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The World of Hyatt loyalty program is my favorite hotel program, hands down. I've used Hyatt's elite status all over the world to redeem for five-star hotel stays, confirm massive suite upgrades, and enjoy sumptuous complimentary breakfasts.
You might be wondering where to start. This guide is a deep dive into World of Hyatt elite status, including what tiers of elite status you can earn, what perks you receive at each tier, and how you can earn Hyatt status year after year. Let this guide help you understand the Hyatt elite status program a bit better and allow you to earn status faster!
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Joining the Club
Becoming a World of Hyatt member is free and easy. You can sign up on Hyatt's website, where you'll enter your first and last name, email address, country/region, state, and password.
While you won't have any status at this point, as a Hyatt member you'll be able to start earning and redeeming Hyatt points. If you have a Chase Ultimate Rewards or Bilt Rewards account, you'll need to sign up for a Hyatt account to transfer those points to the program.
Once you've registered, it's worth using AwardWallet to track your rewards to get notified of any updates to your points balance and keep on top of your travel plans. You can add your Hyatt account to AwardWallet here.
Climbing the Elite Status Ladder
There are three Hyatt elite status tiers in World of Hyatt; you earn these when you reach a certain number of elite nights or base points. Separately, World of Hyatt also has Hyatt Milestone Rewards that are earned at certain elite night or base point levels as well, granting you extra perks like bonus points, free night certificates, preferred room upgrades, and other awards we'll dig into later in the post.
Related: Hyatt Status Match: What You Need To Know
But first, explaining elite nights
To earn any tier status with Hyatt, you'll need to earn a certain number of elite nights or base points in a calendar year. Elite nights are earned in several ways. The first way is to stay a night on an eligible rate or redeem an award night at one of the thousands of participating Hyatt hotels. As of this writing, Hyatt has 30 brands to choose from, so odds are a Hyatt hotel can be a part of your travel plans.
An eligible rate is a rate that's published by Hyatt, without the application of a discount code. This includes standard rates, senior citizen rates, and AAA rates but excludes “complimentary nights awarded in connection with Miraval’s Authentic Circle Program, rooms booked on third-party online retailers, traditional wholesale rates (e.g., GOGO Worldwide Vacations, Pleasant Holidays, Tourico, and Hotelbeds), airline crew rates, airline employee rates, travel agency employee rates, media rates, Club at the Hyatt discount stays, Hyatt employee or employee family or friends-and-family discount rates, airline interrupted-trip vouchers, or contracted rooms.”
Another eligible rate is an award redemption, either booked with points or a free night award. That means that award stays will help you earn elite status!
Related: All of the Ways To Earn Hyatt Elite Night Credits
The second way to earn elite nights is through holding and using a World of Hyatt co-branded credit card. You'll earn five elite night credits automatically each year when you hold The World of Hyatt Credit Card, which is a personal card. You'll also earn two additional elite nights for every $5,000 you spend on the credit card, with no limit on the number of elite nights you can earn with this method. That means you can actually attain top-tier Globalist status without ever staying in a Hyatt hotel! Not that you should do this if you have no plans for Hyatt stays, though.
- 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
The World of Hyatt Business Credit Card actually grants five elite nights for every $10,000 you spend on the card, which allows you to accrue those elite nights at a faster clip than the personal card, albeit at a higher spending threshold and without the complimentary five elite night credits in your account at the start of the year.
And now to explain base points
Base points are earned when you spend qualifying dollars at a Hyatt property. This applies to the base rate of your room rate (before taxes and fees), as well as dining, spa, and other eligible purchases on property. Hyatt members earn 5 base points per dollar spent on those categories. At certain times, Hyatt may award bonus points. These points won't earn base points to help you accrue status, but they can be used to book award nights at Hyatt hotels.
Bonus points are granted in situations like having a certain elite status, as a part of a Hyatt promotion, or even for spending on your World of Hyatt Card or Hyatt Business Card.
What are the tiers of Hyatt elite status?
