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.
Some of my all-time best uses of World of Hyatt points haven’t been at the program’s most luxurious properties. And I’m not just talking about getting a solid cents-per-point value — I mean real dollars saved when I otherwise wouldn’t have wanted to shell out a considerable amount of money at the tail end of a trip.
As anyone who’s traveled knows, things don’t always go as planned. That was the case on a recent trip when a winter storm turned what should have been a three-day journey into five. Instead of letting bad weather derail my plans, I turned to the World of Hyatt program to get me out of a bind.
Here’s how I used Hyatt points to salvage my trip without spending a fortune — and why I’ll always keep a stash of them on hand for future travels.
How I Used Hyatt Points To Salvage a Trip Without Spending a Fortune
The only thing more frustrating than getting stuck once on your way home from a trip is getting stuck twice. And if you don’t have a credit card with trip interruption or cancellation insurance — or the airline isn’t offering compensation — overnight stays at or near the airport can get expensive fast.
That’s where points come in handy. But not just any points — World of Hyatt points, in particular.
Hyatt is one of the few hotel loyalty programs that still publishes an award chart. While there are some nuances (peak, off-peak, and standard pricing), fixed pricing makes it easy to stretch your points for great value.
For example, if a snowstorm in Raleigh leaves you stranded in Philadelphia, you could book a night at The Bellevue Hotel, a Category 4 property, and the closest Hyatt to PHL, for as few as 12,000 points — a much better alternative to paying $300 for the same room or settling for an uninspiring airport hotel at two-thirds the price.
Or let’s say you finally make it to Raleigh but don’t want to risk driving on icy roads that saw over 1,000 crashes the day before. Why not play it safe and redeem just 5,000 Hyatt points for a free night at the Hyatt House Raleigh/RDU/Brier Creek? With cash prices much higher due to higher demand, I saved over 4 cents per point on my stay. But you can regularly save 3.5 cents per point in value during off-peak nights.
The two Brand Explorer badges I earned from these stays are just the icing on the cake.
There are countless examples of Hyatt properties that would be pricey if paid for in cash but require a surprisingly reasonable number of points. That’s what makes Hyatt points so valuable — they can help you keep unexpected travel costs in check when things don’t go as planned.
Related: Best Hyatt Redemptions Under 12,000 Points Per Night and Over 4 Cents Per Point
Why I Always Keep Hyatt Points on Hand for Travel Disruptions
In my case, two unplanned nights cost me 17,000 World of Hyatt points, saving me over $500. Could I have found cheaper hotels and used one of my travel rewards cards? Probably. But I salvaged the end of my trip without paying anything out of pocket for accommodations.
And that alone is why I’ll always make sure I have Hyatt points available when I travel. As long as it sticks around, Hyatt’s award chart remains one of the most reliable ways to save a bundle when things go pear-shaped.
With the right strategy, it's pretty easy to stock up on Hyatt points. You can earn them directly via The World of Hyatt Credit Card or World of Hyatt Business Credit 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
Another option is transferring points from Chase Ultimate Rewards or Bilt Rewards at a 1:1 ratio. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, and The Bilt Mastercard® are solid choices for building a balance of transferable points movable to Hyatt.
- 5X points on Lyft rides through September 2027
- 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3X points on dining at restaurants worldwide
- 3X points on eligible streaming services
- 3X points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs)
- 2X points on all other travel
- 1X point per dollar spent on all other purchases
- 3X points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year
- 1X point per $1 on all other purchases
- 3x points on dining
- 2x points on travel
- 1x points on rent payments without the transaction fee (up to 100,000 points each calendar year)
- 1x points on other purchases
However, it’s important to consider transfer times. In my experience, Chase points transfer instantly, while Bilt points can take up to 48 hours. A delay like that could be an issue if you need a last-minute redemption, so having Hyatt points ready in advance could be worth the speculative transfer.
Related: Do World of Hyatt Points Expire?
Final Thoughts
Delays, for any reason, can be stressful. But if that delay turns into an unexpected overnight stay, Hyatt points are a reliable way to keep costs in check. In my case, having a few on hand saved me hundreds when I had to spend two extra nights on the road — and that's why I'll always keep some close by each time I travel.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: The World of Hyatt Credit Card (Rates & Fees), Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees), and Ink Business Preferred® 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.