20% Rebate on Hyatt Award Redemptions Posting Much Quicker Than Promised

Hyatt is 20% of your points back on redemptions through July 31 if you have the Hyatt Visa.

You have to register by March 31 then you’ll get 20% of your points back on redemptions with stays completed by July 31.

And since Hyatt is a Chase transfer partner, even folks who aren’t existing Hyatt members could get the Visa and transfer in points and really take advantage of getting 20% back on all redemption stays (including cash and points and upgrade awards) through July 31.


    Andaz Maui

Even better the promotion rules said that rebates would post in 4-6 weeks. In fact, I checked out of an award stay on February 27. Points posted to my Gold Passport account yesterday:

This offer really dials back the clock on the cost of redemptions, a category 7 hotel (30,000 points) becomes cheaper than the normal cost of category 6 (25,000) and so on. One of the most generous offers, and for a long stretch, that I’ve seen from a hotel program in awhile.

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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  1. @Gary abuses superlatives as usual when it comes to a Hyatt offer or benefit: “One of the most generous offers, and for a long stretch, that I’ve seen from a hotel program in awhile.”

    Do you realize that this 20% offer has an expiration date? What if I told you that a number of the other programs have a 20% off offer on award stays that is permanent, would you reconsider the superlatives about this short-lived Hyatt offer? I believe that SPG, Marriott Rewards and Hilton Honors have a “5th award night free” policy. That is a discount on 1 night in 5, which is not only exactly 20% off, but it is also a discount that is always available. While one can argue that Hyatt’s 20% offer may be better because it is good on stays of any type and duration, the fact that it is temporary while the other programs’ 20% off is always ongoing nullifies that potential advantage, especially since the “5th award night free” policy kicks in when a redemption is getting to be expensive for being long — i.e. exactly when one needs a break…

    With this 20% offer and their now defunct My Elite Rate, Hyatt has been dancing around the idea of offering their members some type of 20% discount like the other programs. Why don’t they just do the obvious and join the other programs in offering every 5th award night for free and be done with the dance?

  2. Shoot, this is what I get for not reading the blogs for awhile!

    Didn’t get an email about this promotion, but just registered and I am eligible. I assume that since I just registered today, I won’t get award rebates for the oh, 6 nights that I had points + cash stays from 2/17 until now? Or there are some T&Cs that might indicate that I should?

  3. @John – some of these blogs are so full of the “Hyatt is best” line that I am not sure at all that they do not get some $$$ every time they push that line. It invariably starts with how Hyatt or SPG is the blogger’s favorite program, followed by an unjustified superlative about one these programs’ benefits — a promo or free breakfast or suite upgrade policy is always “easily the best in the business” although this can be easily demonstrated not to be the case…

  4. @DCS that’s a really serious accusation, “I am not sure at all that they do not get some $$$ every time they push that line.” It is also 100% false. I await your apology.

  5. The bloggers definitely gush over Hyatt, but in my handful of stays, Hyatt has treated me better than the bigger chains. A ton? Maybe not, but enough that I’m happy with them and wish they had a little bigger footprint.

    As frequent personal traveler and infrequent business traveler, I only have one program to pick to earn status, and this is the one I chose. SPG would have been my second choice. I manage to keep Marriott and Hilton gold other ways, so they are always a backup.

  6. @Gary — I will take your word for it and apologize for the suggestion. I have no beef one way or another…

  7. @DCS: Your argument that the 20% points discount is not special because other chains provide the 5th night free is a ridiculous argument since it assumes everybody has to vacation the way that you do – staying 5 nights in one place. I never stay in one place longer than 3 nights because I like to move around, and also I prefer many long weekend trips rather than less trips of longer duration. So 20% off might not be as useful to you but it sure is for me, since it works for short stays!!!

  8. @Daniel M — The argument is no more ridiculous than the assumption that a benefit that is permanent and stands to benefit folks who might choose to have extended vacations, especially at high-end property, is somewhat limited in value. The argument is that the benefit is there permanently for anyone who might choose to take a vacation of 5 nights or more, which is not that unusual. A real case in point: I am planning a 5-night vacation at the highly “aspirational” Conrad Koh Samui at the end of the year.

    Without the 20% discount: 95K HH points/night.

    With the 20%discount: 76K HH points/night.

    A 95K point difference, which is huge, and the discount is there permanently, giving me a great deal of flexibility in planning. Hyatt’s 20% off is a good, even great discount. It is all the superlatives with which it was described, when other chains have their own highly competitive promos that are not as short-lived, which need to be toned downed!

  9. @Scott — You experience and mine with Hyatt are not too different. I have stayed at some wonderful Hyatt properties in Asia (PH Seoul, PH Saigon, PH Siem Reap, GH Jakarta) and loved every stay. And you know what? My satisfaction was completely independent of my status in Gold Passport, since I am a Platinum, which elite in name only. Rather, it was all about Hyatt’s tastefully done hotels and quality of overall service, which is absolutely second to none. What that should tell you is that Hyatt’s loyalty program, which is at best a work-in-progress but is constantly touted by bloggers as the “best in the business”, has very little to do with what people like about Hyatt, the hotel chain and company 😉

  10. @Gary — In all seriousness, I doubt that very much.

    What’s happened is that within the echo chamber that’s the loyalty blogosphere, a myth of what Hilton is supposed to be was first created(“devaluation”; Gold == Diamond; upgrades not “guaranteed”, etc), and then it was repeated so much by the bloggers that virtually every one of them ultimately fell for it. They are sounding all alike now. Here’s an example:

    “Hilton Diamond isn’t materially better than Gold” –Gary Leff

    “HH Diamond is only marginally better than Gold” –Scott Mackenzie

    “There’s not much difference between HHonors Diamond and HHonors Gold status in my experience…” – Lucky

    “It seems like a little much to us for a status that isn’t much better than their Hilton Gold status.” – Joe Caldwell

    That is right. The bloggers created the myth and then fell for it! That is why I am having so much fun and such an easy time debunking the claims: they are just part of a mythology that’s easily debunked by anyone with the facts. For instance, most of the blogosphere, including most of your readers, believe that there was a catastrophic “devaluation” of Hilton points in 2013. And yet neither your modeling nor mine, based on real numbers, shows such a thing. The value the HHonors points for redeeming free nights per spend is no worse than Hyatt’s and is much better than starpoints!

    The only thing that is an aberration about my experience is that I am actually challenging the myth. That is all. Folks who remain loyal to HHonors know it to be a mature, consistent and highly rewarding program, unlike Gold Passport, which seems to try a new thing everyday before ditching and trying another — i.e., a work in progress.

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