When Chase revamped its World of Hyatt Credit Card, the changes were for the better. Not only does this card comes loaded with perks, the card actually makes sense to put your spending on. In this article, we’ll cover why it makes sense to pick up the World of Hyatt Credit Card for Travel this year.
World of Hyatt Credit Card Details
Before you apply for any Chase credit cards, it’s helpful to understand the Chase 5/24 rule. With this rule in place, Chase will not approve you for any of its cards subject to the rule if you have opened 5 or more cards in the past 24 months. For more details on this rule, check out Richard Kerr’s article.
The $95 annual fee World of Hyatt credit card comes with a 50,000-point signup bonus, depending on when you apply. New Cardmembers will earn 25,000 points after spending $3,000 in 3 months and an additional 25,000 points after spending $6,000 total in 6 months.
World of Hyatt Credit Cards: Perks
The account anniversary category 1-4 free night certificate is what will outweigh the $95 annual fee. Just by paying the annual fee, you will receive this free night certificate. As long as your Hyatt hotel stay costs more than $95 when you use the certificate, you will come out ahead every year.
In addition to the certificate, cardmembers receive Discoverist status. Benefits of this status include 2 pm checkout, upgrade to a preferred room when available, and a daily bottle of water. While the perks of Discoverist status will not blow you away, this status will help you to earn a higher elite status.
Cardmembers also receive 5 elite night credits annually. Explorist and Globalist status requires 30 and 60 nights respectively, so this card will reduce the threshold to 25 and 55 nights every year. If you are not a road warrior, this perk may not offer a ton of value.
How to Earn Points with your World of Hyatt Credit Card:
When you use your World of Hyatt credit card at Hyatt, you will earn 9X points – 4X points at Hyatt plus 5X points for being a Hyatt member. The card also earns 2X points on airline tickets, restaurants, and fitness clubs. With that said, it makes the most sense to only use this card at Hyatt.
How to Redeem Points:
The World of Hyatt program is moving to peak and off-peak pricing in March of 2020. Until then, you can reference the chart above when using your World of Hyatt Credit Card for travel. Award nights start at 5,000 and increase to 40,000 points per night.
If your future Hyatt reservation decreases in points in the new award chart, Hyatt will refund you the points difference. If your future Hyatt reservation increases in points, Hyatt will not require you to pay additional points. This is great news and incentivizes you to book future reservations quickly.
Which Credit Cards Compete with the World of Hyatt Credit Card:
Hilton credit cards provide the stiffest competition to the World of Hyatt Credit Card for travel. Yes, Hilton award nights require substantially more points than Hyatt. However, Hilton offers monster signup bonuses, perks, and earning categories that make its cards compelling.
The Hilton Honors Card, Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, and Hilton Honors American Express Business Card are cards to check out. The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is the most interesting as it offers top tier Diamond status.
Earn $15k Yearly Spend Sweet Spot with your World of Hyatt Credit Card:
As mentioned earlier, Hyatt incentives you to spend on the World of Hyatt Credit Card for travel this year. For cardmembers who spend $15,000 in a cardmember year, Hyatt throws in an additional perk. When you hit this spending threshold, you will earn an additional category 1-4 free night certificate.
Earn 2 Elite Night Credits with your World of Hyatt Credit Card:
Another World of Hyatt Credit Card for travel perk to consider are the elite night credits. Cardmembers earn 2 elite night credits with every $5,000 that you spend on the card. When you combine this strategy with the $15,000 yearly spend strategy, you will earn 11 elite night credits – 5 just for having the card and 6 for $15,000 in spending.
Globalist, Hyatt’s top tier status, requires 60 elite nights to qualify. If you have the Hyatt credit card and spend $15,000 in a calendar year, you will need 49 nights to qualify.
You can reduce the 49 elite nights to 47 by redeeming the 2 categories 1-4 free night certificates. You’ll receive 1 certificate by being a cardmember and earn 1 additional certificate after you spend $15,000.
The 47 elite night threshold can be reduced further. Hyatt has an award called Brand Explorer. If you stay at 5 different brands, you will earn 1 category 1-7 free night certificate. You can earn 2 certificates due to the number of Hyatt brands. Redeem these 2 certificates and you will need 45 elite nights for Globalist.
For travelers who earn Explorist, Hyatt awards you with 1 additional category 1-4 free night certificate. By redeeming this certificate, you will need 44 elite night credits to qualify for Globalist.
Conclusion on How to Use your World of Hyatt Credit Card for Travel in 2020
Holding the World of Hyatt Credit Card for Travel in 2020 makes a ton of sense. The perks clearly outweigh the annual fee and you unlock additional benefits the more that you spend on the card.
What about you? Do you use the World of Hyatt Credit Card for Travel? Please let me know in the comments below or by sending me an email on my contact page.
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