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Chase and Hyatt offer two co-branded credit card options, the World of Hyatt Credit Card and the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card. These are some of the most popular hotel credit cards.
Hyatts credit cards can earn you elite night, which makes it easier to get status in the World of Hyatt program. This post will explain how it works. This is particularly important to know given the fact that World of Hyatt has reduced elite requirements by half for 2021. It makes it much easier to achieve status in this program.
Benefits of World of Hyatt cards
Chase and Hyatt offer both the World of Hyatt Credit Card (a personal credit card) and the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card, which is a business card. While both cards offer valuable benefits, I believe the personal card has more value than the business card.
Perks of World of Hyatt Credit Card
The World of Hyatt Credit Card comes with a $95 annual fee, as well as many other benefits:
Automatic World of Hyatt Discoverist status as long as your account remains open
Each year, you will receive five qualifying night credits toward your next tier status
You will receive two qualifying night credits toward your next tier status for every $5,000 you spend on your card
Every year, a Category 1-4 anniversary certificate is free for a night
You will receive a second Category 1-4 certificate for every $15,000 you spend on your anniversary card
You will receive five nights of elite status and a Category 1 - 4 free night certificate each year for just having the card. I believe that this is more than the annual fee. The free night certificate provides $250+ worth of value. This does not include the additional perks that you get when you spend on the card.
You can get up to two free Category 1-4 nights each year with your card
Perks of the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card
The World of Hyatt Business Credit Card comes with a $199 annual fee. There are also many other benefits:
Automatic World of Hyatt Discoverist status is available for you and your five employees as long as your account remains open
You will receive five qualifying night credits toward your next tier status for every $10,000 you spend on your card within a calendar year
You can get up to $100 in Hyatt credit annually if you spend at least $50 at Hyatt. This statement credit is valid twice
Redeem World of Hyatt points for the rest of the year by getting 10% back when you spend $50,000. Maximum credit of 20,000 points
Even if you aren't a high-spender, the business version of this card may not be as rewarding. This card is great for companies that spend a lot on credit cards.
Redeem World of Hyatt Points at Calala Island
Earning World of Hyatt Card status
The World of Hyatt Credit Card as well as the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card allow you to earn elite nights. The methods you can earn elite nights are different between the cards. Let's go over the details.
Enjoy elite nights with the World of Hyatt Card
Two ways to earn Hyatt status with the World of Hyatt Credit Card:
First, the World of Hyatt Card gives you five elite nights each year just for opening the card. These five elite nights are earned without spending and you get them for every calendar year you have the card.
The World of Hyatt Card also offers two elite nights per $5,000 spent (or, in other words, one elite night for every $2,500 of spending). This card offers unlimited elite nights and is not tied to any calendar year. This means that if you spend $2,500 on your card in 2021, and then $2,500 in 2022, you will earn two elite nights.
Globalist members are eligible to receive confirmed suite upgrades
Enjoy elite nights with the World of Hyatt Card
Five elite nights are offered by the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card for every $10,000 spent in a calendar year. This means that one elite night is available for every $2,000 of spending. The spending counter on this card resets at the start of each calendar year, which is not the case with the personal credit cards.
This card has elite spending nights at an accelerated rate. However, unlike the personal card it does not offer the five elite night annually.
Get free breakfast when you become a Globalist.
When will World of Hyatt Credit Card Elite Nights post?
When will elite nights be posted from the World of Hyatt Credit Card or the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card in the near future?
The terms for the World of Hyatt Card five elite nights are that they will post within eight week of opening the card and eight weeks of January 1, in subsequent years. However, they often post within days of opening the cards and days of January 1, in subsequent years.
The terms for both the World of Hyatt Card or World of Hyatt Business Card state that elite nights will post within eight weeks of your month in which you have completed eligible spending. However, in practice, they often post much quicker than that, usually within days of an eligible statement closing.
FAQs for World of Hyatt Credit Card elite night
The above should cover most of the basics. However, I wanted to answer some of my most frequent questions about elite night with the World of Hyatt Credit Card or the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card.
Is Hyatt's credit card spending eligible for lifetime status?
One million base points are required to earn Hyatt's lifetime Globalist status. World of Hyatt members receive five base points for every dollar spent at Hyatts. This means that you will need to spend $200,000 to achieve lifetime Globalist status.
Hyatt credit card spending and elite nights earned with Hyatt credit cards won't count towards your lifetime Globalist status. This is because the qualification criteria are based only on base points and not on elite qualifying nights, which would count.
Globalist status does not include credit card spending
Milestone Rewards: Does Hyatt's credit card spending count?
Hyatt's elite perks do not require you to have status. Some perks require that you earn a certain number elite nights per year. This distinction is worth noting, especially in 2021. Globalist status can be earned with 30 elite nights in 2021, but there is no fast track to Milestone Rewards.
Hyatt offers the following Milestone Reward, which are tied to elite nights:
10 nights qualifying or 25,000 base points to be a Discoverist
20 nights of qualifying or 35,000 base point two club lounge access award
30 nights of qualifying nights, 50,000 base points Explorist, plus two club lounge access awards and a Category 1-4 award
40 nights of qualifying or 65,000 base points, 5,000 bonus points and a $100 Hyatt gift certificate. 10,000 points off any FIND experience
50 nights qualifying or 80,000 base point two suite upgrades
60 nights of qualifying night or 100,000 base points Globalist, plus two suite upgrades awards and a Category 1--7 free night award plus access to My Hyatt Concierge
70 nights qualifying for 10,000 bonus points or a suite award
80 nights qualifying for 10,000 bonus points or a Suite Upgrade Award
90 nights qualifying for 10,000 bonus points or a suite upgrading award
100 nights qualifying for 10,000 bonus points or a free suite upgrade
Milestone Rewards would be the same for Hyatt elite night stays that are earned with Hyatt credit card.
