Hyatt Points Refunds Post-Devaluation
The May 20th Hyatt devaluation has come and gone. The panic booking is over, and hopefully you have booked a bunch of stays you'll keep. But what about those bookings that would actually be cheaper with the new rates? Let's dive into what to expect for Hyatt points refunds post-devaluation. Photos courtesy Hyatt.
What Happened To The Hyatt Award Chart?
In case you missed all the Hyatt madness over the last couple of months, you are in for a treat. Hyatt made its annual category changes (as expected this time of year). But—and this is a big ‘but'—Hyatt also changed its entire award chart. Pricing has shifted from three to five tiers within each category, with some particularly steep increases at the top. A few category decreases have meant possible Hyatt points refunds post-devaluation for some.
Category Changes Refunds
The sweeping award chart changes included 112 properties going up a category level. There was a tiny silver lining: 24 properties went down a category level. If you happened to book a reservation at one of these properties, the official award chart announcement included a FAQ addressing what would happen with Hyatt points refunds post-devaluation: “Existing reservations for nights on or after May 20 will receive a refund for the points difference if the hotel moved to a lower category.” Though that FAQ went offline after the May 20 changes, see below for a screenshot of the original language. Other than to say adjustments would begin on May 21, Hyatt has not given a specific timeline for when these will be completed. We have seen a few DPs in the Facebook Group of members reporting getting refunds. Please continue to share your DPs in the group.
What About Non-Category Decreases?
Notice that the language only specified what would happen with Hyatt points refunds post-devaluation “if the hotel moved to a lower category.” But as many of us saw with our post-devaluation bookings, some did drop in price even if they didn't drop in category. In fact, all of my Category 2 and Category 3 reservations went down in price. This appears to be a YMMV (your mileage may vary) situation. I am not sure if Hyatt even has the technology to process these automatically.
So, what steps should you take? I went in and rebooked mine and canceled the previous one afterward without any issues. If you do not have points in your account to do this, having a rep do it may be easiest as to not lose space while trying to cancel and rebook.
Hyatt Points Refunds Post-Devaluation: ToP Thoughts
The changes were rough, but Hyatt is still one of the most valuable hotel programs out there. Hopefully some of you saved some points in the aftermath like I did. Have you received any Hyatt points refunds post-devaluation yet for the category changes? Let us know in the Facebook Group.
