you earn per dollar when staying at Hyatt properties, space-available upgrades, 2:00 p.m. late check-out, status match to MGM Pearl, and the ability to earn points on American Airlines flights when you link your accounts (among some other perks).
Did I mention Hyatt also has a partnership with American?
Explorist status:
Next up is getting Explorist status by staying 30 nights or earning 50,000 Base Points.
You’ll get a 20% boost of bonus points on top of your 5x Base points, upgraded rooms, late check-out, a status match to MGM Gold, and the same perks from the AA partnership.
Globalist status:
Hyatt’s highest elite status is Globalist which requires staying 60 nights or earning 100,000 Base Points.
Some other perks include a 30% bonus on Base Points, hella late 4:00 p.m. check-out, room upgrades (including standard suites), access to Club lounges (or full breakfast if the property doesn’t have a lounge), waived resort fees on eligible paid rates, and MGM Gold status.
*Additional Program Partners*
On top of the aforementioned Hyatt partnerships with American Airlines and MGM Resorts and Casinos, I wanted to mention one other partnership that could bring you some cool perks: Lindblad Expeditions
Lindblad Expeditions are known for their expedition-style vessels with voyages to remote and often wildlife-centered destinations—from the Arctic down to Antarctica, and everywhere in between!
Courtesy of Lindblad Expeditions
As a World of Hyatt Member, you’ll receive these benefits:
Earn 5x Base Points per eligible dollar spent, plus standard elite member bonuses
Qualifying nights count toward World of Hyatt elite tier status
Redeem World of Hyatt points for future expeditions
Receive a $250 onboard credit per reservation
Just keep in mind these expeditions aren’t cheap, but if you wanted to take advantage of these reciprocal perks, you’ll need to call the designated phone number (866-537-5099) to book your expedition. And be sure to mention your World of Hyatt account number at the time of booking to get your benefits!
How to Earn Hyatt Points
There are a few solid ways to earn Hyatt points, so let’s get into how we can do this.
1. Hyatt Hotel Stays
Courtesy of Hyatt
You can earn Hyatt points by booking directly through and staying at a Hyatt hotel… makes sense, right?
Hyatt awards 5x Base Points per dollar spent on qualifying Hyatt hotel stays (and other qualifying room charges). And this earning rate stays consistent no matter the category of hotel.
Additionally, you might remember that Hyatt partners with MGM, including some of their hotels, which would also get you 5x points per dollar.
On top of this, you’re also entitled to extra bonus points based on your elite status tier:
Discoverist: 10% bonus = .5 extra points per dollar
Explorist: 20% bonus = 1 extra point per dollar
Globalist: 30% bonus = 1.5 extra points per dollar
For example, if you hold Hyatt Globalist status and you were staying at a property for three nights at $200 a night, here’s what you’d earn:
$200 × three nights x 5 Base Points per dollar = 3,000 Base Points
3,000 Base Points x 30% bonus = 900 bonus points
In total, you’d earn almost 4,000 points! And considering you can find hotel stays for as little as 5,000 points per night at some Category 1 properties… is pretty sweet 🤗
2. Credit Cards
Even though Hyatt doesn’t have a large family of cards, the ones they do have are pretty decent.
In addition to the perks seen in the chart (and the automatic Discoverist status mentioned earlier), there’s a few other things worth mentioning.
Their standard card also gives you five tier-qualifying night credits every year (to help you work towards Explorist status). Plus, you can earn two additional credits every time you spend $5,000 on the card.
You can also earn five tier-qualifying night credits for every $10,000 spent on the card.
*Additional cards:
These aren’t Hyatt cards, but they’re good ones… enter Chase 😎. You can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to World of Hyatt at a 1:1 ratio, and this is actually a pretty good deal since both point currencies are worth around the same.
I’d personally recommend either the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve® card.
3. Promotions
World of Hyatt frequently runs different types of promotions for its members, and some of these can actually be really valuable ways to boost points.
For example, you might get a notification that says you could earn 4,000 bonus points for every two qualifying nights that you stay—between this date and this date—as an example.
These promotional bonus points would be in addition to the points you’d get from booking your stay on your Hyatt credit card, as well as any other points earned from your Hyatt elite status.
Free Night Certificates
Because Hyatt’s free night certificates (FNCs) are typically valued for certain property categories… I should briefly mention what these categories are so you have some context.
Basically, every World of Hyatt property fits into a single category ranging from 1 through 8. The higher the category, the more points are needed for an award night.
These categories are often determined by the type of property, location, etc. It’s all pretty straightforward.
So, how do you earn Hyatt free night certificates?
