The Hyatt Visa is a Visa Signature rewards card marketed towards people who frequently stay at Hyatt Hotels and Resorts when they travel. There is a new card member bonus currently being offered and the first year’s annual membership fee is also waived – a savings of $75. The card is issued by JPMorgan Chase.
The Hyatt Portfolio of Brands consists of 599 properties located in 50 countries. Each hotel provides exceptional service, upscale amenities, popular food and beverage programs, and innovative interior designs which incorporate local style and art. The Hyatt brands are:
| Hotel Type: Full-service | Number of Properties | Locations |
| Hyatt Hotels | 60+ | 8 countries |
| Hotel Type: Focus-service | Number of Properties | Locations |
| Hyatt Place | 205+ | U.S. |
| Hyatt House | 60+ | U.S. |
| Hotel Type- Boutique | Number of Properties | Locations |
| Andaz | 12 | 6 countries |
| Hotel Type: All-inclusive | Number of Properties | Locations |
| Hyatt Zilara (adults only) | 2 | 2 countries |
| Hyatt Ziva | 3 | 2 countries |
| Hotel Type: Luxury | Number of Properties | Locations |
| Hyatt Regency | 161 | 33 countries |
| Park Hyatt | 37 | 23 countries |
| Grand Hyatt | 50 | 22 countries |
Upon approval for the Hyatt Visa, new account holders can earn two Free Night Awards good at any Hyatt Hotel or Resort worldwide or at participating M life resorts in Las Vegas. To be eligible for this new member bonus, you must make at least $1,000 in net purchases on the card within the first three months that your account is open. Net purchases are the total amount of transactions minus any credits and returns. Balance transfers, cash advances, and cash-like transactions such as traveler’s checks, foreign currency, and money orders do not qualify as purchases. Any and all fees are also excluded. Each Free Night Award is valid for one year from the date it is issued and is based on standard room availability. Free Night Awards at Hyatt Zilara or Hyatt Ziva are for single or double occupancy only. Once you qualify for the new member bonus, it may take up to 10 days for the Award(s) to post to your Hyatt Gold Passport account. Note: This bonus offer is not available to current cardholders or card members who have received any type of new account holder bonus within the last 24 months.
The Hyatt Visa gives members the opportunity to earn Hyatt Gold Passport points at the following rates:
- 3X for every $1 spent at all Hyatt properties when using the card
- 2X for every $1 spent at restaurants, on airline tickets purchased directly from the airline, and at car rental agencies
- 1X for every $1 spent on all other purchases made with the card
There is no cap on the amount of points you can earn with the Hyatt Visa.
Card members have a variety of options when redeeming Hyatt Gold Passport points. Free Night Awards are available for as little as 5,000 points (a Category 1 hotel-standard room). Points can also be used for room upgrades. For example, 3,000 points (in combination with paid nights) will get you a Regency/Grand Club Upgrade and 6,000 points will get you a Suite Upgrade. Additionally, points can be redeemed for Dining and Spa services at participating Hyatt properties world-wide. Note: All upgrades and services are based on availability.
The following redemption chart shows how many points are needed:
| Free Night Award Category | Standard Room | Regency Club/ Grand Club | Suite |
| 1 | 5,000 | 7,000 | 8,000 |
| 2 | 8,000 | 12,000 | 13,000 |
| 3 | 12,000 | 17,000 | 20,000 |
| 4 | 15,000 | 21,000 | 24,000 |
| 5 | 20,000 | 27,000 | 32,000 |
| 6 | 25,000 | 33,000 | 40,000 |
| 7 | 30,000 | 39,000 | 48,000 |
For redemption purposes, Hyatt lists its hotels and resorts by category, 1-7. Category 1 includes less expensive properties such as Hyatt Place and Hyatt House (depending on location). Categories 6 and 7 consist of Hyatt’s higher-end, luxury hotels and resorts.
Cardholders also earn one free night at a Category 1-4 property every year on the anniversary date of your account being opened.
