My goal is to spend $15K each year on my World of Hyatt Credit Card.

Achieving World of Hyatt's prestigious Globalist status requires a significant amount of base points, nights, or meetings annually. The benefits of World of Hyatt Globalist status are plentiful, including waived resort fees, complimentary parking on award stays, suite upgrades, and free breakfast (or lounge access). Since earning this status in 2021, I have focused on requalifying every year.

Unlike Marriott's Platinum Elite status and Hilton's Diamond status, Hyatt Globalist status cannot be obtained merely by holding a premium hotel credit card. While the World of Hyatt Credit Card grants only low-tier Discoverist status as a cardholder benefit, you can earn elite night credits and even an additional Category 1-4 free night award by hitting specific spending milestones with your card.

In this article, I'll explain why spending $15,000 on the World of Hyatt Credit Card each calendar year is ideal. I will also detail how the card aids in maintaining my top-tier Globalist status and why I believe that most Hyatt enthusiasts should consider acquiring (and keeping) the card.

Benefits for Hyatt enthusiasts

Even if you're not aiming for World of Hyatt elite status, the World of Hyatt Credit Card can still offer substantial value, particularly for those who stay with Hyatt on occasion.

You'll earn 4 points for every dollar spent at Hyatt hotels and resorts, as well as on Find experiences. According to TPG's August 2024 valuations of Hyatt points, using the World of Hyatt Credit Card for eligible Hyatt stays gives you a return of 6.8%.

Additionally, each cardmember anniversary grants you a free night award redeemable at any Category 1-4 Hyatt property for a standard room stay. If you utilize your free night for a high-value night or at one of the top Category 4 Hyatt hotels, you're likely to receive value that far exceeds the card's $95 annual fee.

With the card, you'll automatically receive Discoverist status. Even if you only spend a few nights with Hyatt annually, this status offers perks like preferred room assignments and 2 p.m. late checkout upon request at most Hyatt locations. This automatic status is also beneficial if you're new to World of Hyatt, providing some advantages as you aim for higher elite tiers like Explorist and Globalist.

Hyatt card spending

To achieve and maintain Hyatt Globalist status, you need to accumulate 60 nights, 100,000 base points, or 20 meetings and events each calendar year — unless you have World of Hyatt lifetime status.

Reaching 100,000 base points typically requires around $10,000 in eligible spending. Consequently, many travelers prefer to earn Globalist status through nights. However, 60 elite-qualifying nights per year is a substantial commitment — that’s about 17% of the year spent sleeping in Hyatt properties.

Fortunately, holding the World of Hyatt Credit Card grants you five tier-qualifying night credits each calendar year, reducing the number of nights needed to achieve or retain Globalist status to just 55 nights annually.

You'll earn two tier-qualifying night credits for every $5,000 spent on your World of Hyatt Credit Card each year. There's no limit to how many credits you can earn through spending; for instance, spending $140,000 in a year could get you Globalist status without any other Hyatt activities.

The ideal spending target is $15,000 per calendar year. This not only grants you six extra tier-qualifying nights but also qualifies you for a second Category 1-4 free night award.

Yes, another benefit of the World of Hyatt Credit Card is the opportunity to earn a Category 1-4 free night award after spending $15,000 each year. If you time your spending to hit this threshold around your card's renewal date, you could score two free nights that overlap in validity.

I've enjoyed solid value by redeeming Hyatt Category 1-4 free night awards on several occasions. For instance, I used one at the Grand Hyatt Washington and two more at the incredible Alila Fort Bishangarh in India.

Final thoughts

The World of Hyatt Credit Card serves as my go-to everyday spending card until I hit the $15,000 spending goal each year. Unless I'm fulfilling minimum spending for another card's sign-up bonus, I use my Hyatt card for most purchases that don’t earn bonus rewards elsewhere. Earning 1 Hyatt point per dollar on regular purchases is a solid option (a 1.7% return according to TPG's August 2024 valuations), and the card carries no foreign transaction fees.

Naturally, there's an opportunity cost to using the World of Hyatt Credit Card for purchases that likely won’t earn bonus rewards with any card. For example, I could earn 2 miles per dollar spent (yielding a 3.7% return based on TPG's August 2024 valuations) with my other everyday card, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card. However, I know I'll receive great value redeeming World of Hyatt points, and since this card helps me maintain Globalist status and earn an additional free night award, spending $15,000 each year is an easy choice for me.