Tips for Using the Hyatt Visa Award Nights

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I recently acquired the Hyatt Visa credit card and I wanted to share a few tips about the card and some information about how quickly the two award nights post to your account after meeting the spending requirement.

The Hyatt Visa Sign-up Bonus:

The Hyatt Visa awards two award nights to use at any Hyatt around the world after you spend $1,000 on the card in the first 3 months. There is also a version of the offer that sometimes displays on Hyatt.com that also awards a $50 statement credit after first purchase for those who are making a booking on Hyatt.com (I recommend actually making a booking to ensure the $50 credit). There is a $0 introductory fee the first year and $75 annual fee in subsequent years.

How Quickly Hyatt Visa Award Nights Post:

Within 5 days of making my first purchase on the card the $50 statement credit had already posted to my account. Then within 2-3 days of hitting the $1,000 spending requirement the two award nights had posted to my Hyatt.com account, and I was informed of their deposit via an email. Given that some sign-up bonuses can take well over a month to post, this was pretty exceptional if you were looking to use your award nights as soon as possible.

I don't think that they always post within 2-3 days, but I would fully expect them to post within about 10 days of hitting the spending requirement.

How to Use Hyatt Visa Award Nights:

You have one year to use the award nights, and that means that the stay has to actually occur within that year, not just be booked within a year. This means that you should time your application with having a plan to use the award nights since you must do it within 12 months.

You can book the award nights online by logging into your Hyatt.com account and going to "My Awards" (as shown above). There you can see the number of award nights you have (should be two from the card), and you can use them by hitting the blue "Reserve" button also shown above. You can type in the city/property you would like to visit and search to see if they have award availability on your desired dates. I think the award night search feature is a little clunkier than the regular Hyatt.com search screen, but it will work just fine for some reservations.

You need to search for and book your desired dates one night at a time. If you want to use two nights on one reservation you will need to call Hyatt to make that booking. If you want to use your nights at the all-inclusive Ziva or Zilara resorts you will also have to call Hyatt (or potentially direct message them @Hyatt_Concierge on Twitter) to get that booking made since it can't currently be done online using points or award nights.

In theory you should be able to use your Hyatt award nights at any property that has standard rooms available for sale/available for booking with points, but I did run across a couple instances where the online site would let me book with points, but not with the credit card award night. In those instances you need to again reach out to Hyatt and they should be able to help you make the reservation you desire using the credit card award nights.

If Your Hyatt Visa Nights Are Going to Expire:

First, let me re-emphasize not to apply for this credit card until you have a plan for how you will use the nights in the next 12 months. I also do not recommend waiting close to the full 12 months to use the nights because what if something unforeseen happens and you have to cancel that trip? Trust me, it happens. You could then find yourself in a situation where you are unable to get the maximum value for the nights before they expire. I would recommend having a plan to use the nights within 6-8 months of getting the card in most situations so you have a little time buffer if your plans change.

However, if you find yourself in a situation with expiring nights from the credit card then here is what Hyatt Concierge shared this week about expiring credit card award nights.

• We do offer 10,000 points per Award for the initial 2 Free Night Awards if the Member has met Platinum status with 5 eligible stays or 15 eligible nights. Please note that the Awards must still be valid to receive compensation. Once the Award has expired it is no longer eligible to receive this compensation.
• We do offer 20,000 points per Award for the initial 2 Free Night Awards if the Member has met Diamond status with 25 eligible stays or 50 eligible nights. Please note that the Awards must still be valid to receive compensation. Once the Award has expired it is no longer eligible to receive this compensation.
• Anniversary Awards –Valid in Category 1-4 hotels will be allowed a one-time 30 day extension per award if the award is not yet expired. If the Anniversary Award is expired or has been previously extended, no further extensions are to be made.

How to Get Maximum Value for your Hyatt Visa Nights:

In order to get maximum value from your Hyatt Visa nights you probably want to look to using them at higher category 6 or 7 properties or the Ziva and Zilara all-inclusive properties. If you want to use your awards at lower tier category properties then you are probably better served with a rewards card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card where you are awarded points that you can transfer to Hyatt 1:1 and use in chunks as small as 5,000 points per night for Category 1 Hyatt properties.

Of course, I have both cards so it doesn't have to be an either/or situation, but the Hyatt Visa nights specifically will get the max value at high tier properties like Park Hyatt Beaver Creek, Park Hyatt Maldives, Park Hyatt Zurich, Park Hyatt Tokyo, Park Hyatt Paris Vendome, Hyatt Regency Aruba, Grand Hyatt Kauai, Hyatt Regency London, Andaz Maui, and all-inclusive Ziva and Zilara properties where the number of points per night can be 25,000 - 30,000+.

I plan to use my Hyatt Visa nights either for a weekend of skiing at the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek next ski season or potentially at one of their all-inclusive properties with my family since that way we will not just have our accommodations covered, but food and activities, too!

Do you have the Hyatt Visa? If so, I'd love to hear where you used your two award nights and if you have any other tips for new cardholders or those considering the card!