The World of Hyatt loyalty program lets you earn and redeem points for hotel stays around the world while also enjoying a lot of great program benefits. The Hyatt brand puts a strong focus on well-being, with amenities like Headspace meditation apps in some rooms, its partnership with Exhale Spas and its wellness-obsessed Miraval resorts.
World of Hyatt members can also take advantage of partnerships with companies like Lindblad Expeditions and Small Luxury Hotels of the World, vastly expanding the opportunities to use and earn points.
But World of Hyatt points aren’t just good for Hyatt hotel stays. You can transfer points to other programs, giving you even more flexibility in your travel plans. If you have some World of Hyatt points but you’re looking for other ways to use them, here are the places where you can transfer those points.
Transfer points to airline frequent flyer programs
World of Hyatt and American AAdvantage have a special partnership that delivers significant value for elite members. World of Hyatt elite members can earn 1 point for every dollar spent on flights. In reverse, American AAdvantage elite members earn 1 mile for every dollar spent on Hyatt stays. You must link your accounts to take advantage, and you should: Never pass up free points.
Any member can convert World of Hyatt points to one of its other airline partners (including American), in most cases at a ratio of 5 World of Hyatt points for 2 frequent flyer miles. You need at least 5,000 points to make a conversion, after which you can convert points in increments of 1,250. If you convert 50,000 or more points you’ll earn a 5,000-mile bonus.
The process is simple. Select your preferred airline on Hyatt’s website and follow the prompts to do the conversion online. The fine print warns it could take between six and eight weeks for miles to post to your account, though don’t be surprised if it happens faster. Still, this is not a great option for travelers who spot a prized award seat and want to redeem miles quickly before someone else grabs it. Also, converting points to miles doesn’t get you great value for your points. But it could be worth it for travelers who need a few thousand extra miles and are able to wait for them to post to their airline account.
A few of Hyatt’s airline partners have different points-to-miles conversions. For 5,000 Hyatt points, your transfers to these airlines are different than the standard 5 to 2 ratio: Aeromeixco (4,000), Air China (3,200), China Eastern (3,200), Virgin Atlantic (3,000), Qantas (2,400) and Southwest (2,400).
This is useful if you are close to getting an award ticket with one of Hyatt’s airline partners, but otherwise is not the best use of World of Hyatt points. Hyatt has plenty of Category 1 hotels that only require 5,000 points for a free stay, so the 2,000 airline miles you could get instead are a lot less valuable than a free night in an exciting new destination at one of the many new World of Hyatt hotels around the world.
Combine points with other members
Don’t have enough points in your account for a hotel stay? World of Hyatt allows you to combine your points with another member. But you can only transfer points if it helps you with an immediate award redemption. You cannot move points between accounts just to have them sit there. In addition, moving points between accounts is restricted to once every 30 days.
This type of points pooling is extremely valuable, and it is proof that you should never pass up on the opportunity to earn points or miles. Even if you only have a few points in your account (let’s say from a recent American Airlines flight you took where you earned World of Hyatt points, too), you can now combine them with another member to achieve a free award. It’s a generous way to keep members engaged, and for many travelers (especially families that may earn small pools of points in each person’s account from one trip), this could be a big win.
Transfer your elite perks to a “Guest of Honor”
World of Hyatt allows some members to transfer more than just points. Top-tier Globalist members can also transfer their elite perks through the Guest of Honor benefit when they gift a hotel award stay to a friend. To “temporarily assign” your status to someone else via the Guest of Honor benefit, you must call World of Hyatt. The stay must be booked as a points redemption using your account. You can’t transfer status perks on cash bookings or even points-and-cash bookings.
The traveler with your Guest of Honor status is treated like a Globalist during their stay. This comes with the expected perks that can include free breakfast or access to a club lounge, potential room or suite upgrades, late checkout based upon availability, no resort fee when paying an eligible rate and parking fee waivers on award redemptions. It is available at most World of Hyatt properties, but not at Hyatt Residence Club resorts.
The bottom line
By transferring your World of Hyatt points, you can put them to work in another award program. Just remember that you’ll get the most value out of your points when you redeem them for hotel stays or benefits with one of its many program partners.
Want to earn points faster to take advantage of these redemption opportunities? The World Of Hyatt Credit Card lets you earn points through everyday spending. You’ll earn bonus points when you use the card to pay for Hyatt stays. Through Aug. 31, World of Hyatt is giving double elite-qualifying nights to new members.
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