The first elite tier is World of Hyatt Discoverist status. Hyatt members become Discoverist members after earning 10 elite nights or 25,000 base points in a calendar year.
The second elite tier is World of Hyatt Explorist status. You'll gain Hyatt Explorist status when you earn 30 elite nights or 50,000 base points in a year.
Finally, the third tier is Hyatt Globalist status. You'll become a Globalist elite member when you earn 60 elite nights or 100,000 base points in a calendar year.
Let's dig into each of the elite levels we mentioned above for the World of Hyatt program in a bit more detail.
General member
A general member will earn 5 base points per dollar on eligible expenses while on property at a Hyatt. They'll also be able to redeem for free nights. When staying on an award, they'll have waived resort fees. This is a great perk, as some loyalty programs (ahem, Marriott) charge members, elite or not, resort fees even on award stays!
Related: Here's When You Will and Won't Pay Resort Fees on Award Stays
Discoverist status
As I mentioned, earning 10 elite nights or 25,000 base points in a calendar year moves travelers up from general membership to being Hyatt Discoverist members. You also can earn Discoverist status automatically if you hold either the World of Hyatt Card or the Hyatt Business Card. Moreover, using these credit cards in combination with qualifying Hyatt stays can help you earn higher World of Hyatt elite status.
Discoverist members also enjoy these perks:
- Points earning: As a general World of Hyatt member, you'll earn 5 base points per dollar on all eligible spending while on property. As a Discoverist, you'll earn 10% more points as base points. More simply, you'll be earning 5.5 points per eligible dollar spent on your room rate and eligible purchases during Hyatt stays; you can use these points later for booking awards.
- Internet: Many Hyatt properties split their internet into two tiers: standard and premium. One of the elite status privileges of Hyatt members is free premium internet with every stay.
- Bottled water: Free bottled water is another perk that starts with Discoverist status. I'll often find two bottles of water (sometimes more) waiting for me in the room. Note, you'll want to make sure you choose the right water bottles, as some hotels have more premium offerings like Voss that incur a separate charge. Most Hyatts will leave a note on a card near the waters meant for elite members, indicating that they're free.
- Room upgrades: Hyatt Discoverist members receive free upgrades, but just within the room type they've booked. Think higher floors or preferred room locations. The better upgrades will come with higher tier status discussed below.
- Check-in: Hyatt Discoverists can use the elite check-in line, which is shared with Hyatt Explorist and Globalist members.
- Late checkout: My favorite perk for Hyatt Discoverist status is 2 p.m. late checkout, which is about three hours later than the typical checkout time of 11 a.m.
- American Airlines partnership: Hyatt elite members earn Hyatt points on qualifying American Airlines flights as well. You'll earn 1 Hyatt bonus point per dollar spent on American Airlines flights.
As Hyatt's lowest tier, the benefits aren't overly flashy. There's no guarantee of continental breakfast every morning, and room upgrades are only to preferred rooms within the same category as what you booked.
Related: Get a Free Hyatt Breakfast on Your Stay
Explorist status
Hyatt Explorist status has slightly better perks than Hyatt Discoverist status. You'll earn Explorist status by earning 30 elite nights or 50,000 base points in a calendar year. Many of the benefits you receive as Explorist members are similar to Discoverist, just a bit better.
On top of what we discussed in the Discoverist section, you'll get these additional perks from Explorist status:
- Bonus points: Like Discoverists, Explorists will earn bonus points on their eligible spending at Hyatt properties. Explorists earn 20% bonus points, so essentially 6 Hyatt points per dollar that they can use to redeem for awards.
- Room upgrades: Explorist members receive room upgrades beyond the room type they booked, except suites and rooms with club level access. Sadly, club lounge access is promised to Globalist members only.
- Guaranteed availability: In a new benefit category, Explorists can ensure they have a room for them at participating Hyatt hotels, as long as they make the request 72 hours in advance. Note, there are blackout dates for this perk, and the guaranteed rate is typically much higher than “normal” rates.
