World of Hyatt Award Chart Changes 2026: What's New and Where to Get the Most Value

Summary

Podcast Summary: Smart Travel: Upgrade Your Getaways
Episode: World of Hyatt Award Chart Changes 2026: What's New and Where to Get the Most Value
Hosts: Sally French & Meghan Coyle (NerdWallet Travel)
Date: May 20, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this detailed episode, travel experts Sally French and Meghan Coyle break down the significant changes to the World of Hyatt award chart that rolled out on May 20, 2026. The conversation spans why these changes matter for both seasoned and new points travelers, gives listeners a primer on how hotel award charts work, and delves into where to find the most value under the new rules. The episode is also filled with actionable tips for maximizing Hyatt points, reflections on travel inflation, current Disney park news, and destination inspiration for future award travel.

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Main Discussion Highlights

1. State of Airfare & Loyalty Landscape

[01:13 – 05:45]

• Airfare Inflation: Airfares are up 20.7% YOY—about five times the current inflation rate for other products. The hosts attribute this primarily to jet fuel price spikes triggered by global events including the Iran conflict.
  • Quote: “Airfares aren’t just going up, they're going up at roughly five times the rate of everything else.” – Sally (02:25)
• The demise of Spirit Airlines has removed a key low-cost competitor, likely causing fares on other airlines to increase (referencing the "Spirit Effect").
  • Quote: “Average fares go up by 30% when Spirit stops flying a route—so Spirit leaving a route is bad for everyone...” – Meghan (03:46)
• Despite ongoing increases, airfare is still lower than the "revenge travel" highs of summer 2022.
• JetBlue and United have launched reciprocal loyalty benefits, so elite members on either airline get perks when flying the other.
  • “Those benefits are just automatic—no paperwork, no status match forms.” – Sally (05:45)

2. Memorial Day & Driving vs. Flying Tips

[07:01 – 08:59]

• AAA projects 45 million Americans will travel Memorial Day weekend, breaking records. Flying and driving will both be busy; Friday is forecast as the worst day for travel congestion.
• Airfare for Memorial Day is up 15% and average round trips within the US are $459, possibly pushing some travelers to stay home.
• Tip: Avoid traveling Friday if possible—busiest day for both air and road.

3. Marriott Bonvoy Outdoor Partnership

[08:37 – 10:58]

• Marriott Bonvoy launches partnership with Outside Magazine’s app, letting members earn points by tracking outdoor activities (hikes, bike rides) at select properties.
  • Up to 5,000 bonus points per year.
  • “None of this is life-changing points, but…nice to have a few extra just for doing things you might already be doing.” – Meghan (10:36)
  • Outside+ members can earn an extra 1,000 points for linking accounts.
  • A 14-day free Outside+ Adventure Pass is available for early linkers.

4. Disney Park News & Deals

[11:12 – 14:50]

• Sally at Disney World, Meghan at Disneyland—both covering new summer offerings.
  • Preview: New Mandalorian and Grogu (Baby Yoda) ride mission at Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run.
  • Disney deals: $50/day kids park hopper tickets at Disneyland (May 22 – Sept 7), kids eat free at Disney World with vacation packages, four-day/four-park adult tickets at $109/day, waterpark admission on check-in day, and up to 30% hotel discounts.
  • Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at Disney World rebranded to Muppets, new bicoastal Soarin’ across America ride opens soon.

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Main Segment: World of Hyatt Award Chart Changes

[16:14 – 44:08]

Understanding Award Charts

[17:32 – 20:41]

• Award Chart Basics: Hyatt uses a published award chart (categories 1-8) with set point prices for free nights; contrast with brands like Hilton, Marriott, and IHG, which use dynamic pricing.
  • “It is predictable, so you won’t ever need to guess...just because it’s a very popular time.” – Meghan (18:06)
• NerdWallet’s Valuations: Historically, Hyatt points have been among the most valuable; the real effect of the new chart on value is TBD.

The 2026 Changes

[20:41 – 24:25]

• The number of price tiers per category has expanded from three (Off-peak, Standard, Peak) to five (Lowest, Low, Moderate, Upper, Top).
  • This increases the variability: each category now has five possible points prices depending on the date.
• Key Pain Point: “That top tier pricing…is going up by at least 30% for every single category, and some…by 50% or more.” – Meghan (21:20)
  • Not just ultra-luxury (categories 7–8); even Cat 2 jumps from 9,500 to 15,000 points max; Cat 5 jumps from 23,000 to 35,000.
• Peak Travel: Good deals on luxury properties will be much harder to find, especially during popular dates.

Silver Linings & Pain Points

[22:56 – 24:25]

• Lower Tiers: Some Cat 1–3 properties have cheaper off-peak rates (500–1,000 fewer points).
• Realistically, the lowest pricing will be rare and usually limited to off-season weekdays.

Other Hyatt Program Updates

[24:25 – 25:09]

• Digital Point Transfers: Coming later in 2026, members can transfer points between accounts digitally (vs. current snail mail process).
• Elite & Cardholder Booking Window: Explorist, Globalist, and Hyatt cardholders get a month’s head start on booking award stays.

Maximizing Free Night Certificates

[25:09 – 26:26]

• The top-tier value of certs (Category 1–4, or 1–7 for elites) has increased proportionally with new peak pricing—so using certs on top-tier or peak nights yields greater dollar value.
  • Action Tip: Use the Hyatt website’s world map filter to find all eligible properties for your free night certs.

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Host Hotel Recommendations & Travel Stories

[26:26 – 37:37]

• Hyatt Regency Irvine (Cat 3): Sally's wedding hotel; selected for value for guests. “Fabulous category three…great redemption.” – Sally (26:26)
• Hyatt Regency Vienna: Meghan’s recent stay (formerly Andaz); praised for unique design, great rooftop bar, coffee shop, bike-friendliness, and proximity to the main train station.
• Hyatt Regency San Francisco (Cat 5): Features a 360-degree rotating rooftop club lounge with city and bay views—only for club room bookers and Hyatt Globalists.
  • “Possibly one of the coolest bars in all of San Francisco.” – Sally (29:35)
• Park Hyatt Kyoto (Cat 8): Meghan raves about stunning Japanese baths, large rooms, and perfect location: “Definitely…the best hotel I’ve ever stayed in.” (31:44)
• Andaz Maui (Cat 8): Sally’s “Save With Sally” tip: Watch the hotel’s paid luau for free from the pool or bar; excellent included snorkel gear and prime location.
• Alila Ventana Big Sur (Cat 8): Meghan clarifies that the all-inclusive nature—not gold-plated luxury—sets it apart. Menus are fixed, limited alcohol; amazing hiking and Japanese baths.
• Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport (Cat 5): Sally’s pick for best airport hotel convenience and soundproof rooms (great for early/late flights and plane-spotting pool).

