Legacy Hyatt Card Will Convert to World of Hyatt Visa
The legacy Hyatt credit card is a card that many people still have, even though it has not been available for new applications for more than two years. One of the reasons for keeping this card is that the annual fee is only $75, $20 cheaper than the World of Hyatt Visa, and you still get a free night certificate annually.
The card also earns 3x points at Hyatt hotels, 2x points on dining, airlines and car rentals and 1 point on all other purchases. As long as you have the card, you get Hyatt Discoverist status, and Hyatt Explorist status if you spend at least $50,000 in a calendar year.
Update 11/18/20: Hyatt reached out to let us know that the conversion will happen January 11, 2021.
Legacy Hyatt Card Going Away
If you still have the legacy Hyatt credit card, it will soon be converted to the World of Hyatt Visa automatically in November. The information comes from Waller’s Wallet. Cardholders will likely receive a notification about the switch soon.
The World of Hyatt Visa is a great card for people that regularly stay at Hyatt hotels and value their elite status. We have ranked it as the best co-branded hotel credit card this year. And you are paying only $20 more every year.
However, for people that only want that free anniversary night for $75, this could be bad news.
Comparison Chart
Consolation Prize
As a special thank you, existing Hyatt Credit Cardmembers can earn a free night at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel when they spend $4,000 on their card from October 27 through December 31, 2020. Cardmembers have until November 30, 2020 to register here for the promotion. Additionally, eligible Hyatt and World of Hyatt Credit Cardmembers can earn extra Bonus Points on everyday purchases through December 31, 2020. This includes 5 total Bonus Points for every $1 spent on Amazon.com, and 3 total Bonus Points for every $1 spent at grocery stores, on up to $1,500 in total combined purchases each month.
Conclusion
Waller’s Wallet has had reliable information in the past, so the automatic conversion should be coming. You need to decide for yourself whether the new card makes sense for you, but I think for most people that stay at Hyatt hotels get good value out of it.
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If I have existing free anniversary nights, will I lose them if I cancel the card to apply for the new card?
Nope – once the free nights are in your account they are tied to your Hyatt account and not the card.
Make sure bonus points/$4k spend free night post before you cancel the legacy Hyatt card if you’re taking advantage of the end of year offers. Not sure what the terms of the end of year offer say about cancelling the card. I suspect the extra free night cert will not post before 1/11.
Assuming the $35 retention credit was on the legacy card, that’s better than what I was offered (nothing) back on July 31; I canceled with the plan to apply for the WOH card with it’s new holder bonus once the bonus spending that is taking up our funds settles down.
Is there any downside to cancelling the old card (and applying for the new card with SUB)? The annual free night can still be used with a cancelled card, right? Some of us have 2 free annual nights with the covid extension on free night expiration dates.
Only downside is if you don’t get approved for the new one then you wouldn’t have either. But I think it is worth the risk.
If I cancel my old Hyatt card how long should I wait before applying for the new World of Hyatt card & bonus? Is it possible for my wife who also has the old Hyatt card to get a referral bonus referring me to the new card? Where would I look for that referral for her?
I would wait a few weeks at least for their system to update. I believe there is a referral for it. Just Google: Chase refer your card. Then plug in the card’s info and it should pull up an offer.
Are we going to get charged the annual fee difference when it gets converted?
I wouldn’t be surprised if it waited until the next annual fee billed but I don’t know for sure.
Can you please explain how you can apply for the new card while holding the old card? I thought the Chase website said you can only hold one card at a time. I would love to find a way to earn a welcome bonus before they convert the card, but I don’t want to cancel my current card.
You are correct, you can’t be a holder of legacy card and apply for the new card:
“The product is not available to either (i) current Cardmembers of any Hyatt Credit Card, or (ii) previous Cardmembers of any Hyatt Credit Card who received a new Cardmember bonus within the last 24 months.”
My mistake – I thought you could carry both (I think you could when it first launched but maybe I was confusing it with the IHG cards). I have updated the post…sorry for the confusion.
Right, it was only IHG. I still have both the IHG.
There was a brief period after the new Hyatt launched that there were still some lingering application links to the old Hyatt, and you could double dip the applications for both, but the new Hyatt always had the terms against holding an existing Hyatt card.
Guess I should have taken an upgrade bonus when it was available. 🙁
Don’t feel bad – it was only 5,000 points. Not a huge loss 🙂
Good point! Thanks for that reminder. It probably make sense to cancel the old and grab the sign up bonus on a new one. 🙂
That is what I would do 🙂
I called to cancel today and was given a $35 statement credit as a retention offer. I asked about the upcoming increased annual fee and was told it wouldn’t hit my card until the renewal date on my card.
Partial explanation of why no retention offer when I closed legacy card July 31. For once, ahead of the curve!
I have heard of some on the WoH version so that could be why for sure.