Yesterday, Hyatt delivered a fantastic launch of their new hotel credit card – the World of Hyatt credit card. This card has a lot going for it, in fact, it is so good it has some people wondering if there will be a massive devaluation on the horizon!
I wanted to take a moment and list 3 reasons that I believe the new World of Hyatt card is the best hotel credit card – definitely better than the one it has replaced!
3 Reasons the New World of Hyatt Card is the Best Hotel Credit Card
Link: New World of Hyatt Credit Card
Sign-up Bonus – 50,000 Points
Let’s jump right into it – the sign-up bonus of 50,000 points is just awesome! The best Hyatt offer before had been before last year when we had the 2 free nights. This offer is even better for the following reasons:
- Point flexibility
- No expiration
- The points can be transferred
Of course, 50,000 points is enough for 2 free nights at Category 6 Hyatt properties (which can go for almost $700 a night!) but they can also be used to grab 12 nights at a Category 1 or anything in between.
The points can also be used to pay the points portion of a Points+Cash reservation. The points can be used to let you book a suite or Club room on points as well. They just have so much more flexibility than the free nights – plus you still get 2 free nights at Category 7 properties if you want.
World of Hyatt Card vs the Competition
Let’s see what other hotel credit cards offer:
- SPG (when it did have a point offer) 25,000 points or 35,000 points at the peak – good for just one night at a top tier hotel
- Marriott – 100,000 points – not enough for 2 free nights at top category properties
- Hilton – was 125,000 points – not enough for 2 free nights at top category properties
- Ritz-Carlton – 2 free nights but not as points so no flexibility
- IHG – 80,000 points – not enough for 2 free nights at top category properties
- Wyndham – 30,000 points (45,000 points at the peak offer) – good enough for 2 free nights at any property
- Radisson Rewards – 60,000 points – not enough for even one night at a top tier property!
As you can see, the only card that offers enough points for 2 free nights is the Wyndham (and their best hotels are not as good as the best Hyatt properties) while the only card to offer 2 free nights is the Ritz-Carlton, which does not have the flexibility of points.
Anniversary Nights
The Grand Hyatt in Washington, DC – a Category 4 hotel!
Hyatt had a winner with their Category 1 – 4 anniversary night each year. For most of us, we could easily get the $75 worth of the annual fee out of that free night.
Now, they have formed a hybrid of sorts by offering that same Category 1 – 4 again but giving the option to have another free Category 1 – 4 when you spend $15,000 in a cardmember year.
Put simply, that is a killer combination! You have a free night for holding it but you can get another one for doing the spending. Some other cards offer a free night but you have to spend for it also – it does not come standard.
World of Hyatt vs the Competition
- SPG – the new SPG cards will offer a free night up to 35,000 points
- Marriott – anniversary free night valid at hotels up to 35,000 points
- Hilton – must spend $15,000 and it is good for any Hilton hotel, but only on weekend nights
- Ritz-Carlton – no anniversary free night
- IHG – free night at any* IHG hotel
- Wyndham – 6,000 points each year (not enough for a free night at any hotel)
- Radisson Rewards – 25,000 points each year and a free e-certificate for every $10,000 in spending (up to $30,000 in a year)*
Of the card nights above, the best options are the IHG for the free night and the Hilton card. The Radisson sounds good but you can only use those certificates at hotels in the US.
The Hyatt card lets you earn 2 free nights that can be redeemed on any night up to Category 4 hotels (and there are a lot of nice Category 3 and 4 hotels).
Elite Credits
The new World of Hyatt credit card comes standard with 5 elite nights and the ability to earn 2 additional nights for every $5,000 spent (with no cap).
While putting a lot of spending on hotel cards is never a great idea for most people, it can make a lot of sense for those customers who need to close the gap for hitting Explorist (30 nights) or Globalist (60 nights for the first year).
Other hotel credit cards do let you earn status with spending (Hilton lets you go all the way up to Diamond with $40,000 in spending) or they let you earn elite nights with spending. With Marriott, it is 1 credit for every $3,000 so it is not as good as the earning on the Hyatt card.
Earning elite status or elite credit is not a novel thing on a co-branded credit card but Hyatt has mixed it all together in a nice bag with their other perks on this new card as well.
Takeaway
If you take any of the 3 reasons above, they make a compelling case for the new World of Hyatt credit card. But, when you roll them altogether, they make a very powerful hotel credit card that has a lot of potential for the Hyatt loyalty base. I think Hyatt has picked up a lot of ground with this card and, from what I have heard so far, people are very excited about it.
Do you think the new World of Hyatt card is the best hotel credit card around?
Slight correction: The new SPG luxury card will actually offer free nights up to 50k.
I didn’t mention the luxury card. I was only referring to the regular cards. The only reason the Ritz card is mentioned is that it is the only card for that specific chain. Otherwise, the cards I used were ones at the same level as the WoH card.
And going forward, IHG card caps free night at 40k point hotels