How much are Hyatt points worth?

If you’re looking for a great hotel loyalty program, World of Hyatt might be the one for you. While many competing hotel programs offer vastly inflated points—Marriott and Hilton, for example—in the World of Hyatt program, a sign-up bonus of up to 60,000 points is as valuable as it sounds. In fact, maybe more valuable.

The analysis below shows that Hyatt Points can cost twice as much as a regular rewards program, but this added value comes with some big drawbacks that make Hyatt Rewards a dubious proposition for travelers who need more flexibility.

Hyatt Points Value

Bankrate estimates that Hyatt Points are the most valuable of all hotel program points. In fact, Hyatt points outperform the cost of many airline loyalty programs. We value Hyatt points at an average of 2.1 cents per point, which is higher than Delta SkyMiles (1.3 cents) and Wyndham Rewards (0.9 cents).

How we evaluate Hyatt points

We calculate Hyatt Points by dividing the average USD amount for a standard Hyatt hotel room (including taxes and fees) by the number of points per night. To calculate the average cost of a standard room, we selected hotels from each category and looked at the cost of a standard room over several dates.

As you can see from the table below, the cost of standard nights at the Hyatt is relatively high for all hotel categories (at the time of writing). This value is especially high for hotels of the 2nd and 8th categories:

Hyatt Standard Room Rewards

How to evaluate Hyatt points

We find the Hyatt Points Average by dividing the average dollar value of a Standard Room (including taxes and fees) by its Hotel Points value. However, the value of the points depends on each user and ultimately depends on what they are used for.

Here are a few questions to keep in mind when trying to decide how much Hyatt Points are worth to you:

• How are you going to use your points? Do you plan to use your points towards Standard Room Nights, Suites, Room Upgrades, Points + Cash Rewards, or are you considering an alternative redemption option? While the Standard Room Night Reward has 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’re comfortable with mid-range hotels, you might be able to increase your Hyatt points much further. Although the cost of standard nights at the Hyatt is high in all hotel categories, you may find that you get a higher rating in some categories.
• What is your destination? If you have already chosen a destination, you should check the Hyatt hotel price range in the area, as the value of your points may vary by location (and to make sure there are Hyatt hotels with rooms available there).
• When are you going to stay? Room prices go up during peak hours. Because Hyatt uses fixed rates (rather than dynamic rates) for awarding rooms, you can significantly increase the value of your points by booking rooms during peak hours – if you can find rooms available.
• How flexible are you? The Hyatt program is extremely beneficial for flexible travelers. If you can adjust your travel dates and are open to multiple destinations, you can find great values ​​for your points.
• How far away is your date of stay? If you book rooms closer to the date of your stay, this can also increase the value of your points, as the room rate tends to decrease as you get closer to the first night of your stay. On the other hand, you will probably also have a hard time finding available rooms if you book too close to the first night of your stay.

How to calculate points

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

Points value = Reward value (in dollars) / Number of points

The resulting value will be an estimate. There are many factors that can affect the value of your points, such as the number of points you lose when you earn by paying for your stay with points instead of cash, the lowest possible room rate you can get by checking on rates over time (because rates fluctuate), the lowest room rate you can get by browsing other hotels and hotel websites, and so on.

But when comparing hotel loyalty programs and trying to determine if Hyatt Points are worth your money, this formula should help you along the way.

How flexible are Hyatt points?

While Hyatt Points offer exceptional value, they lack flexibility. Compared to its competitors, Hyatt has relatively few properties in 1,150 hotels in 70 countries, which affects the availability of rooms for redemption.

You might find them harder to use than the hotel program average score, especially if you’re hoping to stay in a luxury resort. Here’s a breakdown of the pros and cons:

pros

• Hyatt Points do not expire as long as your account remains open.
• Hyatt is an international hotel chain with very good hotels in many different countries.
• Lower category Hyatt properties are plentiful and of very good quality.
• In many hotels, you can pay for rooms both with points and in cash, and this is often beneficial.
• Because Hyatt uses a fixed rewards table, you can get exceptional value from your points by booking rooms at popular times or locations (if available to you).

Minuses

• Although Hyatt allows you to transfer points to 26 partner airlines.
• Points cannot be exchanged for cashback.
• Hyatt does not have as large a hotel chain as the two largest chains, Marriott and Hilton.
• There are a very limited number of luxury hotels.
• Hyatt Points are hard to earn – Hyatt currently only offers one consumer signup bonus card – and there are limited opportunities to earn Points that are not related to spending at the hotel. (For example, Hyatt does not have a shopping portal or food rewards program.)
• While Hyatt does not officially have blackout dates for Standard Rooms, some properties (particularly upscale properties and properties in popular locations) categorize Standard Rooms in such a way that awards cannot be found during peak hours. In addition, some properties are booked so quickly (a year in advance) that there are no available rooms at all. In fact, it may be difficult or impossible for you to redeem points for certain destinations.

Should I buy Hyatt points?

We estimate that Hyatt Points are worth it for the average traveler if you have the flexibility and are not in the mood to stay in a particular location where availability is limited. The World of Hyatt program is especially useful for intermediate travelers. You can actually increase your scores in the lower hotel categories that most Hyatt hotels represent, and you’ll find that category 1-3 Hyatt hotels are slightly more luxurious than average.

bottom line

It’s worth doing some research with the World of Hyatt program, especially before taking the plunge with an annual fee credit card. You need to make sure that World of Hyatt matches your travel patterns and that you can redeem points for the places you want to visit.

If the limited Hyatt chain isn’t right for you, you might be better off pledging your loyalty to a larger hotel program like Hilton or Marriott. Or you could consider a flexible points program like Chase Ultimate Rewards.

Robin Ratcliffe is a former ratings and reviews reporter for CreditCards.com.