How much are Hyatt points worth?

If you’re looking for a hotel loyalty program that packs a lot of value, the World of Hyatt program may be the one for you. While many competing hotel programs offer vastly inflated points — for example, Marriott and Hilton — with the World of Hyatt program, an up to 60,000-point sign-up bonus is just as valuable as it seems. In fact, maybe more valuable.

Our analysis below shows that Hyatt points may be worth twice the value of the typical rewards program, but that extra value comes with some big drawbacks that make Hyatt rewards a questionable proposition for travelers who need a lot of flexibility.

The World of Hyatt Credit Card

Why should you get this card? The World of Hyatt Credit Card from Chase offers an outstanding amount of value for frequent travelers: New cardholders are awarded ample points on a variety of travel purchases, including airfare and restaurant purchases.

More things to know: Up to 9X points on Hyatt hotel purchases — 4 points earned with your card and 5 points earned as a World of Hyatt loyalty program member 2X points on restaurants, directly purchased airfare, local transit, commuting and gym and fitness club memberships 1X points on other purchases 30,000 bonus points if you spend $3,000 in 3 months. Plus, up to 30,000 additional bonus points, with 2X points on purchases that earn 1X point, on up to $15,000 in the first 6 months Automatic World of Hyatt Discoverist status Annual free night at category 1-4 hotel (worth up to 15,000 points)

Hyatt points value

By Bankrate’s estimates, Hyatt points are the most valuable of any hotel program point. In fact, Hyatt points trump the value of many airline loyalty programs. We value Hyatt points at an average of 2.1 cents per point, which exceeds the value of Delta SkyMiles (1.3 cents) and Wyndham Rewards (0.9 cents).

How we value Hyatt points

We value Hyatt points by dividing the average dollar amount of a standard room award with Hyatt (including taxes and fees) by the number of points per night. To calculate the average value of a standard room, we’ve taken a sampling of hotels from each category and looked at the price of a standard room across multiple dates.

As you can see from our table below, the value of standard room nights with Hyatt is relatively high across all hotel categories (as of the time of writing). The value is particularly high for hotels in Award Category 2 and Category 8:

Hyatt standard room rewards

How to value your Hyatt points

We find the average value of Hyatt points by dividing the average dollar amount of a standard room (including taxes and fees) by its cost in hotel points. However, the value of points varies by each user and ultimately depends on what they are redeemed for.

Here are some questions you should keep in mind when trying to decide what Hyatt points are worth to you:

• How do you intend to redeem your points? Do you plan to use your points for standard room nights, suites, room upgrades, Points + Cash awards or are you eyeing an alternate redemption option? While standard room night awards have the highest value, other redemption options may reduce the value of your points.
• What class of hotel do you prefer to stay in? If you are content with midrange hotels, you may be able to stretch your Hyatt points much farther. While the value of standard room nights with Hyatt is high across all hotel categories, you may find that you get a higher point value within certain categories.
• What’s your destination? If you already have a destination in mind, you should check the range of prices for Hyatt hotels in the area because your points’ value can vary by location (and to confirm there are Hyatt hotels with availability there).
• When do you intend to stay? Room rates go up during peak travel times. Since Hyatt uses fixed pricing (versus dynamic) for its room awards, you can greatly increase the value of your points by booking rooms during peak travel times — if you can find availability.
• How flexible are you? The Hyatt program is extremely rewarding for travelers with flexibility. If you can adjust the dates of your travel and are open to multiple destinations, you can find great values for your points.
• How far away is the date of your stay? If you book rooms close to the date of your stay, this may also increase the value of your points, since room rates tend to decrease the closer to the first night you get. On the downside, you will likely also find it difficult to find availability if you book too close to the first night of your stay.

How to calculate your point value

To calculate the value of your points, you can take the dollar value of your intended redemption option, subtract any taxes or fees that you still have to pay (note, Hyatt generally doesn’t charge taxes and fees on award nights), and then divide by the number of points:

Point Value = Rewards Value (in dollars)/Number of Points

The resulting value will be a rough estimate. There are many, many factors that can affect the value of your points, such as the number of points that you lose out on earning using by paying for your stay with points rather than with cash, the lowest possible room rate you can get by checking on rates over time (since rates fluctuate), the cheapest room rate you could get by browsing other hotels and hotel websites and so on.

But, in comparing hotel loyalty programs and trying to determine whether Hyatt points are worth your while, this formula should help you along the way.

How flexible are Hyatt points?

While Hyatt points offer exceptional value, they fall short on flexibility. Compared to its competitors, Hyatt has relatively few properties at 1,150 hotel properties in 70 countries, which affects the availability of its rooms for redemption.

You may find them harder to redeem than the average hotel program point, particularly if you’re hoping for a stay at a luxury resort. Here’s a breakdown of the pros and cons:

Pros

• Hyatt points don’t expire for as long as your account stays open.
• Hyatt is an international hotel chain with some very nice properties in a wide range of countries.
• Lower category Hyatt properties are abundant and of very good quality.
• Many properties allow you to pay for rooms with a combination of points and cash, and it’s often a good value.
• Since Hyatt uses a fixed rewards chart, you can get exceptionally great value out of your points by booking rooms for popular times or locations (if the rooms are available for you).

Cons

• Though Hyatt allows you to transfer points to 26 airline partners.
• You can’t redeem points for cash back.
• Hyatt doesn’t offer quite as large a hotel network as the two largest chains — Marriott and Hilton.
• There are a very limited number of hotels in the highest categories.
• Hyatt points are difficult to earn — Hyatt currently offers only one consumer card with a sign-up bonus — and there are limited opportunities for earning bonus points outside of hotel spending. (For example, Hyatt doesn’t have a shopping portal or a dining rewards program.)
• Though Hyatt officially has a no blackout date policy on standard room awards, some properties (especially prestige properties and properties in popular locations) classify standard rooms such that it’s impossible to find award space during peak times. Also, some properties book up so quickly (a year in advance) that there aren’t any rooms available at all. Essentially, you may find it difficult to impossible to use points for certain destinations.

Are Hyatt points worth it?

By our estimates, Hyatt points are well worth it for the average traveler — as long as you have flexibility and aren’t set on staying at a particular destination where availability is limited. The World of Hyatt program seems to be an especially great value for midrange travelers. You can really stretch your points in the lower hotel categories, which represent the majority of Hyatt properties, and you’ll find that a category 1 to 3 Hyatt hotel is a little plushier than average.

Bottom line

With the World of Hyatt program, it pays to do some research, especially before you take the plunge into a credit card with an annual fee. You should make sure World of Hyatt fits your travel patterns and that you will be able to use points for places that you want to travel.

If Hyatt’s limited network isn’t a good fit for you, you may be better off pledging your loyalty to a larger hotel program, such as Hilton or Marriott. Or you could consider a flexible points program, such as Chase Ultimate Rewards.