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If you’ve been holding out on applying for the World of Hyatt Credit Card, there’s a new bonus offer available that could be worth a look, though it’s important to dig into the details so you know what you’re getting.
Right now, new applicants can earn up to 60,000 bonus points on the World of Hyatt Credit Card. However, this offer has a unique structure, as it’s partially tied to the amount of money you spend on the card in the first six months.
The first part of the offer is straightforward. You’ll earn 30,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first three months after you open the account. Frequent flyer website The Points Guy values Hyatt points at 1.7 cents apiece, so those 30,000 points are worth about $510 in travel.
Then, you’ll have the opportunity to earn up to an additional 30,000 bonus points based on how much you spend on the card in the first six months. You’ll earn 2 points for every dollar you spend on everything you purchase with the card that normally earns 1 point per dollar, up to $15,000 in spending during those first six months after you’ve opened the account.
So to earn the entire 60,000 bonus points, you must spend $15,000 in total within the six months, though $3,000 of that must be within the first three months. That’s a lot of money to put on a credit card in six months, but the good news is that even if you don’t spend the entire $15,000, you’ll still earn 2 points per dollar on whatever you do spend. So you’re still getting bonus points even if you spend less.
Click here to get the bonus offer on the World of Hyatt credit card.
But there’s an additional reason you might want to aim to spend the full $15,000. That’s because when you spend $15,000 in a calendar year with the World of Hyatt Credit Card, you’ll get an award night that can be redeemed at any Category 1-4 property within the Hyatt chain.
In addition to the sign-up offer, the World of Hyatt card offers a ton of benefits for those who stay at Hyatt properties, even if only a handful of times per year. Even if you’re not traveling much at the moment, the many perks that come by having the World of Hyatt Credit Card can more than outweigh its $95 annual fee once travel gets back to normal.
1. Receive a reward night every year on your card’s anniversary
One of the best benefits of the World of Hyatt Credit Card is the reward night you receive on a yearly basis. Starting with the second year you have the card, on each card anniversary you’ll receive a certificate that can be redeemed at any Category 1-4 Hyatt property.
Although this means top-tier Hyatt properties are excluded, there are definitely some hidden gems where this certificate can be used. Some noteworthy properties include the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, the Andaz San Diego, the Hyatt Regency Jersey City on the Hudson, the Grand Hyatt Washington and the Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico.
Use your reward night certificate at properties like the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort.
PHOTO:
Hyatt Hotels
Even if you aren’t able to get maximum value for this certificate each year, as long as you’re using it at a property that would have otherwise cost more than $95, this benefit alone pays for the annual fee.
2. Receive a second reward night by spending on your card
As mentioned earlier, you’ll also earn a certificate every year — including the first year you have the card -— if you spend $15,000 on your World of Hyatt Credit Card within a calendar year. This stacks on top of the 60,000-point bonus offer, so if you spend that $15,000 in the first six months after opening the card, you’ll get all the points and a reward night as well.
These certificates work in the same manner as the regular reward night, where they can be used at any Category 1-4 Hyatt property. If you’re able to put this much money on your credit card, you could have two certificates to use back-to-back for a sorely-needed weekend getaway when you are comfortable traveling again.
By the way, if you already have a World of Hyatt Credit Card account that you opened in 2020 or earlier, you can potentially earn two certificates in 2021. Chase changed the way you earn the certificate from your card holder year to calendar year. That means if you spend $15,000 within your 2020-2021 card holder year, you’ll earn one certificate, and if you spend another $15,000 from your new anniversary date in 2021 through December 31, 2021, you’ll earn a second certificate. Then starting in 2022, the $15,000 requirement will be within the calendar year for all account holders.
3. Automatic Discoverist elite status
Just for being a World of Hyatt Credit Card holder, you’ll receive complimentary Hyatt Discoverist status. This basic-level status gives you a 10% point bonus on all Hyatt stays, 2 p.m. late check-out at participating properties and the possibility of a room upgrade based on availability.
