Link: World of Hyatt Credit Card
I think hotel credit cards are incredibly underrated. They can offer huge perks that more than offset their annual fees, ranging from free elite status to free night certificates, all of which can get you a lot of value.
I’d argue that the World of Hyatt Credit Card is one of the best hotel credit cards out there, thanks to its reasonable annual fee, as well as valuable perks. What makes Hyatt’s personal credit card so brilliant is that it’s worth having regardless of whether you want to keep it just for the ongoing perks, or whether you want to spend money on it.
In this post:
Hyatt Hotel Credit Card Benefits
The area where the World of Hyatt Credit Card really excels is when it comes to the benefits it offers. In my opinion, these benefits more than justify the annual fee, whether you’re spending nothing on the card or a significant amount. Key benefits include:
- Category 1-4 anniversary free night award every year
- World of Hyatt Discoverist status for as long as you have the card
- Five elite nights toward World of Hyatt status annually
- Second free night award with $15K in annual spending
- Two additional elite nights for every $5K spent
- Access to additional World of Hyatt promotions
- Secondary rental car coverage
- Trip delay, lost luggage, and other protection
The ongoing benefits of the Hyatt credit card make it worth it, but it offers plenty more.
Hyatt Credit Card Offers
The World of Hyatt Credit Card is offering a two-part welcome bonus marketed as earning 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.
Spending $15,000 to unlock the full welcome offer is also a sweet spot, as it unlocks additional perks including six elite nights toward status and a second Category 1-4 free night award.
I value Hyatt points at 1.5 cents a piece, so the incremental 45,000-point bonus would be $675.
Learn more: Current Hyatt credit card bonus offers
Hyatt Rewards: Earning & Redemption Rates
Earning Rates
The World of Hyatt Credit Card offers solid points earning opportunities:
- 4x World of Hyatt points at Hyatt properties (including Mr & Mrs Smith affiliated properties)
- 2x World of Hyatt points at restaurants
- 2x World of Hyatt points on airline tickets purchased directly from airlines
- 2x World of Hyatt points on fitness clubs and gym memberships (including group fitness like Barry’s Bootcamp, SoulCycle, etc.)
- 2x World of Hyatt points on local transit and commuting (including Lyft and Uber)
- 1x World of Hyatt points on all other purchases
The fitness clubs and gym memberships category is particularly notable, as there aren’t many cards offering bonus rewards on fitness spending.
Redemption Rates & Point Value
The best value for redeeming World of Hyatt points is using the free night award chart. The great thing is that you earn elite nights for your stay even if you’re redeeming points or using a free night award. Below is World of Hyatt’s award chart.
There’s value to be had at all levels of the chart. As a general rule of thumb, I try to redeem at properties where I’m getting more than two cents of value per point. That’s because personally I value World of Hyatt points at ~1.5 cents each.
In other words, I’d redeem points at a Category 1 hotel during a standard period when the paid rate is $100+, I’d redeem points at a Category 7 hotel during a standard period when the paid rate is $600+, etc.
There’s so much value to be had at all levels of the award chart, and in particular, I love redeeming at Hyatt’s top properties.
Link: World of Hyatt Credit Card
Hyatt Credit Card Fees
Annual Fee
The World of Hyatt Credit Card has a $95 annual fee. You can add additional cardmembers to your account at no extra cost. This annual fee is well worth it even if you don’t spend money on the card, since you get an anniversary free night award that can be redeemed at hotels costing $250+ per night.
Foreign Transaction Fees
The World of Hyatt Credit Card has no foreign transaction fees, so it’s an excellent card for purchases abroad. That’s especially true when staying with Hyatt abroad, as well as for dining and commuting outside the US.
Is the Hyatt Credit Card Good?
Let me answer this very simply. If you’re eligible for the card and have any interest in staying at Hyatt properties then yes, the World of Hyatt Credit Card is absolutely worth it. This is a card I personally have, and that I wholeheartedly recommend.
Who the Card is Good For
- Anyone who stays at Hyatt properties with any frequency. The anniversary free night award alone justifies the $95 annual fee
- Those pursuing World of Hyatt Globalist status. The card helps you earn elite nights through spending
- Travelers who want a card with no foreign transaction fees for international Hyatt stays
- People who spend money on fitness clubs and gyms. This is an industry-leading bonus category
- Those who can spend $15,000 annually on the card. This is the sweet spot for maximizing value
Who the Card is Not For
- Those who rarely or never stay at Hyatt properties
- People looking to maximize points on dining or airfare. Other cards offer 3-5x points in those categories
- Those who prefer flexible points over hotel-specific loyalty. Chase Ultimate Rewards cards may be a better fit
The $15,000 Annual Spending Sweet Spot
Personally, my approach is to put $15,000 of spending on the World of Hyatt Card every year, and I think that’s a real sweet spot. By spending $15,000 on the card in a year you receive:
- A second Category 1-4 free night award
- Six additional elite nights toward status, meaning you earn a total of 11 elite nights toward status annually with the card
Even taking the value of the elite nights out of the equation, if you spend $15,000 on the card in categories on which you otherwise wouldn’t earn bonus points, you’re earning a Category 1-4 certificate that could be redeemed at a hotel potentially costing up to 25,000 points. That’s almost like earning over two World of Hyatt points per dollar spent, which is a great return on everyday spending.
