It’s rare to see Hyatt offer any sort of promotions on buying gift cards, so there’s a noteworthy promotion that’s now live for the second time this year.
Buy Hyatt Gift Cards For 10% Off
Several weeks ago Hyatt announced that they’d offer 10% off purchased gift cards over two periods:
- November 29 through December 2, 2019
- December 20 through December 23, 2019
So that second promotion period is now live.
To take advantage of this promotion you have to use promotion code WINTER19 when you purchase gift cards (and you’ll want to make sure that you actually see the discount reflected at check-out).
Now that the promotion is available I tested this out, and it does, in fact, seem to work.
If you’re considering taking advantage of this promotion, there are some important terms to be aware of:
- Hyatt gift cards can only be redeemed at participating Hyatt properties in North America, Canada, Mexico, Caribbean, Central America, and South America
- You can buy gift cards in increments between $25 and $2,000, and you can buy no more than $10,000 worth of gift cards per day
- Hyatt gift cards don’t expire
- Gift cards are transferable to friends, family members, etc.
- You can’t use gift cards for pre-paid reservations, but rather can only use them to settle a balance at check-out
- You earn points as usual and receive benefits for the stays where you use gift cards (after all, you’re only redeeming these at check-out when settling payment)
Should You Buy Hyatt Gift Cards For 10% Off?
I’m a Hyatt loyalist, so naturally, I’m asking myself whether this is worth it or not. The upside to this promotion is obvious — you can save 10%, and that’s awesome.
But what are the downsides?
On the most basic level, there’s always some risk associated with gift card theft.
Furthermore, purchasing gift cards doesn’t count as a Hyatt purchase since this is processed by a third party:
- Usually, when I pay at a Hyatt I use the World of Hyatt Credit Card, which offers 4x World of Hyatt points per dollar spent (I value that at a 6% return)
- For this purchase I’d instead use the Citi Double Cash® Card, which offers a total of 2x ThankYou points (1 when you purchase and 1 when you pay) — (I value that at a 3.4% return); these purchases seem to code as “merchandise & services”
So there’s a 2.6% “spread” right there.
The one other downside is that if you’re using a gift card at an eligible property outside the US, there’s a chance that there may be a bit of a buffer on the exchange rate, as they might not use the exact correct exchange rate. Hopefully, that’s not the case, but it also wouldn’t surprise me.
Bottom Line
The second round of Hyatt’s 10% off gift card promo is now live. Prior to this promo, I don’t remember the last time Hyatt offered a discount on gift cards.
I’m tempted to take advantage of this, but realistically the upside is only so much when you factor in the (mild) risk, the difference in credit card points you earn, and the potential aggravation you may experience at check-out.
I think I’ll still buy some, but I don’t necessarily think this is as much of a no brainer as it appears at first glance (if these coded as Hyatt purchases then I’d say it would be more of a no brainer).
Do you plan on buying Hyatt gift cards for 10% off?
The Hyatt gift-card is a scam, it won't work on the lowest (prepaid) rates
@James: You said: "V is an idiot. Who doesn’t realize how idiotic he/she is. "
Is there anyone else in the comments telling someone they are an idiot, while doing it with a sentence fragment ?
V is an idiot. Who doesn't realize how idiotic he/she is. I guess V also doesn't know that you can earn miles by buying a plane ticket AND also by flying.
And the prepaid rate often isn't better than 10% of AAA rate, so with the giftcard you still come out ahead.
They charge $8.50 shipping for plastic cards. You can use an MC (and probably VISA) gift card to purchase the ecard.
Anyone else having problems with the promo code not being “valid”?
Darn - this could save me a lot if I could use these to pay for an upcoming Lindblad expedition. I'm guessing they would consider that a prepaid reservation?
@schar, that's the Park Hyatt St. Kitt's. I believe Lucky reviewed it early this year or late last year.
Not having the ability to use gift cards for prepaid stays is crazy.
Lucky linked to a 'grey' gift card website?
Hyatt said that they know nothing about it and that they have no promotion going on
@ V
Come on, in scenario 1, when you redeem the gift cards at a Hyatt property, you get your 5 WOH points per $. Its not that hard to grasp.
You get the same 5 WOH points in scenario 2 (plus whatever else from your premium cc) and the same in scenario 3 (plus 4 more WOH points for using the card).
@Gene -
You are wrong. We are comparing the value of purchasing a Hyatt gift card at 10% discount vs paying for a hyatt stay directly with hotel with no discount.
Remember the gift card charge is neither processed as a Hyatt charge nor a hotel charge. It would code as a regular purchase ( max = 2 points/$ depending on card).
Paying for a Hyatt charge directly with the hotel would code as either...
@Gene -
You are wrong. We are comparing the value of purchasing a Hyatt gift card at 10% discount vs paying for a hyatt stay directly with hotel with no discount.
Remember the gift card charge is neither processed as a Hyatt charge nor a hotel charge. It would code as a regular purchase ( max = 2 points/$ depending on card).
Paying for a Hyatt charge directly with the hotel would code as either 9 Hyatt points/$ (with WOH credit card ) or up to 2-3 points/$ (with most other high value credit cards).
