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World of Hyatt is one of the best hotel loyalty programs. One reason why is that Hyatt points have a substantially higher redemption value than most hotel loyalty programs. Choosing to earn Hyatt status can help you get more value from each Hyatt stay.
Earn Hyatt Status
Instead of staying 10, 30, or even 60 nights to climb the loyalty tier, you can quickly climb the ladder with credit card spending. If you prefer “the easy route” to earning Hyatt status, you need to check this out.
World of Hyatt Loyalty Tiers
Below are the current World of Hyatt loyalty tiers and what it takes to reach the next level:
- Member: 0 nights (All new World of Hyatt members start here)
- Discoverist: 10 nights or 25,000 base points or 3 meetings/events
- Explorist: 30 nights or 50,000 base points or 10 meetings/events
- Globalist: 60 nights or 100,000 base points or 20 meetings/events
- Lifetime Globalist: 1,000,000 lifetime base points
Once you reach a loyalty tier, you keep that status for the rest of this year and all of next year. If you’re a Hyatt regular, maintaining your current status isn’t an issue. But if your travel habits change, you may struggle to get beyond the basic Member status.
Related: Hyatt and American Airlines Elite Status Challenge
The World of Hyatt Credit Card
You get instant Discoverist status with The World of Hyatt Credit Card is the only current co-brand Hyatt credit card. It’s for personal travelers, and a business version isn’t available. The annual fee is $95 per year, and there isn’t a foreign transaction fee.
This card, one of the best hotel credit cards, offers multiple benefits including a free night award at a category 1-4 property each card anniversary. You earn a second free night after spending $15,000 in a calendar year. So, you can potentially earn 2 free nights each year.
Earning Points
You also earn up to 9x Hyatt points on Hyatt stays. Cardholders earn 4x points per $1 spent with Hyatt, including participating restaurants and Exhale locations plus 5 points per eligible $1 spent you can earn as a World of Hyatt member. A variety of lifestyle purchases including restaurants, plane ticket purchases directly from the airline, local transit, and gym memberships earn 2x Hyatt points. All non-bonus purchases earn 1 point per $1.
Your purchase rewards don’t count toward the annual base point requirement. For example, you need 50k base points to reach Explorist status. But you do earn 2 qualifying night credits for every $5,000 in purchases.
Signup Bonus
New The World of Hyatt Credit Card cardmembers can earn a signup bonus of up to 65,000 World of Hyatt Bonus Points. Earn the first 35,000 points by spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Plus, earn up to 30,000 More Bonus Points by earning 2x Bonus Points total per $1 spent in the first 6 months from account opening on purchases that normally earn 1x Bonus Point, on up to $15,000 spent.
Being a cardholder also means your Hyatt points won’t expire. Earning Hyatt points renews your points balance while helping you earn Hyatt status. Points currently expire after 24 months of account inactivity.
Instant Discoverist Status
The World of Hyatt Credit Card also gives you a fast track to earn Hyatt status.
Instead of staying ten nights, earning 25,000 base points, or booking three meetings, you can skip ahead by owning this card.
Cardholders can enjoy complimentary World of Hyatt Discoverist status for as long as their account is open.
Discoverist member benefits include:
- Five base points per $1 and a 10% bonus on select purchases (plus 4x The World of Hyatt Credit Card rewards)
- Waived resort fees on free night awards
- Premium on-site internet
- Free bottled water
- Space-available room upgrades
- 2:00 pm late checkout
- Earn 1 Hyatt point per $1 on American Airlines purchases
- M life Rewards Pearl tier status match
As long as you own The World of Hyatt Credit Card you always have the Discoverist status. This gives you peace of mind if you don’t stay at Hyatt properties often but still want easy access to some loyalty benefits.
Automatic Qualifying Night Credits
Being a World of Hyatt cardholder also gives you 5 qualifying night credits to give you a head start on earning Explorist status. This status level requires 30 qualifying nights. With the elite night credit, you only need to earn 25 more night credits.
Hyatt also rewards your credit card spending by giving World of Hyatt cardholder 2 qualifying night credits for every $5,000 in card purchases. You will need to make $65,000 in annual card purchases to earn Explorist status without staying at a Hyatt.