Milestone Rewards does not count for credit card purchases
Are you eligible to receive elite nights as a Discoverist?
Both Hyatt credit cards offer Discoverist status. This status is available for as long as the card is active. To be considered Discoverist, you must have at least 10 elite qualifying nights and 25,000 base points per annum. Here are World of Hyatts elite thresholds in normal circumstances. They have been reduced to half by 2021.
Status as a Discoverist: 10 qualifying nights, 25,000 base points (equivalent of $5,000 in spending).
Status as an Explorist: 30 qualifying nights, 50,000 base points (equivalent of $10,000 in spending).
Globalist status: 60 qualifying night or 100,000 base points (equivalent of $20,000 in spending).
People assume that these cards come with 15 elite night per year. This is a common confusion. People assume that you already have Discoverist status and that elite nights are added on to that. These cards do not offer elite nights, but Discoverist status.
If you have a Hyatt card, you will be able to receive Discoverist status on a regular basis. This includes five elite nights per year if the personal card is used. However, you still have to meet the criteria for Explorist and Globalist status.
Redeem World of Hyatt points in the Andaz Tokyo
World of Hyatt Credit Cards: Globalist Status
World of Hyatt Globalist status is my favourite top-tier hotel status. What I love about the World of Hyatt Credit Card or World of Hyatt Business Credit Card is that it makes it easy to achieve that. Let's take a look at the best way to earn Globalist status using the card.
What amount do you need to spend to achieve Globalist status?
Hyatt Globalist normally requires 60 qualifying nights per year. In 2021, that number has been reduced to 30 elite night. How much would you need to spend on a Hyatt card in order to achieve this status?
The World of Hyatt Credit Card
To earn Globalist status you would normally need to spend $140,000. This includes the five elite night you get just by having the card and the two elite nights that you get for every $5,000 you spend. $140,000 earns 56 elite nights.
You will only need 30 elite night in 2021. So $65,000 of spending would suffice. $65,000 earns 26 elite nights plus five elite nights for owning the card. For a total 31 elite nights
You can still get the World of Hyatt Business credit card:
To earn Globalist status you would normally need to spend $120,000. You are earning five elite nights for every $10,000 spent. That gives you 60 elite nights.
You will only need 30 nights of elite night in 2021, so spending $60,000 would suffice.
You can see that the personal credit card has more elite nights in the beginning, while the business card has elite nights at a quicker pace, provided you reach the thresholds.
Redeem World of Hyatt points on Canaves Oia epitome Santorini
Milestone Rewards is worth every penny
Don't forget to include the perks you get for reaching certain elite thresholds when you do the math on your Hyatt card spending
A Category 1-4 certificate is awarded to 30 elite nights.
You can earn 5,000 bonus points and a $100 Hyatt gift certificate at 40 elite nights
Two suite upgrades are confirmed for 50 elite nights
At 60 nights, you will receive a Category 1-7 certificate and two confirmed suite upgrades.
If you spend $15,000 in a calendar year on the personal card, you will also get a Category 1-4 night free certificate.
Globalist status shouldn't be earned by spending only
Hyatt counts award night towards status. Just for having the World of Hyatt Credit Card, you can get a free night each year. You also have the chance to earn three additional nights by spending $15,000 and earning Explorist status.
You may also want to be a Globalist because you plan to stay at Hyatts regularly. If you don't actually stay at the brand, hotel status is meaningless.
Let's assume that you earn 30 elite nights per annum through actual stays. Globalist offers so many benefits, like confirmed suite upgrades and free night certificates. If you stay at Hyatts for less than that, I doubt Globalist is worth the investment.
To earn Globalist status in 2022 and 60 elite nights, you would need to spend the following amount:
Spend $65,000 on the World of Hyatt Card
Spend $60,000 on the World of Hyatt Business Card
Globalist status can be achieved by credit card spending
Hyatt Credit Card Spending: Opportunity Cost
Consider the opportunity cost of spending money when deciding whether it is worth the expense.
Check out my article on the best credit cards to use for everyday spending.
Both cases have some limitations on the return on investment, so it might not be as high for everyone.
Personally, I value World of Hyatt Points at 1.5c each. In non-bonused categories, you earn one Hyatt Point per dollar.
What is the opportunity cost to you spending $60,000 per year on a Hyatt creditcard? My math shows that you could be looking at an opportunity loss of as high as 1.9% (the difference between a 3.4% and 1.5% return). If you value things as I do, that's about $1,140.
However, this does not take into account the value of the other perks discussed above.
You won't get up to 2 Category 1-4 nights free of charge if you spend on your personal card. These are valid for properties up to 15,000 point.
It does not include a Category 1-7 night free of charge at properties up to 30,000 points
You can't add a $100 Hyatt gift certificate.
You can upgrade to four suites if you are confirmed.
Many people could benefit from the above perks, which I believe would more than make up for the lower return on investment.
Bottom line
The World of Hyatt Credit Card & World of Hyatt Business Credit Card have many great features. However, my favorite perk is the ability to fast track to status. Hyatt Globalist status is my favorite, and credit cards have helped me to requalify.
This is a great time to grab this opportunity because of the reduced elite requirements. It makes Globalist status more accessible for more people. These cards may help you earn Milestone Rewards, even if you don't qualify for Globalist status.
How has World of Hyatt Credit Cards helped you to achieve elite status?
