How to Earn Hyatt Gold Passport Points + Keep Them From Expiring
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here - Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve, World of Hyatt Credit Card
Some types of points are just easier to earn than others, which is important not only for racking up sizable totals for awards, but also crucial when you need to do something to keep your points active and prevent them from expiring. When I recently received a question about how to keep Hyatt points from expiring (Hyatt points expire after 24 months of no activity), it inspired me to write this post about the variety of ways to earn Hyatt Gold Passport points.
Hyatt Stays:
I know this goes without saying, but you can earn Hyatt points on eligible Hyatt stays. A basic member earns 5 points per dollar on eligible charges at Hyatt hotels. In addition to that, Platinum members earn a 15% bonus and Diamond members earn a 30% bonus on those base points. Diamond members can also get a 500 or 1,000 points welcome amenity bonus on each stay (in lieu of the food and beverage amenity). On top of this, historically there were Hyatt Gold Passport promotions several times per year where you could earn bonus points on stays, but it has been an uncomfortably long time since we saw one of those!
Hyatt Credit Card
Hyatt also has their own co-branded Chase credit card that has a great sign-up bonus and earns Hyatt points as you use it. The standard sign-up bonus is two free nights at any Hyatt after spending $1,000 in the first three months. I recommend trying to make a reservation on the Hyatt site to see if you are given an offer that also includes a statement credit (though I haven't been able to force that in a while). This card awards 3 points per dollar for charges at Hyatt properties, 2 points per dollar on dining, airline, and car rental expenses, and 1 point per dollar on other charges.
Chase Ultimate Rewards:
In my opinion, the very best way to rack up Hyatt points or take an easy action to maintain activity in your Hyatt Gold Passport account is via the Chase Ultimate Rewards program. This works because Chase Ultimate Reward points transfer instantly to Hyatt Gold Passport at a 1:1 ratio if you have the Ink Bold Business Card, Ink Plus Business Card, or Chase Sapphire Preferred Card.
You could transfer points in increments of 1,000 points, so you can transfer as few as 1,000 points to keep your Hyatt Gold Passport account active or as many points as you need to book the award stay of your dreams!
Eat or Spa at a Hyatt Hotel
Even if you don't have the need for an overnight stay at a Hyatt property, many Hyatt properties will allow you to earn points while dining or "spa-ing" at one of their properties if you give your Hyatt Gold Passport number. You can also redeem points for dining and spa services at select properties, though I don't find the redemption rates to be very good.
You can purchase Hyatt points directly from Hyatt or via opportunities such as Daily Getaways (if you are super lucky). Prices start at 2.4 cents per point, but go lower during sales.
Combine Points With Another Hyatt Gold Passport Member
You can combine your points with any other Hyatt Gold Passport member's points in order to book an award. This is great as you and your spouse, partner, mom, roommate, friend, etc. can pool your points together and book the award you are after!
Earn Hyatt Points in Other Programs
You can transfer your points to several airline programs (at a not-so-great-ratio) which would work to extend the life of your Hyatt points, but that won't help you rack up more Hyatt points if that is your goal.
You can earn 500 Hyatt points when renting from Avis using the Avis Worldwide Discount (AWD) number K817700.
Hyatt points are a little trickier to earn than some other types of points since they don't have an online shopping portal, dining plan, etc. However, they are worth the effort as some of our best family vacations have taken place while staying at various Hyatt Hotels and Resorts.