The World of Hyatt Credit Card review

If you plan to stay at a Hyatt hotel at least once per year, the World of Hyatt Credit Card by Chase’s rewards structure, elite status and annual free night certificate more than make up for its $95 annual fee.

This card may be a no-brainer if you prefer Hyatt properties, but it does come at the price of additional perks offered by some more premium hotel cards or the flexibility of a more general travel rewards card.

The details

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:

• 4 Bonus Points per dollar spent at Hyatt hotels
• 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 allott one free night at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort every year. The new 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 offers 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 card’s APR is a variable 17.99 – 24.99 percent. See rates and fees.

Is this card for you?

If you are a current Hyatt cardmember or you’re a previous cardholder of any Hyatt card and earned a sign-up bonus in the past 24 months, you’ll be ineligible for the World of Hyatt card’s sign-up bonus, worth up to a substantial 50,000 Bonus Points.

The card has a tiered sign-up bonus structure. You’ll qualify for 25,000 points after spending $3,000 within the first three months of account opening, then another 25,000 points after spending a total $6,000 in purchases within the first six months of account opening.

According to valuations from The Points Guy, those 50,000 World of Hyatt Bonus Points are currently worth $850 in monetary value. Combined with the annual night free, that’s a lucrative deal if you’re planning a vacation at any Hyatt location this year.

The World of Hyatt card’s revamped rewards structure is pretty comprehensive compared to other co-branded hotel cards, but you’ll likely 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 earns 2X Chase Ultimate Rewards points on travel and restaurant dining purchases that 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.

How much are rewards worth?

The World of Hyatt card’s maximum sign-up bonus already puts its first year value around $850.

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, your savings can equal $255, per valuations from The Points Guy.

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 $255 in value.

That’s already $1,360 in first-year value before accounting for Bonus Points earned through the card’s reward structure. 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 maxed out the sign-up bonus.

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.

Bottom line

The World of Hyatt credit card is the only Hyatt rewards card currently accepting applications, so if you frequent Hyatt hotels and resorts, or even just stay there more than once per year, this card is likely a great addition to your wallet, as long as you don’t mind paying the annual fee.

Otherwise, you may be better off with a general travel rewards credit card that can offer more flexibility or cash back card with higher-earning rewards in the categories you frequent.

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.