Although Discoverist is the lowest tier of elite status within the World of Hyatt program, you’re always better off having some status versus no status at all when checking in at the front desk of a hotel.
4. Easier to earn higher-level elite status
If you’re looking to earn a higher status level than Discoverist within the World of Hyatt program, the World of Hyatt Credit Card can help you earn either Explorist or Globalist status — Hyatt’s top two tier levels — without ever stepping foot into a Hyatt property.
In 2021, Hyatt is slashing the number of stays you need to obtain status in half. That means you only need to stay 15 tier-qualifying nights to earn Explorist status or 30 tier-qualifying nights to earn Globalist status.
The World of Hyatt Credit Card actually offers two different benefits to help you earn status even quicker. For starters, on a yearly basis you’ll earn 5 tier-qualifying nights towards status simply for being a card member. That means with these nights alone, you’ll only need another 10 nights for Explorist status or 25 nights for Globalist status. Not to mention that Hyatt is doubling all stays through February 28, 2021 which makes earning status in 2021 easier than ever. (Unfortunately though registration for the double stay promotion is no longer available).
Additionally, for every $5,000 spent on the card, you’ll earn another two tier-qualifying nights towards status. If you spend $15,000 on the card to earn all the bonus points, you’ll end up with six additional tier-qualifying night credits toward status. Then you’ll only need four more nights for Explorist status, or 21 nights for Globalist status.
In fact, as we mentioned above, the card alone can fully secure you status without having to leave your house. Just this year, spending $25,000 on your card will give you Explorist status and $65,000 will get you over the hump to Globalist status. Of course, this is an astronomical amount to spend on your card, but it can be done.
5. Earn bonus points with Hyatt stays and everyday spend
The World of Hyatt Credit Card is one of the best cards to use for stays at Hyatt properties.
PHOTO:
Hyatt Hotels
With the World of Hyatt Credit Card, you’ll earn an additional 4 bonus points for every dollar you spend at Hyatt properties (which when added to the 5 base points you typically earn comes to a total of 9 points per dollar) and 2 points per dollar on local transit and commuting, restaurants, airline tickets purchased directly from the airline, fitness clubs and gym memberships. On all other purchases, you’ll earn 1 point per dollar once the sign-up bonus expires after the first six months.
This is actually one of the best cards to use for your Hyatt stays and, unlike some other hotel credit cards, also offers a strong return on many of the other increased categories. Of course, the Chase Sapphire Reserve is still a better card to use for many of your non-Hyatt travel purchases, since it earns 3 points per dollar on all travel and you can transfer Ultimate Rewards points to Hyatt at a 1-to-1 ratio.
Also, for categories that don’t earn bonus points on this card, you might find that you’ll earn more on CNN Underscored’s benchmark credit card, the Citi® Double Cash Card, which earns 2% cash back — 1% when you make a purchase, and another 1% when you pay it off — on everything you buy.
Related: The best cash back credit card: Citi Double Cash with no annual fee.
Since Hyatt points are worth 1.7 cents apiece according to The Points Guy, you’re getting a 6.8% return when using the World of Hyatt Credit Card at Hyatt hotels, but only a 1.7% return for purchases that don’t earn a bonus.
However, if you want to keep everything simple and use just one credit card for all your purchases, the Hyatt card is a decent option for maximizing your Hyatt points.
If you’re looking to stay at Hyatt properties regularly once you’re comfortable traveling again, then this isn’t a bad time to consider the World of Hyatt Credit Card. With this offer, if you can make the $15,000 in spending in the first six months, you’ll end up with 60,000 points and a Category 1-4 award night certificate.
But if spending $15,000 on your credit card in six months isn’t feasible for you, there are other World of Hyatt credit card offers that may be available elsewhere, offering fewer bonus points but a lower spending requirement. So take a look around before applying to be sure this is the best bonus offer for your needs.
Learn more about the World of Hyatt Credit Card.
Find out which credit cards CNN Underscored chose as its best credit cards of 2021.
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