Last updated October 13, 2026. This guide started as the Hyatt part of my 2013 Beginner’s Guide series, when the program was still called Hyatt Gold Passport. The sections up top are current; my original 2013 guide is kept further down.
Quick Take
- Award prices now move within each category. Since May 20, 2026, every category has five pricing levels, so a standard room runs from 3,000 points a night (Category 1 at its lowest) to 75,000 (Category 8 at its top).
- Chase points transfer 1:1 only from the Sapphire Reserve (and Sapphire Reserve for Business). The Sapphire Preferred, Ink Business Preferred and old Ink Plus moved to 4:3 on October 1, 2026. Bilt points also transfer 1:1.
- Status: Discoverist at 10 nights, Explorist at 30 and Globalist at 60 nights in a calendar year (or 25,000, 50,000 and 100,000 base points).
- The card: the World of Hyatt card from Chase costs $95 a year and comes with a Category 1–4 free night after each cardmember anniversary, Discoverist status and 5 qualifying nights a year.
- The Hyatt and MGM partnership is over (it ended September 30, 2023), so the Las Vegas section of my 2013 guide is history.
World of Hyatt in 2026: The Basics
Hyatt’s footprint is a lot bigger than the “about 500 hotels” I counted in 2013: as of March 31, 2026, Hyatt says it has more than 1,500 hotels and all-inclusive properties in 83 countries, spread across dozens of brands from Park Hyatt and Andaz down to Hyatt Place and Hyatt House. The program is free to join.
Elite Status and What Each Tier Gets
| Tier | To qualify (calendar year) | Key benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Member | Free to join | Earn points on stays |
| Discoverist | 10 nights or 25,000 base points | 10% bonus points, 2 PM late checkout, preferred room within the type booked |
| Explorist | 30 nights or 50,000 base points | 20% bonus points, 2 PM late checkout, room upgrade (not suites or club rooms), 72-hour room guarantee |
| Globalist | 60 nights or 100,000 base points | 30% bonus points, 4 PM late checkout, upgrades including standard suites, breakfast or club access, 48-hour room guarantee |
On top of the tiers, Milestone Rewards start at 20 nights and keep coming every 10 nights: 30 nights brings a Category 1–4 free night, 40 nights a Guest of Honor award plus a choice that includes a Suite Upgrade Award, and 60 nights a Category 1–7 free night, two Guest of Honor awards and two Suite Upgrade Awards.
The Award Chart
In 2013 the top of the chart was 30,000 points a night. Today it’s 75,000 for a Category 8 hotel on its most expensive dates, after the May 20, 2026 change that split each category into five levels (One Mile at a Time put the biggest increase at 67%). Hyatt says only a limited number of hotels and nights will price at the Upper and Top levels in 2026. Standard rooms, in points per night:
| Category | Lowest | Low | Moderate | Upper | Top |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3,000 | 4,500 | 6,000 | 7,500 | 9,000 |
| 2 | 6,000 | 7,500 | 10,000 | 12,000 | 15,000 |
| 3 | 8,000 | 12,000 | 15,000 | 17,500 | 20,000 |
| 4 | 12,000 | 15,000 | 20,000 | 22,500 | 25,000 |
| 5 | 15,000 | 20,000 | 25,000 | 30,000 | 35,000 |
| 6 | 20,000 | 25,000 | 30,000 | 35,000 | 40,000 |
| 7 | 25,000 | 30,000 | 35,000 | 45,000 | 55,000 |
| 8 | 35,000 | 45,000 | 55,000 | 65,000 | 75,000 |
- Suites are still bookable with points, from 6,000 points (Category 1) to 96,000 (Category 8 at its top) for a standard suite.
- Points + Cash costs half the points of a standard room plus a cash amount.
- Free night certificates (Category 1–4 and 1–7) still work at any hotel in their categories, whatever the pricing level that night, as long as a standard room is available.
- Award nights now count toward status: Hyatt counts free night awards as qualifying nights, which was not the case when I wrote the 2013 guide.