You’ll earn a Category 1-4 FNC every year on your account anniversary if you hold the World of Hyatt credit card (mentioned earlier). This FNC expires 12 months after it’s issued.
You’ll earn a second Category 1-4 FNC when you spend $15,000 on this card (also mentioned earlier in our chart), and this also expires 12 months after it’s issued.
Hyatt’s Milestone Rewards Program will award you a Category 1-4 FNC after staying 30 elite nights in a calendar year. This expires 180 days after it’s issued.
Also with the Milestone Rewards Program, you’ll earn a Category 1-7 👀 FNC after staying 60 elite nights in a calendar year. This expires 180 days after it’s issued.
With World of Hyatt’s Brand Explorer Award, you’ll earn a Category 1-4 FNC for every five Hyatt brands you stay at (and you’ll earn a FNC for every additional five unique Hyatt brands you stay at over your membership’s lifetime). This expires 12 months after it’s issued.
Lifetime Globalist elite members will receive a Category 1-7 FNC annually (in addition to any other certs you’re already getting). This expires 180 days after it’s issued.
How to Redeem Hyatt Points
1. Use Award Charts
Perhaps the most important thing to know is that Hyatt’s award charts are static, meaning you won’t find fluctuations in award pricing! 🎉
While other hotel reward programs could see the same room award price differ from this week, to next week, or next month, Hyatt’s remains stable.
And as you now know, Hyatt prices its award nights via hotel category. You’ll need more points to stay at a Category 6 hotel than you would a Category 2, for example 👇
Courtesy of Hyatt
Hyatt also has off-peak, standard, and peak award pricing that will correspond to the number of points needed to book a room.
You can pretty much bet that booking a Hyatt property in a popular European city in July will be listed with higher peak prices versus that same property in January.
In addition to these standard room rates, you’ll also notice in the chart above that the additional categories of club, standard suite, and premium suite are listed.
Any room typed listed above the standard room rate is also going to have a correspondingly higher number of points. You can flip between these different room rates here to find out how these are priced.
If you’d like to see which specific hotels are in what category, you can head to Hyatt’s “Search Hotel by Category” page to filter your search or view a particular property you have in mind.
I should also mention that Hyatt has different award charts for its all-inclusive properties, as well as a “points + cash” award chart option! You can view those charts on this page by scrolling down to the one you’re looking for.
The points + cash option is especially helpful if you don’t quite have enough points for a stay, or if you just want to save your points and make them stretch further 🤗
One last thing you should know about is Hyatt’s Pay My Way feature. This makes it easier to use Free Night Awards, cash, AND points on a single reservation. This isn’t available on all properties, but for many, it is an option.
To do this, log into your account, search for a stay of two nights or more, and DON’T check the “Use Points” box.
You’ll know your stay qualifies for this once you see the blue “Pay My Way” text beneath the “Book Now” button.
A second page will then show you a combination of ways you could choose to book your stay.
I don’t currently have any Free Night Awards available, but if I did, they would also be listed there as an option 🙃
2. Use Points for Upgrades
Hyatt lists pretty reasonable rates for points that can be used to upgrade a paid stay.
Courtesy of Hyatt
Typically, you’ll need to call in order to do this upgrade process.
3. Transfer Points to Hyatt
If you’re looking to move some Chase Ultimate Rewards points to your Hyatt account, check out our transfer partners article that even provides you with step-by-step screenshots of how to do this!
And if you’d like a real-life example of earning and redeeming points to stay at an all-inclusive Hyatt resort, check out Kara and Nate’s video about their experience at the Hyatt Zilara Montego Bay Resort 👇
Milestone Rewards
Hyatt’s Milestone Rewards are totally separate from elite status. They are completely inclusive, meaning they’re available for everyone and are simply based on the number of nights you stay at a Hyatt property in a calendar year.
Rewards start after 20 qualifying nights and continue in 10-night increments (up to 100 nights).
You’ll find that these Milestone Rewards include things such as lounge access, free night awards, bonus points, suite upgrades, and more!
Waived Resort Fees
This deserves a small section all on its own because Hyatt members also get waived resort fees on award nights (which can really add up 😬).
The no resort fees is a big one because paying for resort fees is a definite negative for Hyatt. I’ve found that the average price for fees per night tends to hover around $50. Not cool, Hyatt.
Bottom Line: Hyatt is Best for Travelers Who
Often stay in larger cities or touristy areas
Want the ultimate, all-inclusive option
Collect Chase Ultimate Rewards® points
Prefer traveling in the U.S. (to maximize Hyatt’s large footprint here)
