World of Hyatt Credit Card Review

For anyone who enjoys frequent stays at Hyatt properties and has Good / Excellent credit, the World of Hyatt Credit Card is worth carrying in your wallet — and worth the annual fee of $95 if you maximize its potential. Right off the bat, being a cardholder grants you Hyatt Discoverist status, which normally requires staying 10 nights to earn.

More than that, the card helps you earn bonus points — starting with a pretty generous welcome offer — that can translate into free nights and room upgrades. And, if you want to move up to the next tier status, the card awards five qualifying nights by having the card, plus two nights for every $5,000 you spend.

The main drawback is that World of Hyatt has fewer properties than Marriott and IHG, but you’ll still get a range of 1,250 hotels and all-inclusive properties in 75 countries across six continents from which to choose.

• Large sign-up bonus

  Earn 30,000 Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Plus, up to 30,000 More Bonus Points 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.

   

  This is a very valuable offer. For instance, if you manage to earn all the points available, you can use them to book two free weekend nights at the Grand Hyatt Nashville in May, or two weekend nights in a premium suite at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Resort in Orlando in September.

• Earn valuable Hyatt points at a high rate

  Earn up to 9 points total per $1 spent at Hyatt - 4 Bonus Points per $1 when you use your card at Hyatt hotels & 5 Base Points per $1 from Hyatt as a World of Hyatt member. 2 Bonus Points per $1 spent at restaurants, on airline tickets purchased directly from the airline, local transit and commuting as well as fitness club and gym memberships. Plus, earn 1 Bonus Point per $1 spent on all other purchases. You’ll also earn 2 points per dollar on local transit and commuting, on restaurant spending, on flights purchased directly through an airline, and on fitness and gym memberships. All other purchases earn 1 point per dollar.

  Overall, there is a lot of opportunity to score bonus Hyatt points, which are very valuable and otherwise hard to come by.

• Great redemption options

  While many hotel rewards programs feature inflated points and award nights that require tens to hundreds of thousands of points, you can stretch Hyatt points a long way.

  Redemptions start at a very reasonable 3,500 points for an off-peak standard night, and you can find desirable properties and locations in even the lowest tiers of the Hyatt rewards chart.

  Hotel Category	Standard room points per night	Regency/Grand Club points per night	Standard suite points per night	Premium suite points per night
  1	5,000	7,000	8,000	10,000
  2	8,000	12,000	13,000	16,000
  3	12,000	17,000	20,000	24,000
  4	15,000	21,000	24,000	30,000
  5	20,000	27,000	32,000	40,000
  6	25,000	33,000	40,000	50,000
  7	30,000	39,000	48,000	60,000
  8	40,000	50,000	61,000	80,000

• Free night award

  One of the card’s best perks is its free night award certificate. Each year on your card anniversary, you’ll receive one free night at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort. In addition, you can also get another free night if you reach $15,000 in spending for the calendar year. Considering that most stays are above $95, if you take advantage of this benefit, you will have already outearned your annual fee.

• Elite status with genuine hotel perks

  Once you become a cardmember, you’ll get automatic Hyatt Discoverist status, which comes with features like premium internet, late checkout, bottled water, waived fees on reward stays and other perks. This is a better status feature than competing hotel cards like Marriott Bonvoy Boundless^® Credit Card. That card bumps you up to Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite Status, but the only real perk it provides is late checkout.

• $95 annual fee

  As long as you book a few stays with Hyatt per year, the perks easily justify the fee. If you’re more of a once-per-year traveler, however, a general rewards card, like the Chase Freedom Flex℠ might be a better fit for you, since you’ll have more redemption flexibility.

• Somewhat limited hotel footprint

  First, the good news: Hyatt has expansive coverage, with 1,250 properties in 75 countries around the world. However, compared to the 6,000 in IHG’s portfolio, Hilton’s 7,100+ and Marriott’s 8,000+, you won’t have nearly as many options.

• Free night certificate limited to category 1-4 properties

  The World of Hyatt free night, which maxes out at category 4 properties, isn’t as valuable as the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card’s free night certificate, which can be used at any Hilton hotel (with only a few exclusions). However, it’s not the only free award night with limitations. For instance, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless^® Credit Card‘s certificate is restricted to properties at or under 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.

• Perks and rewards mostly limited to Hyatt

  As is the case with most hotel-branded cards, your perks and rewards are all geared toward your Hyatt stays. If you don’t stay with Hyatt exclusively, or at least frequently, then this may not be the best card for you. Instead, consider a general travel card that lets you enjoy perks at a variety of hotels as well as for other aspects of your trip.

• Points can expire with inactivity

  You must have qualifying activity in the World of Hyatt program or on the credit card at least once every 24 months so you don’t lose your points.

World of Hyatt Credit Card vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

If you’d like to keep your travel options open with another Chase card, the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card is an excellent choice for the same $95 annual fee, and it has a phenomenal sign-up bonus. Since World of Hyatt is one of the card’s 1:1 hotel transfer partners (along with IHG and Marriott) — you can still offset your stays at Hyatt properties, but you’ll also have the flexibility to redeem your points on other things, too, like flights.

However, if you’re a Hyatt loyalist who prefers to stay with one brand and you’re aspiring to attain hotel status for extra perks, then the World of Hyatt Credit Card is a better fit.

World of Hyatt Credit Card vs. IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card

If you’re torn between which hotel’s co-branded credit card is best for you, the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card is worth a look. Like the World of Hyatt Credit Card, it’s also issued by Chase and has almost the same annual fee ($99).

The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card has a higher rate for hotel spending. You’ll earn up to 26 total points per $1 spent when you stay at IHG Hotels & Resorts. Earn 5 points per $1 spent on purchases on travel, at gas stations, and restaurants. Earn 3 points per $1 spent on all other purchases. At first glance, this appears to beat Hyatt’s 9 points per dollar on hotel stays.

Note that IHG points are not nearly as valuable as Hyatt points — IHG award nights generally require three times as many points as a Hyatt award night. On the plus side, however, IHG gives you the chance to stretch those points with a fourth night free whenever you book three nights with your points — a benefit Hyatt is lacking.

Like the World of Hyatt Credit Card, the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card also offers a free night certificate on your card anniversary, but the World of Hyatt also gives you an additional free night if you spend $15,000 in the year.

The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card grants you automatic Platinum elite status, with similar benefits to Hyatt Discoverist status. Unfortunately, while the World of Hyatt Credit Card lets you earn qualifying nights to move up to the next level of status, the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card doesn’t offer any boost beyond Platinum status.

World of Hyatt Credit Card vs. Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

 

Another general rewards card, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card offers more premium travel benefits but comes at a higher annual fee of $395 (see rates & fees). If you earn the $300 airline credit per year, that will instantly offset most of the fee. You’ll also get complimentary airport lounge access for you and two guests.

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card starts you off with a great sign-up bonus: Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel. The overall rewards rate is higher, too: 2X Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day; 10X Miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel; 5X Miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel. World of Hyatt is not one of the card’s transfer partners, but you can use your miles to cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars, etc. at a rate of 1 cent per mile.

If you’re someone who places a high value on airline perks and VIP benefits versus specifically wanting to earn free hotel nights with Hyatt, then the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card would suit you well. Keep in mind you’ll need to be a fairly avid traveler to really maximize a higher-level card like this one.

The main question to ask when evaluating this card is how often you stay at Hyatt properties. For the loyal Hyatt traveler, the World of Hyatt Credit Card has a lot to offer in terms of a generous rewards rate, an annual free night and annual Discoverist status. However, if you don’t want to be wedded to a specific hotel chain, a card such as the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card might offer you more flexibility.