World of Hyatt Credit Card overview
With a rewarding loyalty program and generous card benefits, the World of Hyatt Credit Card (see rates and fees) is one of the top hotel cards on the market. Hyatt fans will appreciate this card’s annual free night award and bonus earnings at Hyatt. Hyatt points are the most valuable hotel points; free nights start at only 3,500 points. Card rating*: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
*Card rating is based on the opinion of TPG’s editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.
World of Hyatt‘s fantastic redemptions and solid elite benefits make it one of our favorite loyalty programs at TPG.
The World of Hyatt Credit Card lacks the premium perks of top-tier hotel cards, but it offers an affordable $95 annual fee in exchange.
We recommend a credit score of at least 670 to raise your chances of approval.
If you’re a Hyatt fan or stay at Hyatt properties at least once a year, this card might be worth considering. Let’s dive deeper into its features and benefits.
World of Hyatt pros and cons
ProsCons
- Annual free night certificate
- Additional free night certificate based on spending
- Automatic elite status
- Bonus categories
- No foreign transaction fees
- Points earned are less valuable than general travel rewards
World of Hyatt Credit Card welcome offer
The World of Hyatt card currently offers new cardholders the ability to earn up to 60,000 points and up to 15 qualifying nights toward status:
- Earn 30,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening and up to 30,000 more bonus points by earning 2 bonus points total per $1 spent in the first six months from account opening on up to $15,000 spent.
- Earn 2 total tier-qualifying night credits toward status for each eligible Hyatt stay from 10/16/2025 to 1/31/2026, on up to 15 nights.
TPG’s October 2025 valuations peg Hyatt points at 1.7 cents each, making the points in this offer worth up to $1,020. The tier-qualifying night credits are not quantifiable, but if you manage to stay the full 15 nights, you’d rack up enough nights to qualify for Explorist status.
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THE POINTS GUY
This offer definitely has appeal, especially to anyone within arm’s reach of a certain status level with Hyatt. However, we’ve seen higher welcome bonuses in the past. We still recommend applying now if you have a use for this offer’s points in mind and need the tier-qualifying night credits.
As always, note the restrictions: You won’t be eligible to earn those bonus points if you’ve earned a welcome bonus on a Hyatt card within the past 24 months. Second, since this is a Chase card, it’s subject to the issuer’s 5/24 rule.
Related: How to maximize World of Hyatt redemptions
World of Hyatt Credit Card benefits
The World of Hyatt Credit Card comes with some notable perks:
Annual free night certificate
Perhaps the greatest appeal of the World of Hyatt card is its Category 1-4 annual free night certificate, which you’ll receive every account anniversary. You’ll also receive a second free night certificate after spending $15,000 in a calendar year.
You can get some incredible value from this certificate both domestically and abroad. Here’s what TPG senior editorial director Nick Ewen has to say about this perk:
I love earning Category 1-4 certificates on my World of Hyatt credit card. There are so many great options at this award level, as I’ve used it to stay at the Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale and the Andaz Savannah. However, I often look to use them during high-demand events. For example, I booked the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay after a Taylor Swift concert in 2023 when rates were going for more than $900 per night, and my most recent redemption was at the Hyatt Place in Gainesville, Florida on a football weekend this fall, where we avoided paid rates of over $700.
Regardless of your destination, your free night certificate alone provides enough value to justify the $95 annual fee. That’s why this card can be a great fit for any frequent traveler, even if you only stay with Hyatt once or twice each year.
Related: The best Hyatt Category 4 hotels
Elite status
You’ll get automatic Discoverist status simply by having the card, which includes benefits such as late checkout, preferred rooms and a 10% points bonus on eligible purchases. Late checkout can be a great perk for travelers with late flights or those who wish to sleep in late before departing.
HYATT
Beyond that, you get five elite nights deposited to your account each year. You’ll also earn additional nights with spending — two for every $5,000 spent on the card.
