Use the World of Hyatt credit card to earn Globalist elite status
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Editor's note: The team at The Points Guy loves to travel, but now is not the time for unnecessary trips. Health officials note that the fastest way to return to normalcy is to stop coming in contact with others. That includes ceasing travel. We are publishing travel deals because we should all use this time to think about and plan our next adventures. TPG doesn't advise booking trips for travel until the late spring or early summer — and even then be mindful of cancellation policies.
World of Hyatt Globalist elite status is a favorite among the TPG team. Many of our staff make it an annual priority to earn it to reap its top-tier benefits, including suite upgrades, late checkout and more. But there's no doubt that the status can be pretty hard to earn: Without a Hyatt credit card, you have to spend 60 nights per year at Hyatt properties or earn 100,000 base points.
Thankfully, there's an easier way to earn this status. The World of Hyatt Credit Card has long offered a way for Hyatt loyalists to earn status credits after hitting certain spending thresholds. This benefit has now been sweetened to include extra qualifying nights through June 30, 2020, in response to the coronavirus outbreak, so it makes it easier than ever to earn Globalist status without spending money at Hyatt properties.
We'll show you how you can earn World of Hyatt Globalist status on the cheap in 2020.
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World of Hyatt Credit Card overview
Holding the World of Hyatt Credit Card gives you access to a slew of different benefits. For one, you're given low-tier Discoverist status as soon as you're approved for the card. While the perks with this status aren't as plentiful as Globalist, it does provide a level of benefits that can hold you over until you reach Globalist later in the year.
You'll also earn one free night certificate on each cardmember anniversary and another when you spend $15,000 on the card every year. You can use these certificates at any category 1 to 4 Hyatt hotel, including high-end properties like the Category 4 Andaz San Diego. Make sure to check out our roundup of the best Hyatt Category 4 hotels for more inspiration.
Plus, the World of Hyatt card has a solid welcome bonus of up to 50,000 points: 25,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening, and another 25,000 points after spending $6,000 total on purchases in the first six months of account opening. TPG values World of Hyatt points at 1.7 cents per point, making this welcome bonus worth a solid $850.
The card has several bonus categories too: You'll earn 4x points per dollar on eligible Hyatt purchases, 2x on dining and select travel categories, 2x on gym memberships and 1x everywhere else. This gives you a solid return on everyday expenses — especially when you're chasing elite status. More on that in the next section.
Even better? This card only has a $95 annual fee, so the benefits hugely outweigh cost. This is especially true when you factor in the card's annual free-night certificate which can give you well over $150 in value upon redemption.
Earning Globalist status with the World of Hyatt Credit Card
I left one thing out of the card overview: elite status earning. While the card includes free Discoverist status right off the bat, you'll also earn two qualifying-night credits for every $5,000 you spend on the card. However, this benefit has been upgraded through June 30, 2020 — through that date, you'll earn three qualifying-night credits per $5,000 in spend. There's no limit on how many elite nights you can earn either, so you can earn Globalist by simply putting spend on your credit card.
In addition, new World of Hyatt Credit Card holders who apply by June 30, 2020 will automatically get 10 qualifying night credits — instead of the five nights normally offered.
Those who still hold the legacy Chase Hyatt card (no longer available to new applicants) aren't being left out. Normally, the card doesn't award elite nights for meeting spending thresholds, but through June 30, cardholders can earn two qualifying-night credits for every $5,000 in spending.
Related: Hyatt just made it easier to earn top-tier status via credit card spend
For existing cardholders, the World of Hyatt card awards five elite-qualifying nights per calendar year with no spend requirement. This already gives you a good start towards Globalist. During the promotional period, you'd be able to earn the remaining 55 elite-qualifying nights by putting $95,000 in spend on your card. New cardholders are in better shape with only 50 elite qualifying nights required, or the equivalent of $85,000 in spending.
There's no doubt that that is a huge amount of spending, but remember, you don't have to earn all your qualifying nights through credit card spend. If you'd rather, you can mix and match with award stays, putting you even closer to the 60 nights required. This is the best route for most people who don't have expenses to hit that threshold.
Related: What is Hyatt elite status worth?
Even if you're not chasing Globalist status, this promotion offers a fast track to mid-tier Explorist status, which offers perks like four Club Lounge access awards, upgraded rooms, bonus points and more.
Here are a few ways to boost your qualifying-night balance. I'll walk you through an example of how these fit together in the next section too.
Pay your rent and other bills with your World of Hyatt Credit Card
If you pay rent every month, you may be able to pay it with a credit card. Some landlords offer this through an online building portal, but if yours doesn't, you can use a service like Plastiq to cut a check from your credit card. There's a fee involved with doing this, but the points, free nights, and qualifying nights earned can outweigh this for some.
Likewise, you can pay many household bills with a credit card. I pay my Coned electricity and gas bill, Spectrum internet bill and monthly gym membership with a credit card. There's usually no fee involved with doing this either, so you can inch closer to Globalist status for recurring expenses you'd pay anyway.