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Hotels On the Wishlist

[39:15 – 41:39]

• Hotel Martinez, Cannes: Featured in the upcoming season of HBO's “The White Lotus”—the first White Lotus filming location directly bookable with points.
• Park Hyatt Tokyo (Cat 8): Recently renovated; iconic for its pool, skyline views, and movie fame (“Lost in Translation”).

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Are Hyatt Points Still Valuable?

[41:39 – 44:08]

• Waived Resort Fees: Hyatt does not charge resort/destination fees on award stays—a key advantage over Marriott, etc.
  • “It hurts to have to pay these extra fees on top of using all your points.” – Meghan (42:26)
• Even with the new chart, Hyatt points likely remain a better value compared to other brands’ top-tier redemptions.
  • “Hyatt points have always been wildly valuable. They were too good to be true…maybe it’s just coming down back to earth.” – Sally (43:18)
• Free annual night certificates (often Cat 1–4) still represent strong value for credit card holders.

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Brief: Earning Hyatt Points & Elite Status

[44:08 – 48:04] Four Main Ways to Earn Hyatt Points:

1. Staying at Hotels: Points on paid stays.
2. World of Hyatt Credit Card ($95 AF): 4x points at Hyatt, 2x on select categories, free Category 1–4 night annually.
3. World of Hyatt Business Card: Higher annual fee, extra elite night bonus.
4. Transfer Partners: 1:1 with Chase Ultimate Rewards and Bilt Rewards (a top-value use).

Elite Status:

• Discoverist/Explorist/Globalist: Only Globalist (top-tier) cannot be reached by a credit card; offers suite upgrades, waived resort fees, free breakfast, and “Guest of Honor” booking benefit.
• Booking Tip: Use transferred Chase/Bilt points for top-value Hyatt stays.

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Listener Question: Marriott Credit Card Strategy

[48:04 – 51:05]

• Question from Roslyn, Newport Beach: Which card is best for massive family booking (5 rooms x 5 nights) at JW Marriott Palm Desert for Thanksgiving?
  • Option 1: Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Card ($250 AF, 6x points, plus 17.5x from lifetime Titanium status)
  • Option 2: Chase Sapphire Reserve ($550 AF): 4x on hotels, huge sign-up bonus, flexible for future non-Marriott travel
  • Tip: “My one hot tip is if you do get the Chase Sapphire Reserve, don’t transfer your points to Marriott.” – Sally (50:47)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “The ‘Spirit Effect’ shows that even if you don’t fly Spirit, their routes keep your fares lower.” – Meghan (03:46)
• "Those benefits are just automatic—no paperwork, no status match forms." – Sally (05:45)
• “It is not super luxury…not gold on the ceiling…It is kind of like a cabin inspired hotel, honestly.” – Meghan, on Alila Ventana Big Sur (35:28)
• “Hyatt points have always been wildly valuable. They were too good to be true…maybe it’s just coming down back to earth.” – Sally (43:18)
• “I love a hotel that’s directly inside the airport—especially if an early flight. Yes. No shuttle.” – Meghan (39:02)

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Key Timestamps for Reference

• [01:13] – Airfare inflation & Spirit Effect
• [05:45] – United & JetBlue loyalty reciprocity
• [08:37] – Marriott Bonvoy/Outside partnership
• [11:12] – Disney parks news & deals
• [16:14] – World of Hyatt award chart changes: Introduction
• [20:41] – Detailed changes to pricing structure
• [25:09] – Maximizing free night certificates
• [26:26] – Host favorite Hyatt redemptions
• [39:15] – Hyatt properties on the wish-list
• [41:39] – Are Hyatt points still valuable?
• [44:08] – Earning Hyatt points & elite status
• [48:04] – Listener question: Marriott credit card strategy

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Takeaways

• The new Hyatt chart will make aspirational luxury stays notably more expensive, but value is still strong for savvy off-peak/budget travelers.
• Hyatt remains a leader in transparent, predictable award booking and no-resort-fees on points.
• Savvy credit card use (Chase/Bilt) continues to be the best way to maximize Hyatt point value.
• Free night certificates retain strong value, particularly at category 4 and 7 properties during peak times.
• Travel is getting more expensive, but deep-dive strategy and advance planning still unlock meaningful savings.

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Final Advice:
“Don’t panic—Hyatt points are still a great way to book free nights, especially for off-peak travel, airport hotels, or if you can leverage free night certificates. But as always, make sure to check NerdWallet’s points valuations and align your card rewards strategy for the best value in 2026 and beyond!”

Transcript

[A]

this episode is sponsored by fora you already know how to find which neighborhoods to stay in which hotels are worth the splurge and how to piece together an itinerary you've been thinking like a travel advisor for years so why not get paid for it fora is a modern travel agency built for people who love to plan travel their platform training and community give you everything you need to turn that passion into a flexible meaningful stream of income as a fora advisor you'll get access to best in class training path powerful booking tech and a vibrant global community of experts and fellow advisors sharing real insider knowledge to help you launch and grow your own travel business and with access to more than seven thousand preferred travel partners from iconic brands to boutique gems you'll unlock vip perks like upgrades resort credits and late checkout that regular travelers simply don't get every hotel cruise or activity you book earns you a commission getting started can be as easy as booking trips for people you already know now's the time to finally turn your passion for travel into a fulfilling business with fora become a fora advisor today at for a travel dot com slash smart travel that's f o r a travel dot com smart travel and make sure you tell them we sent you for a travel dot com slash smart travel airfares

[B]

are up a whopping twenty one percent year over year but it's not as bad as you think and jetblue and

[A]

united's blue sky partnership officially took to

[B]

the skies and with memorial day coming up we have some predictions on the worst days to fly which might say set a record for air travel at that

[A]

welcome to smart travel from nerdwallet a deep dive into the tips tools and tactics to maximize your travel dollars

[B]

i'm megan coyle and i'm sally french

[A]

and we're the travel nerds ready to help you plan your next big trip

[B]

and if that trip is at a hyatt hotel booked on points well we've got bad news for you but if

[A]

you travel in the off season it might not be that bad hopefully at least sally thinks so we're talking about the new hyatt award chart in today's

