Maybe you tend to book Hyatt for your work trips, or you prefer Hyatt for your weekend getaways and family vacations. If that’s you, those stays can start adding up in the form of free nights, upgrades, and more.
World of Hyatt is the loyalty program for Hyatt's nearly 20 hotel brands worldwide, which include everything from standalone basic hotels to luxury hotels and all-inclusive resorts.
When you join World of Hyatt, you get access to all the brands, and can earn and redeem points for hotel stays and other perks.
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- World of Hyatt Credit Card
Instant Discoverist status and a free night every year. - World of Hyatt Business Credit Card
Earn up to $100 in Hyatt statement credits and get Discoverist status for to up to five employees. - Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Chase Ultimate Rewards® transfer to Hyatt at 1:1 value.
What Is World of Hyatt?
World of Hyatt is Hyatt’s own loyalty program. Members earn points each time they stay at a Hyatt property, which they can redeem later for free nights and other perks.
The program offers four different status levels for membership, so you can still earn and redeem points even if you stay only a few nights a year.
It’s free to join World of Hyatt, and you work toward elite status based on how often you stay at Hyatt properties or whether you have a co-branded credit card (more on those cards later!).
Benefits of a World of Hyatt membership include:
- Member-only offers
- Special pricing when you book directly on Hyatt.com
- Free night when you stay at five different Hyatt brands
- Point redemption starts at 3,500
- Earn points on hotel stays, spa treatments, dining, and other experiences
Pros and Cons of World of Hyatt
Pros
- Access to a variety of properties around the world
- Relatively high value for points, ranging from about 1.5 cents to a little more than 2 cents
- Free membership
Cons
- Portfolio is smaller than Marriott Bonvoy or Hilton Honors, so it might be harder to find participating hotels
- Some benefits aren’t available at all hotel properties
- Rooms at high-value properties might require a much larger number of points
Hyatt Brands
Hyatt categorizes its brands based on the type of experience you’ll have when you stay.
- Luxury: These are high-end hotels that offer an elevated experience. Brands include Park Hyatt, Alila, M/Ravel, Impressions by Secrets, and The Unbound Collection by Hyatt.
- Lifestyle: Upscale hotels in this category cater to a younger, urban crowd, with cultural programming, dining, and vibrant experiences. Brands include Andaz, Thompson Hotels, The Standard, Dream Hotels, Breathless Resorts and Spas, JDV by Hyatt, Bunkhouse Hotels, and Me and All Hotels.
- Inclusive: These are all-inclusive resorts and spas, with dining, drinks, and other amenities lumped into one price. Brands include Zoetry Wellness and Spa Resorts, Hyatt Ziva, Hyatt Zilara, Secrets Resorts and Spas, Dreams Resorts and Spas, Hyatt Vivid Hotels and Resorts, Sunscape Resorts and Spas, and Alua Hotels and Resorts.
- Classics: These are the “regular” hotels that you’re used to seeing. They offer a standard experience and form the basis for Hyatt’s portfolio. These include Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Destination by Hyatt, Hyatt Centric, Hyatt Vacation Club, and Hyatt.
- Essentials: These hotels cover your basic needs while still meeting Hyatt standards. Brands include Caption by Hyatt, Hyatt Place, Hyatt House, Hyatt Studios, UrCove by Hyatt, and Unscripted, the latest addition.
You can earn World of Hyatt points by staying at any of the brands in the portfolio, and you can redeem points to stay at any property.
You also get access to a variety of benefits, depending on your elite status level. However, some benefits might not be available at every property.
World of Hyatt Elite Status Levels
There are four main elite status levels in the World of Hyatt program: Member, Discoverist, Explorist, and Globalist.
Each has different requirements to reach the level, and specific benefits that come when you reach the next tier.
There’s also a Lifetime Globalist status.
Member
Anyone can become a member simply by signing up.
At this level, you earn points for stays and other actions at the hotel, like dining or booking a spa service, or even using Peloton equipment at select properties when you connect your account. You’ll earn 5 points per dollar at most Hyatt hotels.
You can start redeeming once you’ve reached 3,500 points (that’s about $700 worth of Hyatt stays).