Pay tuition with your World of Hyatt credit card
If you or your child are enrolled in college, chances are you have some type of tuition bill. Many universities have started accepting credit card payments for tuition, so you can earn points quickly by charging your tuition to your World of Hyatt card. Like rent, you can use Plastiq to cut a check to a university that doesn't accept credit card payments too — just keep the processing fee in mind.
Already graduated but still paying off your loans? Don't worry: it's sometimes possible to earn credit card rewards while paying down your student loans, too.
You can pay taxes with a credit card, too
If you're self-employed or otherwise need to make quarterly tax payments, you may find value in paying these with a credit card. Generally, you'll pay somewhere around 2% per payment, but again, you may find that the benefit outweighs the fee. Check out our full guide to paying taxes with a credit card for more info.
Self-employed persons are also able to increase spend on their World of Hyatt Credit Card by paying health insurance premiums, life insurance and other related charges on a credit card too.
Paying these types of bills with your World of Hyatt credit card is especially lucrative during the current World of Hyatt credit card promotion.
Award nights count towards elite status
Many Hyatt members don't know that award stays do count towards elite status, including stays booked with points and annual free night certificates. So if you use your annual free night, you'll earn one qualifying night right off the bat. Further, if you spend $15,000 on the card, you'll earn another free night certificate, effectively giving you another free qualifying-night credit after you complete the stay.
You can earn World of Hyatt points to fund these stays using a variety of different methods, including transferring points from Chase Ultimate Rewards, renting cars through Hyatt and more.
With this in mind, make sure to factor in your award nights when figuring out how many qualifying nights you'll earn in 2020. Even though it isn't safe to travel now due to coronavirus, consider using your World of Hyatt points when planning hotel stays for travel at the end of the year — this will inch you closer to Globalist with no out-of-pocket spend.
Related: How I earned Hyatt Globalist status for $0 out of pocket
Last resort: Consider a mattress run
Mattress running is when you book a cheap hotel stay to earn elite-qualifying nights. While we don't condone booking hotel rooms and not actually staying in them, you may find it worthwhile to book a staycation if a Hyatt near your home is offering a low nightly rate. Just keep in mind that you need to physically check-in to your room in order to earn qualifying nights.
How I plan to earn Hyatt Globalist status this year
While I've been a Marriott Bonvoy loyalist in years past, I plan on switching to Hyatt this year. With that in mind, I do plan to go for Globalist status, and I've devised a plan to do it on the cheap. My plan includes a combination of the above qualifying night earning methods — here's a breakdown.
I've held a World of Hyatt Credit Card for a few years now, and have already earned my five annual qualifying nights and annual free night certificate. Further, between now and the end of the elevated qualifying night earning promotion, I plan to charge my rent, bills and other everyday purchases to my World of Hyatt credit card. Since I pay my roommate's rent on my credit card (and am reimbursed), my total spend should be somewhere near $15,000, giving me nine additional qualifying nights and a free-night certificate.
So long as I redeem my two free-night certificates by the end of the year, I'll have 15 qualifying nights in my account by the end of June. Plus, I charge my and my roommate's rent on my World of Hyatt card every month regardless of the promotion, meaning that I'll earn another six qualifying nights on the card after the June promotion is over.
This means that — through credit card spend and free night certificates alone — I'll earn 21 qualifying nights by the end of the year. This leaves me with 39 remaining qualifying nights, which should be easily offset through a combination of award stays and paid stays for work and personal travel at the end of the year. This means that I should be able to earn Globalist with minimal out of pocket spending.
Related: The best credit cards to jump start elite status
There is a downside to this, though
Unfortunately, earning Globalist status with the help of a credit card isn't all positive. Many of the bills I charge to my World of Hyatt Credit Card could earn more points if charged to a different credit card. For example, putting my internet bill on my Ink Business Preferred Credit Card would earn 3x points per dollar spent (on the first $150,000 in combined category spending per account anniversary year), which I could then transfer to World of Hyatt or another Ultimate Rewards transfer partner.
However, I'm opting to forgo the extra points during the three qualifying nights per $5,000 promotion as I want to maximize this through June 30, 2020. But this isn't necessarily the best idea for everyone, so make sure to compare the points you could earn with another credit card with the benefits of Globalist status. If you don't think you'll use the benefits enough to outweigh the points you're losing out on, you'll want to steer clear of earning Globalist through credit card spend.
Further, if you stay at Hyatt properties often enough where you don't need to earn qualifying nights with your credit card, you're likely better off putting your everyday purchases on another credit card. For example, the Chase Sapphire Reserve earns 3x Chase Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on all travel and dining purchases. This gives you more points earned and more flexibility, and since you have the option to transfer to Hyatt, you'll come out ahead no matter how you spend your points.
Related: How to redeem points with the World of Hyatt program
Bottom line
Now is the time to put spend on your World of Hyatt Credit Card (or legacy Chase Hyatt card) if you want to qualify for Globalist status through credit card spending. The card has a number of awesome benefits, and its elevated qualifying-night earning rate makes it even easier to earn elite status through June 30, 2020.