[B]

main segment but first our disclaimer and we will talk about a few credit card companies that are nerdwallet partners in this episode that does not influence how we discuss them the benefits terms fees mentioned were accurate at the time of posting but things can change some offers may have expired by the time you're listening for the latest details follow the links in the episode description all right

[A]

sally let's start with that stat you mentioned right at the top of the episode and that's that airfares are up twenty point seven percent compared to this

[B]

time last year basically twenty one percent i am so shook megan just to

[A]

put that in context overall inflation right now is running at three point eight percent so this is well ahead of the rest of the inflation for other things you might buy so airfares aren't just going up they're going up at roughly five times the rate of everything

[B]

else incredible savage terrible why are airfares

[A]

just absolutely spiraling so much faster than a lot of other products we might

[B]

be buying everything is getting more expensive but especially airfares and i got two words for you jet fuel the iran war has caused oil prices to surge airlines are getting hit hard on fuel costs and they are absolutely passing that on to you the traveler and we

[A]

have to remember that that data does not take into account some recent events including the spirit airlines shutdown which happened on may second so that's not even reflected in this airfare inflation data yet but if you want to talk about spirit i think it's important to mention that just its existence was an important factor in the market to help bring

[B]

airfares down there is actually proven research on what is called the spirit effect that shows that average fares fall on any route where spirit operates not necessarily just the spirit airs being cheaper but overall airfares across other lines tend to get cheaper the doj actually cited internal jetblue documents back in twenty twenty three showing that get this average fares go up by thirty percent when spirit stops

[A]

flying a route so spirit leaving a route is bad for everyone including the people who do not fly spirit right

[B]

so many people say i don't fly spirit i don't care but i do want you to know this probably means airfares are going to continue to go up combine that with the twenty one percent year over year surge already happening because of oil prices this summer i am sad to say is shaping up to be very expensive to fly all

[A]

right so you said there is some good news in all of this that it's not as bad as you think but it's sounding pretty bad i am

[B]

an optimist i do want the listeners to know that despite five straight months of airfare increases we are still still lower than those record high airfares of summer twenty twenty two so if you remember the big buzzword then was revenge travel that was when everyone emerged from their homes post ready to throw their money at plane tickets oh yeah i

[A]

remember that time but it was so fun yeah and so people were happy

[B]

to spend a lot of money on travel probably because they hadn't spent a lot of money on travel over the

[A]

past couple years all right well we'll keep an eye on it let's dive into some other airline news this one is specific to jetblue and united flyers

[B]

yes so their loyalty programs true blue and mileage plus just announced that members can enjoy reciprocal loyalty perks and benefits when traveling across either airline's network so basically if you have a lead status with united you get some extra benefits when flying jetblue and vice versa for

[A]

example if you have united premier silver status that's the entry level status you can board with group three on jetblue get slightly earlier boarding premier platinum and premier one k members can board with group one which is really high up there and gold members can board with

[B]

group two and then when traveling on united my jetblue people with elite status can also board early on united there

[A]

are also some other reciprocal benefits including free checked bags and access to extra legroom seating you know if you have

[B]

elite status in one of these programs but do pay attention if you are booking on the other airline do realize that you might have these extra benefits

[A]

this is super nice because we hear a lot about status matching which is where an airline will sometimes grant you elite status if you have elite status with another airline but it can be kind of a process you have to fill out paperwork and they're usually terms like you only have that elite status match for a certain period and then you might have to fly a certain number of times within that period to keep your status all of this to say this is much easier if you already have united or jetblue status because those benefits are just automatic and you

[B]

know megan i feel like this could be me i'm optimistic this is the year i finally get united silver status as i said on last week's show i really only find myself on jetblue about once a year if i'm heading to the east coast if i'm doing my disney world trip so maybe maybe if i finally get my united silver status then i will also get my priority boarding on my singular jet blue

[A]

trip to florida nice nice i mean i love this for you because i get so much use out of my american airline status and i get those perks on alaska airlines as well so sally i think once you get a lead status you're not going to want to go back okay i don't have

[B]

it yet stay tuned people already it is memorial day weekend coming up and

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people are traveling triple a is projecting forty five million americans will travel at least fifty miles from home between thursday may twenty first and monday may twenty

[B]

fifth that is a new memorial day weekend record thirty nine point one million of those travelers say they are going by car and three point six six million people say they are flying i'm

[A]

skeptical though going also put out some data that's the airfare deals alert service and they put out some data that airfares are actually up fifteen percent from last year for memorial day weekend domestic tickets are averaging four hundred and fifty nine dollars round trip and their search volume is actually down twenty one percent for memorial day flights so i'm thinking some people might opt to stay home with fuel prices and airfares like that

[B]

i do sort of suspect those last minute travelers who waited until the last couple of weeks to buy their airfare are just opting out entirely this week but it's still going to be busier than ever i'm telling you also if you are driving i want you to know the gas prices are probably not scaring people away we're also expect huge amounts of drivers on the road so

[A]

if you are driving and you want to avoid the crowds what day should

[B]

you travel do anything but travel on friday whether you are driving or flying nerdwell expects friday to be the busiest day to travel in twenty twenty five the friday before memorial day was the first day of that entire year to break the three million screened passengers threshold

[A]

at airports not surprising but this record does get broken every year on the sunday after thanksgiving so i'm not too

[B]

concerned i mean it just keeps getting broken every year so more and more people every year i'm saying watch out

[A]

people now some news i think is going to appeal to our outdoor lovers out there marriott bonvoy just announced a partnership with outside and that's outside magazine so they have a whole app ecosystem and the idea is that you can now earn marriott bonvoy points just by going on a hike oh my gosh

[B]

i love my steps i'm in tell

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me more so not actually just hiking you have to stay at one of three hundred and fifty eligible marriott bonvoy outdoors properties and then from there you link your marriott bonvoy account with your outside account and you record your hike or your bike or whatever it is using outside's mapping apps and you earn

[B]

points wow i would happily hike for points you know i would hike for

[A]

no points but you do have to stay at one of those outdoors properties which includes brands like postcard cabins and trailborne hotels i am very intrigued by

[B]

those postcard cabins they're like these little pods in the woods yeah they look

[A]

really cute and there's also an introductory offer right now if you link your accounts within the first ninety days of this launch you get a fourteen day free trial of the outside plus adventure pass which gives you premium trail maps and offline navigation super important if you don't know where you're going people make sure your maps work and if you upgrade to a full outside plus subscription which gets you the annual magazine subscription plus other stuff like gear and events discounts during that trial you'll get an extra two thousand marriott points so existing outside plus members aren't left out though you can get a thousand points just for linking your accounts you know i'm so glad that hotel programs are expanding their partnerships and this one seems really

