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The World of Hyatt Credit Card provides excellent value for anyone who stays with Hyatt at least once or twice per year. The card comes with a free night certificate good for any Category 1–4 property on each account anniversary, plus the ability to spend your way to another one.
You can also spend your way to Hyatt elite status, earn valuable points at a good rate, and pay an annual fee under $100 for all of this. And you'll also earn points with one of our favorite hotel programs, which is why we consider this card a keeper year after year.
Let's look at the details of the World of Hyatt Card so you can decide if it's the right fit for you.
- 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
World of Hyatt Card Pros
- Annual free night certificate automatically deposited into your Hyatt account on each account anniversary.
- Automatic Discoverist status.
- Five elite qualifying nights per year.
- No foreign transaction fees.
World of Hyatt Card Cons
- $95 annual fee.
- Lower welcome offer than other mid-tier hotel cards.
- Subject to Chase's 5/24 policy.
World of Hyatt Card Welcome Bonus
As a new applicant for the World of Hyatt Card, you can earn up to 60,000 Bonus Points — 30,000 Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, plus up to 30,000 more Bonus Points with 2 points earned per dollar on up to $15,000 spent in the first 6 months after opening your account.
Based on AwardWallet user redemptions, Hyatt points are worth approximately 2.19¢ each.
Related: Chase Credit Cards: Full Offer History & When To Apply
World of Hyatt Card Benefits
If one thing is for sure, the World of Hyatt Card has a lot of high-quality benefits. Here's an overview of what's available to cardholders.
Up to two free nights each year
Each cardmember year, you’ll receive a Category 1–4 free night certificate just for holding the card and paying the annual fee. You can earn an additional free night certificate each year you spend $15,000 on the card.
For many, the second free night will be easily within reach. This means you can potentially turn this card into a romantic weekend getaway or some needed relief for your wallet on an extended trip. If you're looking for inspiration, check out our post featuring the best properties for redeeming Hyatt free night certificates.
Complimentary Hyatt Discoverist status
Cardholders of the World of Hyatt Card receive complimentary Discoverist elite status with Hyatt. Although this is the lowest of the three status tiers in the World of Hyatt program, Discoverist members still receive the following benefits:
- Complimentary premium internet
- Waived resort fees on award stays
- Elite check-in
- 2 p.m. late check-out upon request
- A 10% points bonus on Hyatt purchases
- Preferred room within the type booked
- Complimentary daily bottled water during each stay
- Reciprocal benefits with American Airlines
Bonus Elite Qualifying Night Credits through spending
You’ll automatically receive five qualifying night credits each calendar year to help you get started on earning elite status. Cardholders also earn two additional qualifying night credits for each $5,000 spent on the card. The terms state that “there is no limit to the number of World of Hyatt Tier-Qualifying Night credits that you can earn.” This is a top perk for those looking to spend their way to higher World of Hyatt elite tiers, including top-tier Globalist status.
For those pursuing elite status, planning additional stays can be a huge hassle when you're a few nights short of the next status tier. The ability to earn these credits two nights at a time with incremental spending adds a ton of flexibility.
Related: 5 Reasons to Get The World of Hyatt Credit Card
No foreign transaction fees
Some credit cards charge a fee for use outside of the U.S. This fee is typically 1%–3% of the transaction amount. As a top travel credit card, the World of Hyatt Card does not charge this fee. So, you can safely use the card while traveling abroad without worrying about incurring extra expenses from foreign transaction fees.
DoorDash DashPass
Enroll by December 31, 2027, to receive 12 months of complimentary DoorDash DashPass. For this benefit to be in effect, you must use your World of Hyatt Card as the default payment on your orders.
