Update: Hyatt is devaluing its award chart as of January 7, 2014, see Hyatt Award Chart Devaluation: New Category 7 and Pricier Awards
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“What are the best ways to earn Hyatt points?” TravelSort reader Mark asks. Great question. Very few folks managed to grab the Hyatt points packages in the recent Daily Getaways promotion. And Hyatt points are attractive, with some of the best redemption rates for its top properties: 22,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points, even for properties such as the Park Hyatt Paris or Park Hyatt Maldives, and if you book during a time when that award room (or suite, in the case of the all-suite Park Hyatt Maldives) would normally go for $1000/night, you're getting 4.5 cents per point in face value. True, there aren't nearly as many Park Hyatts or high-end Hyatt Regencies worldwide as, say, Starwood properties (consider all the various St. Regis, Luxury Collection and high end W and Le Meridien properties around the world) but thankfully Hyatt hasn't introduced a higher redemption level such as SPG's Category 7 (which requires 30,000-35,000 SPG points) either.
Here are our picks for the best ways to earn Hyatt points faster:
1. Hyatt Visa + Hyatt Stays
Most people getting the Hyatt Visa focus on the 2 complimentary nights (2 nights in a suite, if you're an existing Hyatt Diamond Member) that they receive. But if you often have paid stays at Hyatt properties, you can use the Hyatt Visa to earn 3 Hyatt points for every $1 spent, in addition to the points you earn as a Hyatt Gold, Platinum or Diamond Member (see below).
2. Ink Bold
The Ink Bold Business Card with Ultimate Rewards earns 2x points on hotel spend, but that's not where the true value is at. As we've written in Get Over 7x Points Everywhere with the Ink Bold and Staples and Make Your Own 100,000 Credit Card Bonus Offer you can purchase gift cards with the Ink Bold that will get you 4.5x-7x points on ALL purchases. That includes Hyatt hotel stays, assuming you have enough gift cards to cover your bill. And if spent on Hyatt, you'd also get the 5x points per $1 spent plus Platinum or Diamond point bonuses, if you're an elite. Since Ultimate Rewards points transfer 1:1 to Hyatt points–voila: 4.5-7 Hyatt points per dollar spent, in addition to the points you earn as a Hyatt Gold, Platinum or Diamond Member. Ironic, isn't it, that maximized in this way, the Ink Bold beats Hyatt's own branded card in terms of earning Hyatt points!
The Sapphire Preferred earns 2x points on hotel spend, and there's no 5x point bonus for spend at office supply stores the way there is for the Ink Bold, so the Ink Bold and Hyatt Visa beat it. But if you haven't yet gotten the Hyatt Visa or Ink Bold (what are you waiting for?) at least you're getting double points, plus the annual 7% points dividend for a total of 2.14 Hyatt points per dollar spent.
4. Platinum and Diamond Elite Bonuses
Even if you've just joined Hyatt Gold Passport (link: join Hyatt Gold Passport), you'll earn 5 Hyatt points per eligible dollar spent at all Hyatt locations. So, if you had a $200 hotel stay, you'd earn 1000 Hyatt points.
If you're a Hyatt Platinum Member (awarded after 5 eligible stays or 15 eligible nights in a calendar year, or for the recent Platinum Trial offer using a Visa Signature card) you'll receive these points benefits:
- 15% Hyatt point bonus when you choose to earn points for your stay
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Bonus points after every third eligible stay:
Stay 3 & 6: 1,000 Hyatt Gold Passport bonus points, 1,500 bonus points for dining, food & beverage welcome amenity, or a complimentary beverage8
Stay 9 & 12: 1,500 Hyatt Gold Passport bonus points, 500 travel partner miles, 2,000 bonus points for dining7, food & beverage welcome amenity7, or a complimentary beverage8
Stay 15 & 18: 2,000 Hyatt Gold Passport bonus points, 1,000 travel partner miles, Regency Club upgrade7, or a complimentary beverage8
Stay 21 & 24: 2,500 Hyatt Gold Passport bonus points, 1,500 travel partner miles, Regency Club upgrade7, complimentary Continental breakfast7, or a complimentary beverage8
If you're a Hyatt Diamond Member (awarded after 25 eligible stays or 50 eligible nights in a calendar year, or after a successful Diamond challenge) you'll receive these points benefits:
- 30% Hyatt point bonus when you choose to earn points for your stay
- 1000 bonus points as welcome amenity (500 points at Hyatt Place, Hyatt Summerfield Suites, Hyatt Residence Club) unless you opt for the food/beverage amenity
- 2500 bonus points if the Regency Club is closed
Taking our earlier $200 hotel stay example, a Hyatt Diamond would earn 1000 base points + 300 (the 30% bonus) + 1000 by opting for bonus points instead of food/beverage welcome amenity + 2500 if the Regency Club is closed, for a total of 4800 Hyatt points!
5. Take Advantage of Hyatt Bonus Points Offers
Don't forget to check Hyatt's special offers to see if a hotel you're thinking of staying at is offering some additional bonus points. Go to “Special Offers” then “Hyatt Gold Passport Exclusive” to view. For example, the Park Hyatt Hyderbad is offering 5000 Hyatt points per eligible stay. Here's an example of the current offer page (note there are 3 pages of results, which you can filter):
6. Hyatt Visa + Hyatt Dining or Spa Spend
Traditionally Hyatt has only obligated itself to award Hyatt points for on-property dining and spa spend if you were staying there as a guest. More recently some properties now offer Hyatt points for dining and spa spend even if you're not a guest. It's supposed to eventually be rolled out to most, if not all Hyatt properties, but for now, here's a link to the participating Hyatt properties to earn Hyatt points for dining and spa spend. As with other Gold Passport spend, you'll receive 5x Hyatt points plus 15% bonus for Hyatt Platinum or 30% bonus for Diamond Members.
7. Chase Freedom + Chase Exclusives
Our favorite card for small purchases when coupled with Chase Exclusives bonuses, if you applied for the Chase Freedom with 30,000 Bonus Points (Update: best current offer is 10,000) and max out the quarterly bonuses in 2012 including the 5x Grocery Bonus through end of June 2012, you'd have 52,500 Ultimate Rewards points = 52,500 Hyatt points at the end of this year, plus the bonus points you earn from Chase Exclusives (see Chase Exclusives Bonuses: Maximize Chase Freedom Ultimate Rewards). That's 2 free nights at any Park Hyatt in the world, with over 8000 points left over.
8. Rent from Avis or Sixt
Unfortunately you can't transfer airline miles to Hyatt, but you can earn 300 Hyatt points for each qualifying Avis or Sixt rental. That's not very many points however, so make sure you're getting the best miles or points deal. We'd recommend earning Hyatt points faster with the above tips, and not from car rentals.
Related Posts
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30 Percent Hyatt Bonus Points-Buy Points or Use Hyatt Stay Certificates?
Daily Getaways: Buy Hyatt Points at Less Than 1 Cent Per Point Today Only
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