[B]

fun outside plus does cost ninety a year nerdwallet values two thousand marriott points at sixteen so obviously one thousand points would be worth dollar eight just to be clear this is not any sort of huge moneymaker but it is definitely a nice benefit if you're considering joining or maybe you already have plus's membership

[A]

program that's a good call out none of this is life changing points but it is nice to have a few extra just for doing things you might already be doing like staying at some of these properties or hiking during your vacation which is something i love to do one thing i want to note is that linked members can earn up to a maximum of five thousand marriott points per year from recording their activities during their stays so there is a

[B]

cap on it okay takeaway this week is that oil prices are too high and we are just going to be walking everywhere now speaking of walking i think you and i are about to get a ton of steps today in fact because tell everyone where you are

[A]

right now well i'm at disney world

[B]

and silly me i am at disneyland

[A]

we are both separately covering disney parks on both coasts and they have a bunch of new stuff rolling out this

[B]

summer we divided and conquered checked out all the us disney parks i am hoping today to get a preview ride in of millennium falcon smugglers run which is already one of the relatively new rides at disneyland this is in the star wars area of their park and they are going debut a new mandalorian and grogu mission coming out on may twenty second i hope they'll get me in for a sneak preview this is kind of a simulator ride and it's interactive you can kind of shoot the guns and actually drive the not the boat whatever it is drive the spaceship spaceship i guess but when the ride first came out it did not lean into those ultra popular star wars characters that we know and love i love baby yoda grogu as they tell me to say i love baby yoda and so i am so excited that i'm going to see baby yoda on this

[A]

ride yeah baby yoda is so cute and also the mandalorian movie there's just a lot of baby yoda content coming out including this ride although i have to say do not ever put me in the pilot seat for this ride sally like if you and i were to do this together on the same coast i must must must must be the engineer where all you have to do is push one button when it lights up and drop your cargo okay that's all i can handle i'm not good at this ride you let me

[B]

know how it for you in florida i'll let you know how it goes later today for me in california and i think we will report back next week on how it was and one

[A]

last thing i do want to mention is that there is a great kids offer on tickets for disneyland this summer so for visits from may twenty second through september seventh disneyland is selling park hopper tickets for dollar fifty per day for children ages three through nine and

[B]

then over at disney world there are quite a range of good deals one of the top ones is a kids eat free offer where kids ages through nine can get a free dining plan when you purchase a vacation package that includes a disney hotel and a dining plan for the adults in your party there's also a four day four park ticket starting at one nine dollars per day for adults they've also brought back a very popular offer from last year where you can get a free water park visit on your disney hotel check in day and then finally there are some deals for up to thirty percent off disney hotel rooms a lot of

[A]

great deals going on at disney this year so definitely check it out if you are a big disney fan like us one of the new things at disney world that i'm really excited for is the rock and roller coaster just got a refresh yes it's now branded as muppets so i love the muppets i feel like i wish there were more representation of muppets throughout all the disney parks but i am glad they're ending up on this roller coaster dude

[B]

it's coming this is the year of muppets i saw sabrina carpenter host that muppet show fiftieth anniversary special i'm telling you i'm calling it muppets are having a mega comeback i love that and

[A]

also there's a new version of the soaring across america ride so if you've been to disney you might remember this is the one where you're sort of hang gliding over different landscapes in the us and this one actually has a very cool bicoastal video of soaring over east coast and west coast very much like what we're doing today inspired by

[B]

the two hundred fiftieth anniversary of the us now megan i think you're gonna get a preview of it probably today because it opens on may twenty sixth out there in florida sadly though it does not open until july second out here in california so you'll have to let me know how it was i

[A]

totally will i mean that one is such a nice one because there's a lot of air conditioning which i am really gonna need later today that whole

[B]

pavilion at epcot is the best with all the ac also living with the land right next door to soarin super

[A]

underrated one of my friends used to work at that one and she loved it she was like i have the best gig in disney it's small world for plants alright before we leave you for these disney rides we will do a deep dive into all those hyatt changes which kick in today that's coming up right after this this episode is sponsored by rakuten rakuten opens up a world of rewards you can earn cash back on fashion beauty electronics pet supplies kid stuff groceries but what i'm here to tell you is with rakuten you can get cash back on travel too join and save on your next trip you'll get cash back on the flight the hotel and the car rental book on your favorite travel sites like expedia booking dot com viator vrbo hotels dot com comma ihg and more save on cruises vacation packages and experiences as well and don't worry cash back can be earned on top of your credit card points and with many loyalty programs because we know you're saving every way you can so go ahead take a trip find that perfect hotel book an artisan cheese experience inside a cave in spain or wherever you want to go go with rakuten join today for free go to rakuten dot com or get the app that's r a k u t e n sally today is a big day because the world of hyatt officially changed its pricing for stays booked on

[B]

points yes today is a big day if you are listening to the show on launch day that would be may twentieth that is also the day that world of hyatt has rolled out its brand new award chart we have talked about this chart we've previewed it's coming we've known it's been coming but today say that a lot of hotel stays especially the dreamy bucket list kind are going to cost a lot more points

[A]

and before you say okay this episode isn't for me i've never booked a hyatt i've never booked a hyatt on points let me stop you right there we're going to talk a little bit about award charts and if you are a points traveler it's really important to know how these work and how these changes might affect you it is not

[B]

just the hyatt award charts but so many hotels have been changing their award chart programs and it's interesting to see how hyatt fits fits into this megan you described the way we would share this episode as the thirty minute hyatt situation room i loved that we're going

[A]

to talk about what an award chart is what's changing why you should care and some of the famous properties and properties that sally and i have been to and why we think hyatt points are still worth collecting even though there's been all these changes to the program

[B]

and not to clip at you but y' all are gonna stay tuned to the end because we do have a great listener question that ties all of

[A]

this together all right sally let's start with defining an award chart for someone who has never thought about this in their life if you listen to the

[B]

show hopefully you have but an award chart is effectively a published list it usually comes out like some sort of grid that tells you exactly how many points it costs to book a free night at a hotel so hyatt sorts its hotels into categories so they have categories one through eight one is going to be your typically cheaper properties and then eight is going to be those really fancy ones the chart basically says if you want to stay at category one hotel here's how many points you

[A]

need and the great thing about this is it is predictable so you won't ever need to guess like oh i might actually need fifty thousand more points for that category one hotel unexpectedly just because it's a very popular time to be traveling to that destination right and