Visa Signature card benefits
The World of Hyatt Card is a Visa Signature product, which means it comes with several travel insurances and purchase protections. They are:
- Baggage delay insurance
- Lost luggage reimbursement
- Trip cancellation/interruption insurance
- Purchase protection
- Auto rental collision damage waiver
Related: 22 Card Benefits Every Traveler Should Know About
World of Hyatt Card Earning Rates
The World of Hyatt Card has a wide variety of earning categories, which can help you quickly accrue points for that next free night. Here's a breakdown of its earning rates:
- 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
Related: How To Earn Hyatt Points on Hyatt Stays, Meetings, Card Spending, and More
Redeeming Points With the World of Hyatt Card
Free hotel nights
The most important thing to know about the World of Hyatt loyalty program is that Hyatt points are worth far more than the average hotel point. In fact, AwardWallet users redeem Hyatt points at an average of 2.19¢ each.
Hyatt hotels are each assigned a category, and award nights start as low as 3,500 points for a Category 1 off-peak night. Incredibly, even the most expensive properties cost only 45,000 points for a free night in a standard room. When compared with other hotels that charge over 100,000 points per night for the best properties, it’s easy to see why Hyatt points deliver such outstanding value.
The pricing for a standard room is as follows:
| Hotel Category | Standard Room | Off-Peak / Peak Price (per night) | Club (Standard Pricing) | Standard Suite (Standard Pricing) | Premium Suite (Standard Pricing) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5,000 | 3,500 / 6,500 | 7,000 | 8,000 | 10,000 |
| 2 | 8,000 | 6,500 / 9,500 | 12,000 | 13,000 | 16,000 |
| 3 | 12,000 | 9,000 / 15,000 | 17,000 | 20,000 | 24,000 |
| 4 | 15,000 | 12,000 / 18,000 | 21,000 | 24,000 | 30,000 |
| 5 | 20,000 | 17,000 / 23,000 | 27,000 | 32,000 | 40,000 |
| 6 | 25,000 | 21,000 / 29,000 | 33,000 | 40,000 | 50,000 |
| 7 | 30,000 | 25,000 / 35,000 | 39,000 | 48,000 | 60,000 |
| 8 | 40,000 | 35,000 / 45,000 | 50,000 | 61,000 | 80,000 |
Points and cash stays
Furthermore, Hyatt has a great feature called Pay My Way, which allows you to use a combination of free nights, points, and cash on certain bookings.
To use this feature, select a cash booking, then select Pay My Way. From there, choose how you'd like to pay for each night. This is a great way to save both points and cash on your hotel stay. Additionally, if you have a Free Night Certificate, you can use that in combination with your points and cash.
Transfer points to airlines
It's also possible to transfer your World of Hyatt points to numerous airlines. Unfortunately, the transfer rates mean this usually isn't a valuable use of your points.
Application Restrictions
Like all Chase cards, the World of Hyatt Card is subject to Chase’s 5/24 policy. This policy states that you will be denied for a new Chase credit card if you've opened five or more cards from any bank in the last 24 months.
In addition, those who currently have this card or who received a bonus on this card within the past 24 months aren't eligible, as per the offer terms:
“The credit card is not available to either (i) current Cardmembers of this credit card, or (ii) previous Cardmembers of this credit card who received a new Cardmember bonus for this credit card within the last 24 months.”
Related: Understanding Rewards Credit Card Application Rules and Restrictions
Cards That Compete With the World of Hyatt Card
We think the World of Hyatt Card is one of the best hotel cards you can apply for. But if you happen to be over 5/24, or struggle to find Hyatt properties near your intended travel destinations, you might want to consider these options instead:
- If you're looking for a hotel card with no annual fee, check out the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card. Benefits of this card include the fourth night free on award stays, automatic Silver Elite status, and the potential to earn up to 17X on spending at IHG. See our full IHG One Rewards Traveler Card review for more information.
- If you're looking for a card with points that can be used at both Hyatt and other places, consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. The Ultimate Rewards points you earn can be transferred to Hyatt or to Chase's 13 partners, as well as used with Chase Travel℠. Our Sapphire Preferred full review has more details.
- If you want a hotel card that offers better status perks, look into the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card. You'll receive complimentary Hilton Gold status (enrollment required), which is the best mid-tier hotel status among the major hotel programs, and includes benefits like food and beverage credits, room upgrades, and more. More details are in our Hilton Surpass review.
