World of Hyatt: A Detailed Guide—Online Points Transfers Are Now Available!

Hyatt’s online points transfer page is now live. You can transfer points to any Hyatt member directly on the website.

• Points transfer page

Please note:

• Both the sender and recipient must be World of Hyatt members in good standing, and their accounts must have been open for at least 60 days. Transfers are free at a 1:1 ratio.
• The minimum transfer is 1,000 Hyatt Points, with additional transfers in increments of 500 points. The maximum per transaction is 525,000 points.
• Each calendar year, you may transfer out up to 525,000 points and receive up to 525,000 points. These limits are calculated separately.
• The sender may make only one transfer per calendar month and no more than six transfers per calendar year.
• You’ll need to provide the recipient’s name, email address, and Hyatt membership number.
• Transfers usually post within 24 hours. If additional review is required, processing may take up to 10 business days.

About Hyatt Hotels Corporation

Hyatt Hotels Corporation is one of the world’s leading hotel groups. It is known for upscale hotels such as Park Hyatt and Andaz, but it also has limited-service brands. This variety offers more choices and makes the loyalty program more useful for frequent travelers. World of Hyatt is known for its high value among hotel loyalty programs, with points worth as much as 1.6 cents each. No other major hotel program’s points are worth more, and Hyatt points are also relatively quick to earn. That’s why we recommend the program. This article covers how to earn and redeem points, as well as some Hyatt elite benefits.

Hyatt has 17 different brands.

• Timeless Portfolio: Park Hyatt, Miraval, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, the smaller Hyatt brand, the all-inclusive Hyatt Zilara (adults only) and Hyatt Ziva (for all ages, mostly in the Caribbean), Hyatt Place, apartment-style extended-stay hotels under Hyatt House, and Hyatt Residence Club, a timeshare brand.
• Boundless Portfolio: Andaz, Alila, Thompson, Hyatt Centric
• Independent Collections: The Unbound Collection, Destination, Joie de Vivre

Loyalty Program

Elite Status Requirements

Let’s start with status. Anyone can sign up for Hyatt’s entry-level membership on the World of Hyatt website. Hyatt has three elite tiers:

• Discoverist: 10 nights or 25,000 Base Points
• Explorist: 30 nights or 50,000 Base Points
• Globalist: 60 nights or 100,000 Base Points

The easiest way to get elite status is to open a Chase World of Hyatt credit card, which gives you Discoverist status while you’re a cardmember. You can also earn higher Hyatt status faster than usual through a status challenge or match.

Member Benefits

Discoverist members’ main benefits are 10% bonus points, 2 p.m. checkout, and preferred room upgrades. Explorist members receive 20% bonus points, 2 p.m. checkout, and room upgrades, excluding suites and Club rooms. Globalist members receive room upgrades that include standard suites, 4 p.m. checkout, Club lounge access, and 30% bonus points. They can also use Guest of Honor to book stays for family and friends who then receive Globalist benefits. In practice, room upgrades depend mostly on hotel availability and how the hotel treats its members. Unfortunately, breakfast and lounge benefits are available only to Globalists.

Milestone Rewards

In addition to member benefits, Hyatt offers milestone rewards for stays:

• At 10 nights or 25,000 Base Points, earn Discoverist status.
• At 20 nights or 35,000 Base Points, earn two Club Upgrade Awards.
• At 30 nights or 50,000 Base Points, earn Explorist status, two Club Upgrade Awards, and a Category 1–4 Free Night Award (valid for 180 days).
• At 40 nights or 65,000 Base Points, choose 5,000 points, a $100 Hyatt gift card, or a FIND experience worth 10,000 points.
• At 50 nights or 80,000 Base Points, earn two Suite Upgrade Awards.
• At 60 nights or 100,000 Base Points, earn Globalist status, two Suite Upgrade Awards, and a Category 1–7 Free Night Award (valid for 180 days).
• At 70, 80, 90, and 100 nights, choose 10,000 points or a Suite Upgrade Award.
• Earn lifetime Globalist status after accumulating 1,000,000 Base Points.