Link: World of Hyatt Credit Card
Hyatt Credit Card Application Requirements
Eligibility Rules
The eligibility requirements for the World of Hyatt Credit Card are straightforward. You’re not eligible for the welcome bonus if:
- You currently have the World of Hyatt Credit Card
- You’ve received a new cardmember bonus on this card in the past 24 months
Eligibility for this card is unrelated to whether you have the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card. You can apply for both cards and receive the welcome bonus on both.
Chase Application Restrictions
In addition to the card-specific restrictions, be aware of Chase’s general application rules:
- Chase has the 5/24 rule, whereby you typically won’t be approved if you’ve opened five or more new card accounts in the past 24 months (though there are reports this is no longer being consistently enforced)
- Chase doesn’t generally have a strict limit on total cards, but the limiting factor is generally the overall credit you’ll be issued
- You can typically be approved for at most two Chase credit cards every 30 days
Credit Score Requirements
There’s not a consistent rule as to what credit score you need to be approved for the World of Hyatt Credit Card. In general, I’d recommend having a credit score in the “good” to “excellent” range.
Personally, I probably wouldn’t apply if my credit score were under 700, and ideally, I’d hope to have a credit score of 740 or higher. That being said, people with scores lower than that have been approved, and conversely, people with scores higher than that have been rejected. There are lots of factors that go into approval. Chase will consider your income, your credit history, how much credit Chase has already extended you, etc.
How does the World Of Hyatt Business Card compare?
The World of Hyatt Business Credit Card could be a good option for any small business looking to earn Hyatt points or status. Here’s how the two cards compare:
- The business card potentially offers a larger welcome bonus, so you can earn more points quickly
- The business card has a $199 annual fee, which is more than twice as much as the personal card’s $95 fee
- The business card offers up to $100 in Hyatt credits every anniversary year (receive a $50 statement credit twice when you spend $50 at a Hyatt)
- The business card offers five elite nights toward status for every $10,000 spent (vs. two elite nights per $5,000 on the personal card)
- The business card offers Discoverist status for you and up to five employees
- The business card offers a 10% rebate on redeemed points (up to 20,000 points back per year) if you spend $50,000 annually
Personally I think the personal card is generally more rewarding, though the business version of the card earns you elite nights at an accelerated rate.
Read More: Chase Hyatt Business Card vs Chase Hyatt Credit Card
Bottom line
The World of Hyatt Credit Card is an exceptional hotel credit card. It’s a card I have, and a card I spend at least $15,000 on per year.
The card is worth having even if you don’t plan on putting spending on it — you get an anniversary free night award you can use at a hotel that costs significantly more than the annual fee, you get complimentary Discoverist status, and you get five elite nights toward a higher status tier.
Beyond that, it can be worth putting spending on the card, thanks to the unique bonus categories (4x points on Hyatt stays and 2x points on fitness and gyms), as well as the additional elite nights and second free night award.
Next Steps: Apply for the World of Hyatt Credit Card
How We Rated the Hyatt Credit Card
Our star ratings are on a 1-5 scale and are grouped by category. The World of Hyatt Credit Card is compared to other hotel credit cards with similar annual fees to determine its score. We make every effort to compare like-for-like.
When evaluating the World of Hyatt Credit Card, we considered the following factors:
- Welcome bonus value relative to spending requirements
- Ongoing benefits (anniversary free night, elite status, elite night earning)
- Points earning rates in bonus categories vs. competing cards
- Annual fee relative to the value of benefits received
- Flexibility and value of points redemptions
- Additional protections (rental car coverage, trip delay, lost luggage)
We abide by a strict ethics policy: we don’t accept free travel from airlines or hotels, we don’t accept in-kind gifts that could present a conflict of interest, we don’t participate in pay-for-play coverage, and we don’t let companies know we’re arriving in advance or ask for special access. All assessments are based on real-world experiences as regular customers.
With the changes likely coming May 7, I was hoping to see details of the new cc and category changes before then but seems its too late for the bonus points to post now. Very unfortunate.
I was a Hyatt loyalist for years until they changed the program to the ridiculous Discoverist, Globalist blah blah nonsense that exists today. I moved my 150 nights a year to Marriott and never returned. I have this card though. It’s okay but not worthy of the gushing in this article.