- Earn up to 17X points total per $1 spent when you stay at an IHG hotel
- 3X points per $1 spent on dining, utilities, select streaming services, and at gas stations
- 2X points per $1 spent on all other purchases
The earning for spending at IHG hotels breaks down as follows:
- Earn 5X points for being a IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Cardmember
- Earn up to 2X points from IHG® with Silver Elite Status, a benefit of this Card
- Earn up to 10X points from IHG® for being an IHG® Rewards Club Member (Being a cardholder is not required to earn this bonus for participating in the IHG® loyalty program)
- 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
(Terms Apply)
- 12X bonus points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio
- 6X bonus points for each dollar of eligible purchases on your card at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations
- 4X bonus points on U.S online retail purchases
- 3X bonus points for all other eligible purchases on your card
Related: The Best Hotel Credit Cards
Final Thoughts
With up to two annual free night certificates, complimentary Discoverist status, and a realistic path to spend your way to higher elite tiers, the World of Hyatt Card offers some top-value perks, especially when you consider the high value of Hyatt points.
Even better, the card has an annual fee of only $95. Just considering the annual free night certificate, this card is easily a long-term keeper. Even more so when you add in the other benefits and consider the value of your points.
- 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
Hyatt Credit Card FAQ
Is the Hyatt Credit Card worth it?
The World of Hyatt Credit Card comes with a few benefits that make it easy to justify keeping for the long term. Each year, you'll get a free night certificate that can be used at any Category 1–4 property. In most cases, using this one perk each year will save you more money than you'll pay in annual fees. Other great benefits like complimentary Discoverist elite status and the ability to reach higher status through spending on your card are icing on the cake.
How do I redeem Hyatt Credit Card free nights?
It's easy to redeem points and free night certificates for a complimentary stay with Hyatt. Just head to the Hyatt website, find the hotel you want, and select "view points" to see your options. If a standard room free night is available, you'll have the option to redeem points or apply a free night certificate earned through your Hyatt credit card. You can find some of our favorite Hyatt properties for high-value redemptions here.
What is the best hotel rewards program?
The World of Hyatt program is widely considered to be the most valuable and well-run loyalty scheme of the major hotel programs. Unlike its competitors, Hyatt has resisted the urge to increase the number of points required for free nights. As a result, Hyatt points have only gotten more valuable relative to the competition. Hyatt also does a great job of consistently recognizing and rewarding elite members.
For many, the only downside to going all-in with Hyatt is that they don't have nearly as many hotels as larger brands like Marriott, Hilton and IHG. But if you can consistently find a Hyatt property that works with your travel plans, Hyatt is easily our pick for the best hotel rewards program.
What credit score do you need to get a Hyatt credit card?
Officially, the World of Hyatt Card from Chase requires good or excellent credit for approval. This usually means you have a FICO® score in the low-to-mid 700s. But we have seen some reports of successful applications with FICO scores in the high 600s. (Results may vary) To maximize your chances, be sure to review our post explaining Chase's 5/24 application rule. If your credit isn't quite up to par, you'll find helpful tips in our post on building healthy credit.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: The World of Hyatt Credit Card (Rates & Fees), IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card (Rates & Fees), Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees), and Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® 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.
Having recently joined Hyatt to diversify my points from Marriott/Hilton – I’ve enjoyed the card so far. Already have Globalist too and should get to 50 or 60 nights this year also, hopefully. If only they had a better footprint of properties.
I upgraded my Hyatt card to the WOH Card a couple of days after it launched in Juen. I did so in part to get the 5 tier nights as we are extremely close to globalist and with these 5 extra nights, it would for sure put us over the edge. They hadn’t hit my account, so I called Chase who informed me that you don’t get the 5 nights until after Jan 1. That is not how it is outlined in their disclosures per se…. it says the first 5 will post to your account within 8 weeks and subsequent years will be 8 weeks from Jan 1.
Can you confirm or have any additional information on this?
Thanks so much!
