How to calculate the value of Hyatt points
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Hyatt points are a crowd-pleaser in the miles and points community. You can take some first-class vacations with them. Plus, you can earn Hyatt points in a flash with some of the best travel credit cards like the World of Hyatt Credit Card, which I opened last year myself.
Short and subjective answer: A typical Hyatt point is worth is 1.5 cents each (yes, it’s possible to get way more from them).
There are some downsides, too, but nothing that should deter you from collecting what are some of the most useful hotel rewards points in the game. So how does one figure out the value of Hyatt points?
3 important factors of Hyatt points value
1. Cash value of your stay
Let’s start with the information you care most about: Actual examples of the value you can receive per Hyatt point. As you’d expect, the “deal” you’ll get hinges on the cash price of the room along with the hotel category on the Hyatt award chart. Here’s what Hyatt charges for an award night:
| Off-peak rate (coming 2021) | Standard rate | Peak rate (coming 2021) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Category 1 | 3,500 | 5,000 | 6,500 |
| Category 2 | 6,500 | 8,000 | 9,500 |
| Category 3 | 9,000 | 12,000 | 15,000 |
| Category 4 | 12,000 | 15,000 | 18,000 |
| Category 5 | 17,000 | 20,000 | 23,000 |
| Category 6 | 21,000 | 25,000 | 29,000 |
| Category 7 | 25,000 | 30,000 | 35,000 |
| Category 8 | 35,000 | 40,000 | 45,000 |
Good value: Hyatt’s got a load of five-star hotels in bucket-list-worthy destinations like Paris, Tokyo, Milan and the Maldives. Below is the cost for a night at the Park Hyatt Milan, one of Hyatt’s most famous (and expensive) hotels. It can cost $740+ per night.
However, this hotel is a Category 7, so you’ll pay 30,000 Hyatt points per night when booking the standard award rate.
That’s a value of ~2.46 cents per point ($740 per night / 30,000 points per night) — and a great use of your points.
Bad value: It’s possible to receive a much worse value for your Hyatt points. A night at the Andaz Mayakoba in Riviera Maya costs $245 per night (after taxes).
But this is a Category 6 hotel, so you’ll pay 25,000 Hyatt points for a free night.
Yuck. This is not a great use of Hyatt points — you’ll receive a value of just 0.96 cents per point ($240 per night / 25,000 points per night). Unless you’re flush with rewards, you’re probably better off using cash for the room.
As you can see, the hotel location and dates will determine the value you receive from your points. You can’t “guarantee” an exact return rate.
Note: Many of Hyatt’s most sought-after hotels continue to climb in category (I’m looking at you, Andaz Papagayo). If you collect points to stay at no-frills low-category hotels, you’re probably not affected by this problem.
2. Quality of Hyatt Hotels
I’ve said in the past that I’ve never been underwhelmed at a Hyatt hotel. They’re always clean and above average in comfort. That’s something I can’t say about any other major hotel chain. The fact that you can pretty well count on Hyatt hotels to be a clean, comfortable experience adds value to Hyatt points in my opinion.
3. Number of locations
Here’s the biggest strike against Hyatt: They’ve got a very small global footprint. To their credit, they’ve been inking deals and securing hotel partners to change that, and they’ve grown considerably! But they’re still no match for other chains like Marriott, Hilton, and Choice in terms of sheer volume. Hyatt has about 1,000 locations where you can redeem points, while Marriott has over 7,000 properties to choose from.
If you’re the kind of traveler that veers off the beaten path or likes to visit small towns instead of popular locations, Hyatt points are going to be trickier to use. Hyatt is mostly found in big cities and picturesque destinations, not in your small hometown. This factor makes Hyatt points less valuable to many of us.
Hyatt’s response to COVID-19
Hyatt points aren’t a bust for 2021, even with the sucker punch from the coronavirus. Hyatt has taken many measures to help its loyal members through the lockdown. For one, Hyatt has delayed the majority of their upcoming category changes until later this year. This is great news, because most changes were not good.
