Hyatt’s New Award Chart Raises Points Prices for Most Nights
Hyatt will add two new award pricing tiers, raising peak prices while lowering some off-season rates.
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World of Hyatt is overhauling its beloved award chart, a published set of points prices that members can expect to pay when they book a stay with Hyatt points. The good news is that Hyatt’s award chart isn’t going away completely, but there will be new tiers of pricing that will make many stays cost more points.
Starting May 2026, Hyatt’s award chart will evolve from three levels of pricing based on demand (off-peak, standard and peak) to five (Lowest, Low, Moderate, Upper and Top). While a few hotels will get cheaper at the lowest levels, hotels during moderate and high-demand days will get more expensive. The five new tiers also apply to the all-inclusive resort award charts.
In addition, Hyatt announced several other changes on Feb. 25, 2026, including the ability to transfer points digitally and giving World of Hyatt credit cardholders and elite status members early access to award night availability.
Here’s what you need to know about the changes.
Hyatt’s new award chart in 2026
Here is Hyatt’s new award chart.
Compare that to the current Hyatt award chart, which will be decommissioned in May.
Hyatt’s all-inclusive resorts will also undergo a similar pricing shift with five new redemption levels.
Miraval Resorts, one of the Hyatt all-inclusive brands, has its own award chart that will also get the five-tier pricing treatment.
The new pricing goes into effect for bookings in May 2026.
Hyatt will release its annual hotel category changes in April, where individual properties may be reclassified into a different category. Hyatt also said that the transition to Upper and Top category pricing for high-demand nights will be gradual, with a limited number of nights moving into the Upper and Top tiers in 2026. Broader adoption will follow in future years.
What to know about Hyatt’s award chart changes
Some hotels just got cheaper: Category 1, 2 and 3 hotels (the cheapest in Hyatt’s portfolio) will drop by about 500 to 1,000 points on some nights. This could mean new sweet spots for off-season travelers.
Prices are increasing on peak nights: The new top redemption level shows significant increases across nearly every category.
Here’s how the maximum prices will change:
- Category 1: 6,500 becomes 9,000 points (+38%).
- Category 2: 9,500 becomes 15,000 points (+58%).
- Category 3: 15,000 becomes 20,000 points (+33%).
- Category 4: 18,000 becomes 25,000 points (+39%).
- Category 5: 23,000 becomes 35,000 points (+52%).
- Category 6: 29,000 becomes 40,000 points (+38%).
- Category 7: 35,000 becomes 55,000 points (+57%).
- Category 8: 45,000 becomes 75,000 points (+67%).
The most striking shift comes to the Category 8 hotels, which are the fanciest, most expensive hotels in Hyatt’s portfolio, including popular Hyatts like the all-inclusive Alila Ventana Big Sur (which is not part of the all-inclusive award chart), Everline Resort and Spa Lake Tahoe and the Park Hyatt Kyoto.
There’s a wider range of award prices: Previously, a Category 8 hotel ranged from 35,000 to 45,000 points per night, meaning there was only a 10,000-point difference between the most expensive and the least expensive nights. Under the new chart, it ranges from 35,000 to 75,000 points — a 40,000-point spread. That can make it harder to predict how many points you’ll need for an award stay at a given property.
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Is Hyatt’s award chart going away?
World of Hyatt has long stood out for maintaining a published award chart, instead of moving to fully dynamic points pricing like other hotel loyalty programs. Dynamic pricing makes award prices harder to predict because they can fluctuate wildly depending on the cash rate.
For its part, Hyatt says it remains committed to keeping an award chart rather than going fully dynamic.
“We hear and know that having a published award chart is a real differentiator for us,” says Chief Marketing Officer Laurie Blair, noting that Hyatt is the only global hospitality loyalty program that has one. “We are firmly committed to maintaining an award chart for transparency.”
With five redemption levels per category and significantly wider pricing ranges, the system — while still an award chart — now resembles dynamic pricing more closely than before.
Is this a devaluation?
Hyatt’s award chart changes are likely going to be a major devaluation for the program. Currently, NerdWallet values Hyatt points at 1.8 cents each, making it the most valuable hotel rewards currency we’ve reviewed by a wide margin. The next most valuable currency is Marriott Bonvoy points, worth 0.8 cent each.
Because Hyatt's standard and peak pricing are moving to Moderate, Upper and Top pricing, most travelers will likely see the value of their Hyatt points go down if they’re traveling during normal or busy times.
People looking to book some of Hyatt’s luxury and all-inclusive properties will likely feel the biggest impact.
However, some budget travelers who mostly redeem at lower-category hotels during off-season travel may spend the same or fewer points on their award stays.
Hyatt members can now transfer points digitally
In other changes to World of Hyatt, members can now send points to another member through the Hyatt website. Previously, transfers required filling out a PDF form, emailing or mailing it back to Hyatt, and waiting for processing.
Easier transfers make it simpler for families or couples to pool points toward a larger redemption.
» Learn more: Is the World of Hyatt Credit Card worth the annual fee?
Some members get early access to award nights
World of Hyatt Credit Card holders, along with Explorists, Globalists and Lifetime Globalists, will receive one month of early access to award night availability, meaning they can book rooms on points a month before they're available to everyone else.
At properties where award space is highly competitive, early access could be valuable. It may allow elite members and cardholders to secure rooms before general members see availability, particularly at the new higher “Top” redemption level.
How World of Hyatt members should think about the changes
- If you’ve been eyeing a high-end Hyatt redemption, especially in Categories 7 or 8, consider booking before the new pricing takes effect in May.
- Be flexible with travel dates to take advantage of the new “Lowest” and “Low” redemption levels.
- If you’re a frequent Hyatt guest, consider the value of holding a World of Hyatt Credit Card or chasing Hyatt elite status for those early access benefits.
How to maximize your rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2026:
- Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- No annual fee: Wells Fargo Autograph® Card
- Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
- Luxury perks: American Express Platinum Card®
- Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
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