Globalist status
Hyatt Globalist status is quite possibly the most valuable hotel elite status out there. When World of Hyatt introduced Globalist status in 2017, I was worried the chain would take away my favorite top-tier benefit: free full breakfast. However, Hyatt has continued to deliver real value to Globalist members.
You'll earn Globalist status after earning 60 elite nights or 100,000 base points in a calendar year, which is a lot of nights or spending if you aren't earning elite nights from the World of Hyatt credit card.
Here are the benefits unique to Hyatt Globalists:
- Bonus points: Hyatt Globalist members will earn 30% bonus points on base points in the program. That means that on eligible spending at Hyatt properties, Globalist members will earn 6.5 Hyatt points per dollar, which they can use on awards after earning.
- Upgrades: Globalists receive space-available standard suite upgrades at check-in. This is a welcome benefit and has scored me some amazing room upgrades in the past. I'm even writing this post from a Hyatt suite at the Thompson Chicago!
- Late checkout: Hyatt Globalists receive guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout at participating properties. It's guaranteed at most hotels. It's based on availability at Hyatt resorts, hotels with a casino, and Destination residences. Late checkout isn't offered at Hyatt Vacation Club hotels.
- Guaranteed availability: If a Hyatt property is sold out, Globalist members can request a room up to 48 hours before check-in, though there are blackout dates.
- Welcome amenity at Hyatt Studios: Hyatt Studios is Hyatt's newest brand; at those properties, Globalists can choose either a $15 credit to the 24/7 Market or 500 bonus points per stay.
- Club access or free breakfast: Globalists in the World of Hyatt loyalty program will receive club lounge access on each day of their stay, which features daily continental breakfast and evening hors d'oeuvres. At participating Hyatt properties without club lounge access, members receive full breakfast at the hotel's restaurant for up to two adults and two children, including tax and tip. This can be a really valuable perk, especially at resorts without club lounge access. At the Andaz Maui At Wailea Resort, for example, breakfast alone for two people was over $120 per day; however, the cost was covered by my Globalist benefits.
- Free parking on awards: Another valuable perk I've used in Hawaii! Globalists receive free parking on award stays (including stays booked with a free night certificate) at properties where parking can be charged to your room. Sadly, Globalists don't receive free parking on paid stays.
- Resort fees: While all members receive waived resort fees on awards, Globalists also receive the benefit on paid stays.
- Priority access to rooms: This is one perk that I didn't know I needed until I became a Hyatt Globalist. Globalists receive access to rooms if they're available, rather than having to wait until check-in time. This is handy when you've arrived on a long international flight early in the morning, just like I did at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong. The hotel let me check in at 6 a.m., which was an amazing perk and definitely needed after a long flight!
What about Hyatt Milestone Rewards?
Milestone Rewards are also earned with either elite night credits or base points and are considered separate benefits from World of Hyatt elite status. Some of these Milestone Rewards were once perks associated with elite tiers at Hyatt. Now, you'll earn Milestone Rewards each time you move up a tier and also at set increments between tiers.
The first Milestone Reward is earned at 20 elite nights or 35,000 base points. At this level, you can choose from a 2K Next Stay Award, 2 Club access awards, or a $25 FIND experience credit. That means World of Hyatt Discoverist members can elect for club awards, good for stays up to seven nights each, before you reach Globalist status where this perk is guaranteed on each stay.
There are other Milestone Reward levels at increments of 10 elite nights/15,000 base points — all the way up to 150 nights. The rewards get increasingly more valuable as you move up in elite nights, but highlights include a Category 1–4 free night award at 30 nights, a Category 1–7 free night award and access to a My Hyatt Concierge at 60 nights, and an Ultimate Free Night Award at 150 nights.
Points: How To Earn and Use Them
Elite members know how to use a Hyatt point to their advantage. Earning points at a steady clip can not only help you save money while traveling but also help you earn elite status. That's because award nights and free night awards count towards your elite night totals for status purposes each year.