So my 5 nights posted within a couple of days of the upgrade. I *just* called Hyatt to 100% confirm the “bonus” entry I see (it really just says bonus” were the 5 nights. No waiting until Jan 1; they should post quickly. If they don’t, I’d call back once you’ve activated and at least used your card once and say “where are my nights?” I haven’t activated my new card yet and like I said, my nights have already posted.
Do you know if the qualifying nights earned based on spend on this card will count towards Hyatt Fast Track Elite Tier offer that was offered this year? The offer was that if we had 20 qualifying nights in 90 days, we could get Globalist status until Feb 2020. Do you know if we could get these qualifying nights from credit card spend? I can easily hit the $50k spend it would take to get 20 nights.
Unfortunately no. For the Globalist Fast Track challenge, you must physically check-out of the room for the night to qualify. They state in the T&Cs that even if you check-in, but don’t check-out the next day, you won’t be awarded the elite night credit. No qualifying nights from credit card spend count from either Hyatt card.
Is this a metal card like the Marriot Premier Plus?
No.
Are there any differences in the Sapphire Preferred benefits with this card? Most specifically I use the primary rental car coverage quite a bit on my Sapphire card.
You’ll definitely want to stick with the Sapphire or Preferred for the Primary insurance benefits.
It is good card, but I don’t like/appreciate the annual fee hike.
A $20 hike for a much-improved card sounds like a more than reasonable ask.
Interesting, another card to consider – wow, thanks for this information. Great!
My wife and I bit on this card. We were holding off applying for new Chase cards because of the 5/24 rule. however, with a trip planned to Vienna in 2019 and a premier property located in the heart of the city, felt this was something we couldn’t overlook. With both of us being approved instantly, this will give us the 4 nights we were planning for.
Nicely done! My whole family got the old version earlier this year 🙁 — Wish we held off, but I’ll take the points over free night certificates any day.
@Michaelj1 says: “B) The Chase 5/24 rule is becoming problematic for many of us.”
And, unfortunately, that means it’s working exactly as Chase intended. 🙁
A) This card appears to be a good choice. B) The Chase 5/24 rule is becoming problematic for many of us.
JUST got existing Hyatt card two months ago! Just my luck….
I’m going to cancel my existing Hyatt card. The downgrade from Platinum to Discoverist (nearly useless) was a huge hit to me.
will my existing card automatically convert to this card?
As of now, no.
It’s nice to see Hyatt CC offer return to a similar value level that one received when the standard sign-up bonus cam in the form of 2 “free night certs”.
This looks promising. I might be jumping from SPG to Hyatt. Thanks for the information!
So I just crossed the 24month post-bonus threshold last month on the old Hyatt card. I would like to cancel the old Hyatt card and apply for the new one (after waiting 30 days) to earn the 60k sign up bonus, BUT I haven’t used my anniversary certificate yet and want to keep it but don’t have an immediate use for it. Anyone know if the anniversary certificate will be pulled from my account when I cancel the card? I already paid the annual fee and don’t intend to ask for it back, so I would hope the certificate would be mine to keep… do I need to use it to use it for a booking before canceling the credit card (even if the booking is for a date in the future, beyond the date when I cancel my card)? Couldn’t find a DP on this.
The anniversary certificate is yours whether or not you keep your card open.
I’m considering applying for this card, too!
Really hoping to see a Hyatt credit card in Canada…
Given the number of Hyatt properties in Canada, I wouldn’t hold my breath.
don’t like the restrictive language. can’t upgrade on the anniversary nights – rather they gave points in lieu of the certificates.
Will the bonus point for this card count towards Marriott lifetime status?
Hyatt != Marriott — so, no.
Given how much I’ve enjoyed every Hyatt property I’ve ever stayed out, I’ll be taking this card seriously.
Hopefully we current holders get an upgrade offer. And something fairly lucrative would be nice (one can only hope…)
This looks like a great card!
