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.
It's no secret that World of Hyatt is one of our favorite hotel loyalty programs. Its commitment to an award chart means that award rates are predictable, and it's relatively easy to get a high redemption value when booking high-end resorts or budget-friendly hotels with your points.
The loyalty program has some interesting features that also make using your points easier. One is Pay My Way — an option that lets you book a single stay using a combination of points, cash, and free night certificates online. This is a massive timesaver since most hotel loyalty programs force you to make separate reservations if you book some nights with money and others with points.
Let's look at how the Hyatt Pay My Way and Hyatt Points + Cash options work for booking your next Hyatt stay.
Page Contents
How Hyatt Pay My Way Works
Using Pay My Way is straightforward, but you should know that it isn't available for all properties, room types, or rates. For example, you cannot use Pay My Way with most corporate rates. We'll discuss what to do if you can't find the option in the next section.
To use the feature, head to Hyatt's website, log into your World of Hyatt account, and search for your desired hotel. However, you'll need to search for cash rates — not award nights — to use Pay My Way.
Now, click on the room type you'd like to book to see the available rates. If Pay My Way is available for your stay, a button will be listed next to eligible paid rates.
Once you select Pay My Way, you can choose any combination of points, cash, or free night certificates.
Related: Hyatt Now Lets You Select Which Free Night Certificates To Redeem
What if Hyatt Pay My Way is not showing?
As mentioned, Pay My Way might not show up every time you search for a hotel. One common reason for this is not being signed into your World of Hyatt account. The feature will only appear when you're signed in.
If you're still not seeing Pay My Way, it might be because award nights may not be available on one of the nights you're hoping to book. You can troubleshoot this by searching for each night individually. If one night isn't available with points, call Hyatt and ask a phone representative to help you book your stay with a mix of points, money, and certificates.
Finally, corporate or discounted rates aren't usually eligible for Pay My Way. Instead, search for a publicly available rate and see if Pay My Way shows up.
Stretch Your Points With Hyatt Points + Cash
When booking using Pay My Way, one of the options is Points + Cash. This rate reduces the points and cash costs for the night by 50% on both ends, so you can enjoy a longer stay while saving with points.
World of Hyatt prices award nights based on a category system from 1 to 8, while all-inclusive properties are rated from A to F. The lower the category, the fewer points per night a hotel room will cost. Additionally, each category has an off-peak, standard, and peak points price, with off-peak awards costing the fewest points.
You can potentially pay very few points and cash if you use Points + Cash to book inexpensive Hyatt nights. However, you should run the numbers before you make a Points + Cash booking to see if you're getting a good value from your points. That's because the cash portion of a Points + Cash rate is usually tied to the Standard Rate, so it's worth comparing against full award or paid prices — especially if a discounted cash rate is available.
Quirks of Hyatt Pay My Way Bookings
Here are two things to consider when utilizing Hyatt's Pay My Way.
Factor in taxes and fees
Hyatt award stays don't have taxes or fees, but you must pay taxes and fees on the cash portion of your booking when using Points + Cash. Pay close attention to the total as you choose how to pay, and make sure to factor in the full cost of the stay.
No Guest of Honor perks
You cannot apply Guest of Honor or Suite Night Award certificates to Pay My Way bookings. Guest of Honor only applies to stays booked fully with points or awards — not a combo of points, awards, and cash.
Related: Sweet Spots for World of Hyatt Award Redemptions
Top Off Your World of Hyatt Account
The Hyatt Pay My Way option is a great way to stretch your World of Hyatt points. However, you'll need some Hyatt points or a free night award in your account to use this feature.
You can earn a Category 1–4 free night award by holding The World of Hyatt Credit Card (Rates & Fees). You can earn another Category 1–4 free night by spending $15,000 on the card within a year.
There are several options to earn World of Hyatt points. You can earn them with both the World of Hyatt Card and World of Hyatt Business Credit Card (Rates & Fees).
You can also transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards and Bilt Rewards to World of Hyatt at a 1:1 ratio. Points transfers should be immediate. You might also consider buying Hyatt points during a bonus or discount sale.
- 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
Bottom Line
Hyatt’s Pay My Way feature adds flexibility and convenience to award bookings by letting you mix points, cash, and free night certificates in a single reservation — no need to call customer service or juggle multiple bookings. And with the Points + Cash option, you can potentially stretch your points further (though it’s always smart to compare the math).
Just keep in mind:
- Pay My Way isn’t available at every property or for every rate.
- Taxes apply on the cash portion of Points + Cash bookings.
- Guest of Honor can’t be used on mixed-payment stays.
But in short, Pay My Way is a powerful tool for pulling together points, awards, and cash together to book a single World of Hyatt booking.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: The World of Hyatt Credit Card (Rates & Fees), and World of Hyatt Business 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.