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2020 has brought the world a ton of surprises. One of them being an easier-than-ever path to earn hotel elite status. And the end of the year has brought another unique opportunity to do just that with one of the best hotel chains for award travelers, Hyatt.
Did you know that you can achieve Hyatt Globalist status (widely considered to be the most valuable hotel elite status in existence) by opening the World of Hyatt Credit Card? I’ll give you a step-by-step guide to show you how easy it is — and help you decide if it’s worthwhile.
But first, let me outline the sweetness of Hyatt Globalist elite status for you:
- When you arrive at the hotel, the front desk will check to see if there are any vacant suites. If there are, you get upgraded to it for free (although this isn’t guaranteed, it is likely)
- You’ll get free breakfast or club access at all Hyatt hotels. At fancy Hyatt hotels, breakfast can cost upwards of $50 per person, per day. This could save you hundreds of dollars on a five-star weekend stay alone
- When you book an award stay, you won’t have to pay the hotel’s outrageous parking fee. This will save you $30+ per day at hotels in the city and at Hyatt resorts
- You don’t have to pay resort fees when you book with points — or even some paid nights! This can easily save you $40+ per night at fancy properties
- You will earn at least 6.5 Hyatt points per dollar at Hyatt hotels (a 30% bonus). We estimate Hyatt points value is 2 cents each, meaning you’re getting an effective return of 13% on every stay
- When you book award nights for someone else, they get all the above benefits! It’s a philanthropic way to flaunt your elite status to your friends and family and make them super jealous
There are plenty more benefits, but those are the highlights. By booking even a few days at a luxury Hyatt hotel each year, you could pretty effortlessly save $500 or more. And if you stay at Hyatt with any regularity, this benefit can save you thousands.
How to easily earn Hyatt Globalist status with The World of Hyatt Card
We’ll start with four critical facts that culminate in the perfect opportunity to earn Hyatt Globalist status for two whole years.
Fact #1: Because of COVID-19 Hyatt has launched some extremely generous promotions to get travelers engaged with its loyalty program. Hyatt has also slashed the requirement for earning elite status in half. You’ll need to stay 30 nights in 2021 (normally 60) to achieve their crown jewel of an elite status.
Fact #2: Hyatt’s current Bonus Journeys promotion gives you double elite night credits on all stays with checkout dates between Jan. 1 and Feb. 28, 2021.
Fact #3: The World of Hyatt Credit Card comes with up to 50,000 bonus points:
- 25,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening
- 25,000 more bonus points after you spend a total of $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of account opening
Fact #4: The Chase Hyatt Card also gives you elite night credits each year just for being a cardmember. You’ll usually receive 5 elite night credits each calendar year, but when you open the card by Dec. 31, 2020, you’ll get double that amount — 10 elite night credits in 2020 and 10 elite night credits in 2021.
With this information, here’s how easy it is to earn Hyatt Globalist status for two years.
Step 1. Open the Chase Hyatt Card before 2021
As stated above, you’ll get 10 elite night credits automatically when you open The World Of Hyatt Credit Card before 2021. This means you’ll enter next year with 10 elite night credits — 1/3 of the nights you need to earn Globalist status!
Note that the elite night credits you earn from the Chase Hyatt Card will not be doubled under the Bonus Journeys promotion.
10 elite night credits down, 20 to go.
Step 2. Earn the sign-up bonus as fast as you can
Earn the Chase Hyatt Card’s bonus as fast as possible. Remember, the bonus is tiered, and you’ll have to spend $6,000 in the first six months of account opening to achieve the full 50,000 points. There are a ton of creative ways to meet minimum spending requirements, which you can read about here.
The Chase Hyatt Card also gives you two elite night credits for every $5,000 you spend on the card. Achieve your minimum spending in early January, and you’ll also see two elite night credits post to your account.
12 elite night credits down, 18 to go.
Step 3. Book a 9-night stay at any Hyatt Category 1 Hotel
Hyatt Category 1 hotels cost just 5,000 points per night. That means you’ve got the ability to book up to 10 free Hyatt nights with the 50,000 bonus points you just earned (nights booked with points do earn elite night credits). Hyatt Category 1 hotels are plentiful along the East Coast and Midwest, but the further west you go, the more difficult it becomes to find one.
Book nine nights between Jan. 1 and Feb. 28, 2021. It could be one stay, could be multiple — just make sure all checkout dates fall between January 1 and February 28. As long as you check out before Feb. 28, your elite nights will be doubled.
You don’t even have to stay at the hotel — you must check in and use your key card, but you can leave right after and the hotel will check you out automatically when your stay ends.
And to make the deal even sweeter, as part of Hyatt’s Bonus Journeys promotion, Hyatt cardholders get 25% of their points back on award stays through Feb. 28 (register for that promotion here). So if you booked 9 nights at 5,000 points each, you’d have to spend 45,000 points. However, after your stay, you’ll get 11,250 of those points deposited back into your account.
Note, if you didn’t earn the two extra elite night credits for spending $5,000 on your Chase Hyatt Card in 2021, you’ll need to book 10 nights.