Thanks for the write-up. Went ahead and jumped in. Got the 30-day notice, called in and shifted cl. Approved.
thanks for the info
Long-time SPG guy, but considering giving Hyatt a look with this new product.
great find. Really appreciate the link to the cat 4 opportunities. I was thinking about a Cambodia/Vietnam trip this winter, so this could be a great help! thx Howie!
I have a question. Looking at this Hyatt card for my husband and I because we currently have SPG. Big question is what is going to happen Aug 1st to star point transfer to JAL or anyone else for that matter? Does Hyatt have airline transfer capability? Thanks for any insight.
Hyatt has airline transfer capabilities — not as lucrative as SPG though. As of August 1, it’ll be Marriott transfers.
I think Howie meant you could get 2 nights with the 60,000 point bonus.
I used to spend so much with Starwood and book so many nights with them, but AwardWallet probably has this right. The best value for spend at the moment is probably having a Hyatt card. Make the charges at Chase Ultimate Freedom for 1.5 points per dollar unless you’re in a preferred category. Then spend as much on the Hyatt Card as is needed to get those stay credits to get you to 60 nights.
I”m going to probably miss Starwood a bit. It’s been a really good run, but my expectation is that the value is now slightly better with Hyatt. Though just slightly better.
Maybe the 2019 discounts with Mariott off-peak will bring me around to seeing the value, but for August to December, I feel like Starwood is going to cost more for the rooms than it did pre-Mariott.
^^^ that’s what is going through our heads. We’ll see how it plays out, but we’ve now got at least a compelling set of events to consider moving to Hyatt.
No brainer. I signed up and it was approved. haven’t had the experience from a chase card in a while!
Wahoo! nice.
WOW – this looks like a great card! Thanks for sharing all of the details. Just want to mention that the Park Hyatt Sydney is a Category 7 hotel so you wouldn’t actually be able to use the bonus certificates for that particular hotel since it looks like the free nights are for Category 1-4 hotels. Thanks again for the heads up on this card.
Come visit Savannah with those Cat 4 certs. We’ve got a nice Andaz and Regency both in a great location.
No 5/24 rule, and lower end redemption options, although I might have to specifically search them out, make this an option for me to consider. Thanks.
This does look like a very good card. The point that this is a card that actually earns more per stay than the CSR is a good one. That will definitely make it a more difficult decision as to which card to use for stays (or maybe an easier decision?) I am going to have to think quite a bit about this one as I contemplate which card is going to be my next application.
Can you pay/use points to upgrade past a category 4 hotel? If so how? We like a category 6 Hyatt regency slot and want to use that
Not at this point, but it is something I know has been given as feedback for quite a bit of time.
I really think the free night cert should be a cat 5 cert instead of 4, especially with the annual fee increase…Chase should seriously consider upping the cat for the free night cert.
Given how many solid properties are at Cat 4 or below, I actually disagree. The certificate value + annual fee value represents a win for both sides. Balance is key and honestly, at $125 I’d still feel it to be a good value.
Hyatt cards have always been pretty good for trip hacking… this card shouldn’t be any different
Looks on the face of it a very good card with all the bonuses included.
It is a very good card in spite of the annual fee hike.
So to hit globalist requires 60 stays I think. So that’s 12 if the 5 stay credit or $60k spend to hit?
How long does the status usually last for? Until the end of the following years?
And if we’re currently Hyatt card holder, we would have to cancel the card, wait 24 months out from last Bonus before applying for the new card? Imagine that’s better sign up bonus than any upgrade offer may give?
60 nights*. To do it on pure spend, you’d get 5 nights for having the card and would need 55 more. you earn 2 nights for every 5k in spend so it’d be $140k in spend.
You’ll need to be 24+ months from when you received the last bonus & not currently have a hyatt card to be eligible for this bonus.
I’ve previously had the Hyatt card. I received the bonus 2 night stay about 2.5 years ago, but cancelled it 1.5 years ago. If I apply for the new card will I be eligible for the 60k bonus, or do I need to wait until it’s been 2 years since I cancelled?
It needs to be 2 years since you’ve received a bonus & the card must be closed — so you’re good according to your stats provided.