Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa
Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the new card offer came with 10 elite nights on top of the 5 elite nights you normally get. It’s actually instead of – meaning 10 total. The math below has all been updated to reflect that.

New World of Hyatt Credit Card Offers

Starting today, you have your choice of two different offers when you apply for the World of Hyatt credit card.

  • Earn up to 50,000 Bonus Points – 25,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening, plus an additional 25,000 Bonus Points after spending $6,000 in spend within the first 6 months of account opening (select this offer) – or –
  • Earn a $200 statement credit plus 1 free night at any Category 1-7 hotel worldwide – the statement credit can be earned after the cardmember’s first purchase with the World of Hyatt Credit Card, and 1 free night can be earned after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. (if you want this alternate offer, the MilesTalk link won’t offer so, only if you want this second offer, you will need to use this direct link)

Both are great offers. I prefer the flexibility of the first offer, which has been the default offer for a while now, but if you have a very high end trip coming up, I can absolutely see the free Cat 7 being worth some serious bucks.

You’d have to do the math on that for yourself.

But there is more to this deal than just that initial bonus offer.

Additional Limited Time Perks with a New World Of Hyatt Credit Card Account – Bonus Elite Nights

World of Hyatt Credit Card

One of the best features of the World of Hyatt Credit Card is that you can earn 2 Elite Night credits for every $5,000 you spend with no limit. That’s great for topping off into a higher elite level but, right now, you’ll get even more help.

  • New World of Hyatt Credit Cardmembers who apply and are approved for the card by December 31, 2020 will receive 10 Tier-Qualifying Night credits toward tier status in 2020 and 2021. That’s double what you would normally get! This is a limited time offer. New Cardmembers will receive 10 Tier-Qualifying Night credits for 2020 in their World of Hyatt account within 8 weeks of their account opening, and again in 2021 within 8 weeks of January 1, 2021.
  • Still, you will automatically receive Discoverist status upon opening the card, while earning 5 Tier-Qualifying Night Credits every year thereafter.

Earning Globalist Status for Two Full Years Just Got Really Easy

I’ve written about Hyatt’s fantastic 4th quarter promotion. That is where World of Hyatt members globally can register to earn Triple Points across all Hyatt locations worldwide for stays through January 4, 2021, starting with their first qualifying stay during that period. This becomes Quadruple points if you have this credit card.  Also, for every Tier-Qualifying Night on stays completed during the Promotion Period, members will earn one Tier-Qualifying Night credit toward elite status the year in which they earn it, and one bonus Tier-Qualifying Night credit toward elite status in 2021.

This coincides with another Hyatt promotion for 15% back on award stays which is bumped to 25% back on award stays if you have the credit card. Make sure you signed up for that too or do so by December 1st. Here’s a reminder on that promo:

World of Hyatt members can receive 15% of their redeemed points back as Bonus Points when they redeem points for free night stays, now through January 4, 2021. World of Hyatt and Hyatt Credit Cardmembers can receive an additional 10% of their redeemed points back as Bonus Points, for a total of 25% of redeemed points back when used during the promotion period.  Members and Cardmembers have more time to register for the exclusive offer by December 1, 2020. Members can register here; Cardmembers can register here.

The Strategy

I have confirmed and reconfirmed that if you have a stay that ends in the first 4 days of 2021, you will get ALL of those nights credited to 2021. So if you stayed 24 nights checking out January 3rd, you would earn 48 elite nights in 2021.

With this credit card offer, you would start 2021 with 10 elite nights. If you did actually do a 24 night stay in late December where you check out in 2021, you’d be at 58 nights. 60 gets you top-tier Globalist.

Your credit card also comes with a free annual Category 1-4 award night. Award nights count for elite night credit.

Now, you’re still one night short – but you’ll probably stay one other night in 2021?

If you weren’t sure you’d stay even one other night at a Hyatt in 2021, that’s what it would take to earn Globalist for all of 2021 and 2022 and through February of 2023!

I’m going to run some math using these assumptions for you. This is the MOST you’d spend because any nights you already plan to stay (or think you might stay) in 2021 can be subtracted.

