World of Hyatt and AAdvantage Expand Partnership

UPDATE: Additional context added. Seems this was not as straightforward as it seemed!

Notably, this release buries at the end that Hyatt stays will no longer earn AAdvantage miles and AA flights will no longer earn Hyatt points.

Additionally, while MilesTalk cannot independently verify the costs of some of the awards that are “unlocked” at various tiers, there have been reports that they are expensive enough as to not be worthwhile – eg. 25,000 miles for a Cat 1- 4 hotel. Cat 4 hotels don’t tend to price out at more than $300 or so in most cases, so the swap wouldn’t make sense. But until we see official rates, that is conjecture. 

Mutual fans of World of Hyatt and American Airlines’ Aadvantage programs may be interested in this news release that just popped in my inbox. The release itself is comprehensive and I have nothing really to add, so I’ll add it here verbatim:

“American Airlines AAdvantage^® program and World of Hyatt announced today that the award-winning programs will evolve their relationship to make travel more rewarding for members of both programs. Starting January, AAdvantage^® members will be able to choose World of Hyatt awards at various levels in Loyalty Point Rewards and World of Hyatt members will be able to select AAdvantage^® rewards as part of World of Hyatt Milestone Rewards.

These program enhancements are rooted in a mutual focus on care and provide more opportunities for members to enhance their own unique travel experiences, from flights to hotel stays. Members who link their AAdvantage^® and World of Hyatt accounts will be able to unlock more awards to personalize their travel experiences as they earn and redeem miles and points within both travel reward ecosystems.

“AAdvantage^® makes travel even better for our most loyal customers whether it is with priority benefits and preferred seating or booking a Hyatt hotel stay using miles,” said Anmol Bhargava, American’s Vice President of Partnerships. “Through our relationship with World of Hyatt, our members can unlock more meaningful rewards and choose to redeem miles for what’s most valuable to them during their travels.”

Level Up Your Travel with Rewards Your Way

With the expanded relationship, members of both programs can enhance their travels with valuable rewards like the choice of elite status, the choice of preferred seating with more legroom on American flights, the ability to redeem miles for Hyatt Free Night Awards or the ability to redeem points for American’s Status for a Day. Plus, both programs are designed to recognize members at more milestones, so they can enjoy more rewarding travel experiences while celebrating life’s big moments while discovering new destinations.  

“As our member base continues to grow, we are evolving this strategic airline-hotel relationship to align with what today’s travelers want – more choices, increased redemption abilities and status opportunities,” said Laurie Blair, vice president, global marketing, Hyatt. “World of Hyatt has been redefining loyalty by adding more choice and ease of use for experiences that are more meaningful for our members. We believe in the transformative power of travel, and the evolution of this relationship gives our members more opportunities to enhance their travel journeys with experiences that matter most to them.”

New Rewards Coming Soon for AAdvantage^® and World of Hyatt Members

Members who link their AAdvantage^® and World of Hyatt accounts can choose from several benefits at every level:

AAdvantage^®:

• Starting January 2, 2025, AAdvantage^® members can unlock the ability to redeem miles for World of Hyatt Free Night Awards:
• • • Category 1–4 Free Night Award: At 40,000 Loyalty Points or the AAdvantage Gold^® level, AAdvantage^® members unlock the ability redeem miles for a World of Hyatt Category 1–4 Free Night Award.
    • Category 1–7 Free Night Award: At 125,000 Loyalty Points or the AAdvantage Platinum^® level, AAdvantage^® members unlock the ability redeem miles for a World of Hyatt Category 1–7 Free Night Award.
       
  • Beginning March 1, 2025, World of Hyatt awards will be a choice within AAdvantage^® Loyalty Point Rewards:
    • Discoverist status: AAdvantage^® members unlock World of Hyatt Discoverist status at 100,000 Loyalty Points to take advantage of preferred rooms, +10% Bonus Points on eligible purchases, 2 p.m. late checkout and more.
    • Explorist status: AAdvantage^® members can choose World of Hyatt Explorist status at the 175,000 and 250,000 Loyalty Points Reward levels respectively to enjoy upgraded rooms, +20% Bonus Points on eligible purchases, 2 p.m. late checkout and more.
    • Category 1–4 Free Night Award: At the 400,000, 550,000 and 750,000 Loyalty Points Reward levels respectively, AAdvantage^® members can choose a World of Hyatt Category 1–4 Free Night Award.
    • Category 1–7 Free Night Award: At the 1M, 3M and 5M Loyalty Point Reward levels respectively, AAdvantage^® members unlock the ability to choose a World of Hyatt Category 1–7 Free Night Award.
       
• World of Hyatt: 
  • Beginning January 1, 2025, AAdvantage^® rewards will be a choice within the World of Hyatt Milestone Rewards at almost every milestone — from seat upgrades to status upgrades:
    • Preferred Seat Coupons: At 20 and 30 nights or 35,000 and 50,000 base points respectively, World of Hyatt members can choose two (2) Preferred seat coupons on American Airlines flights.
    • Main Cabin Extra Seat Coupons: At 40 and 50 nights or 65,000 and 80,000 base points respectively, World of Hyatt members can choose two (2) Main Cabin Extra seat coupons on American Airlines flights.
    • Gold Status: At 70, 80 and 90 nights respectively, World of Hyatt members will get the choice of AAdvantage Gold^® status, valid for the full status membership year.
    • Platinum Status: Starting at 100 nights, World of Hyatt members will get the choice of AAdvantage Platinum^® status, valid for the full status membership year.
       
  • Starting January 1, 2025, World of Hyatt Explorist and Globalist members can unlock the ability to redeem World of Hyatt points for AAdvantage^® Status for a Day:
    • AAdvantage Gold^® Status for a Day: For 5,000 World of Hyatt points, Explorists or Globalists can enjoy complimentary upgrades when available, one free checked bag, priority check-in, a 40% mileage bonus and more.
    • AAdvantage Platinum^® Status for a Day: For 8,000 World of Hyatt points, Explorists or Globalists can enjoy complimentary upgrades, two free checked bags, priority check-in, a 60% mileage bonus and more.
    • AAdvantage Platinum Pro^® Status for a Day: For 12,000 World of Hyatt points, Globalists can enjoy complimentary upgrades, three free checked bags, priority check-in, an 80% mileage bonus and more.

With the expansion of the AAdvantage^® and World of Hyatt relationship to make it more rewarding for more members, the ability for linked status members to earn AAdvantage^® miles and World of Hyatt Bonus Points at the same time will end December 31, 2024. World of Hyatt members will continue to be able to transfer World of Hyatt points to AAdvantage^® miles and access exclusive offers.

To learn more about the relationship and program enhancements, visit aa.com or hyatt.com/aaupdates.”

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