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.

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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.

Related: Hyatt Globalists: Traveling with a friend? Here's when you should (and shouldn't) book Guest of Honor awards

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 150,000 bonus points after spending $20,000 on purchases within the first three 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 five free nights: three free nights after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from accounting opening, and an additional two free nights after spending $15,000 on purchases in the first six months. Free nights can be redeemed at any category 1-4 Hyatt property.
• 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:

• I didn't expect to love World of Hyatt, but here's why I do
• Maximize your Hyatt points: 5 smart award redemption strategies
• What it's really like using Hyatt perks at Standard hotels
• Your ultimate guide to Hyatt hotel brands