2024 Changes

• Starting January 1, 2024, free night awards, upgrade awards, and club lounge awards can be transferred to another person’s account, but each award can be transferred only once. The expiration date does not change after the transfer.

Guest of Honor Awards, Club Lounge Access Awards, Complimentary Suite Upgrade Awards, Category 1-4 Free Night Awards, Category 1-7 Free Night Awards, Miraval Extra Night Awards, and Ultimate Free Night Awards (all as defined below) – and any other Program award the terms for which expressly state that it is eligible for transfer – may, while valid, be transferred to another World of Hyatt Member.Each award is transferable only once and may not be re-transferred by the recipient. (However, as described below, eligible Guest of Honor Awards that have been gifted via transfer as described in this subsection may be applied by the award holder to a reservation made in the name of another Member, as described immediately below.)

• Milestone rewards have been expanded, with rewards now available up to 150 nights. New rewards include Guest of Honor Awards, the 2,000 Next Stay Award, and the Miraval Extra Night Award.

• Guest of Honor changes: Members who stay 40 nights or earn 65,000 Base Points can receive this benefit. They can book for someone else, allowing that person to enjoy elite benefits. Both members can earn elite qualifying nights, and the booking can be paid with cash or points. This benefit can be used for up to 10 bookings per year, with a maximum of seven nights per booking.

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

Earning Hyatt Points

As with other hotel loyalty programs, there are three main ways to earn Hyatt points:

Staying at Hyatt, MGM M Life, and SLH Hotels

Earn 5 Hyatt points per $1 spent on stays and eligible spending at Hyatt, M Life, and SLH properties. Discoverist members earn an additional 10%, Explorist members an additional 20%, and Globalist members an additional 30%. Given how valuable the points are, I think this is a very fast earning rate. Keep in mind, however, that you must book through an official Hyatt channel (the website, by phone, or at the front desk) or through a GDS (such as some travel agencies or AMEX Fine Hotels & Resorts) to earn points on the room rate. Otherwise, you won't earn any points on the room rate. We recommend booking directly through Hyatt. Hyatt also offers a Best Rate Guarantee and will match prices found on other websites, so there isn't much reason to book Hyatt hotels elsewhere. With a BRG claim, you can also get an additional 20% off or 5,000 points. In addition, try to charge all incidental expenses to your room, such as buffet meals, because these charges can also earn Hyatt points at the same rate as the hotel category.

Chase World of Hyatt Credit Card

The card comes with complimentary Hyatt Discoverist status and an annual free night certificate valid at a Hyatt Category 1–4 hotel (expires after one year), both of which are nice perks. Earning 2x valuable Hyatt points on spending is also a great benefit.

Credit Card Point Transfers

Transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards points to World of Hyatt is a convenient way to earn Hyatt points. The transfer process and rules are much like transferring points to an airline partner. Transfers are very fast, usually taking anywhere from a few minutes to a few dozen minutes—an unusually good turnaround time.

• Guide to Using Chase Ultimate Rewards

Promotions

World of Hyatt frequently offers promotions, which are another great opportunity to earn Hyatt points. For example, some quarterly promotions offer double night credits or bonus points.

• Hotel Promotions Roundup

Car Rentals

You can choose to earn Hyatt points when renting a car from Avis or Sixt. The number of points isn't large, but it's still a nice option.

Flights

You can also earn Hyatt points when flying on AA. Link your accounts here.

Buying Points

You can buy points directly on the Hyatt website for 2.4 cents per point. That's not exactly cheap, but it's not too expensive either. The annual purchase limit is 55,000 points per person. If you're just short of the points needed to book an award stay, this may be worth considering. Hyatt sometimes offers points-purchase promotions, typically with a 20% or 40% bonus. Keep an eye out if you need points; we'll also update this article as promotions become available.

• Hyatt Points Purchase Promotions Roundup

Transferring Points Between Accounts

Hyatt makes this especially convenient. You can help someone book a free stay by transferring points (Hyatt officially calls this “combining points”). The other account can belong to anyone, not just a spouse, and there is no fee. Couples can use this to combine small point balances. Friends or classmates traveling together can also transfer points to split the “room cost,” which is convenient and avoids disputes.

