Guide on how to earn Hyatt points

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There are plenty of reasons why Million Mile Secrets readers love Hyatt. For example:

• The chain has amazing hotels in popular destinations around the world
• It takes relatively few points to stay at top-notch hotels compared to other chains
• Hyatt points are easy to earn, either directly with the World of Hyatt Credit Card or by transferring points from cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Many of us feel it’s the single best loyalty program in existence. So we put a high value on its points currency! Let’s take a look at all the ways to earn Hyatt points in 2021, starting with the easiest way to rack up loads of points.

How to earn Hyatt points

Use Chase Ultimate Rewards points-earning credit cards

You can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Hyatt at a 1:1 ratio. There’s no fee to convert points, and transfers are usually instant.

To start building your Hyatt points stash, here’s a list of credit cards that earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points, which you can instantly transfer to Hyatt:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred Card – 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months after opening your account (review of the Chase Sapphire Preferred)
• Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card – 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after you spend $15,000 on purchases in the first three months after opening your account (review of the Ink Business Preferred)
• Chase Sapphire Reserve® – 50,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. (review of the Chase Sapphire Reserve)

In May, we transferred 90,000 Chase points to Hyatt for three free night at the Andaz Maui last year. It’s a gorgeous hotel that regularly costs $650+ per night. Immediately upon arrival, they threw leis around our neck and gave us our keys to an upgraded suite.

You can only transfer points directly to Hyatt if you have one of the three cards above, or the Chase Ink Plus or Ink Bold (not available to new applicants).

If you have one of the following no-annual-fee cards, you can still combine points to another eligible card and then transfer points to Hyatt:

• Ink Business Cash® Credit Card  – $750 bonus cash back after you spend $7,500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. (review of the Ink Business Cash)
• Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card — $750 bonus cash back after you spend $7,500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. (review of the Ink Business Unlimited)
• Chase Freedom Flex℠ — $200 cash bonus (20,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points) after spending $500 on purchases within the first three months of account opening (review of the Freedom Flex)
• Chase Freedom Unlimited®– $200 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first three months from account opening (review of the Freedom Unlimited)

For example, the Andaz Peninsula Papagayo in Costa Rica can cost $500 per night or 20,000 Hyatt points. So if you transfer 20,000 of the points you earn with a no-annual-fee, Ultimate Rewards-earning card (comparable to $200 cash) to an annual-fee card, you’ve more than doubled the value of your points simply by using them as Hyatt points instead of cash back.

Use the World of Hyatt credit card

There’s only one credit card that earns Hyatt points directly. The World of Hyatt Credit Card gives you up to 60,000 Hyatt points after you meet tiered spending requirements:

• 30,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.
• Up to 30,000 more Bonus Points by earning 2 Bonus Points total per $1 spend on purchases that normally earn 1 Bonus Point, on up to $15,000 in the first six months of account opening.

You also get:

• 9 Hyatt points per dollar spent at Hyatt — 4 bonus points per $1 when you use your card at Hyatt hotels, plus 5 base points per $1 you can earn as a World of Hyatt member
• 2 Hyatt points per dollar spent on restaurants, on airline tickets purchased directly from the airlines, on local transit and commuting, and on fitness club and gym memberships
• 1 Hyatt point per dollar on everything else
• 1 free night every year at Category 1-4 Hyatt hotels after your card membership anniversary
• Automatic World of Hyatt Discoverist status for as long as account is open

There’s a $95 annual fee, not waived the first year. The World of Hyatt Card is worth keeping year after year because the free night at a Category 1-4 Hyatt on your account anniversary can more than make up for the annual fee. Here’s our full review of the World of Hyatt card.

Stay at Hyatt hotels

When you stay at Hyatt hotels, you’ll earn 5 base points per dollar as a World of Hyatt member and even more points if you have elite status.

Hyatt hotels include:

• Andaz
• Grand Hyatt
• Hyatt
• Hyatt Centric
• Hyatt House
• Hyatt Place
• Hyatt Regency
• Hyatt Zilara and Hyatt Ziva (all inclusive)
• Miraval
• Park Hyatt
• The Unbound Collection

Hyatt is assertively increasing its presence across the globe with a partnership with Small Luxury Hotels of the World and the acquisition of Two Roads Hospitality, an upscale hotel chain with stunning resorts in popular tourist destinations like Bali and Paris. 

If you can find an ultra cheap Hyatt hotel, that’s another way to rack up Hyatt points without spending a lot. Drew from Travel is Free put together a list of the 50 cheapest Hyatt hotels around the world:

Note: this data is valid as of June 2019, but this list is a great place to start if you’re lokoing for a cheap Hyatt hotel. Especially if you’re working toward earning points during a promotion.

Here are 10 incredible hotels where you’ll be able to redeem Hyatt points. And here’s an in-depth look at the Hyatt award chart.

Sign up for promotions

Our newsletter is the perfect way to stay on top of Hyatt promotions. Make sure you receive every point you’re entitled to.

Sometimes promotions can come in the form of email surveys or status challenges. Sometimes you’ll get double points for your stays. Sometimes you’ll get bonus points for staying a certain number of nights. Bookmark our permanent page for Hyatt promotions to learn more.

I recently stayed 11 nights at the Hyatt Regency Lexington and earned 7,500 bonus points simply by enrolling in a Hyatt promotion. That’s a ton of points for zero effort.

Stay at Mlife Hotels

Hyatt is a partner of Mlife, the loyalty program of MGM Resorts. That’s excellent news for Hyatt points enthusiasts, not because you will want to redeem your points at these hotels but because you can earn them.

There are lots of dirt-cheap MGM resorts in Las Vegas. If you’re trying to achieve elite status or if you’re trying to find some cheap nights to complete a promotion, MGM resorts are the way to go.

Earn Hyatt points for rental cars

When you rent with Avis, you’ll receive 500 bonus Hyatt points per rental. Just book your Avis rental with discount code “K817700,” and enter your World of Hyatt membership number.

You can see the details here.

Purchase FIND Experiences

You’ll earn 10 Hyatt points for each dollar you spend on FIND Experiences. It’s a collection of fun and adventurous activities. You can paraglide, take a Cambodian bike tour, train with a pro tennis player and much more.

You can check out FIND Experiences here.

Purchase Hyatt points

You can buy Hyatt points for 2.4 cents each on the Hyatt website. I do not recommend this unless you know you’re going to get a much higher value than 2.4 cents.

Buying Hyatt points for a rainy day at such a high rate isn’t a good idea. Better to earn them with a credit card for everyday spending if you don’t have a trip in mind.

Convince friends and family to give you their Hyatt points

Hyatt lets you share points once every 30 days. You just have to fill out this form. So if you need a few more points for an award stay, your travel buddy can combine points with you.

Earn bonus Chase Ultimate Rewards points

Remember, you can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Hyatt at a 1:1 ratio. So if you’re earning bonus Chase Ultimate Rewards points, you’re effectively earning bonus Hyatt points.

For example, if you use your Ink Business Preferred to pay your phone bill, you’ll earn 3x Chase points per dollar, which you can transfer to Hyatt. Or you can earn tons of bonus Chase Ultimate Rewards points by shopping through the Chase portal.

Bottom line

There are many ways to earn Hyatt points — stays at Hyatt hotels, car rentals, points transfers from friends and more.

The most efficient way is by opening credit cards such as The World of Hyatt Credit Card and the Ink Business Preferred. With just one of those sign-up bonuses, you’ll have enough points for a luxurious stay at any Hyatt on the planet.

Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter for more tips on earning lots of points for free travel.