Updated: 2 days ago
Hyatt has 750+ properties across more than countries, there’s a better chance than ever that you’ll find a Hyatt wherever you’re planning to travel. We love Hyatt’s reasonable award redemptions, which makes it easy to see the value you earn from each stay at one of their hotels. The prices in points are affordable even for ultra-fancy hotels like the Park Hyatt’s in Paris, Sydney, and Siem Reap.
Excitingly, Hyatt has also continued to expand its network by partnering with Small Luxury Hotels of the World and Two Roads Hospitality, which includes Thompson Hotels. This gives you even more options for earning and redeeming your World of Hyatt points, and that number is expected to continue to rise.
Given the ease of earning free nights, knowing how to earn Hyatt points with the right rewards credit card can save you money on your next trip while giving you access to some great experiences. We’ve reviewed numerous Hyatt hotels here on OMAAT, and have enjoyed the benefits of top-tier elite status in the Hyatt program for years. Even if you’re only an occasional Hyatt guest, however, you can still enjoy great perks and luxurious stays at a fraction of the cost by leveraging the World of Hyatt program.
Best Hyatt Credit Card Offers of January 2020
There are several ways to earn Hyatt points with credit cards. The most straightforward way, as you might expect, is with a Hyatt-branded credit card. Unlike other hotel credit cards, there is only one Hyatt card available, but it offers some excellent benefits, and nearly everyone at OMAAT has it in their wallet right now. Here are the best Hyatt credit card offers available today:
Hyatt hit it out of the park with the new card. The card is worth holding onto for the anniversary free night certificate and the five elite nights towards status annually, which more than justify the annual fee, not to mention the pathway to elite status based on your spending.
Current Offer
Earn up to 50,000 Bonus Points - 25,000 Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Plus an additional 25,000 Bonus Points after you spend a total of $6,000 on purchases within the first 6 months of account opening.
Card Details
Earn 9 points total per $1 spent at Hyatt - 4 Bonus Points per $1 when you use your card at Hyatt hotels & 5 Base Points per $1 you can earn as a World of Hyatt member
However, when it comes to a spending strategy for earning Hyatt points, the best way to maximize your points is to use a combination of the World of Hyatt card and a Chase Ultimate-Rewards earning card.
That’s because Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer directly to Hyatt at a 1:1 ratio. So with just one easy step (and we promise, this really is a simple step), you can turn any Ultimate Rewards points into Hyatt points. There are several cards that can help you earn Hyatt points this way:
Ultimate Rewards points can be transferred at a 1:1 ratio to United, Hyatt, and many other programs. The card is also great for everyday spend given that it offers double points on dining and travel. This is probably the most-used card in my wallet.
Current Offer
- Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
- 2X points on travel and dining at restaurants worldwide & 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
- Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel
- No delivery fees for a minimum of one year on qualifying food purchases with a DashPass subscription from DoorDash -over a $100 value. Activate with your Chase Sapphire card by December 31, 2021.
- Earn 5X points on Lyft rides through March 2022. That's 3X points in addition to the 2X points you already earn on travel.
The Ink Preferred has a fantastic, practical rewards structure. Triple points on travel, telecommunications, shipping and advertising on social-media and search engines, covers a lot of categories that are actually useful to businesses.
Current Offer
Earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Card Details
Earn 3 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. Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases - with no limit to the amount you can earn.
The card has a great sign-up bonus, and on top of that has lots of perks that make it valuable long term. I value Ultimate Rewards points at ~1.7 cents each, so to me the 50,000 points are worth $850, and that's before factoring in the travel credit and other great perks.
Current Offer
Earn 50,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Card Details
3X points on travel immediately after earning your $300 travel credit. 3X points on dining at restaurants & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases. $0 foreign transaction fees.
