Exciting new benefits are on the way for elite members of AAdvantage and World of Hyatt — but reciprocal earning privileges will be discontinued.

In 2019, American Airlines AAdvantage and World of Hyatt formed a partnership that provided mutual benefits for elite members of both programs. Since then, various limited-time promotions have been available, including the chance to attain instant status (the latest offer concluded in September).

The two programs are now set to introduce a range of new perks that eligible travelers can access throughout the year, such as using AAdvantage miles for Hyatt free night awards, along with new Loyalty Choice Rewards and Milestone Rewards, all starting in early 2025.

Regrettably, by the end of this year, the ability to earn bonus American miles on Hyatt stays and bonus Hyatt points on American flights will be eliminated.

Here’s everything you need to know about these upcoming offerings.

No more reciprocal earning of points

Let’s address the major downside of this announcement. Currently, AAdvantage elite members earn 1 mile for each dollar spent on qualifying Hyatt purchases. Meanwhile, World of Hyatt elite members gain 1 point for every dollar spent on eligible American flights.

This benefit will cease on December 31, 2024.

As someone holding AAdvantage Platinum Pro and Hyatt Globalist status, this news is quite disappointing. Many of my stays at Hyatt are booked using points, yet I earned nearly 6,000 bonus American miles from a mix of work and personal stays at Hyatt properties this year. Additionally, I accrued just over 1,000 bonus Hyatt points from several American flights in 2024.

Do the new benefits provide sufficient value to make up for this devaluation?

Exciting new Hyatt perks for AAdvantage members

Starting next year, American AAdvantage members will gain access to several new options as they accumulate more Loyalty Points during their qualification year.

From January 2, 2025, you will have the option to redeem AAdvantage miles for Hyatt awards at the following tiers:

• 40,000 Loyalty Points: Exchange 25,000 miles for a free night award in Category 1-4
• 125,000 Loyalty Points: Exchange 65,000 miles for a free night award in Category 1-7

According to TPG, AAdvantage miles are valued at 1.6 cents each in our October 2024 valuations, which means you're effectively using $400 worth of miles for the Category 1-4 award and $1,088 worth for the Category 1-7 award. This represents a significant investment of rewards, so ensure the paid rates are sufficient to warrant this redemption.

Furthermore, starting March 1, 2025, you will gain four new Hyatt-related benefits as part of AAdvantage's Loyalty Point Rewards, unlocked at specific milestones throughout the year:

• Hyatt Discoverist status: A new benefit available at 100,000 Loyalty Points.
• Hyatt Explorist status: This option will be available at both 175,000 and 250,000 Loyalty Points.
• Category 1-4 free night: This will be an option at 400,000, 550,000, and 750,000 Loyalty Points.
• Category 1-7 free night: This will be available at 1 million, 3 million, and 5 million Loyalty Points.

The first benefit is quite simple, as it is granted automatically upon reaching 100,000 Loyalty Points in a qualification year. While it's a step up, World of Hyatt Discoverist is the entry-level status in the program and is also awarded automatically to holders of the World of Hyatt Credit Card.

The other options are a bit more complex, as you'll need to sacrifice different Loyalty Point Rewards in favor of either Explorist status or the free night award options.

You can explore the current range of Loyalty Choice Rewards at this link, but here are some notable selections at the 175,000 and 250,000 Loyalty Point levels:

• 175,000 (choose one): two systemwide upgrades, 20,000 bonus miles (or 25,000 if you possess an AAdvantage credit card), six Admirals Club one-day passes, or two gifts of AAdvantage Gold status
• 250,000 (choose two): two systemwide upgrades, 20,000 bonus miles (or 30,000 if you have an AAdvantage card), six Admirals Club one-day passes, an Admirals Club membership (which requires selecting both), or two gifts of AAdvantage Gold status

Is opting for Hyatt Explorist worth it compared to these benefits? Only you can determine that, but considering how valuable the upgrades or Admirals Club membership can be, mid-tier hotel status may not be the optimal choice.

A similar trade-off exists for the Category 1-4 free night. Achieving 400,000, 550,000, and 750,000 Loyalty Points provides you with two options at each level — including another systemwide upgrade, an additional 25,000 bonus miles, an Admirals Club membership (two options), or a gift of AAdvantage Platinum status. Category 4 properties cap at 18,000 points, making this free night worth just over $300 according to TPG's October 2024 valuations — though it could increase when revenue rates are elevated.