Also, Hyatt has slashed the requirements for earning elite status in half! This means you only need to stay 30 nights in 2021 to earn Hyatt’s top-tier Globalist elite status — the best hotel status in the world, if you ask us.
Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Hyatt
Remember, the World of Hyatt Card isn’t the only way to accrue Hyatt points quickly. You can also transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Hyatt instantly at a 1:1 ratio.
Transferring to Hyatt is one of the best ways to use Chase points. I’ve done it many times to save literally thousands of dollars. Most recently I’ve got my eye on the Viceroy Bali — one of the absolute best hotels in Bali, for a reasonable amount of points.
Chase points are exceptionally easy to accrue, with cards like:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve®: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 in the first three months from account opening.
- Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card: 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after spending $15,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening
Points vs. Cash Calculator
Deciding when to use rewards versus when to use cash isn’t always a straightforward task. So we created a points vs. cash calculator to make things a lot easier for you.
Using the calculator is simple. All you have to do is:
- Select which hotel points you’d like to use
- Find the cash price of the exact hotel you plan to book
- Enter the number of points your stay will cost
- Include any taxes and fees associated with your stay
Should I pay with points or cash?
Points valuations are based on MMS calculation and not provided by the loyalty programs
Fill out the inputs to get a payment recommendation
We recommend paying with
Total savings
Value of cash :
Value of + fee:
Bottom line
When you’re trying to calculate Hyatt points value, there are a few things to consider:
- Cash price of the room (I personally find you can consistently receive a value of around 2 cents per Hyatt point)
- Quality of hotels (Hyatt has a higher-than-average standard)
- Number of hotels (hotel chains like Marriott, IHG and Hilton each have thousands of more hotels than Hyatt)
We generally consider Hyatt points to be worth 1.5 cents on average, but it’s possible you can get way more (and sometimes less) value than that.
Let me know the value you put on Hyatt points. And subscribe to our newsletter for more points analysis like this.
World of Hyatt Credit Card
Annual fee
$95
Welcome offer
Earn 30,000 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
Why we like it
This card’s full welcome bonus gives you potentially 12 free nights at Hyatt hotels (depending on where you stay). Plus, you’ll receive a free night at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel after each cardmember anniversary, and another identical free night after spending $15,000 in a cardmember year. You’ll even get Hyatt Discoverist status as long as your card is active!
Who is it best for?
Credit Score Recommended
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.
Good
660
780
Details
- Earn 30,000 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
- Get 1 free night each year after your Cardmember anniversary at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort
- Enjoy complimentary World of Hyatt Discoverist status for as long as your account is open
- Receive 5 tier qualifying night credits towards status after account opening, and each year after that for as long as your account is open
- Earn an extra free night at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel if you spend $15,000 in a calendar year
- Earn 2 qualifying night credits towards tier status every time you spend $5,000 on your card
- Earn up to 9 points total for Hyatt stays – 4 Bonus Points per $1 spent at Hyatt hotels & 5 Base Points per $1 from Hyatt as a World of Hyatt member
- Earn 2 Bonus Points per $1 spent at restaurants, on airlines tickets purchased directly from the airlines, on local transit and commuting and on fitness club and gym memberships
Pros
- Up to 2 annual free nights at Category 1-4 Hyatt hotels
- Excellent travel and purchase insurance coverage
- No blackout dates on hotel stays booked with points
- Complimentary World of Hyatt Discoverist elite status
Cons
- Annual Fee
Reward Rate
- Earn up to 9 points total for Hyatt stays – 4 Bonus Points per $1 spent at Hyatt hotels & 5 Base Points per $1 from Hyatt as a World of Hyatt member
- Earn 2 qualifying night credits towards tier status every time you spend $5,000 on your card.
APR
15.99% – 22.99% Variable
Credit Needed
Good
Foreign Transaction Fee
$0
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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! :)
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