6 Things to Know Before Joining World of Hyatt

Whether you’re a frequent traveler or you’re just booking your first hotel, it often makes sense to join a loyalty program. Why? Because hotels reward you for your stays, no matter how much you travel. World of Hyatt membership is no exception.

Let’s take a look at what you should know before joining Word Of Hyatt, including its reward program, the elite benefits it offers and how to earn points.

What to know before pursuing World of Hyatt membership

1. It’s free

Probably one of the most important things to know is that signing up for a World of Hyatt membership is free. The sign-up process is simple; you’ll just need to navigate to Hyatt’s registration page, enter your information and choose a password.

Once you’ve signed up, you’ll have access to your online account and be provided with a World of Hyatt account number. You’ll want to keep this handy.

» Learn more: Which hotel elite status should you pursue this year?

2. Immediate benefits

Not only is it free to become a member, but Hyatt also begins rewarding you instantly for joining. That’s right — you don’t even need to have stayed a single night before you begin to see the benefit of signing up.

Once you’re a member of World of Hyatt, multiple benefits immediately come into play, including up to a 10% discount on room rates, waived resort fees on award stays and the chance to earn 5x points per dollar spent at Hyatt hotels.

» Learn more: Hyatt sweet spots — no blackout dates, all-inclusive resorts and more

3. It has an award chart

Unlike most other hotel chains these days, Hyatt maintains an award chart for all its properties. This means that when you want to use your reward points for a stay, you’ll pay a fixed price according to demand. This predictability makes it easy to map out the cost of future redemptions.

In total, there are eight category levels:

Members pay the fewest points for off-peak dates, and rates increase for both standard or peak dates. You can also redeem points for all room types. There are separate charts for standard rooms, rooms with club level access, standard suites and premium suites.

» Learn more: The NerdWallet guide to the World of Hyatt award chart

4. There are Hyatt credit cards

Hyatt has two different co-branded credit cards: the World of Hyatt Credit Card and the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card. One of these cards is for consumers while the other is directed toward small businesses.

These credit cards give you the ability to earn Hyatt points on every purchase, though the amount you’ll earn will depend on which card you hold and the category of purchase for the item you’re paying for. You’ll earn the most points when using either card to pay for stays at Hyatt hotels.

These points stack on top of the points you’ll earn as a member of World of Hyatt; this means that if you used your World of Hyatt Credit Card to pay for a stay at a Hyatt hotel, you’ll earn 9x points per dollar spent — 5x points as a member and 4x additional points by using your credit card.

» Learn more: Is the World of Hyatt Credit Card worth the annual fee?

5. Hyatt’s elite status is very rewarding

Remember how we mentioned that hotels like to reward loyalty? Nowhere is this more true than with Hyatt. Although Hyatt has fewer hotels than, say, Hilton or Marriott, Hyatt makes up for this lack of properties with elite status benefits.

You can see this most visibly with Globalist elite status, Hyatt’s top-tier status. Globalist members enjoy a variety of perks, including:

• Waived resort fees on all stays (cash or points).

• Complimentary premium internet.

• Room upgrades, including suites, upon check-in.

• 4 p.m. check out.

• Free parking on award nights.

• Complimentary breakfast for up to two adults and two children.

• Executive club access.

When combined, the monetary value of these benefits can be quite high. After all, if a family of four receives a room upgrade, free breakfast and free parking, your perks can easily exceed upwards of $100 per night.

Members also receive milestone rewards, which are based on the number of nights you stay per year. Starting at 20 nights, you’ll be able to choose from one-off rewards such as free night certificates, Hyatt gift cards, suite night awards or bonus points.

» Learn more: Which hotel elite status should you pursue this year?

6. You can earn Hyatt points with Chase credit cards

There are many different ways to earn Hyatt points. We’ve already talked about earning them by staying at hotels and using a Hyatt credit card, but did you know that other credit cards can also earn Hyatt points?

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® and the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card are two options that have this ability. Although these cards earn Chase Ultimate Rewards®, you can easily convert your points over to Hyatt points at a 1:1 ratio. This means that one Chase point becomes one Hyatt point.

What’s the benefit of choosing one of these cards over a Hyatt card? As a flexible point currency, you can use your Chase points in a number of different ways. Don’t want to spend them at Hyatt hotels? Book a cruise through the Chase travel portal instead.

But if you’re looking to earn Hyatt points for your stays, these Chase cards can offer a much simpler (and in some cases, more rewarding) way to build your stash.

» Learn more: The best ways to earn Hyatt Points

More resources

Hotel rewards program membership may feel overwhelming to newcomers. At NerdWallet, we’ve broken down the basics so you can make the smartest money move for you:

• Questions to ask before joining a hotel loyalty program.

• The pros and cons of joining multiple hotel loyalty programs.

• How to choose the best hotel loyalty program for you.

• The quick start guide to points and miles.

Want to learn more about the World of Hyatt? These articles will put you on the right path.

• The complete guide to World of Hyatt.

• What is the value of a Hyatt point?

• The best hotel loyalty programs this year.

• What to know about the World of Hyatt Credit Card.

There's no reason not to join if you stay at Hyatt hotels

Joining a loyalty program is almost always a good idea. This is the case with airlines, rental car companies and most especially hotels.

World of Hyatt membership is attractive since the company rewards its members handsomely, even if you rarely frequent their properties. Given that it’s free to sign up, there’s really no reason not to join the hotel's loyalty program to take advantage of points earning and discounted stays.

Photo courtesy of Hyatt.