There are two kinds of people in this world: those who redeem credit card points for magazine subscriptions (oh, honey, no), and those who search for deals like it’s a sport. Guess which camp I’m in?

So let’s talk about why Hyatt points are basically as close as you can get to cold, hard cash—and sometimes even better. Recently, I stayed at the Andaz Papagayo in Costa Rica and paid for it in actual money (wild, I know), but because there was a 2x promo going on and I hold a Hyatt branded card, I ended up netting 50,000 Hyatt points for the stay.

If I play it right, I can use those for $2500+ in value, effectively getting me a 50% return. Here’s how:

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Step One: How to Book Your Stay

It’s important that you don’t book a stay through an OTA like Expedia or Priceline if you want full points. Since these platforms assess a fee to Hyatt, they don’t come with full points or extra perks.

You’ll want to book directly, either on the Hyatt website or through a Hyatt Prive advisor.

Hyatt Prive rates are a great way to get full points while also getting access to free breakfast, resort credits, potential room upgrades, early check in, and late check out.

For my stay at the Andaz Papagayo in Costa Rica, I booked a Prive rate through myself (I’m a travel advisor! You can always book through us for Prive rates), and was very pleased to have the breakfast and resort credit ($380 value). The hotel was fully booked so we didn’t get the upgrade this time, but the other perks were great, plus I got full points!

Step Two: Get Yourself a Hyatt Credit Card (If Possible)

Not all credit cards are created equal, and American readers will have better access to cards that really maximize points. Though you don’t need to hold a Hyatt credit card to earn Hyatt points, it does help you double down if you pay for your stay with a Hyatt branded card, earning 4 bonus points per $1 spent at Hyatt hotels and 5 base points per $1 spent as a World of Hyatt member. If you want to get in on the game, here are three Hyatt-branded cards to consider:

1. World of Hyatt Credit Card – A solid personal card that gives you a free night every year, plus a good earning rate at Hyatt properties.
2. World of Hyatt Business Credit Card – More on why this was my pick below.
3. Chase Sapphire Ink – Not Hyatt-branded, but transfers to Hyatt at a 1:1 ratio, which is excellent since Hyatt points stretch so much further than Marriott or Hilton points, and it has a 90k point welcome offer and a low annual fee. I love this card!

Read more about our favorite cards for building points fast here, and how we use them to fly business class, too!

But I Don’t Have a Business… Or Do I?

Here’s the thing about business credit cards: you don’t need to have an LLC or a giant corporation to qualify for one. If you babysit, sell stuff on Etsy, freelance, or even just make a little side income consulting, or a plan to start a business in the future, you can apply for a business card using your own name and Social Security number.

Why should you care? Because business cards don’t count toward Chase’s dreaded 5/24 rule (which limits you to opening five personal credit cards in 24 months). That means you can snag lucrative business card welcome offers without eating up a precious personal card slot. And as a bonus, business cards often have way better welcome offers and earning potential than their personal counterparts.

Step Three: How to Turn Hyatt Points into Pure Magic

Once you’ve got your stack of points, here’s where you could redeem them for incredible value:

• Alila Ventana Big Sur (45,000 points/night) – Normally $2,000+ per night in cash, but free with points. Also, it’s all-inclusive. This is basically the travel hacking Super Bowl, and is exactly how I used a mixture of Chase and Hyatt welcome offer points to book a stay for Garrett’s 40th birthday. We even got upgraded to a suite thanks to the automatic status with my Hyatt card!
• Park Hyatt St. Kitts (25,000 points/night) – A Caribbean paradise that normally goes for around $1000 per night.
• Grand Hyatt Kauai (34,000 points/night) – One of the best family-friendly Hawaii Hyatt redemptions in Hawaii, and it has lazy river vibes.
• Alila Ubud (8,000 points/night) – You could get a weeklong luxury Balinese jungle retreat for a fraction of a card welcome offer.
• Andaz Tokyo (30,000 points/night) – Japan isn’t cheap, but this is an incredible way to stay in style for points!

The same opportunities for spend and redemption are available even if you’re not playing in the luxury end of the hotel stay spectrum. Hyatt has redemptions in great midrange hotels for under 10k points, so regardless of what you’re spending and earning, you can still make this method work for you.

The Takeaway

Hyatt points are, without a doubt, one of the best way to squeeze insane value out of your travel budget. Whether you’re racking up points with a well-timed paid stay, or leveraging the right credit card strategy, this is the program to focus on if you want luxury travel without luxury prices.

And for the love of all that is good, please don’t redeem your points for a magazine subscription.

Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included on this website.

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