The process is a little old-fashioned: print and fill out the form, have both account holders sign it, then scan and email it to World of [email protected]. You can also send it to Hyatt by regular mail or fax. Note that points can be combined only once every 30 days, but that should be enough for most people.

• Hyatt Point Combining Form

Using Hyatt Points

After all that effort earning points, it's time to spend them. Since these are hotel points, naturally, you'll want to use them for hotel stays.

Redeeming for Hyatt or MGM M Life Hotels

Free nights at Hyatt hotels can be booked on the official website. Of course, hotels aren't all created equal; they fall into different categories. Hyatt hotels originally had seven categories, from Cat 1 through Cat 7. M Life hotels also had categories from Cat 2 to Cat 6, but some recently added hotels have been placed in Cat 8. Hyatt's peak/off-peak award chart (peak, standard, and off-peak pricing) officially took effect on October 26, 2021. Here are the key points:

• Peak and off-peak pricing does not affect Free Night awards, which are based only on the hotel's category.
• Cash + Points awards are also priced according to peak and off-peak dates.
• All room types are subject to peak and off-peak pricing, including standard rooms, club-level rooms, and suites.

The chart below shows pricing for standard rooms. Hyatt's club-level rooms and suites can offer good value when booked with points, so they may be worth considering if you have enough points. Key redemption details:

• There is no limit on award nights at Hyatt's own hotels. If anyone can book a room with cash on the website, you can book it with points.
• Award nights at M Life hotels have blackout dates, so check availability in advance. To book a suite with points, call (800) 544-9288.
• Before booking, check the hotel's cash rate and compare it with the value of booking through the official website. Even high-end hotels can sometimes have steep discounts.
• The latest C+P pricing is 50% of the required points plus 50% of the standard cash rate, which makes it less appealing.

All-inclusive resorts have a separate award chart, with categories from A to F. Even the lowest category, A, costs 15,000 points, equivalent to Cat 4. The highest price is 50,000 points, a category not found on the standard award chart. This is understandable, since all-inclusive rates cover meals, lodging, and activities. Note that these point prices are for two guests. If you bring a child or another guest, each additional person costs half the room's points price. For example, a party of 2+1 at a Category A resort would need 15,000 + 7,500 points.

Miraval Resorts has its own award chart, starting at 45,000 points and going up to 65,000 points for additional guests.

Booking MR and Mrs Smith

You can now book MR and Mrs Smith hotels through the Hyatt website. The downside is that they use dynamic pricing, with Hyatt points worth about 1 to 1.4 cents each. By comparison, award stays at Hyatt's own hotels booked according to the category chart are generally worth more than 1.6 cents per point. Search on Hyatt's website to see these properties included.

However, an award booking for a room priced at $235 can require as many as 31,500 points. After accounting for taxes and fees, the redemption value is under 1 cent per point—not a good deal.

Also, bookings at these hotels through Hyatt's website earn 5x points, but the Hyatt credit card does not earn 5x points. As for other benefits, only Hyatt Globalist members receive room upgrades; other Hyatt status tiers do not receive any benefits.

Room Upgrades

Upgrading from a standard room to a club room (Regency Club or Grand Club) costs 3,000 points. Upgrading to a suite costs 6,000 points, and upgrading to a premium suite costs 9,000 points. All upgrades include breakfast. However, this is only available for rooms booked at the standard rate; in other words, you can’t use points to upgrade a room booked with points. You’ll have to decide whether it’s worth it.

“Updated July 2021”: You can now use points online to upgrade to a higher room category at select hotels. There are three upgrade tiers: 3,000, 6,000, or 9,000 points. There are some restrictions, though: you must book at the standard rate and pay cash. Since the number of points required is fixed, this can still be a decent deal.

For example, some specialty rooms normally cost $779.

An upgrade costs just $179 + 6,000 points, giving you a redemption value of 10 cents per point.

Generally, upgrades at higher-end hotels offer better redemption value.

