World of Hyatt has just announced some major changes. In a separate post, I covered the huge award pricing updates that we’re seeing, which is the biggest change. However, there are two other developments that are positive, which I’d like to cover in this post.
In this post:
World of Hyatt will introduce digital points sharing
As of some point later this year, World of Hyatt plans to introduce digital points sharing, “making it easier than ever to help a loved one begin their next adventure or turn a special occasion into a shared experience.”
Hyatt hasn’t yet announced exact details beyond that. I assume this is going to be free, but we don’t know what kind of a limit there will be in terms of the number of points that can be transfered, or other restrictions to be aware of. The expectation is that the technology will work similarly to how other awards can be shared, like Guest of Honor awards, suite upgrade awards, etc.
Currently, World of Hyatt allows points sharing, though this requires filling out a form, and then sending it to Hyatt via email or mail, which is a bit of a process. Under this system, you can only transfer points to another member “in order to have a sufficient number of points to redeem a particular award,” though there’s no stated limit as to how many points you can transfer. Furthermore, you can only combine points once every 30 days.
So we’ll see how the new system looks, though hopefully it’s more straightforward than the current process, and doesn’t have many extra restrictions.
World of Hyatt will offer access to awards earlier
As of some point later this year, World of Hyatt plans to introduce early access to award night availability for select members. Specifically, this will be available to those with a co-branded Hyatt credit card, plus World of Hyatt Explorist and Globalist members (meanwhile Discoverist members won’t get access to this).
The expectation is that these members will be able to book awards one month earlier. So instead of the current window of 12 months, the new window will be around 13 months. Having access to awards earlier is good news, and I suppose it’s a nice incentive to have status or a credit card.
For super competitive awards (like the Park Hyatt Sydney on New Year’s Eve, or the Park Hyatt Kyoto during peak Cherry Blossom season), this will definitely make a difference in being able to snag award space. However, it’s not like this limits down the eligibility pool that much.
Bottom line
While the biggest news from World of Hyatt is that the program is updating award pricing (for the worse), there’s also some good news. As of later in 2026, World of Hyatt plans to introduce free digital points sharing, as well as access to awards up to 13 months in advance.
These updates are both positive, and I look forward to seeing them implemented. However, they don’t exactly make up for the huge (but unsurprising) Hyatt award pricing changes.
What do you make of these positive World of Hyatt changes?
All of these programs (hotels, airlines, etc.) should allow free transfers between accounts, regardless. The issue is none of this is regulated; these companies can change on a whim, completely devalue their programs, and there's little we can do as consumers. Probably should 'do something' about this. Better to have baseline expectations and guardrails. Adequate notice is a good start, but it's not enough.
A bit confused by this. We can already book many properties 13 months in advance. So, are they changing it so those categories of members can continue booking 13 months in advance, but others can't, or are they extending it a month further to 14 months? My guess is the former.
A family pool similar to United MileagePlus would be beneficial where we could share points and awards. I hope Hyatt also addresses some stability and availability issues with its app and website. Often enough we find one or the other down for short periods of time.