5 Scenarios Where Buying Hyatt Points Is a Great Deal

Hyatt just announced another points sale where you can earn a 40% bonus on points purchases made between November 14 – December 31, 2019. You’ll have to buy at least 5,000 points ($120) to trigger the 40% bonus points.

Hyatt points normally cost 2.4 cents each, but with this sale it’s possible to obtain them at a discounted rate of 1.71 cents a piece. I tend to redeem my Hyatt points for a value of well over 2 cents per point, so this could be an opportune time for some to stock up on Hyatt points in a number of scenarios.

Keep in mind that each Hyatt account is capped at buying up to 55,000 points per calendar year, so the maximum number of points you can buy through this promotion is 77,000 (55,000 + 22,000 bonus points) at $1,320.

Another thing to note is that the Hyatt points purchased through this sale are processed by Points.com, so it won’t count as a “hotel purchase” to earn extra miles or points on credit card spend.

With that in mind, I’d recommend using a card that you have to tackle minimum spend on (as I am doing on my brand new Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card) or a card that offers more than 1x back on everyday purchases such as the Chase Freedom Unlimited (1.5x) and The Blue Businessâ„  Plus Credit Card from American Express (2x on up to $50,000 spend annually, learn more).

I generally don’t buy points speculatively unless I have a very specific and immediate booking in mind. With that being said, and as a word of caution with frequent devaluations across the board, I don’t recommend buying points unless you also have a rather immediate redemption in mind.

Below are 5 scenarios where I’d say it makes sense to buy Hyatt points:

Category 1

When factoring in the 40% bonus on purchased points at the rate of 1.71 cents each, you’re looking at “spending” roughly $85 for 5,000 points, which is enough for a night at a category 1 property.

The great thing about using points is that you don’t have to pay taxes and fees on award bookings, so the true cost on a 5,000 category-1 redemption would indeed be a flat-fee of $85 per night. There are a number of category 1 properties that are priced at well over $85 per night, all in.

As an example from my every day life , The Hyatt Place Florence Downtown in SC is a hotel that I use frequently for one of my corporate clients, and the lowest discounted-medical rate they offer is $119 per night, plus tax. I found it advantageous from a cost-savings perspective to simply buy the points needed to book award nights at ~$85 per night instead.

Another example where buying points vs paying the nightly rate at a category 1 property makes sense is the Studios at Alila Seminyak in Bali, which is new to Hyatt and only 5,000 points per night when standard rates are often over $170.

Category 7

If transferring points or obtaining points quickly is not a feasible option and you’re still looking to save on a luxury stay, buying enough points needed for a top-tier category 7 property can also offer a significant savings.

With the 40% bonus, you’re looking at a “free” night at a category 7 property for ~$513, (or a category 6 property for ~$423), when paid rates at many of those hotels are often priced at over $1,000 per night.

For example, the Park Hyatt St. Kitts  is a category 7 property (standard award price of 30,000 points per night), and cash rates are often $1,200+ per night including taxes and fees.

Top Off an Award

On a similar note, if you are a few points shy from an award redemption, and are looking to top off your balance quickly (the purchased points are available instantly), buying points to help top off your balance for an award redemption may also be a good idea.

For instance, a popular use of the 50,000 sign-up bonus on the World of Hyatt Credit Card is for free nights at the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, which is expensive on cash, but a great points redemption – especially for Globalists that are exempt from paying the hefty resort fees (we’re talking $60+ a night). The Grand Club lounge is fantastic at the property too for even more savings on meals and snacks.

After completing the minimum spend requirement on that card, you’d be 4,000 points shy of the 60,000 points needed for a 3-night stay (which is ideal at that property, in my opinion). Purchasing the extra points would still be cheaper than buying the 3rd night on cash.

Additionally, Ultimate Rewards points from cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve instantly transfer at a 1:1 ratio into Hyatt points, so you can top of your World of Hyatt Balances that way as well.

Elite Nights / Re-qualification

As the year comes to an end, some of us might be checking to see where we stand on 2020 elite status re-qualification. If you’re short a few nights, check to see if your account was targeted to earn double elite nights when staying at Unbound Collection properties.

If you’re targeted, buying points could work out in your favor for elite status re-qualification.

Let’s take a look at an example: If Atlantic City is in your cards, you could spend $216 for 12,000 points that you can redeem for a Saturday night at Ocean Resort & Casino and receive double elite night credits.

That’s essentially like getting a night credit for $108. Sure there are cheaper places to “mattress run” for stay credits, but if you’re in the market to actually enjoy a fun night out on the town rather than check into an empty room in the middle of nowhere, it’s a great way to save on busy weekend nights in a fun casino property when rates are often $400+ after all is said and done with taxes and the icky-resort fee.

Other Unbound Collection properties in fun cities include the Confidante in Miami, the Eliza Jane Hotel in New Orleans, and the Driskill in Austin.

Guest of Honor

One of my favorite Hyatt elite perks is “Guest of Honor”, where Globalist members can essentially make an award booking for someone else in the guest of honor’s own name and extend their elite status benefits to them during their stay.

If you have low-tier or are status-less with World of Hyatt, then buying points into your own account, befriending a Hyatt Globalist, and having them make the Guest of Honor award booking on your behalf can be an insanely awesome way to save and enjoy a number of status perks on award nights such as free breakfast (huge), club lounge access, free parking, waived resort fees, late check out, and a potential suite upgrade.

I’ve booked a number of Guest of Honor bookings at Hyatt luxury resorts for my family and friends who’ve  purchased points and transferred to me ahead of time (it’s free and a simple one-page points transfer page that you can email or fax once every 30 days).

Bottom Line

Of course, some may argue that transferring Ultimate Rewards points is the easiest and best way to obtain Hyatt points, since you can earn 5X Ultimate Rewards points on office supply stores with spend on the Chase Ink business credit cards.

But that assessment also heavily depends on where you normally transfer your Ultimate Rewards points to. For example, if you frequently transfer to United, you’re better off doing that, since you cannot buy United MileagePlus Miles at 1.71 cents a piece.

However, buying Hyatt points can be a lucrative opportunity for those who reside outside of the United States or are unable to get the World of Hyatt Credit card or a premium Ultimate Rewards-earning credit to begin with.

Overall, there are many positive outcomes for this 40% bonus promotion. The fact that the 40% kicks in with just 5,000 points is also an improvement from the previous sale, which required a minimum purchase of 10,000 points for $240 before the 40% bonus was triggered.

What are your thoughts? Have you purchased Hyatt points before?