[B]

so the alternative to that is dynamic pricing so that's what hotel brands like marriott ig hilton do so it is more unpredictable with those brands that don't have an award chart one hotel could be seventy thousand points one night and then the next hotel night it's ninety thousand points and you don't really know

[A]

why and i think this is where it gets a little bit confusing because people are like oh a one hundred eighty thousand point night stay is like totally not worth it just because of how many points that is and that might not necessarily be true if you're looking at the cent per point value so we talk about valuation sometimes on here for example hilton points are worth about zero point six cents per point but let's say that one hundred eighty thousand point night was actually like a five thousand dollars hotel stay you'd be getting way more than the normal hilton point valuation and so actually that night could be a good deal you see how dynamic pricing can make it really really confusing whether or not you're getting

[B]

a good deal and people never really know also because points valuations are so different so one hotel's points might be worth point seven cents and then one is worth one point seven cents so one hundred seventy thousand points at one hotel program is not necessarily any better than seventy thousand points at another so what's interesting is that nerd bullet partners with hotel awards search tool gondola we do the math for you we have looked in partnership with gondola at hundreds of hotel stays across many different hotel dates we look to find the median value of your points so we can get a better understanding of what they

[A]

are actually worth this and we'll put a link to the valuations we came up with for all these different hotel programs in the episode description and i just want to call out here you can see it pretty clearly in the valuations hyatt is one of the last big global hotel programs with a real published award chart and so their valuation looks a little bit higher now if you're listening to this on may twentieth you're like wait does this still apply with the new award chart changes that they're rolling out and the answer is maybe but we're still crunching the data it's going to take us a couple of weeks to figure out with the pricing adjustments if the valuation has gone down okay so megan let's talk about

[B]

what has actually changed the categories one through eight stay the same what is new now as of may twentieth is how many price points exist within each category so previously there were just three pricing tiers off peak standard and peak what is complicated now is that there are now five pricing tiers lowest low moderate upper and top which makes it so that way there are so many different price points because there are eight tiers and then there are five different dates of pricing within that there are so many potential options of how many points you could pay as opposed to previously when it was the eight categories and then just the three different date

[A]

prices and it's important to note that that top tier pricing the most that you would pay for a stay at that category of hotel is going up by at least thirty percent for every single category of hotel and some categories that top tier pricing is fifty percent or more than the previous pricing yes

[B]

and that really applies to those higher tier hotels so hotels that fell into category six seven eight they're also seeing the biggest jumps on the higher end the tldr here is if you are someone who used to get a great deal on those luxury properties now it feels like far less likely you are going to find amazing deals on those alila ventanas of the world and wait

[A]

sally i just want to mention that it's not just category seven and eight hotels it's actually at the lower levels as well like category two is jumping from nine thousand five hundred points per night as a maximum to fifteen thousand points that's sixty percent more category five which is kind of a middle tier maybe slightly nicer than mid tier that one is going from twenty three thousand points max to thirty five thousand points so again another fifty two percent jump so honestly it affects most hotels across

[B]

the board and this is for those stays that are what are the upper and top tier days to stay what it feels like to me is that if you are traveling on peak season you're really not going to get those good deals anymore which maybe is not a bad thing because we talk about over tourism and these hotels are so crowded during peak season so now you're also going to pay more to travel during those peak seasons and there is

[A]

a bit of good news which is that that categories one two and three actually have slightly cheaper rates for the lowest and low tiers of pricing if you're going off peak dates i think

[B]

about this in travel all the time we hear so much rhetoric about how this upper class of people continues to travel they're not really getting hurt by all of these high costs as much as everybody else but i'm really thinking about people who are looking for those budget hotels these are people who just need a place to stay for their kids sports meet for a wedding or for a funeral they're not not looking for a luxury property they're just looking for a budget place to stay and what we are seeing is that some of these category one two and three hotels are getting a little cheaper we're talking about five hundred to one thousand fewer points a night at the new lowest tier and i do really see some silver lining in that that saving five hundred points for budget travelers can really mean a lot so i am

[A]

optimistic there the problem is sally i don't think there will be a ton of nights available at those like lowest pricing tiers because even a sports meet even like kind of a small event going on in a destination if it's bringing several more people than usual to that destination then hotels are going to charge more and you know you won't be paying the lowest price i think that lowest price will really be for people who just needed an extra hotel on a wednesday or something you know

[B]

what i mean fair enough you are not as optimistic as i am all

[A]

of these hyatt changes also came with a couple of other announcements about the program that that people might want to keep in mind one of them is that hyatt will finally let members transfer points digitally between accounts later this year that's a huge win because the previous method was like snail mail you literally had to fill out this paper form and email it or fax it or

[B]

something it was crazy thank god unhinged to make you send a letter in the mail and then the other change is that world of hyatt credit card holders plus explorist and globalist elite status members are getting a one month head start start on award booking so basically you have an extra month to book before these rooms open up to the general public so if you're really trying to get a peak date at one of those really popular properties this could be good news for you now let's

[A]

go back to those category changes that we were just talking about those are really important to keep in mind if you're trying to use some free night certificates this year the world of hyatt

[B]

credit card gives you a free night certificate every year good at category one through four hotels and then some elite members earn a certificate good at category one through seven hotels as one of their milestone rewards those certificates do not have a points cost on them so technically those are now like worth more points because the top tier pricing is higher now at those categories so use your category four night certificate on one of those super peak nights to really maximize the value and if you do

[A]

have a free night certificate you guys should do what i did i highly recommend just going to the hyatt website and clicking explore in the toolbar and you get this map where you can actually filter the entire world by category and see all the different properties you could book using your free night certificate you could choose category four or three or whatever you want so i did this recently for a trip with my sister i filtered to those categories and i found us a great stay in vienna which we'll talk more about when we come back all right sally i figured we could talk about some of our favorite hyatts do you want to

[B]

start you mean the hyatt regency irvine which was my wedding hotel a fabulous category three which i chose for my guests specifically because it was a great

[A]

redemption how many people stayed there ooh

[B]

maybe like thirty it was pretty good i mean we had two hundred people total but many people were local including you megan so yeah but i want to know about the hyatt that you stayed in in vienna yes i just

[A]

went to the hyatt regency vienna it was in andaz until like a month

[B]

ago it changed to regency i didn't

[A]

know they did that rebranded they actually do this frequently because they're always looking at how these hotel brands like fit into their whole portfolio so it was

