How to redeem your Hyatt points for family and friends (and avoid check-in hassles)
Redeeming World of Hyatt points for friends and family can be a fantastic way to share your rewards, especially if you’ve built up a healthy balance from frequent hotel stays or transferable credit card rewards. Whether you’re gifting a night at a high-end resort or helping someone save money on a work trip, Hyatt gives you flexibility, but there are key steps to take to avoid headaches at check-in.
Recently, I had to put this to the test. My husband was traveling without me and needed a one-night stay in Singapore on his way home from Australia. I used my Chase Ultimate Rewards points — transferred 1:1 to become World of Hyatt points — to book a night at the Andaz Singapore. However, I was not traveling with him, and I couldn’t add him as a guest during the online booking process. Therefore, I was worried he’d face issues at check-in.
If you’re considering redeeming Hyatt points for someone else, here’s how to avoid check-in snags and even transfer points so they can book their own stay.
Booking a Hyatt hotel stay for someone else
Hyatt allows you to redeem points for stays in someone else’s name, but you need to make sure the hotel knows your guest is arriving, especially if you’re not checking in yourself. The last thing you want is for your guest to have issues at check-in when you're not there, especially in a different time zone where the hotel or your loved one might not be able to contact you to verify that the guest should be able to check in.
In my experience, it isn't possible to make a booking in someone else's name on Hyatt's website, as you can't amend the lead guest from yourself. Even if you can add someone as a second guest, the issue remains that the lead guest won't be there to check in. While some properties might allow this when the booking is prepaid, it's not guaranteed and not a risk you probably want to take.
The good news is that it's easy to change the name of the lead guest after booking. If you’ve already made the reservation in your own name, contact Hyatt directly via phone, email or online chat. Provide your reservation number, and request a name change for the lead guest.
For my husband's Singapore stay, I hopped on Hyatt’s live chat. Within minutes, a representative happily updated the reservation to his name and sent me an email confirming this. By redeeming my World of Hyatt points, I saved him about 325 Singapore dollars (roughly $254), plus hotel taxes and resort fees, on the cash rates at the property.
Even after Hyatt updates the lead guest's name on the booking, it's a good idea to send your guest the booking confirmation email to present at check-in. This extra step can help if the front desk has any questions.
Related: 20 best Hyatt hotels in the world to book with points
Transferring Hyatt points to someone else
Another option is to transfer your World of Hyatt points directly to another member’s account so they can book their own stay. Hyatt allows members to transfer points, but the process is a little clunky. You’ll need to download and manually complete a points transfer form with both members signing the form before submitting it to Hyatt, either by email or post.
In my case, I chose not to transfer points because my partner didn’t have a World of Hyatt account and wasn’t interested in setting one up just for this booking since he knew I could use my own points to book it for him in minutes. Completing the form manually also seemed like a cumbersome step.
Instead, booking the stay in my account and changing the lead guest name after booking was much faster and avoided any delays.
Related: How (and why) to combine your Chase Ultimate Rewards points into a single account
Using Hyatt’s Guest of Honor benefit
If you have World of Hyatt Globalist status, your Guest of Honor booking perk can make a redemption for friends or family even sweeter. This benefit allows your guest to enjoy your elite perks — such as free breakfast, late checkout and potential room upgrades — even when you're not staying with them.
To use Guest of Honor, you can gift it to another Hyatt member online by entering their membership number and surname. They can then either apply it to a new booking or, if they wish to apply it to an existing booking they have already made, they can call or chat online with Hyatt to apply it.
Even without status, booking award nights for others can still be a great way to help them avoid hefty cash rates.
How to earn World of Hyatt points
If you hold elite status in the World of Hyatt program, you can earn up to 6.5 points per dollar spent on stays.
You can also transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points and Bilt Rewards Points to World of Hyatt at a 1:1 ratio. Some of the best credit cards for earning points you can then transfer to World of Hyatt include:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees): Earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees): Earn 125,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ (see rates and fees): Earn 200,000 bonus points after spending $30,000 on purchases in the first six months from account opening.
There are also two cobranded Hyatt credit cards from Chase:
- World of Hyatt Credit Card (see rates and fees): Earn up to 60,000 points: 30,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening and up to 30,000 more bonus points by earning 2 bonus points total per $1 spent in the first six months from account opening on up to $15,000 spent.
- World of Hyatt Business Credit Card (see rates and fees): Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Related: Should I get the World of Hyatt Credit Card or transfer points from Chase instead?
Bottom line
Redeeming Hyatt points for friends or family is easy, and it can be a great way to share your rewards. You can book a stay (changing the lead guest name after booking), transfer points to their account or, if you’re a Globalist, gift them your elite perks through Guest of Honor.
In my experience, changing the guest name was quick and easy via the online chat, saving my partner hundreds of dollars in Singapore — and making sure his check-in was as smooth as the hotel’s infinity pool.
Related reading:
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. |
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Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
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- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
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- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.
Rewards Rate
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. |
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Intro Offer
You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.Annual Fee
$325Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.Excellent to Good
Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.