The World Of Hyatt Credit Card
This is a strong rewards credit card. Points-earning for your spend is fine, not top of market, but what makes the card great is how well it plays with the Hyatt loyalty program, contributes to status, and how well that program rewards customers for incremental activity.
When it first launched, I told a room full of the heads of travel brands issuing rewards cards that was convened by one of the payment networks that this was one of the two best products at the time which really “rides on the rails of” its loyalty program. And that remains true today. I have and have used this card for years.
But there haven’t been exciting bonuses for it. Hyatt itself has largely been a pretty conservative company, their points are expensive (and valuable) and they have a hard time getting creative.
Meanwhile, while Chase issues the Hyatt cards, they also issue Marriott and IHG co-brand cards. Those portfolios have had creative, and lucrative, initial bonus offers.
Finally that changes.
Category 4 Park Hyatt Siem Reap
Category 4 Thompson Washington D.C., Next To Department Of Transportation
The most recent offer for the World Of Hyatt Credit Card was just 30,000 bonus points after $3,000 in purchases within 3 months, 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.”
That’s ok I guess with a lot of spend, but nothing like the ‘5 free night’ offers we’ve seen with Marriott and IHG. We now have one with Hyatt, and personally I’d rather have one from Hyatt.
View from the Category 4 Hyatt Regency Sydney
Category 4 Hyatt Regency Danang
A peak season category 4 hotel costs 18,000 points so 5 free night awards potentially are ‘worth’ up to 90,000 points. However I do prefer points, since free night awards aren’t as flexible and do expire after a year. (I’ve always had luck letting credit card free night awards expire and then asking to have them converted to points. Not everyone has had that same luck.)
Club lounge at Category 4 Hyatt Regency JFK at Resorts World
Key considerations with this card are that you get 5 elite nights each year as a cardmember, and earn an additional two elite nights for every $5,000 spent on the card.
In addition to points and benefits of the card, Hyatt provides incremental rewards every 10 elite nights between 20 and 150 nights – rewards like confirmed suite upgrades, granting of top tier Globalist status for a stay, and more.
They also offer another category 1-4 free night each year at card renewal plus a category 1-4 free night when spending $15,000 in your cardmember year.
Ongoing spend earns 4x with Hyatt; 2x at restaurants, on airline tickets purchased directly from the airlines, on local transit and commuting and on fitness club and gym memberships. I use the card for my Hyatt spend.
Category 4 Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, My Usual Disney Hotel
View From Category 4 Hyatt Regency Austin
Consider, of course, if you’re in a position to get a small business card that the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card has an offer to earn 90k bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening – and those points transfer to Hyatt (and other programs).
Hyatt Regency Jersey City On The Hudson
Also, the no annual fee Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card has an offer to earn $900 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening – and if you have another Chase cards whose points are transferable, these can be combined into that account and then transferred to Hyatt.
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