My favorite tip for earning as many points as possible is to get a Hyatt credit card. The World of Hyatt Card earns 4 points per dollar on all Hyatt purchases, 2 points per dollar on restaurants, airline tickets purchased directly from the airline, local transit and commuting, and fitness club and gym memberships. All other eligible purchases earn 1 point per dollar.
- 60,000 Bonus Points plus Explorist status through 2/28/26 after you spend $7,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Offer ends 6/30/25
- Up to 9 points total per $1 spent at Hyatt - 4 Bonus Points per $1 on qualified purchases at Hyatt hotels & up to 5 Base Points per $1 from Hyatt as a World of Hyatt member
- 2 Bonus Points per $1 spent in your top three spend categories each quarter.
- 2 Bonus Points per $1 spent on fitness club and gym memberships
- 1 Bonus Point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
- Up to $100 in Hyatt statement credits - spend $50 or more at any Hyatt property and earn $50 statement credits up to two times each anniversary year.
- 5 Tier-Qualifying night credits toward status and Milestone rewards for every $10,000 you spend in a calendar year.
- World of Hyatt Discoverist status for as long as your account is open. Plus, Discoverist status to up to five employees
- Member FDIC
- Rates & Fees
- Up to 9X total points per $1 spent at Hyatt – 4X points per $1 on qualifying purchases 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 on fitness club and gym memberships
- 1X point per $1 everywhere else
In addition, you'll earn 2X points per $1 spent in your top three spend categories each quarter. Eligible categories include:
- Dining
- Shipping
- Airline tickets when purchased directly with the airline
- Local transit & commuting
- Social media & search engine Advertising
- Car rental agencies
- Gas stations
- Internet, cable & phone services
With the Hyatt Business Card, you'll earn 4 bonus points per dollar spent at Hyatt properties, 2 points per dollar spent on fitness club and gym memberships, and 2 points for every dollar spent in your top three categories each quarter. Eligible categories include dining, shipping, gas stations, airline tickets purchased directly from an airline, and more.
You can also earn World of Hyatt rewards by transferring points in from several partner programs. Chase's Ultimate Rewards program offers the ability to transfer points into Hyatt's World of Hyatt program at a 1:1 ratio. Cards that earn transferrable Ultimate Rewards points include the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve®, and the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card.
Bilt Rewards, a free loyalty program aimed at renters with its own no-annual-fee credit card — The Bilt Mastercard® — also offers points transfers to Hyatt at a 1:1 ratio.
In addition to the above, spending all of your “hotel dollars” with the World of Hyatt loyalty program will help you earn points quicker, too. You'll earn 5 base points per dollar on eligible purchases during your Hyatt stays, but you'll also gain higher elite status to help you earn more, getting you more valuable benefits out of your time and effort. After all, how much value you receive from the Hyatt program comes down to how much you interact with it.
How to use World of Hyatt points
At Awardwallet, we've written many posts about the best uses for World of Hyatt points, so refer to those for a more detailed rundown of when to use your points:
- Sweet Spots for World of Hyatt Award Redemptions
- The 8 Best World of Hyatt Points Redemptions for Luxury Stays
- The Most Incredible Suites Bookable With World of Hyatt Points
- Here’s What Your Hyatt Points Are Worth Toward Mr & Mrs Smith Bookings
- How To Use Hyatt Pay My Way and Points + Cash Options
- Hyatt Just Tweaked Its Website, Making Using Free Night Awards Even Easier
However, World of Hyatt rewards can be used a number of different ways. Hyatt properties are divided into different categories depending on the “niceness” of the property and whether it's an all-inclusive property.
Most hotels and resorts are assigned a category between 1 and 8. Each category has a set number of points required for a free night. Hyatt added off-peak and peak nights to these categories a few years ago, so there are now three prices you could be charged within each category. Category 1 can go as low as 3,500 points for an award reservation, and a Category 8 Hyatt can go as high as 45,000 points a night.
You also can redeem for Club Level rooms within those categories, between 5,500 and 55,000 points per night.
