Hyatt Announces Fall Promotion
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Hyatt just announced a fall promotion and it's pretty lackluster. From September 15 through November 15, 2011 you earn 5,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points for every 3 nights, with a maximum of 30,000 points.
For those with more than 8 nights per promo period, this is less lucrative than their spring promotion, which was 10,000 points after the first 5 eligible nights and then 5,000 bonus points for every 2 nights after.
In the current promo 10 nights will get you 15,000 bonus points, whereas in the spring promotion, you would have had 20,000 - much closer to a top tier hotel night (22,000 points). However, for those with less than 7 nights, the current promotion is more lucrative. At 3 nights the spring promo would have awarded 0 points, whereas the fall promotion would earn 5,000.
Most upsetting to most point Hyatt loyalists is that this most likely means that there will be no "Faster Free Nights" promos in 2011, which Hyatt used to run frequently. Faster Free Nights is a promotion that would award 1 free night at any Hyatt for every two paid stays - a pretty spectacular value.
I understand that such lucrative promotions can't be run all the time, but I feel like Hyatt has really watered down their bonus opportunities - especially after getting rid of G bonuses, which used to give up to 3,000 2,000 extra points per stay.
The easiest way to get Hyatt points/free nights is via credit card. Currently the Chase Hyatt Credit Card gives 2 free nights at any Hyatt in the world after $2,000 spend within the first 3 months. Plus the card awards Discoverist status, no foreign transaction fees and a free night (up to category 4) every year. All for a $75 annual fee.
The most lucrative Hyatt card sign-up is the Chase Sapphire Preferred, which has a 50,000 point sign-up bonus that can be transferred instantly to Hyatt at 1:1 ratio, plus the $95 annual fee is waived the first year and there are also no foreign transaction fees.
In any case, I hope this promo isn't an indication of what other hotel chains plan to launch for the fall. Is it so much to ask for a little bit of creativity?
TPG featured card
at Bilt's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 1X | Choose to earn up to 1X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee |
| 2X | Earn 2X points + the option to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday purchases |
Pros
- Choice to earn up to 1 Bilt Point per dollar spent on rent and mortgage payments
- Elevated everyday earnings with both Bilt Points and the option to earn Bilt Cash
- $400 Bilt Travel Portal hotel credit per year (up to $200 biannually)
- $200 Bilt Cash annually
- Priority Pass membership
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- Moderate annual fee
- Designed primarily for members seeking a premium, all-in-one card
- Earn points on housing with no transaction fee
- Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
- 2X points on everyday spend
- $400 Bilt Travel Hotel credit. Applied twice a year, as $200 statement credits, for qualifying Bilt Travel Portal hotel bookings.
- $200 Bilt Cash (awarded annually). At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
- Welcome bonus (subject to approval): 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 90 days + $300 of Bilt Cash.
- Priority Pass ($469/year value). See Guide to Benefits.
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