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Hyatt Updates Its Best-Rate Guarantee for the Better

April 18, 2019
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3 min read
Park Hyatt Vienna_Summer Hull-38
Hyatt Updates Its Best-Rate Guarantee for the Better
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Most major hotel chains offer a best-rate guarantee of some sort in order to allow the customer to feel confident that they can book a stay directly with the hotel and still get the best deal. Hotels want customers to book directly, as they then get to keep a larger share of the night's revenue in their own pocket, rather than paying a portion to a third-party booking site. Customers who love their points do better booking stays directly much of the time, as they can then earn and use points.

While each chain's best-rate guarantee works a bit differently, essentially, if you find a better deal on the exact same room on the exact same dates within a certain amount of time after booking (or sometimes, before booking), the chain will give you some sort of bonus or discount for your efforts.

Hyatt has a best-rate guarantee that has gone through a few iterations in different years, but as was reported by The Gate, it's recently changed again -- for the better. As of April 16, if you find a lower rate on a publicly available and immediately bookable room for the exact same stay within 24 hours of booking the stay directly with Hyatt, Hyatt will not only match the rate but give you either 20% off the rate you found or 5,000 bonus World of Hyatt points awarded 72 hours after checkout.

For the last two years, Hyatt provided a $50 discount on a future stay for best-rate guarantee claims. Prior to that, Hyatt offered a 20% discount if you successfully submitted a best-rate guarantee claim. Having the choice of a 20% discount or 5,000 World of Hyatt points (valued at $85 by TPG valuations), makes this an improvement over the past several versions of Hyatt's best-rate offers.

Park Hyatt Vienna

To make a Hyatt best-rate guarantee claim, submit an online claim form or call 1-877-247-3909 within 24 hours after booking on hyatt.com.

Interestingly, Hyatt does permit best-rate claims using prices from websites that require a membership, so long as that membership is free. Not all hotel brands will honor prices on websites that require memberships or logins, so that is relatively unique.

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While this all sounds great in theory, know that hotel best-rate-guarantee claims don't always go as smoothly as you would hope, so we recommend booking a refundable stay when making a claim, just in case it's not approved for some reason. However, if it is approved, you can save money or earn bonus points while still earning your normal Hyatt elite-stay credits and points in the process. (Here's a TPG reader success story of using a best-rate claim to save on a vacation.)

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Apply for American Express® Gold Card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees
Best for dining at restaurants

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TPG Editor‘s Rating
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Rewards Rate

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  • Intro Offer

    As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.

  • Annual Fee

    $325

  • Recommended Credit

    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.