Scenario 1: Use All Points to Achieve Globalist for 2 Full Years

  1. You applied for the World of Hyatt Credit Card using this promotion.
  2. You book a 24 night stay ending January 3rd (make sure you speak to the manager if you won’t be in the room the whole stay so they don’t check you out!) at a Category 1 property. The cost will be 5,000 points X 24 = 120,000 points, but you’ll get 30,000 back due to the 25% off promotion (since you now have the credit card).
  3. After rebate, you spent 90,000 points. You now have Globalist for 90,000 points for more than two full years. I value Hyatt points at 1.6 cents each, making the cost of this $1,440. Just below we’ll talk about what comes with that and then you can decide if it’s worth it. Remember, you can transfer Hyatt points from Chase Ultimate Rewards 1:1 (or from anyone else), so it’s not even like you need the points in your Hyatt account.
  4. OPTIONAL – when you get down to the Milestone Rewards section below, you’ll notice you can take 5,000 points as an option. You may or may not but if you do, that actually drops your all-in cost to 85,000 points!!
  5. Enjoy!

Scenario 2: Use Cash at a Cheap Hyatt to Achieve Globalist for 2 Full Years

This is the same as Scenario 1, but you find a cheap hotel somewhere and pay cash. There’s been a 10% off Chase Offer that can make whatever rate you find a bit cheaper. If you could find an out of the way Hyatt at $90 (with taxes included for the sake of math here), you’d pay $1,980, but you’d also earn about 40,000 points from that after all promotions are stacked (1,980 X 5 X 4 not even accounting for the bump from status). At 1.6 cents per point, this is a net rebate of about $633. That’s paying effectively $1,347 but let’s not get hung up on that since your rate won’t be exactly that. You get the idea, though. You can do this either way. Just make sure it’s one consecutive stay that ends in January before the 4th.

Hyatt Globalist Benefits

Hyatt Globalist is easily the most coveted top tier elite status in the US, more-so than Marriott or Hilton and definitely more than IHG.

You’ll get:

  • 30% bonus on points earned on stays
  • Waived resort fees on all stays including paid (all members have them waived on award stays)
  • Gold MLife status
  • Premium Internet
  • Room upgrades including standard suites
  • 4pm late checkout
  • Challenge to American Airlines Platinum Pro status (or in some cases, Executive Platinum by invite)
  • Club Access or Breakfast on all stays
  • Free Parking on Free Night Awards
  • Guest of Honor (book for a friend and they get your Globalist benefits)

Milestone Rewards

But on top of all those benefits for more than 2 years, you’ll get all of the Milestone benefits for earning 60 elite nights.  Yes, you’ll get EVERYTHING listed below.

 

hyatt milestone rewards

 

You will have to assign your own value to all of the above, but the Category 1-7 award alone can easily be worth $500++ and then there’s another Category 1-4, probably an easy $175 in value, 4 Suite Upgrade (guaranteed) Awards and the bonus points or gift card. It’s not hard to see $750++ in value here, more if you have an eye on how you’ll spend that Category 1-7 certificate. The Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa as an example is Category 7. That’s easily $600.

Bottom Line

I could go on and on here, but the bottom line is really that if you don’t yet have the World of Hyatt credit card and get it now, you have a fantastic opportunity to reap the benefits of Hyatt Globalist and be treated fantastically with Hyatt for more than 2 years for a cost of around $1,000 or so after all benefits and rebates are accounted for. If you have planned stays and don’t have to “mattress run” all 22 nights, then your cost will go down further.

I’m JUST getting out of Chase 5/24 jail and think I just may go for this, despite having Marriott Titanium status through next year and gunning for Lifetime Platinum with Marriott (I need 3 more years).

Thoughts?

Let me know below in the comments, on Twitter, or in the private MilesTalk Facebook group.

And if this post helped you, please consider sharing it!

You can find credit cards that best match your spending habits and bonus categories at Your Best Credit Cards

New to all of this? My “introduction to miles and points” book, MilesTalk: Live Your Wildest Travel Dreams Using Miles and Points is available on Amazon and at major booksellers.

 

18 COMMENTS

    • Hi Sean. That is part of the promotion if you register: for every Tier-Qualifying Night on stays completed during the Promotion Period, members will earn one Tier-Qualifying Night credit toward elite status the year in which they earn it, and one bonus Tier-Qualifying Night credit toward elite status in 2021. AS LONG AS YOU CHECKOUT BY JAN 4TH.

      Note that all of the elite night credits count in the year you check out, so you get 22 in 2021 and then because they are being doubled, that’s 44. That is what my Hyatt contact has verified repeatedly for me. (I believe FM has had the same verified for them, FYI).