[B]

given more regency energy than andaz energy

[A]

but here's the thing when i was there i was like i could totally see why this was an andaz which for people who don't know an andaz is kind of more of like a lifestyle hotel might have have some younger vibes you know has some really cool decorations and so that's kind of how i felt that hotel was regency gives

[B]

me big conference energy exactly gives you

[A]

a little bit more business energy a little bit more like refined not as much character from the place but yeah

[B]

a regency doesn't give me character that's

[A]

why that's why i was kind of

[B]

poo pooing the regency irvine this is

[A]

why though i felt like this was a great find especially for a free night award because it still had all of that character there were all these fun neon signs in the lobby they had a great great great rooftop bar which honestly the front desk person told me that it was the second best rooftop bar in vienna and i was

[B]

like wait that's so odd what ranking

[A]

second best second best but i mean

[B]

that's how you know it's real because when people are like it's the number one best you're like nah no way yeah second best that means they're being

[A]

authentic with you there's literally one elevator that goes to this rooftop bar and it's kind of kind of scandinavian design inspired and it looks over belvedere palace which is actually an art museum now and there's a huge green space right there and this hotel is just steps away from the main train station now the train station's kind of big and it actually took me all three days of my stay to figure out what was the closest entrance you know what i mean like where to get off

[B]

i was just at the train station in taiwan and i swear the in taipei it spanned like six blocks i'm like ah just walking to the train station is a hike right i was

[A]

like i know on the map these are so close i just can't figure out which exit to get out of i love a giant train station and

[B]

last you know google maps now tells you which train station exit to get

[A]

off at it did not tell me the right one for this particular stay maybe not but the last thing i'll mention is that it had a great little coffee shop on the bottom i personally love when there is a coffee shop shop at the hotel but i you know don't get that excited about like a starbucks or something like that this was a local coffee shop it was biking themed it was really good and honestly i was like i would stop here if i wasn't staying at this hotel so i feel like that's a huge green flag right there transit

[B]

friendly bike friendly you love to see

[A]

it all right what is yours you actually did pick a hyatt regency for your next this is so funny we're all picking hyatt regencies okay i know

[B]

so this is a conference friendly hotel it is the hyatt regency san francisco but there is more to it than just conference friendliness and that would be the rotating regency club lounge at the top of this hotel it is iconic and it is not open to the general public i have no idea why because this is possibly one of the coolest bars in all of san francisco so this hotel is located right by the ferry building which if you're familiar with san francisco is one of the best places to stay and then they have have this rooftop bar in this area of the hotel where the roof actually rotates like a three hundred sixty degree view and the only way you can get into this club lounge is if you book a regency club lounge room which is an extra cost or if you have globalist status you also get access to this lounge the lounge itself they have locally sourced food they have drinks but the real reason is just the view it is an award category five to book at this hotel and i would would recommend actually booking that regency club floor room so you

[A]

can access this lounge wait sally so you know i've never been in one of these rotating restaurants before oh you've

[B]

never been in one do you get

[A]

sick like is there motion sickness involved like how often does it rotate i have a lot of questions how how

[B]

motion sick do you get not very

[A]

i'm i'm pretty good i i'm pretty

[B]

sure they said it takes an hour to go around the whole thing so it's not like this is not the teacups megan this is this is like a normal very slow pace okay i think you'll be fine but let's go check it out let's let's test it

[A]

out let's do it next time i'm an sf all right what's your next pick my next one is a very popular one i felt like we should just throw in a couple that are very popular hyatts in general so this is the park hyatt kyoto actually heard about this one on another podcast once and i was like everyone talks about this i want to stay there so it is now up to category eight which their highest category but oh my gosh this hotel was definitely i think the best hotel i've ever stayed in huge huge rooms especially you know you've been to japan like the rooms are

[B]

usually so tiny i have not been to japan but i do believe what

[A]

you haven't been to japan sadly oh

[B]

my gosh i know maybe i'll go to the park high at kyoto you

[A]

went to madagascar before you went to

[B]

japan okay i do think i i i am very well traveled i'll just say that but i do think tokyo or japan more generally is the one tourist destination that is so popular that i have not been to i've been to all the other top tourist hotspots i i want to say that and

[A]

you want to go soon no because

[B]

everybody goes to japan i see so

[A]

you're waiting for it i mean madagascar

[B]

where nobody's been you're waiting for it

[A]

to come down in popularity i see okay well when you do hopefully the park high at kyoto will still be there park hyatt's are really known for their spa areas like a hydrotherapy area lots of hot tubs this one has like japanese baths oh that's oh my gosh i spent like probably like two or three hours in there because you know you're doing so much walking in japan yeah and so to just like be in a hot tub after a long day of walking and getting forty thousand steps was perfect and the park hyatt kyoto is also in a great location in sort of the old town area of of kyoto and that's just really special there aren't that many hotels in that area and so to walk out and just feel like you are transported back to a different century is

[B]

amazing speaking of hotels that are wildly popular i will take us to the andaz maui in hawaii i visited this hotel back in twenty nineteen when it was a category six now this too is a category eight r i b

[A]

so many category eights this is a

[B]

very fancy hotel great location it is right on the beach in wailea and so there are few different fancy hotels in wailea i think everyone always talks about the grand wailea which is hilton owned and the andaz maui is right nearby now here is my save with sally tip why i love the andaz maui they have a luau and as you know luaus in maui are outrageously expensive however their luau takes place on the lawn which is a public lawn so you do not have to pay for the luau if you do pay for it you get access to the buffet and the drinks however you can just sit at the pool and you get a you get the back row seat of the luau but you still get a luau seat so i highly recommend just catching the luau from the pool or also the bar that kind of overlooks the pool highly recommend of course this hotel is right on the beach it has amazing snorkeling i paid a lot of money for a snorkeling excursion and then the next day i was like i love snorkeling let's go snorkeling again so i just used the snorkel which was complimentary from the hotel and i was like we're just snorkeling on the beach i saw turtles right on the beach i saw way more stuff than the paid snorkeling excursion i did so if you love snorkeling wailea is your spot and the andaz maui might be the place to stay when

[A]

you do it ooh i love the snorkeling in maui this is a great pick sally although i actually think it is worth going to a luau full stop because you need the the food you need the drinks you need the full atmosphere and there are some really good local ones in maui as well that are not attached to a hotel

[B]

so okay check that out i did i did one luau at the polynesian culture center which was very fun they don't serve alcohol at the polynesian culture center and instead they just give you a virgin pina colada and a giant pineapple like a real pineapple that's carved

[A]

out yeah so good all right let's do another domestic hyatt i'm gonna choose the one you have been talking about all episode which is the lila ventanas