Crossing the $15,000 annual spend threshold means you get your second category 1-4 hotel award night for the year. If this is your first year owning a Hyatt credit card, you can earn the 25,000 bonus point signup bonus in lieu of the free anniversary night. The good news is that Hyatt free night awards count toward elite status.
Milestone Rewards
To keep the momentum going, Hyatt gives you Milestone Rewards by earning certain amounts of base points or qualifying nights. As your Hyatt credit card spending gives you two qualifying night credits, you inch closer to these rewards.
Some of the Milestone Rewards are at these intervals:
- 20 nights or 35,000 base points: 2 club lounge access awards
- 30 nights or 50,000 base points: 1 category 1-4 award night and 2 club lounge passes
- 40 nights or 65,000 base points: 5,000 bonus points or a $100 Hyatt gift card or 10,000 point savings on a FIND experience
- 50 nights or 80,000 base points: 2 suite upgrade awards
- 60 nights or 100,000 base points: 1 category 1-7 night award and 2 suite upgrade awards and access to My Hyatt Concierge
You may notice that the 30 nights milestone rewards also means you earn Explorist status. The 60-night milestone means you qualify for Globalist status. In addition to the Milestone Rewards, you enjoy the Explorist and Globalist-specific loyalty tier benefits.
Transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards to World of Hyatt
Do you own a Chase Sapphire or a Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card with 1:1 point transfers? If so, note that World of Hyatt is a 1:1 transfer partner. Maybe you already transfer points on a regular basis.
You can transfer Ultimate Rewards to book free nights more often. However, transferring Ultimate Rewards doesn’t help you earn Hyatt loyalty status.
No other credit card (besides The World of Hyatt Credit Card) offers fast-track loyalty status.
Is It Worth Earning Hyatt Loyalty Status?
Hyatt loyalty status can be worth it if you can use the extra Explorist or Globalist benefits. Earning Milestone Rewards along the way is also a nice touch.
You will also need to decide if you can use the mountain of Hyatt points in the process. Thankfully, Hyatt points are usually worth at least 1 cent each and can easily be worth 2 cents per point. Most hotel points have a redemption value between 0.5 and 0.7 cents for other loyalty brands.
If you want the status but can’t spend the Hyatt points fast enough, you might be better off keeping The World of Hyatt Credit Card for the built-in Discoverist status. Then, you can use another travel credit card to earn airline miles that can have higher redemption values.
Summary
Your options to earn Hyatt loyalty status are to get The World of Hyatt Credit Card or doing it the old-fashioned way by staying your way to climbing the status ladder. If you have Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve®, you can only transfer your points to Hyatt to book award nights but can’t upgrade loyalty tiers sooner.
FAQs
How do you get Hyatt Explorist status?
You qualify for Hyatt Explorist status by reaching one of these earning milestones:
- 30 qualifying nights
- 50,000 base World of Hyatt points
- 10 meetings or conferences
Two benefits that Explorist benefits get that Discoverists don’t are 72-hour guaranteed availability and upgraded rooms (excluding rooms and suites with club lounge access). You also get M life Rewards Gold loyalty status.
If you own The World of Hyatt Credit Card, you get 5 automatic qualifying night credits each year. For every $5,000 you spend in annual card purchases, you get 2 free night credits.
How do you get Hyatt Globalist status?
You get Hyatt Globalist status by earning one of these milestones:
- 60 qualifying nights
- 100,000 base World of Hyatt points
- 20 meetings or conferences
This status can be hard to reach even if you have The World of Hyatt Credit Card. Earning 2 qualifying nights for every $5,000 you spend makes it easier to qualify. But you will still need to book many Hyatt nights.
Special Globalist loyalty benefits include:
- Waived resort fees on eligible rates and free night awards
- Room upgrades including standard suites
- 4 pm late checkout
- 48 hours guaranteed availability
- Free Club access and morning breakfast
- Free parking on free night awards
- Share hotel awards with others using “Guest of Honor”
How long does Hyatt’s loyalty status last?
Hyatt loyalty status lasts for the remaining current calendar you earn the status level and all of the next calendar year. You will need to meet the minimum night, base point, or meeting/conference requirements each year to maintain your loyalty status.
You get automatic Discoverist status each year when you own The World of Hyatt Credit Card. This status level can be sufficient if you’re a casual Hyatt patron. You can enjoy premium internet, free daily bottled water, and a 2 pm late checkout on each stay.
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