World of Hyatt Credit Card review

World of Hyatt Credit Card overview

With a rewarding loyalty program and generous card benefits, the World of Hyatt Credit Card is one of the top hotel cards on the market. Cardholders earn 4 points per dollar on all Hyatt spending, and you’ll get a Category 1-4 free-night award each year you keep the card and another when you spend $15,000 in a calendar year. Hyatt points are the most valuable hotel points, and free nights start at only 5,000 points. Card Rating*: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

*Card Rating is based on the opinion of TPG’s editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.

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Thanks to some amazing redemption possibilities and elite benefits, World of Hyatt is one of our favorite loyalty programs.

The World of Hyatt Credit Card doesn’t have the heavy-hitting benefits you’ll find with more premium hotel cards. Still, its perks are valuable enough to easily justify the modest $95 annual fee.

The recommended credit score for this card is above 670.

But does it deserve a spot in your wallet? Let’s dive into the details below.

World of Hyatt Credit Card welcome offer

The World of Hyatt card offers a two-tiered sign-up bonus worth up to 60,000 points. TPG values Hyatt points at 1.7 cents each, so the full 60,000-point sign-up bonus could be worth up to $1,020 if you consider all 60,000 points a part of the bonus.

First, you’ll get 30,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.

Then, you can earn up to 30,000 more bonus points — sort of. You’ll get 2 points per dollar on purchases that normally earn just 1 point per dollar on up to $15,000 in purchases in the first six months from account opening, for a total of 30,000 points. And while that does indeed add up to 30,000 points, it’s really just 15,000 more points above and beyond the 15,000 you’d earn for those purchases at the usual 1 point per dollar.

Still, even if you “only” count the bonus as 45,000 points, that’s enough for nine standard nights at a Category 1 hotel or a good start toward a couple of nights at one of the many higher-end World of Hyatt properties worldwide.

As always, note the restrictions: you won’t be eligible to earn those bonus points if you’ve earned a sign-up bonus on a Hyatt card within the past 24 months. And since this is a Chase card, it’s subject to the infamous 5/24 rule. You’ll want to ensure you’re eligible for the card and its bonus before applying.

Related: How to maximize World of Hyatt redemptions

World of Hyatt Credit Card benefits

The World of Hyatt Credit Card comes with some notable perks:

Annual free night certificate

The best ongoing benefit from the World of Hyatt card is the annual free-night certificate at a Category 1-4 Hyatt property, which you’ll receive every account anniversary. You’ll also get a second free night after spending $15,000 in a calendar year.

You can get some incredible value from this certificate both domestically and abroad. TPG points and miles reporter Kyle Olsen recommends the Thompson Chicago and TPG director of content Nick Ewen loves the Wellem in Dusseldorf, Germany. Regardless of your destination, you can get enough value from your free night certificate alone to justify the $95 annual fee.

Related: The best Hyatt Category 4 hotels

Elite status

You’ll get automatic Discoverist status simply by having the card, which includes benefits such as late checkout, preferred rooms and a 10% points bonus on eligible purchases.

You’ll also earn nights toward status with spending on the card at a rate of two nights for $5,000 spent on the card. This means $15,000 in spending should trigger six elite nights toward Hyatt status, in addition to the bonus points and second Category 1-4 award.

Travel protections

Chase issues the World of Hyatt card, so you’ll receive many of the travel protections we’ve come to expect from Chase credit cards, including:

• Baggage delay insurance: Reimburses you for essential purchases like toiletries and clothing for baggage delays over six hours by passenger carrier up to $100 a day for five days.
• Lost luggage reimbursement: If you or an immediate family member check or carry-on luggage damaged or lost by the carrier, you’re covered up to $3,000 per passenger.
• Trip interruption and trip cancellation insurance: If your trip is canceled or cut short by sickness, severe weather and other covered situations, you can be reimbursed up to $5,000 per person and $10,000 per trip for your pre-paid, nonrefundable travel expenses, including passenger fares, tours and hotels.
• Auto rental collision damage waiver: Coverage is provided for theft and collision damage for most cars in the U.S. and abroad. In the U.S., coverage is secondary to your personal insurance.

Again, this benefits list isn’t as extensive as on some other more premium hotel cards, but it offers value well beyond the card’s $95 annual fee.

Related: Is the World of Hyatt Credit Card worth the annual fee?

Earning points on the World of Hyatt Credit Card

Cardholders will earn 4 points per dollar on purchases at all Hyatt properties and 2 points per dollar at restaurants and on direct airfare, local transit and commuting (including ride-hailing services) and gym membership purchases.

Earning 4 points per dollar on Hyatt stays is more than you’ll earn with any other card, and it’s worth noting that you’ll earn an additional 5 points per dollar on Hyatt purchases as a World of Hyatt member, making this category particularly lucrative. Plus, this is one of only a few cards that earn bonus points on gym membership purchases.

Still, you’ll be better off using the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve for your dining and general travel purchases. You’ll earn more bonus points to transfer to Hyatt or any of Chase’s other 13 airline and hotel partners.

Related: Best credit cards for general travel purchases

Redeeming points on the World of Hyatt Credit Card

By far, the best use of Hyatt points is for award nights. Redemptions for standard rooms start at 3,500 points for an off-peak night at a Category 1 property and go as high as 45,000 points for peak dates at a Category 8 property.

You also have the option to book Points and Cash awards and pay half the normal points price and half the standard cash rate.

Additionally, you can upgrade paid stays with points. Redeeming points for free nights tends to be a better deal, but upgrading paid stays can be worth it and won’t bankrupt your point reserves.

You can also transfer points to several airline partners, but the transfer ratio is 2.5:1, which is less than ideal. Hyatt also allows you to redeem points for dining, spa visits, Lindblad Expeditions and other experiences, but you’re almost always better off using points for hotel rooms.

Related: How to redeem points with the World of Hyatt program

Which cards compete with the World of Hyatt Credit Card?

If you don’t stay at Hyatt properties enough to get good value from the World of Hyatt Credit Card, one of these might be a better fit:

For additional options, please see our list of best hotel rewards credit cards and best travel credit cards.

Related: Best credit cards for Hyatt stays

Bottom line

The World of Hyatt Card is a must-have for Hyatt loyalists as it’s the hotel chain’s only personal cobranded credit card currently accepting sign-ups and the only card that helps you earn elite status within the World of Hyatt program.

You’re likely to get more than enough value from the card to make the $95 annual fee worth paying. And since the card is a Visa with no foreign transaction fees, you won’t have any problem using it around the world.

However, if you stay more frequently at properties within another hotel brand or want more flexible rewards, you’ll likely want to go with a different card.

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Official application link: World of Hyatt Credit Card

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Additional reporting by Sam Lipscomb, Jason Stauffer and Chris Dong.