World of Hyatt Changes Announced for 2019
I will say Hyatt does not sit still. They have been tweaking the World of Hyatt program since launching a few years ago. It was dead on arrival when it was launched but they improved a lot of areas earlier this year. Well they are not finished, they announced some new changes today that launch March 1, 2019. I think there are some positives to this new set up but it comes with 2 big negatives.
Details
Hyatt is adding what they dub “Milestone Rewards”. These are simply new levels where you earn perks. These levels are more spread out than the old Elite levels were. One sly change is that nothing will be earned based on reaching Elite Status anymore. That is considered a separate achievement and the milestones are what get you the goodies. Here is the new list of Milestone Rewards:
As you can see none of the perks you could earn last year are going away. Some are just being issued sooner. This is nice for people that are stuck in between Explorist and Globalist status. They can pick up bonus points or a Hyatt gift card at 40 nights. Also people who only get to 20 nights but fall short of 30 get some lounge access now etc. It has become easier to get the perks of staying with Hyatt. And I believe the 40 night perk is completely new and is in addition to everything that was already there. The rest looks like the perks of reaching status simply spread out and made easier to obtain.
I have also confirmed that World of Hyatt credit card 5 night credits and the 2 nights earned per $5,000 in spend will count towards the milestones.
Link to Changes
What About The Bad Stuff?
I did say there were two bad things that come with these changes and the first one was hinted at above and directly affects me. Hyatt has separated Elite status from the perks that come with it by creating these Milestone Rewards. That means that status matches, like MGM Mlife to Hyatt status, no longer brings the suite perks along with it. You have to actually earn the 20 and 30 nights to get them. I assume a challenge may bring the same results as well. You will still earn the bonus points and automatic upgrades etc. but there is no easy way to get the perks for free anymore.
The second bad thing is they are moving the goal line for all Globalists back to 60 nights. Currently if you are a reoccurring Globalist then you only had to get to 55 nights. That will be changing once again next year.
They also say that if you hurry to get Explorist status before March 31, 2019 you will get the 4 lounge access certs but you won’t get them again after March 31st. So there is no way to double dip that and I know some of you were probably considering it.
This will be the final year that old Hyatt cardholders can earn Explorist perks by spending $50,000 on their card as well. You can still earn it by spending $65,000 on the new World of Hyatt credit card which would give you 30 elite night credits.
Conclusion
I am happy to see Hyatt make it easier to rack up perks for those loyal to their brand. And I am glad that they are not only keeping all of the old perks but adding a new one in. This new system also offers people stuck in-between 30 and 60 nights perks to shoot for.
Removing the backdoor way into status perks will hurt some of us though for sure. And adding that 5 nights back on to Globalist status is tough. Many just barely get to 55 so I foresee some 5,000 a night Hyatt Place bookings happening next December for sure.
You can still use the World of Hyatt card to bridge the gap. Everyone should be spending at least $15,000 a year on it which will next you a free night (cat 1-4) and 11 night credits.
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Hyatt is launching the new program from March 1, 2019. Does it mean that it counts for stays accumulated from March 1, 2019… Or, do the stays count from January 1, 2019? Thank you
It is kind of a two part answer as I understand it. If you hit 30 or 60 nights before March 1st you will get everything you would have earned in the past since you hit the thresholds before the change but won’t earn anything after March 1 (like the lounge certs for hitting 20 nights etc.). You would still get that 70 and 80 night perks etc.
If you have 15 nights before March first that should count towards the new system after March 1st. You will get 2 lounge certs after 5 more stays when you hit 20 etc.
That is how I have understood it.
I liked being a Diamond much better. The thing that hurt me the most this year was my concierge ignoring me, and moving the suite upgrade expiration from Feb 28 to date of achievement and actual upgrade only good to expirations
I know a lot of people miss the old system.
How long do I have to use the free night Hyatt certificates?
12 months from the day they are issued
I’m going to achieve Globalist by end of February due to the fast track Challenge. 20 nights in 90 days, nearly all of them points stays which now count. Many of my upcoming nights will be at high end Park Hyatts. I am 2 for 2 in getting suite upgrades and am now addicted to Globalist status. $160 free breakfast and suite at Park Hyatt NYC will do that to you!
The only way I can keep it next year is to upgrade my WOF credit card to the higher end one and do a combination of $5k spends that earn 2 Elite Nights each, and a big mattress run at tier 1 properties when a point rebate promotion is announced sometime in 2019.
As far as spending the $5k goes, can anyone tell me how that works calendar wise for 2019? As in, charges made in 2018 but statement closes in 2019 will count toward that $5k? Office depot and Staples both have Visa Gift Card deals going on right now! LOL
Chris I am just guessing here but my theory would be if you finish the 5K chunk in 2019 then it would count for 2019. So if you spend $4,000 in December and $1000 in January you would get the 2 nights next year. I am not sure how else it could work.