Earning Hyatt Points: Transfers and the Credit Card
Chase points still transfer to Hyatt, but the ratio now depends on the card. The Sapphire Reserve and Sapphire Reserve for Business transfer to Hyatt at 1:1, while the Sapphire Preferred, Ink Business Preferred and the legacy Ink Plus have transferred at 4:3 (3 Hyatt points for every 4 Chase points) since October 1, 2026, and immediately for anyone who applied for the Preferred or Ink Preferred from June 15, 2026. If you have a Reserve, you can move points to it from your other Chase cards first. Bilt points transfer to Hyatt at 1:1 as well.
The World of Hyatt Credit Card from Chase now costs $95 a year, up from the $75 I quoted in 2013. It earns 4 points per dollar at Hyatt, 2 at restaurants, on airline tickets bought from the airline, on local transit and commuting and at gyms, and 1 elsewhere; it gives Discoverist status, 5 qualifying night credits each year plus 2 more for every $5,000 spent, a Category 1–4 free night after each cardmember anniversary, and a second free night after $15,000 of spending in a calendar year. The offer on Chase’s site when I checked was 30,000 points after $3,000 in three months, plus up to 30,000 more from 2x on everyday spending for six months.
Best Rate Guarantee Now
The best rate guarantee still exists, but it works differently from the call-first process I described in 2013. Today you book on Hyatt.com first and submit the claim within 24 hours; if Hyatt confirms a lower publicly bookable, room-only rate for the same stay, it matches it and gives you the choice of another 20% off or 5,000 bonus points.
Where to Go Next
- How to get the best deals on paid hotel stays, including Hyatt Privé for paid luxury stays.
- My Park Hyatt Vienna review (2026), a recent Hyatt points stay.
- My beginner’s guide to points and miles, for the bank application rules.
Quick Answers
Since May 20, 2026, a standard room costs from 3,000 points a night (Category 1 at its lowest pricing level) to 75,000 (Category 8 at its top level), with five pricing levels in each category. Points + Cash costs half the points plus a cash amount, and standard suites run from 6,000 to 96,000 points.
Only from the Sapphire Reserve and Sapphire Reserve for Business. The Sapphire Preferred, Ink Business Preferred and legacy Ink Plus transfer at 4:3 since October 1, 2026 (immediately for Preferred and Ink Preferred applicants from June 15, 2026), so if you have a Reserve, move your points to it before transferring.
Stay 60 qualifying nights or earn 100,000 base points in a calendar year. The World of Hyatt credit card adds 5 qualifying night credits each year, plus 2 more for every $5,000 you spend on it.
It costs $95 a year and includes a Category 1–4 free night after each cardmember anniversary, a second free night after $15,000 in calendar-year spending, Discoverist status and 5 qualifying night credits a year. The offer when I checked was 30,000 points after $3,000 in three months, plus up to 30,000 more.
My Original 2013 Guide (Hyatt Gold Passport)
Originally written in August 2013 as part of my Beginner’s Guide series. Kept as written, except that the old series list was removed and dead links to Hyatt’s and Mlife’s old pages were unlinked. Nearly every number, name and rule below has changed; the sections above are current.
Names have changed since this was written
- Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) and Starpoints → Marriott Bonvoy points (February 2019)
- Marriott Suite Night Awards → Nightly Upgrade Awards (January 2024)
- Hyatt Gold Passport → World of Hyatt, and Diamond status → Globalist (March 2017)
- Hilton HHonors → Hilton Honors (2017)
- Mlife → MGM Rewards (February 2022)
- Total Rewards → Caesars Rewards (February 2019)
- Club Carlson → Radisson Rewards; in the Americas it was folded into Choice Privileges (July 2023)
- Citi ThankYou Premier → Citi Strata Premier
- Alaska Mileage Plan → Atmos Rewards (August 2025)
- Barclaycard Arrival Plus → discontinued (June 2019)
- Amex Bluebird and Serve → closed (June 2026)
Hyatt Gold Passport is one of the favorite hotel programs among points and miles enthusiasts. Points can easily be transferred from Chase Ultimate Rewards to your Hyatt account at a 1:1 ratio, plus there’s a Chase Hyatt Card that gives two free nights at any Hyatt as the sign-up bonus in addition to mid-tier Platinum status. Hyatt also entered into a new partnership with MGM Resorts in Las Vegas to provide reciprocal elite benefits, which could be very useful. I’ll discuss all this and more below to ensure you have a solid understanding of Hyatt by the end of this post.
