The World of Hyatt Credit Card review

For a relatively minimal $95 annual fee, Chase’s World of Hyatt card offers a comprehensive rewards structure, especially for a co-branded hotel card. You’ll earn:

• Up to 9 points total for Hyatt stays – 4 Bonus Points per $1 spent on qualified purchases at Hyatt hotels & up to 5 Base Points per $1 from Hyatt as a World of Hyatt member
• 2 Bonus Points per dollar at restaurants, on airline tickets purchased directly from the airline, local transit and commuting expenses and on fitness clubs and gym memberships
• 1 Bonus Point per dollar on anything else

This rewards structure is a step up from the old Hyatt Credit Card, which is no longer available. That card earned just 3X points on Hyatt purchases and its 2X category was more restrictive, including purchases with restaurants, airlines and car rental agencies only.

Both cards also allot one free night at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort every year. The World of Hyatt card goes one step further, offering an additional free night if you spend more than $15,000 on your card during the year (beginning on your cardmember anniversary).

The World of Hyatt card features additional benefits, like travel and purchase coverage, no foreign transaction fees and automatic Discoverist elite status with Hyatt. Discoverist benefits include preferred room at check-in, early check-in and late check-out (all based on availability).

The World of Hyatt also offers a sign-up bonus that gives this card great first-year value: 

• Earn up to 65,000 Bonus Points: 35,000 Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Plus, up to 30,000 More Bonus Points by earning 2 Bonus Points total per $1 spent in the first 6 months from account opening on purchases that normally earn 1 Bonus Point, on up to $15,000 spent.

The card’s APR is 19.99% - 28.49% Variable.

Based on an assumed $22,500 annual spend and Bankrate's latest rewards valuation of 2.3 cents per point, Bankrate estimates that the World of Hyatt card could earn the average spender about $662 in rewards value each year. 

Combine that with the annual one free night certificate benefit which can be used on Category 1-4 Hyatt properties. If you redeem your reward night at a Category 4 hotel (the higher end on the spectrum of eligible properties), which usually runs 15,000 points per night, you could save about $345 on average per Bankrate’s latest points valuation. You can also earn another night free if you spend at least $15,000 on your card each year, which you can maximize for another $345 in value.

If you frequent Hyatt locations or spend frequently in the card’s other categories and are looking to redeem your rewards for hotel stays instead of airline tickets or cash back (which can be of more value with another card), then this card can easily save you money on an ongoing basis, even after you’ve redeemed the intro offer.

How to maximize rewards

You should redeem your rewards for nights at Hyatt properties to fully maximize their value. You may also redeem points for dining and spa services at some Hyatt locations or transfer to airline and rental car partners, but those redemptions are never as high as simply redeeming for free nights or upgrades with Hyatt.

Bankrate credit cards writer Ryan Flanigan uses The World of Hyatt Credit Card as one of his main hotel credit cards for valuable points and free nights.

Hyatt points are my most valuable hotel currency, so earning extra points and elite night credits makes this card very useful. I always try to spend towards the $15,000 free night as early in the year as possible, since I always need more with Hyatt. That yearly free night is a great value for the annual fee, making this card a mainstay for me. It’s also helpful to spend extra if I need a few more elite night credits to push me to the next status level. Hyatt’s elite perks are the best in the industry.

— Ryan Flanigan, Writer, Credit Cards

The World of Hyatt card’s revamped rewards structure is pretty comprehensive compared to other co-branded hotel cards, and the exceptional welcome offer and annual free night award can stack on remarkable value if you're planning to stay with Hyatt. However, you might find the most value in pairing it with another card if you spend a lot of money on categories not included, like grocery stores or utilities. Even if your spending is concentrated in restaurant and airfare spending, you may want to choose another card worth more for those categories or a co-branded airline card.

For Hyatt purchases, though, there’s not many options worth more than this card’s 4X Bonus Points, especially when you consider the extra 5 base points per eligible dollar you can earn as a World of Hyatt member. Consider how often you stay at Hyatt hotel or resort locations and whether your savings will offset the $95 annual fee.

You may also consider a card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, which charges the same $95 annual fee and it lets you enjoy new benefits such as a $50 annual Chase Travel℠ hotel credit, 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3X points on dining and 2X points on all other travel purchases, plus more. You can transfer to World of Hyatt at a 1:1 ratio. With its similar rewards structure, this could be an alternative option if you’re looking for more redemption options and don’t mind sacrificing the automatic elite status or annual free night benefits.

The information about the World of Hyatt Credit Card has been collected independently by Bankrate.com. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.