[B]

oh my gosh they're getting so many shout outs in this episode i know

[A]

okay i actually did not think it was quite as luxurious as you're making it out to be yes it's a category eight and yes what makes it really special is it isn't all inclusive

[B]

hang on megan category eight and it's

[A]

not that fancy the actual design of the hotel is actually not super fancy like big sur is kind of got foresty vibes it is next to the ocean and you can see the ocean but it's not really like a beach resort if you know what i mean right and so it really feels more like like kind of like a cabin inspired hotel honestly it doesn't feel incredibly out of this world luxurious like gold on the ceiling wait sorry say this is good or bad i am just saying it is it is not super luxury if that's what you're trying to get with this okay i do think

[B]

there is a class of luxury where we are not doing gold frills everywhere but it's this understated like rich people but we're we're in the wilderness kind

[A]

of thing yeah but i still don't know that that would be this wow i will say what makes this really special is that it is an all inclusive i'd never been to an all inclusive property that wasn't a cruise that's like in the ocean but this all inclusive was really cool because they have amazing menus of like california local inspired food and i thought was very elevated way better than anything i've ever eaten on a cruise ship but they don't change the menus a ton and i know a lot of people who go to alila ventana big sur just for a weekend like i stayed for two nights because that's as many points as i could part with and i just remember i had the same dinner both nights but i didn't really expect that because i thought that the menu would change but anyways this is a beautiful beautiful property if you like hiking if you just want to hang out in the japanese baths all day it's clear that i love a hot tub then this is the place for you it was so worth it and hyatt does have other all inclusive properties but they're on a different award chart and so this one is special because it is a lot cheaper than some of the all inclusives on their other award chart

[B]

okay so you're paying category eight prices you are not getting the frilly gold but you are getting food included that

[A]

is intriguing and no alcohol included with this one and the breakfast and lunches are included as well so it's the food it's the mini bar but there are some extra charges like having to pay for alcohol a lot of the activities and also if you want an extra entree at dinner oh or like an extra dish they have a very set number of how much you can order per person so if you want to go over you know it's not exactly all you can eat buffet i'm

[B]

gonna take us over to a category five hotel that is not super frilly it is believe it or not still a hyatt regency this is the hyatt regency orlando international airport i am picking this because it is the only hotel located directly inside the mco main terminal it is wild because the rooms are so quiet i stay at this hotel because you know i love disney i love universal and i'm always going in and out and trying to maximize my time which sometimes means a super early flight or a super late flight if that's happening i just wanna stay at the air airport hotel but it is impressive because this hotel if you go up the escalator is right adjacent to the security so if you want to be ready to roll into the security for your early morning flight there is no better place to stay and then this hotel is actually kind of cool because they have this rooftop pool that you can actually get runway views and i know there are people you listen to this podcast that you love plane spotting you can plane spot from a pool at this hotel i love a

[A]

hotel that's directly inside the airport because it's just so much easier like especially if an early flight yes no shuttle

[B]

it's not an airport hotel if i gotta take a shuttle to the airport it's an airport hotel if it is at the airport so shout out hyatt

[A]

regency orlando and we will finish off this section with hyatt's that we haven't been to but wanna go to i guess i'll go first i wanna go to hotel martinez it's part of hyatt's unbound collection and they just announced it's a filming location for the new season of so this is the first true white lotus hotel that you can book on points the other ones have been mostly four seasons and there are other usually they use a couple of hotels as filming locations those ones are a little bit harder to book on points you have to book through a credit card portal this one you could actually book with hyatt points which is really

[B]

really cool wow when does the new

[A]

season start i mean they're filming it so they're filming it right now this

[B]

year okay so people book this hotel now before the season actually airs because i imagine it'll get wildly and hyatt does tend to change your war charts maybe once a year so i'm guessing this hotel might get it more expensive if the show hits which i'm sure

[A]

it will yeah it's actually called the white lotus effect so yeah good one to book for this next year what's yours sally well now you've been talking

[B]

about tokyo and i think i should go so maybe i just stay at the other hotel that everybody talks about is the park hyatt tokyo this is a category eight so we're gonna have to get real fancy i'm gonna have to save up my boyfriend points i don't believe i have enough points for this hotel but maybe one day by the time i finally get myself over to japan the park high at tokyo is especially notable because last year at the end of twenty twenty five it underwent a major restoration it is a thirty year old hotel but they completely refreshed this hotel it stands out for things like a massive swimming pool underneath this big glass atrium and you get the tokyo skyline views this hotel also might be famous to many people who have seen lost in translation it's a hotel in there and then the whole hotel has views of tokyo mount fuji it sounds compelling i would like to

[A]

go that's a great pick i also think it's really good advice to follow the hotels that have been renovated because those ones are often giving you a better experience than some of those historic hotels that are kind of in need of an update and so this one kind of hits all the marks where it is a historic property it's got a lot to look at but it also just just got a new set of clothes it's been refreshed so that's

[B]

awesome okay thank you for approving of

[A]

my picks all right so clearly there are lots of properties worth booking with hyatt points but sally do you think hyatt points are still worth earning and using even with this new award chart

[B]

there is one reason why i really love paying with points that i think is a little underrated and that is that hyatt is one of the hotel companies that does not charge resort fees on award bookings so it drives me when other hotel companies do this marriott i'm looking at you they charge resort fees even if you pay on points so you think you got this room for free and then all of a sudden you got the resort fee and in a place like hawaii it is fifty or dollar sixty a night so suddenly i think i have a free hotel stay then i get to check in and i'm like oh no this stay is now dollar three hundred for the fees after all the nights that

[A]

i'm staying it hurts to have to pay these extra fees on top of using all your points for it it i also love hyatt for this reason that you go and you don't feel like oh there's going to be a surprise charge on yeah i also want to say i think the award chart changes are a little bit overblown oh

[B]

so why are we doing a whole episode on this are we overblowing it

[A]

no no no i think we're talking about it exactly right like okay in context like hyatt point the value of hyatt points will probably come down a bit it but i still think marriott and hilton and other hotel properties that are similar caliber are charging a lot more points than even the top tier pricing that we were saying went fifty or sixty percent higher i think most of the other hotels that you can book on points are charging more points

[B]

than that hyatt points have always been wildly valuable they were too good to be true i think we all knew that and so it does seem like a little bit of the bubble is bursting but we should acknowledge that we had it a little too good for too long maybe it is just coming

