Get Started

Learn more about Credit Cards, Travel Programs, Deals, and more.

Can Status Matched Explorists Earn 8 Lounge Certificates This Year?

This post may contain affiliate links - Advertiser Disclosure. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Can Status Matched Explorists Earn 8 Lounge Certificates
Hyatt Regency Bloomington – Minneapolis Club Lounge breakfast.

Can Status Matched Explorists Earn 8 Lounge Certificates This Year?

I saw an interesting data point on lounge access certs over at Middle Aged Miles. If you remember I discussed how status matching from MGM Gold (or higher) to Hyatt Explorist would get you 4 lounge certs.  But you had to do it before March 1st because of the World of Hyatt program changes. With these changes it would no longer possible to earn lounge certs via status matching, you would have to put in the nights.  Hyatt also said that if you earn the 4 lounge certificates before March you would be ineligible from earning the 4 for reaching 20 and 30 nights (2 at each milestone) during the year.  It appears that may not be the case.

Could You End Up With 8 Lounge Certs?

We all know that things don’t always work the way the rules intend them to.  I had hoped that would be the case for the IHG 20% points purchase discount but it wasn’t. It seems that it is the case this time around, and it is working in our favor.

Craig recently completed 20 stays with Hyatt and he also did the status match at the beginning of the year.  He received 4 lounge certs when completing the status match but he was just awarded 2 more certs for reaching 20 nights on the year.  That was not the way it was supposed to work. It does seem likely that he will get 2 more certs at 30 nights too. That would give him a total of 8 lounge certs earned this year.  The great thing is that World of Hyatt Lounge certs have generous expiration dates. They last for close to two years.  That makes these extra certs pretty valuable.

Conclusion

This doesn’t appear to be the way World of Hyatt intended for the program to work.  Will they adjust this or just let it go?  That remains to be seen.  But if it works out in our favor going forward that could be a nice bonus for many of us.  Lounge access can be a huge money saver at places like the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar.

Source: Middle Aged Miles

Disclosure: Miles to Memories has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Miles to Memories and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.

 Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is the old king of travel rewards cards. Right now bonus_miles_full

Learn more about this card and its features!


Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Mark Ostermann
Mark Ostermann
Mark Ostermann is a father, husband and miles/points fanatic. He left the corporate world after starting a family in order to be a stay at home dad. Mark is constantly looking at ways to save money and stay within budget while also taking awesome vacations with his family. When he isn't caring for his family or taking a weekend trip, Mark is working towards his goal of visiting every Major League Baseball ballpark.

Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

4 COMMENTS

  1. Hi Mark – Many thanks for the shout out. I’d add to my DP from the article by saying that I received an email from Hyatt confirming the 2 additional Club access awards earned at 20 nights. I’ll add a screenshot of the email to my article when we get home from Italy in a couple of days. You’re right, the Club access awards can make all the difference at some of the top-end Hyatts.

    • Saved my wife close to $100 a day when her and her friend were in Nassau. Awesome value and worth chasing if you know you will use them in some expensive places for sure.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Related

7,703FansLike
9,903FollowersFollow
16,444FollowersFollow