Hyatt Basics
Hyatt has about 500 hotels worldwide, so they don’t have a huge footprint. They do, however, have hotels around the US and in some popular vacation spots, including in Sydney, the Maldives, and many cities in Europe. Their hotels range from super upscale down to more basic accommodations. Here’s a list of Hyatt’s highest-end (expensive) to lower-end (budget) hotels: Park Hyatt, Andaz, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Hyatt Place, and Hyatt House.
Gold Passport Program
Hyatt’s loyalty program is called Hyatt Gold Passport, which is free to sign up for. There are 3 tiers to Hyatt’s loyalty program: Gold, Platinum, and Diamond. You’re Gold as soon as you sign up, and you can earn Platinum just by having the credit card. Otherwise, Platinum status is granted after 5 stays or 15 nights, while Diamond status can be achieved after 25 stays or 50 nights. The key benefits of each tier is listed below.
HYATT GOLD PASSPORT MEMBERSHIP (granted upon sign-up)
- Five points per dollar spent
- 15% point bonus on eligible spend
- Complimentary Internet access
DIAMOND MEMBERSHIP (granted after 25 eligible stays or 50 eligible nights)
- 30% point bonus on eligible spend
- Complimentary Internet access
- Access to hotel lounges. When lounges are unavailable, free full breakfast is provided instead.
- Four suite upgrades annually
Other perks like room upgrades and late check-out are also provided. Check the links above for a full list of benefits.
Hyatt Diamond “Challenge”
If you have a lot of stays or nights planned at a Hyatt in the future, it may be worth looking into the Hyatt Diamond Challenge. To be eligible for this challenge, you’ll need to currently have one of the following statuses: SPG Platinum, Marriott Gold/Platinum, Hilton Gold/Platinum, or Priority Club Platinum. Note that Hilton Gold can be obtained by just having the Citi Hilton HHonors Reserve card, while Priority Club Platinum status comes with the Chase Priority Club card.
You can email Hyatt at goldpassport@hyatt.com to request the Diamond Trial Offer (the official phrase). The cool part is they will give you Diamond status immediately, but in order to maintain it beyond 60 days you’ll have to have 12 paid stays in those 2 months. If you meet this requirement, you’ll keep Diamond status for at least the rest of the year.
The best time to start a Diamond challenge is June 1st or afterwards because it will ensure you get at least 1.5 years of Diamond status. For example, if you start your Diamond Challenge on January 1, 2013 and qualify, then you’ll have Diamond status until February 2014 – a total of 13 months. However, if you start your Diamond Challenge on June 1, 2013 and qualify, then you’ll have Diamond status until February 2015 – a total of at least 19 months. The latter is clearly more favorable.
Redeeming Award Nights
In my opinion, Hyatt has one of the most generous award charts for hotels despite their recent devaluation. This is true specifically for their top-end properties. It takes just 5K points on the lower end and 30K points to redeem for top-end hotels. Hyatt also lets you redeem for suites at a very small premium compared to other hotel programs – it’s 48K a night for a hotel at the top end (although it used to be just 33K).
There are two main ways to earn Hyatt points through credit card spend: accruing Chase Ultimate Rewards by using your Sapphire Preferred or Ink cards, or by using your Hyatt card directly. I’ve written about the amazing value you can get by manufacturing spend on your Ink cards before – I recommend reading this post if you’re interested in earning points that way.
Note that award stays do not give stay credits for the purposes of earning elite status.