So we have 3 scenarios (using Lucky's valuations as basis ROI):
1) Purchasing Hyatt gift card with 10% discount using ANY credit card (absolute max of 2 points/$ or 3.4% return).
2) Paying for a Hyatt stay at full price with any premium Card (3 points/$ for CSR or 5 points/$ for amex Platinum, valued at min 4.5 or max 8.0 % return)
3) Paying for a Hyatt stay at full price with Hyatt WOH Card (9 points/$ for 13.5% return).
In any scenario, it's a NO BRAINER to pay 10% extra for either 2) or 3) instead of 1).
@Lucky - any comments?
what hotel is that in the picture?????????? looks amazeeeeeballs
Hi: Does anyone know if these can be used at the new SLH brands?
10% off is a good enough deal, but the reason I won't take advantage of this deal is that it can be a pain in the arse at checkout if you have an agent that doesn't know how to redeem it. I haven't tried Hyatt gift cards, but have had this issue with Marriott.
@Lisfranc, you misread my comment. I was saying that this whole incident happened about 4 years ago. Bought the gift cards in December, and two months later realized they had been compromised.
Been trying to read the terms an conditions on the Hyatt website. Can a single gift card be used multiple times? E.g. if I but a card with a value of $1000, can I use it in Hotel A and redeem for $500, and then later use it in hotel B for $500 to redeem the balance?
@ V -- The 5x base points has nothing to do with using the Hyatt credit card. This is automatic, regardless of how you pay. The 4x points are earned in lieu of earning say 2% cash back or 3% worth of points on another credit card. Therefore, you are earning about 3-4% by using the Hyatt credit card over a different form of payment. Therefore, using your Hyatt credit card over a gift card...
@ V -- The 5x base points has nothing to do with using the Hyatt credit card. This is automatic, regardless of how you pay. The 4x points are earned in lieu of earning say 2% cash back or 3% worth of points on another credit card. Therefore, you are earning about 3-4% by using the Hyatt credit card over a different form of payment. Therefore, using your Hyatt credit card over a gift card is NOT a no brainier (although IMO using the Hyatt credit card is a better way to go).
Ben your calculation is wrong. Using your Hyatt Credit card to pay for hotel stays gets you 4 base + 5 bonus points per $ = 9 Hyatt points per $ spend or 13.5% return (by your conversion rates)
So paying a 10% higher price directly with Hyatt using the Hyatt credit card is a no brainer
Some of those above in the comment section who have gotten scammed seem to be ESL at best. Perhaps they're also involved with Air Peace!
@Eric: Who buys $2k in Hyatt gift cards and sits on them for 4 years? You lost out on some decent returns in the market.
Personally, I wouldn't jump on this unless I was going to redeem immediately because I wouldn't want cash tied up in gift cards.
In other similar news, Costco.com is selling $500 Delta egift cards for $449.99.
Hey Lucky, totally unrelated but BA/AA just did one of those heart-warming family stories again. Looks like they worked together to bring a family of six (four kids) back home to Chicago to reunited with their parents for Thanksgiving.
Whoa—two Erics back-to-back! Note that I (Eric 2) was not also asking about using them with Privé bookings...
I also had a horrible experience when $2,000 of my Hyatt gift cards were stolen (electronically; I only found out at checkout at the Hyatt Regency Maui). Many hours on the phone with Hyatt (who initially refused to do anything for me, other than encourage me to contact the police), the police where the gift cards were actually used (California), and my credit card company later, I was finally made whole. But definitely not worth...
I also had a horrible experience when $2,000 of my Hyatt gift cards were stolen (electronically; I only found out at checkout at the Hyatt Regency Maui). Many hours on the phone with Hyatt (who initially refused to do anything for me, other than encourage me to contact the police), the police where the gift cards were actually used (California), and my credit card company later, I was finally made whole. But definitely not worth the risk to save that small an amount! (And I may have bought them when they were 20% off 4 years ago or so...still not worth it!)
Can I use them at Las Vegas properties like Aria and Bellagio?
Could you use the gift cards for Hyatt Prive rates ?
@ Pete -- As Ben explains, you are not saving 10%, but rather about 7%. You have to keep track of them, spend extra time at checkout using them, remember to carry them, and waste LOTS of time getting them replaced if stolen ( I know from experience). If you don't value your time, I guess they are a great deal.
@Gene
What a joke!
Why pay 90% when you can pay 100%!
Do not buy these. 10% off is a joke.
While I love Hyatt, I won't be buying cards bc I had one (and only) bad experience with a Hyatt gift card. I ended up in a 2 month back and forth and finally got my $100 credited (they had added my $100 to my bill!). But it was also a Fairfield Inn so I prob deserved it. Mine was a 20% off gift card.
Question - you mentioned above that you do not earn points when you buy the vouchers. Do you earn Hyatt point and status when you use them (as I would use them for myself). Not a US citizen and no credit cards in Australia seem to be aligned with Hyatt (would love to be told I am wrong). Am a globalist but running out of points (have PH Syd, Maldives and Buenos Aires booked). Might be an option for me as I would otherwise pay cash.