Upgrading to the New World of Hyatt Credit Card Details
I have seen some conflicting data points from people who have called in to upgrade their old Hyatt credit card to the new World of Hyatt credit card. Some Chase phone reps are telling them their anniversary date will change to the upgrade date (see Pauline’s comments). Others are telling them it should stay the same (PJ’s Comment). So which is it?
Why This Matters
This is important mainly because of the anniversary “free” night. If it upgrading to the World of Hyatt credit card resets your anniversary date then you could miss out on an anniversary night.
Let’s say your cardmember anniversary is in September and you upgrade now and your anniversary was reset to July you would miss out on that September free night and would pay two annual fees before receiving your certificate. This is what Chase phone reps are telling some people.
Others are being told that everything stays the same and they will get their anniversary night on the regular anniversary date.
Which One is It?
To be honest I don’t know. It sounds like Chase doesn’t know either at this point. If I had to guess I would say that the anniversary date will stay the same. In every other instance when I have done a product change the anniversary date has remained the same.
This is what happened when I have done the Hilton Honors upgrade and downgrade cycle. I was charged a prorated annual fee when upgrading and prorated refund when downgrading. I know that is a different provider but it is the system that makes most sense.
If you are keeping the same account but just going to a different product everything else should remain the same, including the credit card number.
Conclusion
It seems like Chase is making this overly complicated and did a poor job instructing their front line employees. I would bet that everything will remain the same and the anniversary date will go unchanged. If you have some inside information or a data point please share in the comments section.
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.
TYVM
My pleasure
What, exactly, is an anniversary year? If I just got the card, and spend 15,000 this year, do I get 2 nights on my first anniversary? …..and can I theoretically get another night if I stay at 5 different Hyatt properties? Just curious.
Anniversary is based on the day you were approved for the card. So if Aug 14th then you have until Aug 14th of 2019 to spend the $15,000. You should get the free night whenever the spend is complete you don’t need to wait until the following Aug 14th to get it. You automatically get one every year after paying the annual fee as well. So if you timed your spend where you completed it at the very end of your anniversary year then you could get two free nights at about the same time.
When I upgraded on Sunday the agent said that my anniversary date would change to the date of the upgrade, that a new annual fee would be levied and what remained of the annual fee I paid in March would be refunded (pro-rata). I got her to repeat this a few times, because it means that the anniversary free night will move for me from March to July.
Thanks for the DP. I think that is so unfair to current card holders.
@Mark – Thoughts on wording below in the offer terms? Authorized user spend counts towards $15k too, right? I would think so especially because Chase authorized user cards are indistinguishable from the primary user.
“If you, as the primary cardmember, spend at least $15,000 in purchases during an Anniversary Year, you will receive a Free Night Award good for one (1) night in any available standard room at any Hyatt hotel or resorts designated as Category 1 through 4 under the World of Hyatt program.”
I would think it would since it is on the account and like you said the AU cards are exactly the same.
DP : last Thursday, I’ve requested for the upgrade, which happened right away. Coincidentally, there was an annual fee that was assessed few days ago for the old Hyatt $75.
Over the weekend, I’ve noticed that they have credited me the 5 elite nights. Today, which is Monday, my $75 annual fee was credited back to me.
Thanks for the info
Assuming anniversary dates remain the same when upgrading, how is $15k spend tracked the first year? For example, if my anniversary is in September and I’ve already spend $15k this year, will I receive the additional free night?
They have been telling people previous spend won’t count. I think that may be a reason they would change the anniversary date. Hasn’t been well thought out so far imo.