All members automatically receive Platinum membership (which normally requires five qualifying stays or fifteen eligible nights per year). Platinum level benefits include:
- A 15% bonus for each stay
- Free in-room internet
- Access to preferred rooms (higher floors or larger rooms, when available)
- Ability to request late check-out (until 2 pm)
- Elite member area for faster check-in
Cardholders have the opportunity to earn credit towards Diamond status when using the Hyatt Visa. When you spend at least $20,000 in a calendar year, you receive two stay credits and five night credits towards Diamond level. Spend at least $40,000 in a calendar year and you earn an additional three stay credits and five night credits towards the Diamond level.
The annual percentage rate on purchases is 15.99% (variable) which is based on the Prime Rate. The APR for balance transfers is also 15.99%. In addition, a balance transfer fee of either $5 or 3% of the total transfer amount (whichever is greater) is applied to each balance transfer.
Card members also receive Visa Signature benefits. Some of these include:
- Purchase security
- Concierge service
- Extended warranty coverage
- Emergency card and cash replacement
There are no foreign transaction fees associated with this card when making purchases outside of the U.S.
The Hyatt Visa is chip-enabled which makes using the card easier and more secure when traveling internationally.
The annual fee for this card is $75 which is currently waived for the first year of membership.
The Facts
Below we have broken down the specific details of the Hyatt Visa to help you decide if it’s a good choice for you.
The Good:
Signup bonus:
New account holders are eligible to receive two free nights at any Hyatt property, worldwide. To qualify for this bonus, you have to make at least $1,000 in purchases on the card within the first three months that your card active. Other than this spending threshold, there are no other exclusions with this offer except that standard rooms must be available.
This is a great opportunity to get two nights free at one of Hyatt’s luxury hotels. (By comparison, the yearly anniversary-date free night award is only valid at Category 1-4 hotels.) For example, and these are estimates of average daily room rates, one night at the Hyatt 48 Lex in New York City would normally cost you $499 so a two night stay would be $998. With the signup bonus Free Night Awards, it’s free. Another choice might be the Park Hyatt Paris- Vendome. The average daily room rate is 730 Euros (or around $830) so two nights would equal $1660. Again, free with your signup bonus awards. Certain properties require you to pay a resort fee but overall, two free nights at a luxury Hyatt hotel (no matter the location) is a generous promotion.
Easy to earn points:
Card members earn Hyatt Gold Passport points at the following rates:
- 3X per dollar spent at Hyatt Hotels and Resorts
- 2X per dollar spent at restaurants, on airline tickets purchased directly through the airline and at car rental agencies
- 1X per dollar on all other transactions
Note: Points are earned on net purchases which excludes balance transfers, cash advances, fees, and cash-like purchases such as foreign currency, traveler’s checks, and money orders.
Automatic Platinum Elite Status:
As long as your account remains open and in good standing, as a Hyatt Visa member you automatically receive Platinum membership. Perks include:
- A 15% bonus for each stay
- Free in-room internet
- Access to preferred rooms (higher floors or larger rooms, when available)
- Ability to request late check-out (until 2 pm)
- Elite member area for fast check-in
Also, if you spend $20,000 in a calendar year you get two stays and five nights towards Diamond status. When you spend $40,000 in a calendar year, you get an additional three stay credits and five night credits.
Yearly Anniversary-date Free Night Award:
Each year on the date that your account was first opened you receive a Free Night Award which can be used at any Category 1-4 Hyatt Property. This Award is good for twelve months from the date of issuance and is based on standard room availability.
No foreign transaction fees:
Card members are not charged foreign transaction fees when making purchases outside of the U.S.
The Bad:
Annual fee:
The annual membership fee for this card is $75 which is waived for the first year.
Harder to qualify:
A good to very good credit score (720+FICO) is generally needed to be approved for the Hyatt Visa.
The Ugly:
This card delivers the most benefits to people who frequently stay at Hyatt Properties. The 3X points are earned on purchases at Hyatt Hotels and Resorts so if you don’t travel often and rarely use a Hyatt Property for your accommodations- this card may not be the best choice. Even the 2X points are aimed at frequent travelers- airline ticket and rental car purchases. If most of your spending goes towards everyday expenditures such as groceries or gasoline, a rewards card which offers a more generous return on those types of purchases makes more sense. Always consider your own spending habits when determining if a credit card is a good fit.