Standard suites can be booked outright with points as well, starting at 6,500 at a Category 1 property during off-peak times. Prices can go as high as 66,000 points a night at a Category 8 during peak times. Premium suites start at 7,000 points a night and top out at a whopping 90,000 points a night!
All-inclusive resorts have their own award chart, assigned categories A–F, and starting at 12,000 points a night for two adults at Category A. These locations also have off-peak and peak, standard suite, and premium suite points prices. As an added wrinkle, additional guests beyond two adults incur an additional charge.
Finally, Miraval, an adults-only wellness retreat with just three locations, has its own award chart, starting at 40,000 for single occupancy off-peak and topping out at 137,000 for a premium suite for two guests during peak season.
How To Keep Your Elite Status Year After Year
There's no real secret to keeping your elite status year after year, other than interacting with the World of Hyatt program in some capacity. Hyatt statuses are only important if you're getting a chance to use them year after year.
Credit cards are an important tool I use with the World of Hyatt program. By putting much of my non-bonused spend on my World of Hyatt Card, I'm earning lots of Hyatt bonus points and also getting two elite nights for every $5,000 spent, as you might remember from earlier in the post.
By maximizing elite night earnings from your credit card spending, redeeming points for Hytatt stays frequently (yes, even free night stays count toward elite night accrual), and taking advantage of frequent Hyatt promotions that award bonus elite nights and points, you'll find maintaining elite status easier than you think!
Making the Most of Your Elite Benefits
For me, I try to utilize my elite benefits at top-tier properties using award nights. While award nights have become more expensive over the years, I still believe I receive excellent value from the World of Hyatt program.
As an example, look at the Andaz Maui, which frequently costs over $1,000 per night for a base-level room. Now a Category 8, you can stay there for as low as 35,000 points a night. As a Globalist staying on points with your partner, you'll pay no resort fee ($50 plus tax), no parking fee ($50 plus tax), and get breakfast for two ($49 per person, plus tax and gratuity). That's well over $200 in value per night of your stay, not including the room rate savings from the award booking itself!
For me, most stays at Hyatt are good or great, which can't be said for the other hotel brands I stay with each year. That's what keeps me coming back to Hyatt as a loyal customer.
Hyatt’s World at Your Fingertips
There are now 30 Hyatt brands to visit with your elite status in World of Hyatt. They are:
- Alila
- Alua
- Andaz
- Breathless
- Caption
- Destination by Hyatt
- Dream Hotels
- Dreams
- Grand Hyatt
- Hyatt
- Hyatt Centric
- Hyatt House
- Hyatt Place
- Hyatt Regency
- Hyatt Studios
- Hyatt Vacation Club hotels
- Hyatt Vivid
- Hyatt Zilara
- Hyatt Ziva
- Impressions by Secrets
- JdV by Hyatt
- Miraval
- Mr and Mrs Smith
- Park Hyatt
- Secrets
- Sunscape
- Thompson
- Unbound Collection
- UrCove
- Zoëtry Wellness and Spa Resorts
It's worth noting that not all Hyatt hotels will offer perks in the same way. For example, you won't get guaranteed upgrades or free breakfast at Hyatt Vacation Club hotels, given that these are more like a home-away-from-home property, not a typical hotel. More basic brands, such as Hyatt House, don't have a club lounge for premium guests, but every guest gets free breakfast in the morning, regardless of status.
However, Hyatt does have an interesting benefit to reward you for staying at different brands in its portfolio: the Brand Explorer perk.
Wrapping Up: Your Elite Status Journey
I hope this guide helps you understand more of what Hyatt status can deliver in terms of value. I was initially skeptical of the Hyatt brand when I first got started in points and miles, but after moving up the ranks for higher elite status and now having top-tier Hyatt status for over 10 years, I've seen how great the brand is. Heck, I even got married at the Grand Hyatt Playa del Carmen, and so many of our friends continue to tell us how great the resort was!
Whether you're looking to score free breakfast on stays, a preferred room during your stay, or even just get a late checkout, the World of Hyatt program delivers solid benefits for the effort involved in achieving status.
World of Hyatt elite status FAQ
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)
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