[A]

down back to earth also free nights sally i know you love these i love a free night it's a big reason that people get hotel credit cards and so i'm just thinking again like even though you know you might not be able to use it as at as many properties that category one through four hotel night can really still come in handy it came in handy for my trip to vienna with my sister and if you are staying at an airport hotel or something like that and and the category matches the free night award then there you go that's kind of a hotel you didn't have to pay for and you probably paid less in annual fees for the credit card

[B]

we should talk about elite status now i have world of hyatt discover status you can get that by holding the world of hyatt credit card which has a dollar ninety five annual fee then there is the chase sapphire reserve which gives its cardholders the more mid tier explorer status though to get that explorer status you do have to also spend seventy five thousand dollars on the card in a calendar year that's a lot

[A]

of money i'm not sure how many people are qualifying that way i get

[B]

it through my world of higher credit card which has a ninety five annual

[A]

fee we should talk about the top tier elite status which is called globalist you can't get that through a credit card and i think a lot of people in travel think that is one of the most valuable hotel elite statuses out there maybe partly because you can't get it through a credit card so it's a lot less people and globalist comes with a lot of benefits like free breakfast at almost any hyatt brand there's sweet upgrades on both paid stays that you paid in cash and also award stays that you paid for with points and that means you could get a upgrade to a suite or something like that no resort fees on stays booked in points or cash if you have globalist and you also can get some pretty cool milestone rewards like confirmed suite upgrades and guest of honor rewards which is basically where you can give your status to someone else you basically book a hotel room for them and with the guest of honor award they can experience all of these great benefits

[B]

that you get now megan let's talk about how to earn hyatt points there are basically four main ways one stay at hotels that is the obvious one one you earn points when you book

[A]

paid stays to the world of hyatt credit card from chase it has a ninety five dollars annual fee we just mentioned it a little bit earlier it earns four points per dollar at hyatt and two points per dollar on dining airline tickets booked direct gym memberships and local transit and one point per dollar on everything else plus a free category one through four night every year on your card member anniversary there is the

[B]

world of hyatt business credit card this is a similar deal it has a annual fee a little more focused on business spending it has bonus categories depending on which you actually spend the most on and then you can also get

[A]

extra elite night credits and we expect that chase and hyatt will continue to expand their portfolio and introduce a new world of hyatt credit cards sometime in the future there we have been hearing the rumors there's no details yet but when they are released least we will be the first to tell you about

[B]

them do you think they're going to do one of those one thousand dollars annual fee credit cards oh gosh i

[A]

hope not all right and the third one is probably my favorite because it's the one i use the most it's where you can transfer points from your flexible transferable currencies like chase ultimate rewards or build so hyatt is a one to one transfer partner of both chase ultimate rewards and built rewards so for example if you have a chase sapphire preferred or a chase sapphire reserve you could transfer your points from your chase card to world of hyatt at a one to one ratio i really do

[B]

think hyatt is still one of the best uses of your chase ultimate rewards

[A]

points and same with build i often transfer my built points to hyatt to be able to book some of these really cool properties so one thing i wanted to point out when you're looking at your credit card mix and you want to stay at hyatt it is definitely worth considering more than just the hyatt credit cards because the hyatt cards might offer different signup offers than the chase sapphire cards or even the bilt card so really look at all of your options because you have a couple

[B]

of them and if you are listening to this today may twentieth there is a very impressive chase sapphire reserve signup offer happening now so jump on that

[A]

all right let's go to the listener question this one is also about hotels but not about hire diets this one is from roslyn in newport beach hi megan and sally we are chase marriott lifetime titanium members of many years wow wow okay rosalind how'd you get that love lifetime status great okay we will likely take five rooms for five nights each equaling twenty five nights during thanksgiving twenty twenty six at the jw marriott in palm desert desert we have paid for our family to stay at that same hotel for over thirty years which card should we use to book and or pay for our stay wow roslyn

[B]

you are a high roller i love

[A]

it checks out newport beach so let's get into their options i think the obvious one is a marriott card i was thinking the marriott bonvoy bevy card because that one has only a two hundred fifty annual fee which is which is still a hefty annual fee but the rewards rate is six points per dollar on marriott and then if you take into account the extra points they earn as lifetime titanium members they'll also get seventeen point five points per dollar so add that together that's twenty three point five points per dollar on their spending at this jw marriott that is

[B]

compelling just because i'm assuming the jw marriott is very expensive especially if you're going thanksgiving week that you really do want to probably charge this to a marriott card so you ma that earnings in marriott points though i'm just getting vibes that maybe roslyn is willing to pay more than a two hundred fifty annual fee so i do want to throw another one out there and that would be the chase sapphire reserve i know the annual fee is bonkers on it but i do kind of get the sense that roslyn is a traveler who might maximize the other benefits on the chase sapphire reserve we have gone to more in depth there are so many credits ranging from dining credits to do peloton credits i would encourage roslyn to listen to our show about the chase sapphire reserve but i do think this could be compelling also they have an amazing limited time offer right now you can earn one hundred fifty thousand bonus points after you spend six thousand dollars on purchases in the first three months from account opening you should check the link in the episode description because i will just post it right there it earns forex points on purchases directly with the hotels and that could also be very compelling yeah because they're already

[A]

earning seventeen point five points per dollar as titanium members so if they don't need those kind of you know the extra two points per dollar on marriott's this card might give them a little bit more flexibility to book with any hotel brand for their future travels not just their thanksgiving trip so maybe they'll book a hyatt who knows my one

[B]

hot tip is if you do get the chase sapphire reserve don't transfer your points to marriott i feel like marriott's one of the worst transfer partners for the chase sapphire reserve do you agree

[A]

yeah it just often doesn offer you the same value that you could get booking through the chase travel portal or transferring to some of the other more

[B]

high value partners like an airline so so book your marriott with a chase have a reserve but use the points to maybe book airfare all right i

[A]

think that's it for today follow smart travel on your favorite podcast app spotify apple podcasts iheartradio you can automatically download new episodes and if you're listening on spotify drop us a comment right in the app maybe send us a listener question i think these have been really

[B]

fun fun we do want to hear from you your questions your wins your loyalty program rants how you feel about the hyatt changes email us at travel nerdwallet dot com you can also send us a voice memo so we can play your voice on the show this

[A]

episode was produced by tess vaglen and edited by nick kisumi claire soci and hillary georgie helped with backpacking and that

[B]

disclaimer we are not financial or investment advisers this info is provided for general educational and entertainment purposes it may not apply to you your specific circumstances we

[A]

hope you keep your passport full and your wallet even fuller see you next time