World of Hyatt Credit Card Review
Almost all award travelers know the value of Hyatt. Previously, we wrote an overview of the Hyatt program and outlined why it is the favorite hotel program for many award travelers. Keeping that foundation in mind, we wanted to take a deeper look at the World of Hyatt credit card. We will go over the welcome offer, card benefits, spending structure and give our overall thoughts in this World of Hyatt credit card review.
Current Welcome Offer
Here are the terms of World of Hyatt credit card welcome offer (a tiered bonus):
- Earn 30,000 points after spending $3,000 spend within the first 3 months.
- Earn 2x points on all spend that normally earns 1x in the first 6 months from account opening
- Up to a total of $15,000 in spend.
- The card has a $95 annual fee which is NOT waived.
Chase Application Rules
As with other Chase cards, the World of Hyatt credit card is subject to Chase’s 5/24 rule. This means Chase will not approve you for this card if you have opened 5 or more credit cards during the last 24 months. Chase also will not approve you if you currently have this card or received a welcome offer for it in the previous 24 months.
World of Hyatt Credit Card Review: Earning Structure
The World of Hyatt credit card earns Hyatt points as follows:
- 4x Hyatt purchases, including spas and restaurants at Hyatt properties
- 2x in the following categories:
- Restaurants
- Gyms/fitness clubs
- Local transit
- Tolls
- Airline tickets directly from airline
- 1x all other spend
- (2x on up to $15,000 in spend during the welcome offer period).
World of Hyatt Cardholder Benefits
The card comes with the following benefits for cardholders:
- Category 1-4 anniversary certificate (after the first anniversary)
- Earn an additional category 1-4 free night certificate after spending $15,000 each calendar year.
- 5 elite night credits each year for holding the card
- Earn an additional 2 elite night credits for every $5,000 in spend.
- This is a rolling amount since day one of holding the card, it does not reset each year.
- Discoverist status
ToP Analysis
All of us at ToP LOVE Hyatt. The same is true for the World of Hyatt credit card. We recommend using it, primarily, for all Hyatt purchases and to hit the $15,000 spend threshold to earn a second free night certificate each year, if possible. If Globalist status is of interest to you, you can definitely use the World of Hyatt credit card to assist in getting there while earning other Milestone Benefits along the way. Some of the better ones include another Category 1-4 free night certificate, a Category 1-7 free night certificate, suite night upgrades, and access to a concierge. If those topics interest you, this is a great card for your everyday spend although the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card may be a better fit for status chasers. If you have both cards it is ideal to put your first $15K in spend on the personal card and then switch to the business card for better elite night earning.
Long Term Keeper
This card is also a card we consider a “long-term keeper.” There really is no reason to cancel this card. For the $95 annual fee, you receive a Category 1-4 certificate each year. Even if you value Hyatt points at only 1.0 cent each, a Category 4 hotel (at 15,000 points/night) is worth $150, or $55 more than the annual fee. You can usually use this certificate for a $300+/night room.
The Welcome Offer Isn’t As Good As It Has Been
For the current bonus, we are not crazy about the offer. It is, essentially, a 45,000 Hyatt point offer for $15,000 spend (as you would typically earn 1x on the $15,000 spend). It has been set at this level for a while now and we are not sure if we will ever see the previous 50,000 point standard offer again.
World of Hyatt Credit Card Review: Final Thoughts
The World of Hyatt credit card is incredibly valuable and rewarding. While it is quite easy to accrue Hyatt points via Chase Ultimate Rewards cards, as Chase is a transfer partner, the World of Hyatt credit card also makes sense for most award travelers. Let us know your thoughts on the World of Hyatt credit card in our Facebook group.