Ultimately, the best Hyatt credit card for you will depend on your particular spending habits:
Best for Hyatt Hotel Stays (Plus best for elite status) |  The World Of Hyatt Credit Card | Apply Now |
Best for Non-Hyatt Travel & Dining (3x points, plus transfer to Hyatt) |  Chase Sapphire Reserve® | Apply Now |
Best for Business |  Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card | Apply Now |
Best for Healthy Lifestyle (Earn 2x points on fitness club and gym memberships) | The World Of Hyatt Credit Card | Apply Now |
Is the World of Hyatt Credit Card Worth It?
Working with travel credit cards always involves an internal calculus to determine whether the benefits one earns from keeping a credit card is worth the annual fee. Luckily, this decision is easy with the Hyatt card. If you typically pay for even one hotel night a year in a city with a Hyatt property, then the card is worth keeping.
The World Of Hyatt Credit Card offers a free night at any Category 1-4 Hyatt property each year that you keep the card open and pay the $95 annual fee. So long as you plan to stay one night at a Hyatt each year, this benefit alone makes the card worth keeping!
If you are unfamiliar with the Hyatt program, you might be inclined to think that properties that are in Categories 1 through 4 are only cheap hotels that are not worth visiting, but this really couldn’t be further from the case. In recent years we’ve redeemed our annual nights during the summer in Boston and Philadelphia for rooms with listed prices above $300. Hotels like the gorgeous Park Hyatt Saigon are also Category 4 properties, and a great use of the anniversary certificate. 
The substantial welcome bonus on the card makes this decision even easier, as you’ll start off with enough points for a free night at some of the most luxurious Hyatt hotels, or multiple nights at some of the more moderate properties.
The card also offers bonus points on spending beyond Hyatt stays, including extra points for gym memberships and fitness clubs — a bonus category not offered by any other rewards credit card. Plus, for people who stay at Hyatt hotels frequently, the ability to use credit card spending to earn elite status (along with the extra 4 points per dollar earned at Hyatt properties!) makes the card a must-have.
Hyatt Credit Card Benefits
We’ve mentioned many of the benefits of The World Of Hyatt Credit Card already, but here’s a list so you can see them all in one place:
- Annual Free Night — Can be redeemed at any Category 1-4 Hyatt property
- Earn Extra Free Nights — In addition to the points you’ll earn, you can get a bonus free night for spending $15k on your Hyatt card during your cardmember year
- No Foreign Transaction Fees — Whether you’re using your card at stunning international Hyatt hotels, or fun local restaurants, you won’t pay any extra fees
- Hyatt Discoverist Status — Just by having the card you get elite status that comes with simple benefits that will make your trip more enjoyable: late checkout, free bottled water, nicer rooms (when available), among others.
- Double Points for Staying Healthy — Earn 2 Bonus Points per $1 spent on fitness club and gym memberships
- Bonus Spending Categories — Earn 4 points per dollar spent at Hyatt, 2 points per dollar spent at restaurants and plane tickets (when purchased directly from the airline), and 1 point per dollar spent everywhere else.
- Head Start on Qualifying for Elite Status — 5 Qualifying Night Credits toward your elite status every year just for having the card, plus an additional 2 Qualifying Night Credits for every $5,000 you spend on the card
- Contactless Pay — Easily tap your card to pay, skipping signatures and PINs, saving time and hassle (especially when using transit abroad)
Many of us here at One Mile at a Time got into this world of points and miles because of our love of flying and the unique amazing benefits one can get from airline loyalty programs; but once you fly somewhere, you need to find a place to stay. That’s where hotel programs like World of Hyatt come in.
Earning Hyatt points is easy between the welcome bonuses on both the World of Hyatt credit card and Chase Ultimate Rewards-earning cards. To boot, these points are easy to use and can often save you hundreds of dollars at Hyatt hotels around the world.
If I get the card and my goal is to get to the next levels of Hyatt’s program. Would I need 25 nights/55nights for Explorist/Globalist status? Just making sure that’s the way they are counting it.