The World of Hyatt recently announced that it’s revamping its awards chart. Based on the sneak peek of the chart, the generous point valuation that World of Hyatt has been known for may be coming down a notch. However, carrying its co-branded credit card may still make sense for some travelers.
[Read: Best Credit Cards.]
All We Know About the New World of Hyatt Award Chart
If you’ve ever booked with World of Hyatt, you probably appreciated its simple award chart, which offered pricing transparency for off-peak, standard and peak stays. But soon, that chart is getting more complex.
Beginning in May, there will be five new redemption levels — lowest, low, moderate, upper and top — to replace the three. As an example, Hotel Category 1 rooms will have a wider range of redemption levels spanning 3,000 to 9,000 points. The current range is 3,500 to 6,500 points.
What This Means for World of Hyatt Members
The only way to get more value from points with the new chart will be on the lowest category bookings, which require fewer points than the current off-peak category. At the other end of the spectrum, the top redemption for Hotel Category 8 is 45,000 now, but it’s increasing to 75,000 once the change takes effect.
In other words, most award stays are poised to cost more points than before — thus decreasing their value overall.
If you have points to use, you can book a stay using the current award chart until the changes go into full effect in May. More details will be announced in April.
[Read: Travel Credit Cards]
Is The World of Hyatt Credit Card Still Worth it?
If you enjoy World of Hyatt stays, having The World of Hyatt Credit Card can still be worthwhile.
For new cardholders, the current welcome offer is 30,000 Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first three months from account opening. This is enough to cover five Category 1 hotel nights at the moderate level.
Ongoing benefits of the card include:
— Four Bonus Points per $1 (for a total of nine points when added to World of Hyatt member base points) on Hyatt purchases
— Two Bonus Points per $1 spent on dining, airline tickets purchased directly from the airline, gym memberships, and local transit and commuting
— Complimentary World of Hyatt Discoverist status
— One free night at any Category 1 through 4 Hyatt hotel or resort each year after your cardholder anniversary, along with a second free night if you spend $15,000 in a calendar year
A New Perk on the Way
In addition to award chart changes, World of Hyatt also announced that cardholders (along with Explorists, Globalists and Lifetime Globalists) will enjoy early access to award night availability. Depending on how this plays out, having first dibs on the most competitive bookings could be a big value add.
Alternative Card to Consider
If the coming changes have turned you off to World of Hyatt or you’d rather apply for a travel card with more flexibility, consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. The card earns versatile Chase Ultimate Rewards, which are transferable 1:1 to World of Hyatt as well as other partners.
Like the World of Hyatt card, the Chase Sapphire Preferred has a $95 annual fee. The welcome offer is 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
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World of Hyatt Changing Its Rewards — Is the Credit Card Still Worth It? originally appeared on usnews.com