This is your basic level of earning points per stay without needing to meet a minimum to establish your status.
Discoverist
To reach this tier, you need a minimum of 10 nights in a qualifying Hyatt property or 25,000 base points in a calendar year. You can also reach this tier by opening a World of Hyatt Credit Card or World of Hyatt Business Credit Card.
Once you reach this status level, you earn 5.5 points per dollar spent and get bonuses like free internet and (depending on location and availability) the potential for late checkout, expedited check-in, and upgraded rooms.
Explorist
The Explorist tier comes with all the perks of the previous two tiers, but also includes the ability to redeem for American Airlines’ AAdvantage status (which gets you priority check-in and free checked bags).
You also get guaranteed availability when you book a qualified room at least 72 hours in advance (although black-out dates apply).
And your earning rate jumps to 6 points per dollar spent at Hyatt properties.
To reach this tier, you need to stay at least 30 nights or earn 50,000 base points.
Globalist
Once you have 60 nights or 100,000 points, you enter Globalist status.
This gets you all of the above, plus priority access when checking in early, complimentary full daily breakfast or Club lounge access (which has continental breakfast and evening hors d’oeuvres daily), and extended late checkout to 4pm (subject to availability).
This is also the highest earning rate — 6.5 points per dollar spent at Hyatt properties.
Lifetime Globalist
There is a Lifetime Globalist tier available if you’ve earned one million base points over time.
The other tiers in elite status require you to requalify each year, but once you reach Lifetime Globalist status, you don’t have to requalify to keep receiving Globalist perks.
You also get better free night redemption and access to concierge services when you reach this level.
How To Earn World of Hyatt Points
There are several ways to earn World of Hyatt points that you can redeem later.
Stay at Hyatt properties
When you stay at most Hyatt properties, you earn base points for every dollar you spend.
For members, you can earn up to 5 base points, but as you move up tiers, you get bonus earnings:
- 10% more (5.5 points) for Discoverist
- 20% more (6 points) for Explorist
- 30% more (6.5 points) for Globalist
If you stay at participating locations, you can also receive base points for each dollar spent on dining and spa services.
Host meetings
If you have a business, you can earn points and free nights by hosting meetings at a Hyatt location.
You can get up to 50,000 bonus points by hosting a meeting at a Hyatt location.
Book FIND Experiences
Hyatt offers different experiences you can book when you travel — everything from art classes to live shows to reiki treatments.
You receive 10 points for every dollar you spend on qualifying experiences, which can help you reach higher elite status tiers faster.
Use a World of Hyatt credit card
You can get co-branded Hyatt credit cards (issued through Chase) and use them to boost your points.
Once you’re approved, you get automatic Discoverist status — or higher, as there are sometimes welcome offers that include higher status.
Then, you can earn extra points on purchases made with the card, including non-Hyatt purchases, like restaurants and gym memberships. This way, you can use your regular spending to score more Hyatt perks.
While some other hotel loyalty programs have several credit cards, World of Hyatt just offers one consumer card (World of Hyatt Credit Card) and one business card (World of Hyatt Business Credit Card).
READ MORE: How Do Hotel Credit Cards Work?
The World of Hyatt Credit Card
Rewards Rate
- Up to 9x points at Hyatt hotels
- 2x points at restaurants, flights booked direct with airlines, local transit and commuting, and fitness club and gym memberships
- 1x points on everything else
Welcome Offer
Earn up to 60,000 Bonus Points — 30,000 after you spend $3,000 in your first 3 months and up to 30,000 more 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
Annual Fee
$95
The World of Hyatt Business Credit Card
Rewards Rate
- Up to 9x points at Hyatt (4 Bonus Points per $1 on qualified purchases at Hyatt hotels & up to 5 Base Points per $1 from Hyatt as a World of Hyatt member)
- 2x in your top three spend categories each quarter
- 2x on fitness club and gym memberships
- 1x points on all other purchases
Welcome Offer
60,000 Bonus Points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening
Annual Fee
$199
Use partner credit cards
Points earned with Chase Ultimate Rewards® and Bilt Rewards can be transferred to World of Hyatt at a 1:1 value.