Ultimately, for those high achievers, choosing a Category 1-7 free night at 1, 3, and 5 million Loyalty Points means forgoing the following options:

• 1 million Loyalty Points (select one): four systemwide upgrades, gift of AAdvantage Platinum Pro, or up to 100,000 miles back on award redemptions
• 3 million Loyalty Points (select one): six systemwide upgrades, gift of AAdvantage Executive Platinum, or up to 300,000 miles back on award redemptions
• 5 million Loyalty Points (select one): 10 systemwide upgrades, gift of AAdvantage Executive Platinum, or up to 500,000 miles back on award redemptions

In the right situation, a Category 1-7 property could be valued at several hundred dollars — but it’s your decision to determine if that outweighs these benefits.

New AAdvantage perks for Hyatt members

There’s a comparable set of additions for Hyatt elites as well, though these also come with the loss of earning 1 point for every dollar spent on American flights.

First, starting January 1, 2025, as part of Hyatt's Milestone Rewards program, four new AAdvantage benefits will be available:

• Preferred seat coupons: Members can select two of these coupons at both 20 nights/35,000 base points and 30 nights/50,000 base points.
• Main Cabin Extra seat coupons: Members can opt for two of these at both 40 nights/65,000 base points and 50 nights/80,000 base points.
• AAdvantage Gold status: Members can choose this after either 70, 80, or 90 qualifying nights.
• AAdvantage Platinum status: Members can select this starting at 100 nights.

Once again, it’s your choice to determine if this is worthwhile. Twenty nights also gives the option of 2,000 bonus points on your next Hyatt Place or Hyatt House stay (valued at $34 based on our assessments) or a pair of club access awards. Conversely, the cost of preferred seats on American can vary significantly — some as low as $13, while select seats on long-haul flights might exceed $100.

A similar situation applies to Main Cabin Extra. At 40 nights, you can choose either 5,000 bonus points (valued at $85) or a Suite Upgrade Award, and at 50 nights, you can opt for another 5,000 points or a pair of Suite Upgrade Awards. I really appreciate the upgrades since they let you confirm a suite when booking for eligible stays of up to seven nights. However, Main Cabin Extra seats can also be quite expensive, with some exceeding $150.

Ultimately, choosing AAdvantage Gold or AAdvantage Platinum status after reaching milestones beyond Globalist status means giving up additional suite upgrades or 10,000 bonus points at each level. The decision of whether it's worthwhile is entirely yours.

In addition to these new milestone options, Explorist and Globalist members will soon have the chance to redeem Hyatt points for a temporary American status — essentially a brief status match. Starting January 1, 2025, the following new options will be introduced:

• 5,000 Hyatt points: Enjoy AAdvantage Gold status for one day.
• 8,000 Hyatt points: Enjoy AAdvantage Platinum status for one day.
• 12,000 Hyatt points: Enjoy AAdvantage Platinum Pro status for one day (available only to Globalists).

This will grant all the benefits of the respective status — including complimentary upgrades, free checked baggage, and even bonus miles on paid tickets (up to 80% for AAdvantage Platinum Pro). These benefits will also extend to companions on the same reservation, subject to published restrictions. Therefore, it's advisable to pursue these redemptions on high-cost tickets to maximize the elite mileage bonus, especially on flights with a higher likelihood of complimentary upgrades and when traveling with multiple passengers who will check bags.

However, these redemptions are also the standard award rates for Category 1, 2, and 3 properties, which could hold greater value.

Our perspective

It's disappointing to lose the opportunity to earn Hyatt points on American flights and American miles on Hyatt stays. Unfortunately, the new benefits may not make up for this loss for members. Many of the new perks require you to choose them over other rewards, effectively creating a cost associated with them. This contrasts with the current partnership, where bonus miles or points were an added benefit.

If you're a dedicated American flyer and Hyatt patron — especially with considerable spending in both programs — your flights and stays in 2025 could feel less rewarding than before.

That said, the new redemption options are somewhat appealing. While you'll need a solid amount of American miles to redeem for a Category 1-4 or Category 1-7 free night award, it could be a worthwhile choice if paid rates are exorbitant. Moreover, using Hyatt points to unlock American status benefits for a day could save you checked baggage fees and enhance your travel experience, depending on your trip.

Just be sure to consider what you're sacrificing by redeeming your miles (or points) in this manner.

In summary

American and Hyatt have unveiled major changes to their partnership for 2025, including the elimination of reciprocal earning privileges and the introduction of new Loyalty Point Rewards and Milestone Rewards options. Unfortunately, many of these new benefits require you to choose them over other potentially more valuable rewards, which may lead some members to perceive this as an overall devaluation.

Hyatt elite members will continue to earn bonus points on American flights until the end of the year, and vice versa for American elite members who receive bonus miles on paid Hyatt stays. However, beginning January 1, 2025, a completely new set of perks will be available for you to evaluate and determine their relevance to your individual circumstances.