AwardWallet receives compensation from advertising partners for links on the blog. The opinions expressed here are our own and have not been reviewed, provided, or approved by any bank advertiser. Here's our complete list of Advertisers.
Update 01/02/2021: The temporary Amazon/Grocery store bonuses and the legacy Hyatt card free night promo listed in this post have now expired.
Hyatt is one of our favorite hotel brands. Its points are the most valuable of the major hotel loyalty programs. Plus, we've found that World of Hyatt goes the extra mile to reward its most loyal customers.
Likewise, we regularly laud Hyatt's co-branded credit cards among the best in the industry. Unlike other hotel brands, there's just one card currently available: the The World of Hyatt Credit Card. We love this card because it offers a reliably lucrative signup bonus while also delivering tangible ongoing value through several unique spending incentives.
Over the last few weeks, Hyatt unveiled a string of new promotions and updates for its co-branded offerings. These include new opportunities to earn Free Night Awards, higher bonus categories for the holidays, and changes to current benefits. To help cardmembers grasp all of the current opportunities, we've rounded them all up here.
As part of this, Hyatt has announced the end of its legacy credit card, the The Hyatt Credit Card. This card will automatically convert to the newer World of Hyatt Card product in January 2021.
Page Contents
Legacy Hyatt Cards Forced Migration
- On January 11, 2020, all Hyatt Card auto-converted to the World of Hyatt Card.
- Converted cards enjoy all the benefits of the World of Hyatt Card without paying the card's $95 annual fee until August 2021. Annual fees that post before August 2021 will remain $75. After that, all cardholders will be charged the $95 annual fee.
- Hyatt Card members can expect to receive their new World of Hyatt Card in late January 2021.
The time has finally come for legacy Hyatt Card holders to say goodbye to their cards. It's been a good long run, as the Hyatt Card debuted way back in September 2010. But cardholders will now have transitioned to the newer (and arguably better) new card.
- Earn up to 60,000 Bonus Points. 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.
- Enjoy complimentary World of Hyatt Discoverist status for as long as your account is open.
- Get 1 free night each year after your Cardmember anniversary at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort
- Receive 5 tier qualifying night credits towards status after account opening, and each year after that for as long as your account is open
- Earn an extra free night at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel if you spend $15,000 in a calendar year
- Earn 2 qualifying night credits towards tier status every time you spend $5,000 on your card
- Earn up to 9 points total for Hyatt stays - 4 Bonus Points per $1 spent on qualified purchases at Hyatt hotels & up to 5 Base Points per $1 from Hyatt as a World of Hyatt member
- Earn 2 Bonus Points per $1 spent at restaurants, on airline tickets purchased directly from the airlines, on local transit and commuting and on fitness club and gym memberships
- Member FDIC
- Rates & Fees
- Up to 9X points total per $1 spent at Hyatt - 4X points per $1 when you use your card at Hyatt hotels & 5X points per $1 you can earn as a World of Hyatt member
- 2X points per $1 spent at restaurants, on airlines tickets purchased directly from the airlines, on local transit and commuting and on fitness club and gym memberships
- 1X point per $1 everywhere else
Now, cardmembers can take advantage of better bonus categories, a pathway to spend your way to higher status, gifted tier-qualifying nights, and more.
Related Post: 5 Reasons to Get the World of Hyatt Card
[Expired] Opportunity to Earn a Free Night Through the End of the Year
As a special thank you to cardmembers, Hyatt announced a promotion for Hyatt Card holders in the cards final months:
- Hyatt Card holders must first register for the promotion here by November 30, 2020.
- After registering, Hyatt Card members can earn a free night at any category 1–4 property after making $4,000 in purchases between October 27, 2020 through December 31, 2020.
- It may take up to four weeks for eligible cardholders to receive a free night award earned through this promotion.
When this promotion was first announced, it left many of us scratching our heads. Why would Hyatt make such a lucrative offer available solely to its legacy cardholders? But now, everything makes sense. In a classy move, Hyatt is giving long-time Hyatt Card holders one last hurrah as a way of saying thanks. Getting a free night after making only $4,000 in purchases is a fantastic deal.
[Expired] Temporary Amazon and Grocery Store Spending Bonuses
As a special bonus for eligible co-branded products, Chase is offering a promotion perfect for the holiday season:
- Eligible World of Hyatt Card and Hyatt Card holders can earn 5 total bonus points per $1 spent on Amazon purchases and 3 total bonus points per $1 spent on grocery purchases.
- This offer is good for up to $1,500 in combined purchases made each month from November 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020.
- Check here to see if your card is eligible.
This promotion is part of Chase's larger ‘My Bonus' promotion affecting many co-branded credit cards. It comes at a perfect time, as many of us spend much more money on Amazon and grocery purchases around the holidays. If maximized, cardmembers can earn up to 15,000 bonus points over those two months. That's enough for a free night at any category 1–4 Hyatt hotel!
Change to Earning Free Night Awards
Lastly, Hyatt is changing the way that cardholders of the World of Hyatt Card earn their extra Free Night Award:
- Starting January 1, 2022, cardholders of the World of Hyatt Card will earn their additional category 1–4 Free Night Award after spending $15,000 in a calendar year (as opposed to cardmember anniversary year).
Hyatt clarifies the transition period even further:
- From your account open anniversary date in 2020 to your account open anniversary date in 2021, cardmembers can earn a Free Night Award after making $15,000 in purchases.
- From your account open anniversary date in 2021 through December 31, 2021, cardmembers can earn another Free Night Award after making $15,000 in purchases.
- On January 1, 2022, the spending counter resets to $0, and cardmembers will have until December 31, 2022 to spend another $15,000 to earn another Free Night Award.
Ultimately, this update doesn't categorically change the way cardmembers earn Free Night Awards. You still earn one per year. However, it does create an opportunity for new cardholders to snag three Free Night Awards in a slightly shorter timeframe than before.
For example, let's say you just opened a new World of Hyatt Card at the end of August 2020. That means you have until August 2021 to make $15k in purchases to earn a Free Night Award. You'd then have from August 2021 to the end of December 2021 to make another $15k in purchases to earn a second Free Night Award. And on January 1, 2022, you'd have a full calendar year to do the same for a third. In total, you can earn three Free Night Awards in a very short timeframe.
Bottom Line
Hyatt is finally phasing out the legacy Hyatt Card in favor of the newer World of Hyatt Card. As a special thank you, cardmembers can earn an extra free night via holiday spending. Moreover, both Hyatt credit cards can earn increased bonuses on Amazon and grocery purchases through the end of 2020.
While the legacy Hyatt Card was popular, I genuinely think the World of Hyatt Card is a better product. If you can spend $15K per year, the extra Free Night Award justifies the annual fee by itself. Add in the ability to spend your way to top-tier Globalist status and the far more lucrative bonus categories, and it's no wonder it's one of our favorite hotel credit cards.
For a full rundown of the World of Hyatt Card‘s perks and benefits, check out our dedicated card review.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: The World of Hyatt Credit Card (Rates & Fees)
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
