World of Hyatt Award Chart Changes 2026
For the first time in five years, World of Hyatt is changing its award chart.
The hotel loyalty program, which includes over 1,500 hotels and resorts across 83 different countries, is keeping its fixed award chart, but the changes may require you to spend more points.
World of Hyatt is expanding its number of redemption levels and moving some of its hotels from one level to another. A handful of properties are getting moved down a level, which is more affordable, but the majority are being moved to higher, more expensive levels. These changes go into effect on Wednesday, May 20, 2026.
CNBC Select breaks down exactly what these changes mean for Hyatt customers and some ways you can adapt.
World of Hyatt award chart changes
What is the World of Hyatt loyalty program?
World of Hyatt is Hyatt Hotels & Resorts’ hotel loyalty program. It’s composed of four membership tiers (not including its free tier), which offer increasingly valuable rewards as you meet higher qualifications:
- Member: Free to join; no minimums on nights or Base Points
- Discoverist: 10 nights or 25,000 Base Points
- Exporist: 30 nights or 50,000 Base Points
- Globalist: 60 nights or 100,000 Base Points
- Life Globalist: 1,000,000 Lifetime Base Points
While the base Member level provides a few perks, like waived resort fees on Free Night Awards, the real perks — like 4 p.m. late checkout and room upgrades (based on availability) — are unlocked at higher tiers.
What sets World of Hyatt apart from other hotel loyalty programs is two main things: It offers strong transfer value for Chase Ultimate Rewards® and Bilt Rewards, and it still operates a fixed-rate award chart, meaning your redemption rates remain stable instead of changing dynamically every day.
TIP: Book Hyatt stays with a travel rewards card
If you’re not interested in a hotel-specific card but still want to earn rewards that can be used at hotels, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) only carries a $95 annual fee, and the Ultimate Rewards® points it earns transfer to Hyatt. You’ll earn 5X points on travel (including hotels) purchased through Chase Travel℠, plus rewards on dining, online grocery purchases, select streaming services and general travel.
If you want more premium perks, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees) features a 150,000-point bonus after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening, which is enough to cover a multi-night Hyatt stay.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is a standout premium credit card with plenty of luxury perks and statement credits to justify its annual fee.
- Access over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide with a complimentary Priority PassTM Select membership, plus every Chase Sapphire Lounge® by The Club with two guests.
- Up to $300 in annual travel credit each account anniversary year
- You can transfer rewards to all of Chase’s travel partners including World of Hyatt, Southwest Rapid Rewards and many more
- Top-tier travel and shopping protections
- High annual fee
- Requires a high credit score
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select’s editorial staff.
- Earn 150,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Get $3,000 in annual value with Sapphire Reserve.
- Earn 8x points on all purchases through Chase TravelSM, including The EditSM and 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct. Plus, earn 3x points on dining worldwide & 1x points on all other purchases
- $300 annual travel credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
- Access over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide with a complimentary Priority PassTM Select membership, plus every Chase Sapphire Lounge® by The Club with two guests. Plus, up to $120 towards Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck® every 4 years
- Get up to $150 in statement credits every six months for a maximum of $300 annually for dining at restaurants that are part of Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Coverage, Lost Luggage Insurance, no foreign transaction fees, and more.
- Get complimentary Apple TV+, the exclusive streaming home of Apple Originals. Plus Apple Music — all the music you love, across all your devices. Subscriptions run through 6/22/27 — a value of $288 annually
- Member FDIC
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
Changes to the World of Hyatt loyalty program
Hyatt first announced it would be making changes to its loyalty program in February 2026. One of the largest adjustments is the expansion of its award chart, which previously had three redemption levels and will now have five.
New redemption levels
The loyalty program will drop its current three-level system of Off-Peak, Standard and Peak pricing, instead moving to a system with five categories: Lowest, Low, Moderate, Upper and Top.
Some hotels will be shifting between categories, with the majority becoming more expensive. Starting at 8 a.m. CT on May 20, 112 hotels will move to a higher Award Category, while only 24 hotels will be moved to a lower Award Category.
It’s worth noting that if you make an award chart booking before that date, even if the property shifts to a higher category, you won’t be required to pay the difference. And if your previously-booked property requires fewer points due to the change, you will receive an adjustment with the qualifying points returned to your account.
Overall, this change means you’ll likely be paying more for your next Hyatt award stay, but it depends on the category you book. Categories 7 and 8 (the most expensive categories) are set to experience the biggest price increases. For example, the points price for “Top” Category 8 properties is increasing by 67%, from 45,000 points to 75,000. But depending on the Category 1 property you book (Lowest, Low, Moderate, etc.), you could experience a 14% price decrease or up to a 38% price increase.
If we compare the existing middle category (Standard) to the new middle category (Moderate), Hyatt customers can expect to pay more across the board, with every single stay costing them more points per night than before. As noted above, the adjustments aren’t linear; for instance, Moderate Category 4 hotels are jumping by roughly 33%, while Moderate Category 7 hotels are only increasing by 17%.
These changes are also affecting Hyatt Resorts, which uses a similar award chart but with slightly different values.
Additional membership perks
While you were technically always allowed to share your Hyatt points with friends and family, it previously required you to fill out and email a PDF with several different lines of information. Later this year, members will be able to share points digitally, making this process a lot smoother and hopefully even faster.
Hyatt also announced that Explorists, Globalists, Lifetime Globalists and World of Hyatt cardmembers can soon enjoy exclusive early access to award night availability.
Find travel insurance that’s right for you
Is the World of Hyatt program still worth it?
While your many award night stays at Hyatt properties are getting more expensive, Hyatt’s loyalty program can still provide great value, especially as you work your way up the membership tiers. Plus, at least 24 properties will be available for fewer points than before.
Overall, Hyatt continuing with its fixed award chart is a welcome sight for most travelers, as it allows you to better plan out the cost of your trip.
Hyatt cardholders won’t feel the shift as deeply
The consumer Hyatt credit card automatically gives you complimentary World of Hyatt Discoverist status, and you can earn up to 9X points on all your Hyatt purchases, plus 2X on dining, airline tickets directly from the airline, gym memberships, and local transit and commuting.
If you don’t already own the Hyatt business card, its welcome offer is pretty easy to qualify for: Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. This card also comes with Discoverist status for you and up to five employees, plus up to $100 in Hyatt credits each anniversary year.
Hyatt loyalists still benefit from Milestone Rewards, which begin after 20 qualifying nights or 35,000 Base Points each year, and continue each 10 qualifying nights (up to 150 nights). These rewards can unlock more points, enhancements to your stay or credits for other experiences through Hyatt. It’s a nice way to continue to reap rewards as you stay at Hyatt properties over time, on top of the benefits your status might already provide.
If you were previously using Hyatt to book some more expensive getaways, you’ll likely have to deal with higher award prices or spend more time finding the right deal. For those who used it to book more affordable stays, while some rates might be higher, there will be opportunities to snag rooms for fewer points than before as well.
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* Information about the the World of Hyatt Credit Card and World of Hyatt Business Credit Card has been collected independently by CNBC Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication.
Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.
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