Update: This offer is no longer available.Â
Hyatt just launched a new credit card which comes with a generous bonus offer and better benefits. The World of Hyatt Credit Card is replacing the existing Hyatt card which means the existing one is no longer available for new applicants and just the “World of Hyatt Credit Card” will be available moving forward. The main downside of this card is that it will now come with a $95 a year annual fee which is $20 more then the previous version of the card.
With this offer, you’ll earn up to 50,000 World of Hyatt points — Earn 25,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, plus an additional 25,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 total within 6 months of account opening.
New Benefits
More Bonus Points
This card has very different (and better!) benefits then the previous Hyatt credit card. With this card you’ll earn more points on purchases at Hyatt hotels and for staying fit.
- Hyatt hotels: Earn 4x bonus points
- Local transit and commenting purchases: Earn 2x points (including taxis, mass transit, tolls, ride-share services)
- Restaurants, cafes, and coffee shops: Earn 2x points
- Airlines tickets purchases directly from the airline: Earn 2x points
- Fitness clubs and gym memberships: Earn 2x points
The only difference I see is that the old card offered 2x points on car rentals and this new version does not. Overall, the bonus points you can earn is a big win, especially for those that stay at Hyatt properties quite often.
More Free Nights
Similar to the old version of the card, you’ll receive 1 free night every single year on your cardmember anniversary. This is valid at any Hyatt category 1-4 property. Now, in addition to the 1 free night, you will have the opportunity to earn a 2nd free night. If you spend $15,000 on your card during your cardmember anniversary year (not calendar year), you’ll earn 1 more free night. There are actually 8 ways to earn World of Hyatt free night certificates.
Earn Status Easier
With this card you’ll automatically earn Hyatt Discoverist status (similar to the previous version of the card), but you’ll now have the chance to earn a higher status a little bit easier. This card will give you 5 qualifying nights towards status every single year. And for every $5,000 you spend on this card, you’ll earn an additional 2 qualifying night credits.
- To earn Explorist status (mid-level tier) you must earn 30 qualifying nights a year, so with this card you’d only have to complete 25 nights at Hyatt properties.
- To earn Globalist status (top tier level) you must earn 60 qualifying nights a year, so with this card you’d only have to complete 55 nights at Hyatt properties. Now, if you already have Globalist status, you only need 55 nights in total to re-qualify, so this would bring the number of nights needed down to 50 which is definitely much more obtainable for the road warriors out there.
The only difference is with the old card you could earn Explorist status by spending $50,000 on the card. With the new card, if you spend $50,000 that will earn you 20 nights + the 5 you receive just by having the card for a total of 25 nights. Meaning you are still 5 nights shy. Although, I personally like this option way better as it gives you the opportunity to combine spend + nights stay to earn status as well as an opportunity to earn Globalist status! If you are looking to maintain your Globalist status year after year, you’ll be looking at spending $125,000 on the card! That assumes you actually haven’t stayed at a Hyatt property during the year. For those with a ton of business spend, putting that much on a card might be do-able, but it definitely won’t work for most people!
Who Is Eligible?
Since this card is replacing the pervious version of the Hyatt credit card, only those who do not currently have the card and have not received a sign up offer in the past 24 months are eligible. This means you cannot have both versions of the card, unfortunately. If you currently have the existing card, you can do one of two things:
- Cancel your card and apply for the new card. This only applies to those that received the sign up offer for the old card more then 2 years ago.
- Upgrade to the new card. While you will not receive the sign up bonus points, it seems like Hyatt will give you 2,000 bonus points for upgrading.
Fortunately this card is also not subject to Chase’s “5/24” rule (yet!), so this is a great card for those who cannot apply for any more Chase cards due to the rule. Although it will count against your “5/24” count if you are looking to apply for more Chase cards in the future. UPDATE: Recent reports show that this card might now be subject to Chase’s “5/24†rule.
My Thoughts
I personally think The World of Hyatt Credit Card is worth it for main reasons: 1) the generous sign up offer, and 2) the annual free night certificate. While the free night certificate is capped at a category 4 property, I’ve always come out ahead by using my free night certificate that is worth more then the annual fee. Even with the increased annual fee, I still believe I’ll get value out of the certificate. I love having cards where there is an actual tangible benefit for keeping the card year after year – for me the free night certificate does just that. Of course the other benefits are great too, but the value there all depends on how much you actually spend on the card.
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Can you get the card if your spouse has the card and you have a card on their account?
Do you think I can apply for this card if I have the old one? I plan to cancel the old one but I’m not sure if this would work.
NVM! I read the existing card terms. How long can I apply after I close it?