Chase Hyatt Credit Card
There’s only one credit card for the Hyatt Program, and it’s issued by Chase. The sign-up bonus is two free nights at any Hyatt hotel, and the spend requirement is usually just $1K in 3 months. The annual fee of $75 is usually not waived, though there are sometimes tricks that will allow you to get a statement credit to recoup some of that fee. There are also anecdotal reports that calling Chase and asking for the annual fee to be waived can result in something favorable (a friend got 5K points instead, worth $100 in my book).
There are several key benefits to having the card. The card grants you mid-tier Platinum status for as long as you hold the card, and the key benefit for me is free internet access, which can cost upwards of 20 Euros a day when staying in Europe. An occasional room upgrade and bonus points when paying cash also make the Platinum status valuable.
The other key benefit is that you earn a free night at a Category 4 or lower hotel every year on your account anniversary. If you use this certificate properly, you can easily get better than $75 value for it. To me, it makes the annual fee worth paying, and it’s a card that I plan to keep in my wallet for the foreseeable future because of these perks.
Hyatt and Mlife in Las Vegas
Hyatt and MGM recently announced a new partnership that allows Hyatt Gold Passport members to use points to redeem nights at 12 MGM properties in Las Vegas. Additionally, Hyatt status will map to MGM’s Mlife loyalty program. That means having Platinum status with Hyatt will give you Gold with Mlife, or Diamond status with Hyatt gives Platinum Mlife status. You can sign up here.
The Mlife benefits you receive are not that great in my opinion, but it’s definitely better than getting nothing. Check your Mlife account for special offers on show tickets and hotel rooms.
Below are the hotels and redemptions you can make in Las Vegas using Hyatt points. Note that these can be booked directly from the Hyatt website.
- Category 2 (8K points): Excalibur
- Category 3 (12K points): Luxor
- Category 4 (15K points): Monte Carlo, New York New York
- Category 5 (20K points): MGM Grand, Signature at MGM Grand, Vdara, Mirage
- Category 6 (25K points): Aria, Bellagio, Mandalay Bay, THEhotel at Mandalay Bay
Las Vegas is an interesting market. They sometimes have some extremely cheap hotel rates, while other times the prices are ridiculously high. In my opinion, I don’t think using Hyatt points for redemptions in Vegas is a good deal on most occasions. With that being said, any partnership that gives us more options is a good thing, and it may very well work out to your benefit.
Best Rate Guarantee
If you find yourself in a situation where points or stay certificates just wont work, your only other choice is paying for a night. It would be in your best interest to secure a best rate guarantee (BRG) if you have to go this route, and thankfully Hyatt has a pretty good one. If you find a lower rate on another website, Hyatt will give you 20% off the lower rate.
Let’s say you have a 3 night stay in Hawaii and Hyatt’s website shows a rate of $400/night, but through Kayak (or some other travel search engine) you find that Hotels.com shows a rate of only $300/night. You can simply call Hyatt’s BRG team before booking and have them confirm the rate. If they see the same rate you do, you’ll get 20% off $300 for each of the 3 nights. A successful claim would give you a rate of $240/night, saving you $60/night and $180 overall.
The reason Hyatt’s BRG process is so valuable is not only because of the 20% discount, which is great, but also because you don’t have to book the hotel before filing a claim – you can just call and confirm before making any booking. That means you won’t have any money on the line if for some reason something goes wrong and your BRG claim is denied.
Congratulations!
You now know the basics of Hyatt and how you can use the program to your advantage. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments section or by emailing me. I’m always checking for comments and will try my best to answer your questions.
Changelog and Sources
- October 13, 2026: published as a living guide, with current status tiers, the five-level award chart, transfer ratios, the credit card, the best rate guarantee and Quick Answers; the 2013 guide kept below them.
- August 2013: original Hyatt Gold Passport guide (never published until now).
- Sources checked October 13, 2026: Hyatt’s tiers and benefits, award chart and best rate guarantee pages; Hyatt’s May 14, 2026 release (portfolio size); Chase’s World of Hyatt card page; Doctor of Credit on the 4:3 Hyatt transfer change, the end of Hyatt and MGM and Bilt’s transfer partners; One Mile at a Time on the May 2026 award chart.
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