We are an independent publisher. Our reporters create honest, accurate, and objective content to help you make decisions. To support our work, we are paid for providing advertising services. Many, but not all, of the offers and clickable hyperlinks (such as a “Next” button) that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. The compensation we receive and other factors, such as your location, may impact what ads and links appear on our site, and how, where, and in what order ads and links appear. While we strive to provide a wide range of offers, our site does not include information about every product or service that may be available to you. We strive to keep our information accurate and up-to-date, but some information may not be current. So, your actual offer terms from an advertiser may be different than the offer terms on this site. And the advertised offers may be subject to additional terms and conditions of the advertiser. All information is presented without any warranty or guarantee to you.

This page may include: credit card ads that we may be paid for (“advertiser listing”); and general information about credit card products (“editorial content”). Many, but not all, of the offers and clickable hyperlinks (such as a “Apply Now” button or “Learn More” button) that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. When you click on that hyperlink or button, you may be directed to the credit card issuer’s website where you can review the terms and conditions for your selected offer. Each advertiser is responsible for the accuracy and availability of its ad offer details, but we attempt to verify those offer details. We have partnerships with advertisers such as Brex, Capital One, Chase, Citi, Wells Fargo and Discover. We also include editorial content to educate consumers about financial products and services. Some of that content may also contain ads, including links to advertisers’ sites, and we may be paid on those ads or links.

For more information, please see How we make money.

Hotel Credit Card Anniversary Free Night Expiring? Treat Yourself to a Staycation Instead of Letting It Go

  • Jasmin Baron

    • Signing up for credit cards through partner links earns us a commission. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Here’s our full advertising policy: How we make money.

    Update: One or more card offers in this post are no longer available. Check our Hot Deals for the latest offers.

    Yikes – I almost missed that the expiration date on my annual category 1 to 4 Hyatt free night certificate is fast approaching.  With no travel plans in the coming weeks, my options are to let it lapse or burn it on a “staycation” nearby.

    Initially, I was bummed about this, because you can often squeeze hundreds of dollars in value from the anniversary night you’ll get from the World of Hyatt Credit Card (or old Chase Hyatt card) in lots of interesting locations.  It really is the best hotel credit card with a free night on your account anniversary, so it stings a little to burn it on a relatively mediocre redemption.

    But then I realized I shouldn’t feel guilty.  It’s okay to use a certificate on a local getaway!

    The Kids and I Will Be Sticking Close to Home by Redeeming a Hotel Credit Card Anniversary Free Night Certificate at the Nearby Hyatt Regency Rochester

    Here’s how I’m not letting my free night certificate go to waste – and why you might consider doing the same.

    I’ll Use My Hotel Credit Card Anniversary Night to Treat the Kids to a Winter Escape

    I’ve had the Chase Hyatt (now World Of Hyatt) credit card for many years, and have made great use of the category 1 to 4 free night each account anniversary at wonderful hotels like the Hyatt Regency Paris – Etoile and Grand Hyatt Berlin.

    This year, it’s not in the cards to burn the certificate in a fancy international location or big city.   Hyatt anniversary free night certificates expire 1 year after the date of issue, and my certificate expires in ~2 weeks.  I’d hoped to use it somewhere exotic but it just didn’t pan out, and there’s no way to extend its validity.  In the past, some folks have reported being able to “cash in” the certificates for 10,000 Hyatt points after expiration, but apparently Hyatt will no longer do this.

    Instead of letting it expire, I’ll redeem my certificate at the freshly renovated category 2 Hyatt Regency Rochester.  We’ve stayed here in the past, but not since upgrades have been done, so it’ll be interesting to see what they’ve done with the property.

    The paid rate for our night is ~$175, so I feel like we’re getting a decent value from the annual fee, too.

    Not a Bad Rate for a Free Anniversary Night – Still Well Worth the Annual Fee

    The kids can’t wait for this night out because they’ll get to enjoy the hotel’s indoor heated pool and fancy breakfast.  I’m mostly just looking forward to not having to make dinner for a night!  It’ll also be interesting to see if they give me an upgrade for having Hyatt Discoverist elite status (another perk of the card).

    It’s almost like a forced mini-break, and a way to step away from the drudgery of everyday life even for a quick stay.  Sure, I’d prefer to use the certificate somewhere tropical in the middle of February, but at least the kids and I are making memories and getting a decent value from the annual fee I pay on the card each year.

    If you’re looking for somewhere close to home (or anywhere) to redeem a Hyatt free night certificate, Hyatt’s website has a handy map tool, and you can filter just category 1 to 4 hotels as well.

    Use Hyatt’s Map Search to Find Hotels Close to Home

    Here are other cards that come with an anniversary free night certificate

    How about you?  Have you ever redeemed a hotel credit card anniversary night certificate somewhere local or less glamorous just to not let it go to waste?  I’d love to hear your stories in the comments.

    Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)