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The never-ending battle when it comes to credit card points is that there never seem to be enough points for all of the amazing trips you want to take. Thankfully Hyatt has a great option for offsetting that problem. It’s called Hyatt Pay My Way, and it allows you to use a combination of points and cash when booking a room. Here's how this booking option works.
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How Hyatt Pay My Way Works
Here’s what it looks like. When searching for a room, you will look at the cash rates. Once you find the hotel and room that you’re interested in, you will click on the room to see the rates available. If available, Pay My Way will be listed next to the rate for the room.
Once you select Pay My Way, you will be taken to a page that shows you three options. One for points, one for cash, and one for Points + Cash. You can choose which option you would like to use for each of the nights of your stay.
Generally, the Points + Cash option rate will be 50% off of the normal points cost for the night plus 50% off of the cash price for the night.
For example, a room at the Hyatt House Nashville Downtown costs $338 or 20,000 points per night. The points plus cash option will cost you $174.50 plus 10,000 World of Hyatt points.
Hyatt ranks hotel points rates based on a category system from 1-8. The lower the category, the fewer points per night it will cost. Additionally, each category has an off-peak, standard, and peak points cost. You can read more about the Hyatt points and awards program here.
When it comes to figuring out your points plus cash options, it will vary based on both the points and cash rates for the specific hotel and dates you choose.
Quirks of Hyatt Points + Cash Bookings
Here are a few things to keep in mind when you’re looking at booking with a Pay My Way rate.
Not Always Available
Pay My Way is not available for all nights at all Hyatt hotels. You may have to adjust dates or locations until you find the option available for you. Still, there may be times when you cannot find it as an option at all.
Factor in Taxes and Fees
Hyatt award stays have no taxes or fees, but you will have to pay taxes and fees on the cash portion of your booking when using Pay My Way. So, make sure to factor in the full cost of the award.
No Guest of Honor Perks
If you are a Hyatt Globalist (the highest level of World of Hyatt elite status), you can usually gift your status to a friend or family member through Hyatt’s “Guest of Honor” bookings. However, you can't gift Guest of Honor perks when booking a Pay My Way rate.
Hyatt Pricing Quirks
It’s very rare, but every once in a while, there are rates that show extremely low points plus cash options that are made in error. You can book these rates, but they can sometimes end up being canceled once Hyatt realizes the mistake.
Hyatt Points Plus Cash Options are Great for Families
One of the great things about Pay My Way is that it makes traveling using credit card points more accessible for families. The larger the family, the harder it can be to earn enough points to fully cover a trip.
For example, it takes me twice as long to earn enough points for my family of six because we often need two hotel rooms. And that's just why I love having Pay My Way as an option! There are two ways that Hyatt reward stays are great for families like mine.
Stretch Your Hyatt Points Further
Using Pay My Way requires half the amount of points as a standard redemption. This means that the points you earn can go twice as far. When using Pay My Way, you are basically getting a two-for-one deal. You can either book a second room, or you can stay somewhere for twice as long as compared to using purely points or purely cash. It’s a win-win!
Hyatt Family Plan Rates
Hyatt Family Plan Rate allows families to book one room using points and a second “kids room” at half off of the cash price! This can be especially useful when traveling out of the country to regions that have more strict occupancy rules (I’m looking at you, Europe).
For example, you could book a room at the Andaz London for three nights for around 60,000 World of Hyatt points, then book the second room using their family rate for approximately $200 per night instead of the usual $400!
There are a few things to note about the Hyatt Family Plan rate:
- It is not available at all Hyatt hotels. We recommend using Hyatt chat or call to confirm whether it is available at the hotel you’re interested in booking.
- You also cannot book it online. Instead, you'll have to call in order to book rooms using the Family Plan rate.
- You cannot book the second room with points, you will have to pay half of the cash rate for the nights you’re wanting to stay.
- The second room is intended to be a kid’s room. Therefore there is an age limit for who is allowed to stay in that room.
On that last point, note that there does not seem to be one specific rule about what that age is. Some locations say 12, others say 18. You will need to call to ask about your specific location.
This can potentially be prohibitive if you have a larger family. Depending on the hotel, the Family Plan rate may only allow two adults in one room and then children in the second. If you have a child that is over the age limit — and therefore cannot sleep in the kid’s room — you may not be able to take advantage of this rate plan.
Top Off Your World of Hyatt Account
The Hyatt Pay My Way points plus cash option is a great way to stretch your World of Hyatt points. However, you'll need some Hyatt points to take advantage of even this half-off points option. Thankfully, travelers have a few options for building up their World of Hyatt accounts.
The easiest way to do so is to transfer points from one of two major points programs:
- Chase Ultimate Rewards — 1:1 transfer ratio, immediate transfer
- Bilt Rewards — 1:1 transfer ratio, immediate transfer
If you're really looking to build up your balance of Hyatt points, sign up for the The World of Hyatt Credit Card to earn up to 60,000 bonus points. Plus, cardholders get Hyatt Discoverist status and a Category 1-4 free night award each cardholder anniversary.
- 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 at Hyatt hotels & 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
- 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
Wrapping It Up
You aren't out of luck if you don't have enough World of Hyatt points to book a stay. The Hyatt Pay My Way points plus cash booking option gives travelers
World of Hyatt offers multiple options that make traveling using credit card points a great option for everyone. Whether you haven’t earned enough points yet, have already spent some of your points, or have a larger family that requires two rooms, Hyatt has something that will work for you!
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