Why I aim to spend $15K on my World of Hyatt Credit Card each year

Earning World of Hyatt's top-tier Globalist status takes a lot of base points, nights or meetings each year. But there's a lot to love about World of Hyatt Globalist status — from waived resort fees on all nights and free parking on award stays to suite upgrades and complimentary breakfast (or lounge access). After I first earned the status in 2021, I've prioritized requalifying each year since.

Unlike Marriott's Platinum Elite status and Hilton's Diamond status, you can't get Hyatt Globalist status just by holding a premium hotel credit card. But, although the World of Hyatt Credit Card (see rates and fees) only offers low-tier Discoverist status as a cardholder perk, you can earn tier-qualifying elite night credits and even an additional Category 1-4 free night award when you make purchases on your card that meet specific spending thresholds.

In this post, I'll discuss why the sweet spot for spending on the World of Hyatt Credit Card is $15,000 each calendar year. I'll also describe how the card helps me maintain top-tier Globalist status and why I think most Hyatt loyalists should consider getting (and keeping) the card.

Card perks for Hyatt loyalists

Even if you aren't striving to earn World of Hyatt elite status, the World of Hyatt Credit Card may still provide plenty of value, even if you only stay with Hyatt occasionally.

After all, you'll earn 4 points per dollar on purchases made at Hyatt hotels and resorts and on Find experiences. Based on TPG's August 2024 valuations of Hyatt points, you'll get a return of 6.8% when you use the World of Hyatt Credit Card to pay for eligible Hyatt stays.

In addition, you'll get a free night award valid at any Category 1-4 Hyatt property for a stay in a standard room on each cardmember anniversary. If you use your free night award for an expensive night or to stay at one of the best Category 4 Hyatt hotels, you're almost guaranteed to get more than the card's $95 annual fee in value.

Plus, you'll get automatic Discoverist status once you have the card. Even if you only stay with Hyatt a few nights each year, this status will provide some perks like preferred rooms of the same type booked and 2 p.m. late checkout upon request at most Hyatt properties. This automatic status can also be helpful if you're new to World of Hyatt and looking to get some perks as you work to earn higher elite status tiers, such as Explorist and Globalist.

Related: Is the World of Hyatt Credit Card worth the annual fee?

Spending on the Hyatt card

If you want to earn and then keep Hyatt Globalist status, you must accrue 60 nights, 100,000 base points or 20 meetings and events each calendar year — or have World of Hyatt lifetime status.

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One hundred thousand base points require about $10,000 in eligible spending. So, many travelers find it easier to earn Globalist status through nights. But 60 elite-qualifying nights each year is still a lot for many travelers — after all, 60 nights per year means you'd spend about 17% of each year sleeping in Hyatt properties.

Luckily, if you have the World of Hyatt Credit Card, you'll get five tier-qualifying night credits each calendar year just for having the card. So, the number of nights you need to stay with Hyatt to earn or maintain Globalist status effectively drops to 55 per calendar year.

And you'll also earn two World of Hyatt tier-qualifying night credits for every $5,000 you spend on your World of Hyatt Credit Card each calendar year. You can earn as many tier-qualifying night credits as you want through spending on your card; it's even possible to spend $140,000 on your card in a calendar year and snag Globalist status without any other activity with Hyatt.

However, the sweet spot is $15,000 each calendar year. Not only will that get you six additional tier-qualifying nights, but it's also the threshold for earning a second Category 1-4 free night award.

That's right: Another perk of the World of Hyatt Credit Card is the ability to earn a Category 1-4 free night award after you spend $15,000 on purchases each calendar year with your card. And if you can time your spending to hit that threshold around the time your card renews, you can wind up with two free nights with largely overlapping validity periods.

I've redeemed Hyatt Category 1-4 free night awards for solid value on multiple stays. For example, I used one of these free night awards to stay at the Grand Hyatt Washington. And I used two more free night awards for a stay at the epic Alila Fort Bishangarh in India.

Related: The 23 best Hyatt hotels in the world

Bottom line

The World of Hyatt Credit Card is my default everyday spending card until I reach the $15,000 spending threshold each calendar year. Unless I'm working on the minimum spending requirements for another card's sign-up bonus, I use my Hyatt card for most purchases that won't earn bonus rewards on other cards. Earning 1 Hyatt point per dollar on most purchases is decent (a 1.7% return based on TPG's August 2024 valuations), and the card has no foreign transaction fees.

Of course, there's an opportunity cost in using the World of Hyatt Credit Card for purchases that aren't likely to earn bonus rewards with any card. After all, I could earn 2 miles per dollar spent (for a 3.7% return based on TPG's August 2024 valuations) on most purchases if I used my other everyday spending card, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card. That said, I know I'll get good value when redeeming World of Hyatt points, and since the card helps ensure I'll requalify for Globalist status and allows me to pick up another free night award, spending $15,000 each calendar year is a no-brainer in my book.

Apply here: World of Hyatt Credit Card