  1. I have a Cat 1 near me that I could use for a mattress run. I also have planned stays in Washington, DC March – April 2021 where Globalist status would be awesome. Unfortunately, my math isn’t the greatest. If you had a choice to do Option 1 or 2, which option would yield the highest ROI?

    • It’s subjective for two reasons: 1) I value Hyatt points st 1.6cpp. But I also have a boatload of URs I can transfer. 2) I don’t have access to a super low cash rate property but there is a Cat 1. I think you have to decide how much you value Hyatt points at and then figure out the best cash rate including tax you can get and then pick, also accounting for how points rich you are now.

  2. Dave! Hope all is well. I don’t have the Hyatt card but want to “run” for FULL Globalist. I have a boatload of URs, as well. What would be the best route to do this? I’m taking it that the checkout by 4 Jan is a must, to start off the new year. Thanks!

    • Yes, you would have to checkout by then (and be registered for the promo!) Without the Hyatt card (and if you aren’t getting it) you’ll need 10 more total nights (which could be in the form of 5 more nights in a stay that ends before Jan 4) plus your points rebate if you use points will be only 15% instead of 25%.

      So, if you were not going to have ANY other stays in 2021, You would find a Category 1 and book a 30 night stay ending Jan 1-4. That would be doubled to 60 nights and instant Globalist. If you will have any other stays in 4th quarter of 2020, those will count again in 2021. So, if you had a 10 night stay in November, you’ll have 10 nights in 2021 and only need 50, so then a 25 night stay ending Jan 1-4 would work. Lots of math to do. If you use points at a Cat 1 (and are separately registered for the award rebate promo linked above), it’s 5,000 points a night – 750 rebate = Net 4,250 points a night. Of course you can transfer in from UR.

  3. Hey I’m looking to get the Chase WOH card soon hopefully to do this deal..

    What I don’t get is the 4x multiple for this deal and your (1,980 X 5 X 4) formula for scenario 2.

    The card already gets 4x points if you book directly with Hyatt. So does that mean you will get 4x from booking + 4x from promo, making it 8x total?

    Or should we use a [ink preferred/sapphire reserved] to book, giving us 3x for travel since the promo gives you 4x for just being a woh cardmember? Making it 7x right?

    Thanks for the write up!

    • Hi Vega: I’m referring to this promotion: https://world.hyatt.com/content/gp/en/offers/bonus-journeys-triple-points.html

      Without the WOH card you get triple points and with it you get quadruple. So that actually was NOT counting the 4X from the card. That would be even more additional if you get the card. Good point 🙂

      I was simply doing 5X points per dollar spent from Hyatt on stays + 4X from the promo if you have the card.

      That said, I have to say I still think that from a pure mattress run perspective, a Cat 1 on points is a better deal than cash in the US due to room rates. If you are in a country with access to a really cheap cash rate the equation changed.

  4. Dave,

    I just canceled my old $75 a year Hyatt card since it’s being phased out. I want the new card with the 50k bonus and use it to try a mattress run. How long should I wait to apply? I’m under the 5/24 rule.

    • @Michael: I like to wait a week after cancelling a card before applying in an instance like this, since you can’t have both versions of the card. It makes sure their system has updated. Also, you’ll need to have received the bonus on that old version of the Hyatt card at least 24 months ago (edited to correct previous mistake). Otherwise, yes, you are good to go. Please remember to start the application at https://milestalk.com/cards/woh/ . Let me know if you have any other questions.

  5. Dave,

    But confused on the earned points. Based on how I read Hyatt’s documents, you would earn close to 18k points not 40k . I read as (1,980 x 5) + (1,980 x 4); not (1,980×5)x4 = 40k . I’ve never done Hyatt so have actually experience earning their points and bonuses

    • Great question. I’m much more of a Marriott/Hilton guy so let’s see if the math checks out. With Hyatt you earn 5 “base points” for every dollar spent. (This excludes elite % bonuses).

      The FAQ for this promo says: “For example, if you earn 500 Base Points for your eligible stay after registration during the Promotion Period, you will receive 1,000 Bonus Points for a total of 1,500 points for your stay. Maximum 150,000 Bonus Points may be earned during the Promotion Period.”

      Since it’s the base points being multiplied, I still read it as (using that sample $1,980 in base rate spend in the post) (1,980 X 5) X 3 or 4 (without WoH card / with WoH card). I’m open to correction, here though 🙂

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