Step 4. Earn Globalist Status
Once you check out of your hotel, Hyatt’s Bonus Journeys promotion will double your elite night credits, giving you a total of 18. Your elite status should be added to your profile in a day or two.
30 elite night credits down. Globalist status achieved!
Is Globalist status worth it?
Again, we estimate Hyatt points value to average 2 cents each. That means you should get $1,000 in hotel stays from the Chase Hyatt’s 50,000-point bonus! And depending on how precisely you were able to follow the above instructions, you’ve burned between 45,000 and 50,000 points to achieve Globalist.
So would you trade those points for two full years of the best hotel elite status in the world? Will Hyatt Globalist status save you $500 per year? Even if the answer is no, there are a few reasons why it’s still worth it to you.
Reason #1: Hyatt Bonus Journeys also gives you a 25% rebate when you spend your points, through February 28, 2021. Of the 45,000 points you spent on those nine nights above, you’d have 11,250 points returned to you.
Reason #2: Hyatt has a feature called Milestone Rewards, which gives you rewards depending on the amount of elite night credits you earn. After 20 nights, you’ll receive two Club Lounge Access Awards, and after 30 nights you’ll receive two more Club Lounge Access Awards and a Free Night Award worth up to 15,000 points. You will achieve these things in exchange for those 45,000 points.
You’ll also have the opportunity to earn more milestone rewards through the rest of 2021, all while having Globalist status.
By following the above instructions, you’ll receive the following:
- Hyatt Globalist Status
- 22,250 Hyatt points (11,250 points rebate + 5,000 points you have left from the card’s sign-up bonus + at least 6,000 points from regular spending to earn the sign-up bonus)
- Category 1-4 Free Night Award worth up to 15,000 points
- 4 Club Lounge Access Awards (largely redundant since Globalist members get free lounge access anyway)
If you value a free night certificate as highly as you do Hyatt points you’ve effectively paid 18,750 points for Globalist status — not 45,000 points.
Remember: Globalist status = elite status with other hotels
A few months ago, I wrote a guide showing how you can parlay one hotel elite status into elite status with several other hotel chains.
In short, hotels will offer you elite status in their program if you show them proof that you’ve got elite status in a competing program. For example, you can send a message to Hilton, MGM (they’re partners), Radisson, etc. and get top-tier status in these programs. You can then take that status and match it with other elite status programs, and potentially end up with elite status in 5+ programs just from earning Hyatt Globalist status.
| Status you have | Status you can earn through a status match |
| Hyatt Discoverist | – Hilton Gold |
| Hyatt Explorist | – MGM Mlife Gold – Radisson Rewards Gold – Hilton Gold – Best Western Diamond |
| Hyatt Globalist | – Hilton Diamond – MGM Mlife Platinum |
Other cards that can earn you Globalist status
On a related note, there are several other cards that can also earn you Hyatt Globalist status in a similar way. Here are a couple examples:
- Ink Business Cash® Credit Card and Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card – $750 bonus cash back (75,000 Chase points) after spending $7,500 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. Here’s how to get Globalist status from that:
- Transfer 75,000 points to Hyatt for 15 nights at any Hyatt Category 1 hotel (you can only transfer as long as you have one of these other Chase cards)
- Your elite night credits will be doubled as long as your checkout date is between Jan. 1 and Feb. 28, 2021, giving you 30 elite nights
- You will instantly qualify for Hyatt Globalist status
- Also, through Feb. 28, 2020, you’ll receive 25% of your points back, leaving you with 18,750 points
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card – 60,000 Chase points after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. Here’s how to get Globalist status from that:
- Transfer 60,000 points to Hyatt for 12 nights at a Hyatt Category 1 hotel (5,000 points per night)
- Your elite night credits will be doubled as long as your checkout date is between Jan. 1 and Feb. 28, 2021, giving you 24 elite nights
- Also through February 28, 2020, you’ll receive 25% of your points back, leaving you with 15,000 points
- If possible, spend your 15,000 points on another three nights at any Hyatt Category 1 with a checkout date before Feb. 28, 2021
- Receive another six elite night credits, giving you 30 total elite night credits — exactly enough for Globalist status for two years
Bottom line
It’s possible to earn Hyatt Globalist status by opening The World Of Hyatt Credit Card and using its various card perks and rewards — for $0 out of pocket! This status can be worth thousands of dollars per year, especially if you have two or three luxury Hyatt stays per year, plus you’ll enjoy status all the way through March 2023. That’s easy to do, especially considering how easy it is to earn Hyatt points. You can book five-star resorts and hotels for literally free, and it’s so easy.
Read our post on the best ways to use Hyatt points. And if you think it looks easy enough, use The World Of Hyatt Credit Card to give yourself the most prestigious hotel status in the game — it’ll mean free suite upgrades, free breakfast, free parking, no resort fees and a whole lot more.
Let me know if you plan to earn Hyatt Globalist status next year, and how you plan to do it! And subscribe to our newsletter for more travel secrets and tricks delivered to your inbox once per day.