However I am not sure if it matters when the statement closes. I know that is how it works for points but I have a feeling it may not be the same for elite night credit. So if you spent 5K before Jan 1 but after your Dec statement closed that may count towards 2018. I would just keep it under $5000 to be safe and finish it off in Jan.
That scared me. But thankfully as a non elite this doesn’t affect me.
That is true – no worries there. Although if you have the WOH credit card and put 15K of spend on it you would only need to have 9 award stays in a year to get 2 lounge certs which I think is a real possibility/plus for most non elites.
As a renewing Globalist, I’d say that these changes pretty much balance out overall. The one thing that I find really distressing is that the club lounge awards can’t be exchanged for something of actual worth to me, or maybe Hyatt could make them transferable, so someone else could use them on a paid stay.
That is true – if you are continuously Globalist they are completely worthless to you. And for booking other people you can make a guest of honor booking for them so it doesn’t even really help there. Good point Christian.
[…] Mark at Miles To Memories has noted that these changes also appear to impact on the awards you receive when status matching from M life. At the moment, you earn four Club Lounge awards when matching to Explorist status, but Hyatt’s announcement states that (my bolding): […]
I’ve been in the points and miles game very actively for around 6 years. Here is one thing that keeps nagging me: It makes me feel poor. Why? Because is figuring out how to get Lounge Access or a Suite upgrade such a big deal that is worth spending a lot of my valuable time on? It makes me feel poor because if I was rich I wouldn’t waste my time trying to get these perks and just pay for them. I have a friend who is wealthy and he couldn’t care less about points and miles. The irony is that because he is so rich he gets all of these perks and benefits given to him for free. It’s amazing all of the free stuff he gets from companies that appreciate his business. Companies will send limos to pick him up at the airport, pay for a suite at a Five Star hotel, take him to dinner at very expensive restaurants etc. I have to laugh and cry at the same time seeing people posting ways to save $10 from buying gift cards. How sad that saving $10 on a gift card is worth pursuing. I am not rich, just average financially. I am thankful for the points and miles games because of the amazing deals it has enabled me to acquire. I am able to do things that rich people do even though I’m not rich and it is wonderful ( Like flying first class on SQ, CS, BA, JAL, and getting wonderful Suite upgrades etc). Nevertheless, the points and miles game makes me feel like I am playing a poor man’s game because I am not able to just go out and pay for the things I get from points and miles. Sorry for posting something off topic.
Thanks for sharing Jacob.
I think there are a lot of very wealthy people that play the miles and points game. Why do you think there are Centurion cards etc. Why do they pay for $50 M paintings with their Amex card etc. Sure it is easier than transferring funds etc but they also like the points.
They probably don’t go for the smaller deals like we do but they are in it as well. Rich people don’t get rich by spending money they don’t have to.
I think many of us, myself included, just find playing the game enjoyable. I go for the gift card deals etc. because it is fun to watch the miles rack up for something that doesn’t cost me anything or pays me for it etc. I was able to save over $200 on my carpet installation using the tips and tricks I figured out playing this game so there are real benefits as well.
Maybe the game is no longer fun for you and that is normal – for things to become tiresome. Maybe you need a break or just don’t see the need to chase the smaller deals any more – the juice isn’t worth the squeeze so to say. A lot of people get to that place after doing it for a few years. Not sure if my rambling makes any sense but thanks again for sharing :).
Thanks for your comments Mark. I appreciate it.
Yeah, maybe I just need to take a break 🙂
The truth is, the points and miles hobby has made a huge difference in my quality of life and I have been able to get many great deals as a result of it. I too enjoy getting great deals. I follow the boards daily. Last month I got 7,119 chase points from $426 spend. Like you, I can go on and on about the great deals I get. I also love to watch my points and miles grow and have a very sophisticated worksheet to track it. Maybe because the initial thrill/excitement of the game has gone tepid that I notice things that I didn’t before. I’ve flown business and first class often enough that in the few instances that I do fly economy class I am perfectly fine with it – none of the classes are a big deal anymore for me.
Yes, rich people like to get good deals too. In fact, they seem to be chasing them a lot, even when they don’t need to. Maybe its because they don’t need to chase good deals that they do so. I shared with a wealthy client what a great card the new AMEX Gold is and they happily got it (through my referral link of course) and are very excited about the many benefits. However, knowing their financial situation, they don’t need the card at all. Thanks for reading. I read your blog all the time – keep up the good work and thanks for sharing all your tips and insights.
My pleasure Jacob – I am here to be a sounding board anytime you need one 🙂
Sometimes the joy of things just wears thin and stepping away for a bit brings it back. May be worth a try.