By holding this card and spending $15,000 in a year to snag that second Category 1-4 certificate, you’ll get 11 elite night credits, nearly 20% of the way to top-tier Hyatt Globalist status.
If you’re a renter, putting your rent on this card could be a great way to snag an extra free night certificate and bonus elite nights. Just keep in mind that most landlords charge a small credit card processing fee, but this will likely be negated by the value you get from these benefits.
Travel protections
Chase issues the World of Hyatt card, so you’ll receive many of the travel protections we’ve come to expect from Chase credit cards, including:
- Baggage delay insurance: Reimburses you for essential purchases like toiletries and clothing for baggage delays over six hours by passenger carrier up to $100 a day for five days.
- Lost luggage reimbursement: If you or an immediate family member’s checked or carry-on luggage is damaged or lost by the carrier, you’re covered up to $3,000 per passenger.
- Trip interruption and trip cancellation insurance: If your trip is canceled or cut short by sickness, severe weather and other covered situations, you can be reimbursed up to $5,000 per traveler and $10,000 per trip for your prepaid, nonrefundable travel expenses, including passenger fares, tours and hotels.
- Auto rental collision damage waiver: Coverage is provided for theft and collision damage for most cars in the U.S. and abroad. In the U.S., coverage is secondary to your personal insurance.
These protections aren’t as extensive as those you’d receive with a premium travel card, but that’s to be expected considering this card carries an affordable annual fee.
Related: Is the World of Hyatt Credit Card worth the annual fee?
Earning points on the World of Hyatt Credit Card
Cardholders will earn at the following rates:
HYATT
Few cards offer bonus-earning on gym memberships, so fitness lovers may want to use this card to help them fund their next Hyatt stay. This card’s Hyatt bonus category can be stacked with the points you’ll earn as a Hyatt rewards member.
The Discoverist status that comes with this card offers 5 points per dollar spent at eligible Hyatt properties, meaning you can earn up to 9 points per dollar spent at Hyatt with your card.
That said, we don’t recommend this card for dining or general travel. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees) are better options to consider for these categories.
The points those two cards earn can be transferred to Hyatt.
Related: The best credit cards for general travel purchases
Redeeming points on the World of Hyatt Credit Card
By far, the best use of Hyatt points is for award nights. Redemptions for standard rooms start at 3,500 points for an off-peak night at a Category 1 property and go as high as 45,000 points for peak dates at a Category 8 property.
TPG credit cards writer Chris Nelson got outstanding value by redeeming three nights during peak season over a busy summer weekend at the Story Hotel Riddargatan in Stockholm for just 12,000 points.
CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY
Hyatt also offers Points and Cash awards, which allow you to pay half the normal points price and half the standard cash rate.
Additionally, you can upgrade paid stays with points. Redeeming points for free nights tends to be a better deal, but upgrading paid stays can be worth it and won’t bankrupt your point reserves.
You can also transfer points to several airline partners, but we don’t recommend this since the transfer ratio is 2.5:1. Hyatt also allows you to redeem points for dining, spa visits and other experiences, but you’ll get better value using points for hotel rooms.
Related: How to redeem points with the World of Hyatt program
Which cards compete with the World of Hyatt Credit Card?
If you don’t stay at Hyatt properties enough to get good value from the World of Hyatt Credit Card, one of these might be a better fit:
For additional options, please see our list of the best hotel rewards credit cards and best travel credit cards.
Related: The best credit cards for Hyatt stays
Bottom line
Hyatt fans should definitely consider the World of Hyatt card. While it can’t provide top-tier elite status or statement credits, it offers a valuable free night certificate and the chance to earn numerous elite night credits.
The free night certificate alone can justify this card’s $95 annual fee, so it should be easy for most travelers to pay it. Even if you only stay with Hyatt once or twice each year, take the time to consider whether this card can still empower your award travel.
Apply here: World of Hyatt Credit Card