Transfer to airline miles

You can transfer Hyatt points to Aeromexico (SkyTeam) or LAN (oneworld) miles at a 5:4 ratio. You can also transfer them to Virgin Atlantic at a 5:3 ratio, or to Qantas or Southwest at a 5:2.4 ratio. Finally, you can transfer points to Air China PhoenixMiles or China Eastern Eastern Miles at a 5:3.2 ratio. Keep in mind that China uses kilometers rather than miles, so the value is further reduced by a factor of 1.6, effectively making the ratio 5:2. All in all, it’s probably best to forget that Hyatt points can be transferred to airline miles. Only the transfer ratios for Aeromexico and LAN are remotely worthwhile.

Avis free car rental

You can redeem Hyatt points for a free rental of an Avis midsize car for 6,000 points per day. That’s very expensive—more than a night at the cheapest hotel—so I generally don’t recommend it. Also, redeeming points for a rental car requires calling Hyatt and waiting for a voucher to arrive by regular mail before you can use it. The process is complicated and slow, so it’s not a good option if you’re short on time.

Dining, spa, and other charges

You can use Hyatt points to cover charges at Hyatt hotels. But the redemption rates are so lousy that I can’t bring myself to include a table. Rates range from 0.5–0.83 cents per point. If you’re interested, you can click here to check them out. But once you’ve seen them, you should probably forget about them.

• In addition, Hyatt will increase the point values required to cover dining, spa, and other charges at its hotels on January 29 next year. The redemption rate will increase from 0.5–0.83 cents per point to 1–1.54 cents per point. That looks a little better, but whether it’s worth using depends on how you value Hyatt points and how many you have.

Points expiration

A World of Hyatt account may be deleted after 24 months of inactivity, and the points in it will expire. Before that happens, you can make any purchase with the Chase World of Hyatt credit card, transfer 1,000 points from Ultimate Rewards, or redeem some points. Staying at or dining at a World of Hyatt partner hotel will also keep your account active. We recommend using AwardWallet to manage your points and avoid losing them to expiration.

Using free night certificates

There are two types of Hyatt free night certificates.

• Category 1–7 free night certificate: Earn one after 60 qualifying nights in a year. You could use it to book two nights at a Hyatt Place, but I’d recommend using it at a higher-end hotel to get the most value. Park Hyatt New York, Park Hyatt Maldives, and resort-area Hyatt Zilara or Hyatt Ziva properties are all great options for these certificates.
• Category 1–4 free night certificate: You can earn one each year with the Chase World of Hyatt card, which has a $95 annual fee ($75 for the old version). You can earn another after spending $15,000. You can also earn one after staying at five brands, or after 30 qualifying nights in a year.

We’ve also written a guide to using free night certificates:

• Hyatt Free Night Certificate Guide

Common Hyatt promotions

Earn a free Category 1–4 night after staying at five Hyatt brands

You earn a Category 1–4 free night certificate for every five brands you stay at, and another after each additional five brands. Award stays count, too. For example, you could spend 25,000 points on a trip to India and stay at five of these six brands: Hyatt Regency, Hyatt Centric, Hyatt Place, Grand Hyatt, and Park Hyatt. You’d also earn a free night certificate. If you factor in the other promotions mentioned above, you could spend even fewer points. Of course, that assumes you can fly for free and enjoy curry.

Quarterly promotions

Hyatt also offers promotions each quarter, such as double points on stays. See:

• Hyatt hotel promotions roundup

Conclusion

World of Hyatt is a program where points are easy to earn, but there aren’t many ways to earn them. Hotel redemptions offer excellent value, and you can also transfer points from Ultimate Rewards, benefiting many Chase cardholders. If you have a Chase card, check whether booking with Hyatt points is a better deal before reserving a hotel. We have many Hyatt hotel reviews on this site, and we welcome reader submissions!

Hyatt hotel reviews and guides

• Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Orlando Review
• Park Hyatt New York Review (with a Free Night Certificate Booking Guide)
• Manhattan Hotels: Grand Hyatt New York
• Hyatt Regency Jersey City and HGU New York Review
• Park Hyatt Chicago Review
• Winter at Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort & Spa
• Park Hyatt Tokyo Review
• Where to Find Hyatt Category 1 Hotels for 5,000 Points + Stacking Promotions [Updated August 2019]