Chase World of Hyatt Credit Card: Limited-Time 45,000 + 30,000 Sign-Up Bonus

This card now has a limited-time offer, for a total of 75,000 bonus points: the first 45,000 points after spending $5,000 in the first three months; the remaining 30,000 points are an extra 2x points bonus. Up to $15,000 in spending within the first six months can earn the extra 2x points.

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Given that Hyatt points are relatively valuable, this card can be used for everyday spending. Overall, the sign-up bonus is pretty good. I’ve also added it to the rankings.

• U.S. Credit Card Sign-Up Bonus Rankings (Personal Cards): Hotel and airline cards all at all-time highs, AMEX mystery boxes, Chase limited-time offers!

Chase World of Hyatt Credit Card Overview

Highlights

• Annual free night certificate: Starting in the second year, after paying the annual fee each year, you can receive one Hyatt Cat 1-4 free night certificate (valid for one year). Higher-end Cat 4 hotels usually cost around $200 per night, so it easily makes up for the annual fee.
• Bonus categories: If you stay at Hyatt, this card definitely earns 4x. Airfare, dining, local transit and commuting earn 2x points. Combined with Hyatt points being relatively valuable themselves (1.8c), this card can also serve as a primary travel card, as long as you can use the points. If you have CSP, you should still use CSP, because UR points transfer to Hyatt at 1:1.
• Big spending bonus: Spend $15,000 in a calendar year and you’ll earn another Cat 1-4 free night certificate
• Hyatt elite benefits: Cardholders automatically get Discoverist status (official overview) + 5 elite night credits (for working toward higher status). For every $5,000 spent on the card, you earn 2 elite nights toward status, with no limit
• Small Luxury Hotels (SLH) group: Hyatt continues to strengthen its partnership with SLH. Now not only can Hyatt points be used at SLH properties, but this card also earns 4x points. SLH hotels are still quite distinctive, and you can now book more than 200 SLH hotels worldwide on Hyatt’s website. If you’re redeeming points, don’t forget to activate this card’s 10% points rebate. Small Luxury Hotels overview

Drawbacks

• Hyatt hotels aren’t as widely distributed, so there aren’t as many options as Hilton or Marriott

Hyatt Hotels and Points Overview

Hyatt has fewer properties than some of the other hotel chains, but it is more curated and distinctive, and each hotel has its own character.

Introduction to Hyatt / World of Hyatt Points

• Point value: The average value is about 1.6 c/p, so 100 Hyatt points = $1.6 (Points Value & Analysis). In other words, a hotel stay worth about $160 would generally require around 10k Hyatt points.
• How to redeem: You can search and book directly on hyatt.com, and Hyatt uses a fixed award chart. To book suites with points, you need to call.
• Point rules: Hyatt points expire after 24 months of no account activity. Point transfers between accounts are allowed, but you need to print, fill out, and submit a form.
• My take: To get high value from Hyatt points, it’s best to use them during peak season and at higher-end properties, such as Park Hyatt New York, Park Hyatt Maldives, or resort properties like Hyatt Zilara and Hyatt Ziva. It’s often possible to get around 3 c/p in value, or even more.
• Personal credit card: Chase World of Hyatt
• Detailed analysis: Detailed Introduction to the World of Hyatt Frequent Guest Program

Stay experiences:

• Park Hyatt New York stay review (with free night certificate booking guide) -- cat 7
• Park Hyatt Chicago stay review -- cat 7

My Take

Long-term value: Every year after paying the annual fee, you get a free night certificate for a Cat 1-4 hotel (worth $200+), which easily makes up for the annual fee. Hyatt points are also relatively valuable themselves (worth 1.8 cents each), so if you use this card to pay for dining, airfare, and car rentals, that works out to an equivalent 3.6% cash back. So this card is definitely worth keeping long term. Of course, that assumes you can actually use Hyatt hotels.

【Updated 2019.12】If you hold the old version of the Hyatt credit card, you should have received many upgrade offers by now. The most common one is to upgrade to this new card and get 5,000 Hyatt points. But there is a major catch you need to pay special attention to: there is no Free Night in the year you upgrade! Here are the specific data points:

• The site author upgraded this card in August 2019, and the offer at the time was a 5,000-point bonus
• After the upgrade, the old annual fee was refunded on a prorated basis, and the new August-November annual fee was charged on a prorated basis
• The annual fee in November 2019 was charged at the new $95 rate, but there was no Free Night after it was charged
• After contacting customer service via SM, they said they needed to investigate, and the result was that there is no Free Night in the first year after upgrading

Based on this data point, the first FN after upgrading will not be issued. In other words, after upgrading, you may earn 5,000 points, but you lose the Cat 1-4 Free Night that should have been issued in November (worth about 15,000 points), which is a huge loss. So if you’re determined to upgrade, you need to choose the timing carefully. It’s best to wait until after the new FN has been issued before upgrading.

Application

• Because this is a Hyatt co-branded credit card, it’s recommended that you enter your Hyatt number when applying; otherwise, one will be assigned automatically

Chase Credit Card Application Guide

• Chase application status check link (login required). Or call: 888-338-2586
• The 5/24 rule: if you have opened more than 5 new cards in the past 2 years (including cards from other banks), you will not be approved for a new Chase card
• You can be approved for at most two Chase credit cards within every 30 days
• If you have received the welcome bonus on this card within the past 24 months (48 months for the Sapphire family), your application will be automatically denied
• You can call the reconsideration line (800-453-9719) to expedite card approval or request a review of a denied application.
• Having a Chase Checking account can help with getting approved for a credit card
• More on applying for Chase credit cards

Application Link

• Chase World of Hyatt