Does the Hyatt Credit Card Speak for Itself?

Out of all the major travel credit cards, the Hyatt credit card is the one that is missing something that all others have. As a result, we will look at if the Hyatt credit card truly does speak for itself.

Does the Hyatt Credit Card Speak for Itself?

– Hyatt Credit Card Application Link

Credit Card Affiliates & Referrals

When it comes to the major travel credit cards, most of them have affiliate offers that you can find through various blogs (this one included if you go to the links here) as well as referral offers that enable you to tell friends and family about cards and earn points when they get the card.

This type of referral system certainly helps the issuers and co-branded partner to get more cards in the hands of people. This is actually one of the things that some people have come to dislike about mile and point blogs – that the size of the referral may be related to the encouragement that comes to sign-up for certain cards.

Hyatt Credit Card – No Affiliates and No Referrals

But, the Hyatt credit card does not have any of that. It is the only mainstream travel credit card that is not in the affiliate channels so no payout for blogs. It is also the only mainstream hotel card that does not have any referral links for members to use with family and friends.

As a result, the Hyatt credit card really needs to speak for itself on its merits. That does not mean it does not get talked about on blogs but it does mean that it may not receive as much ink time as the other cards may get. So, let’s look at the Hyatt credit card again to see what it has going for it!

Personally, this is my favorite hotel card, both for its bonus and its annual benefit. It is also the hotel card that I have consistently held for the longest time. I have written about it often and love the opportunity to highlight again what a great card it is.

Sign-Up Bonus

This card recently had a bit of a split offer in that it targeted some Hyatt members with a 50,000 point offer instead of free nights. But, it has been mostly a free night bonus for this card.

The bonus gives you 2 free nights at any Hyatt hotel around the world. This is equal to a maximum value of 60,000 Hyatt points if you redeem for a stay at a Category 7 property. In action monetary value, it is easily worth over $1,000 as a signing bonus and could potentially be worth close to $2,000.

The link above also gives you 5,000 Hyatt points if you add an authorized user to your account – a free night at Category 1 properties!

As a sign-up bonus, the Hyatt credit card offers extreme value and without the restrictions of weekend stays only (like the Citi Hilton Reserve).

Spending Requirement

Generally, hotel and airline credit cards typically require less spending to get the bonus. The Hyatt credit card follows that by only requiring $1,000 in 3 months to get the 2 free nights. That breaks down to only $333 per month which is easily attainable so is another point for the Hyatt credit card.

Annual Fee

The Hyatt credit card’s annual fee is $75. It is waived the first year so those 2 free nights as a sign-up bonus will not cost you anything out of pocket.

As hotel cards go, it is a below average annual fee. The IHG card is popular for only requiring $49 per year but it is not a typical fee. Here is how all the hotel competitor credit cards stack up:

• IHG – $49
• Wyndham Signature – $69
• Club Carlson – $75
• Hilton Surpass – $75
• Marriott Premier – $85
• SPG Amex – $95
• Hilton Reserve – $95
• Fairmont Visa – $95

The average of all these hotel cards with their annual fee comes to $89. So, the Hyatt credit card actually gives a smaller annual fee than most. Another point for the Hyatt credit card! See this post for an in-depth comparison between hotel credit cards.

Anniversary Bonus

The anniversary bonus on the Hyatt credit card is a free night at a Category 1 – 4 hotel. The award is good for a year from its issue so it gives a lot of time to use it. At the high end, this anniversary bonus is worth 15,000 Hyatt points (if redeemed at a Category 4).

I consistently get well over $150 in value from this anniversary bonus each year which is the driving reason for me to keep this card. This means I am essentially paying only $75 for the hotels I redeem at.

Elite Status

The Hyatt credit card comes with Platinum elite status. This is the mid-tier in the Hyatt program and does not give nearly as much value as Hilton Gold status does (because of the free breakfast at Hilton hotels). The later checkout is a nice perk, if that is something you find yourself using a lot (I use my Diamond check out of 4PM most of the time – Platinum is 2PM).

As far as elite status goes, I do not consider Hyatt Platinum to be a worthwhile reason on its own to keep the Hyatt credit card.

Does the Hyatt Credit Card Speak for Itself?

Yes, I think the Hyatt credit card is one of the best values for a credit card and, if used properly, can continue to give value year after year. If you have not signed-up for the Hyatt credit card yet, I would definitely place it on my list as a must-have. Just make sure you have a plan for the free nights as they expire 1 year after they are issued.

Last year, they launched a special offer for cardholders where you would receive a 20% rebate on the points you redeemed. Hopefully, something like this will come back again!

Do you have the Hyatt credit card? Do you think it is a good card to get?