1,000 Bonus Hyatt Points for Booking with Mobile App

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.

Hot on the heels of Hyatt’s new partnership between its mobile app and car service Uber, the hotel brand has just launched a promotion that will earn you 1,000 bonus Gold Passport points for stays booked via its mobile app between now and December 31, 2014.

Hyatt’s Mobile App 

Hyatt’s free app, available for both iPhone and Android, allows you to research the global brand’s 550 hotel and resort properties by destination, as well as book, view and cancel reservations. You can also use the app to check in or out, access directions to a property, get local info, and keep track of your Gold Passport account. When Uber service is available at a given Hyatt property, an Uber button will appear on your reservation screen, allowing you to directly order a ride.

The Value of Gold Passport Points

As a Gold Passport member, the 1,000 bonus points you’ll get with this promotion will only take you a fifth of the way to a 5,000-point redemption for a free night at Hyatt Category 1 hotels – which aren’t especially sexy, with the exception of the Bali Hyatt – but you’ll still earn five Gold Passport points for each dollar you spend at Hyatt properties. 

Despite Hyatt’s recent devaluation, I still feel that Gold Passport points offer great value not too far behind Starwood Preferred Guest’s Starpoints. I value Hyatt points around 1.8 cents apiece, and I love redeeming them at high-tier Hyatt properties like the Andaz 5th Avenue in New York and the Hotel du Louvre in Paris. Other redemption options may offer lower returns, but it’s good to know that Hyatt has also recently partnered with MLife properties in Las Vegas, so you can redeem your Gold Passport points that way if you’re a Sin City regular. 

Other Current Mobile App Promotions

Hyatt isn’t the only travel brand currently running a mobile app promotion:

• Club Carlson will give you 3,000 Gold points for app bookings made and completed now through November 16, 2014.
• National Car Rental is allowing you to earn 75 bonus points on a mobile app booking between now and January 31, 2015. (That doesn’t sound like much, but really it’s about one eighth of the way to a free rental day).

Also keep in mind that Starwood and Hilton occasionally offer bonuses on mobile app bookings. If you’re loyal to these or another airline, hotel, or car rental agency, it’s worth downloading their mobile app so you won’t miss out on bonus earning opportunities.