This is slightly different than earning Hyatt points directly, but you’ll get the same value. Plus, with a more general credit card, you get more flexibility and can redeem rewards for more than just Hyatt stays.
If that appeals to you, you may want to consider a card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Bilt Mastercard®.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Rewards Rate
- 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries
- 2x on all other travel purchases
- 1x on all other purchases
Welcome Offer
Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual Fee
$95
Shop with partners
There are also World of Hyatt partners that can help you earn extra points on trips you take.
For example, you can earn up to 500 points for each car rental through Avis, plus receive a discounted rate.
World of Hyatt also allows you to choose to earn airline miles when you stay, instead of getting points. This isn’t exactly the same as earning World of Hyatt points, but it’s a way to earn miles for each stay.
Airline partners include American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Delta, Emirates, Etihad, Qantas, Southwest, United, and several others.
You can also earn up to 1,000 points per month by connecting your Peloton account and doing a Peloton ride or row at participating Hyatts.
Purchase points
Finally, it’s possible to purchase World of Hyatt points in increments of 1,000, starting at 2,000.
You can purchase up to 55,000 points per year.
Points cost $24 per 1,000, but Hyatt sometimes offers promotions that result in bonus points per purchase.
How To Redeem World of Hyatt Points
World of Hyatt points are generally valued at between 1.5 cents and over 2 cents apiece. How much they’re actually worth depends on how you redeem them and the category hotel you redeem them at.
One of the best redemption values is for a stay, which starts at 3,500 points. Hyatt also allows you to use cash plus points when booking a stay, so you can reduce the cost of the room with fewer points.
Other ways you can redeem points include:
- Upgrades: Use your points to upgrade a paid night to a better room, such as a Club or Suite room.
- Credits: You can redeem points to get credits for dining or spa services. For example, you can redeem 1,000 points for a $10 credit. However, the value isn’t as good for this type of redemption as it is for using your points on a stay.
- Travel partners: You can transfer your World of Hyatt points to airline partners, including American Airlines, United, Delta, and Southwest. This allows you to redeem for air travel as well as hotel stays. Points can also be redeemed for car rentals with Avis.
- Gift or transfer: You can give or transfer your World of Hyatt points to other members.
Who Should Consider World of Hyatt?
World of Hyatt can be a good choice if you travel frequently and like to stay at Hyatt properties.
If that’s you, you’ll probably want to look into the World of Hyatt Credit Card or World of Hyatt Business Credit Card, so that you can earn rewards to redeem for free nights or upgrades.
Also, since Hyatt is a transfer partner with Chase Ultimate Rewards® and Bilt Rewards, if you already have a card that earns those rewards (like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card), you can double up on earning even without having a Hyatt-branded card.
A notable perk is that World of Hyatt doesn’t charge resort fees on point redemptions, so you can save money if you frequently stay at all-inclusive resorts and redeem your points for stays.
At the very least, if you stay even once at a Hyatt, it’s worth signing up for the program, since it’s free. That way, if you do decide to stay again, you’re already on your way to earning points.
World of Hyatt earns less points than other hotel loyalty programs, like Hilton Honors, IHG One Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy, but it also requires less points to redeem for an award night.
READ MORE: How To Stay in Hotels for Free Using Travel Points
FAQs
What are World of Hyatt points worth?
World of Hyatt point value depends on how you redeem them. Experts value them at between $0.015 and $0.02+, depending how you redeem them.
They are least valuable when redeemed for credit toward spa services or dining, and most valuable when redeemed for a free stay at a hotel during off-peak times.
Do World of Hyatt points expire?
If your membership is inactive for 24 months, you forfeit you points. You can keep your account active by earning, redeeming, or transferring points, or by having a World of Hyatt credit card.
Is World of Hyatt free to join?
Yes, you can join at the basic membership level for free. However, to earn status, you need to spend money on stays and in other ways to earn points.
TL;DR: Is World of Hyatt Worth It?
World of Hyatt can be worth it if you travel frequently and stay at Hyatt properties. There are many ways to earn points, including with transfer partners, and redemption values are generally high compared to other hotel programs.
Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
