2 Fridays ago United devalued their award chart. I had more thoughts on that here.
This past Friday Delta devalued their award chart. They devalue their award chart more often than the Browns lose a football game so I didn’t bother even covering that. There’s a reason they’re called Skypesos.
And now as expected Hyatt is devaluing their generous award chart. With high-end Hyatt hotels going for $750, $1,000, or even $1,500 per night the program was just too generous with the highest category topping out at 22,000 points per night. After all Hilton’s high-end hotels go for 95,000 points per night and Starwood’s high-end hotels go for 30K off peak, 35K peak, or 60K-70K points per night in all-suite hotels.
This FAQ page has the gory details.
-The cost for a category 5 hotel goes from 18K to 20K (11.1% increase)
-The cost for a category 6 hotel goes from 22K to 25K (13.6% increase)
-A category 7 is added at 30K points per night (36.4% increase)
The cost to redeem for a suite also goes up:
-The cost for a category 2 suite goes from 12K to 13K (8.3% increase)
-The cost for a category 3 suite goes from 18K to 20K (11.1% increase)
-The cost for a category 4 suite goes from 23K to 24K (4.3% increase)
-The cost for a category 5 suite goes from 27K to 32K (18.5% increase)
-The cost for a category 6 suite goes from 33K to 40K (21.2% increase)
-The cost for a category 7 suite is 48K (45.5% increase)
Additionally 22 hotels will be going up categories. It’s a double whammy as you’re going to pay even more for the higher categories. Those include:
Grand Hyatt Sao Paulo from 2 to 3 (50% increase)
Grand Hyatt Melbourne from 3 to 4 (25% increase)
Andaz West Hollywood from 4 to 5 (33.3% increase)
Hyatt Chicago Magnificent Mile from 4 to 5 (33.3% increase)
Hyatt Place New York from 4 to 5 (33.3% increase)
Park Hyatt Melbourne from 4 to 5 (33.3% increase)
Andaz London from 5 to 6 (38.9% increase)
Hyatt 48 Lex from 5 to 6 (38.9% increase)
Hyatt Union Square New York from 5 to 6 (38.9% increase)
Park Hyatt Beaver Creek from 6 to 7 (36.4% increase)
Park Hyatt Milan from 6 to 7 (36.4% increase)
Park Hyatt Paris from 6 to 7 (36.4% increase)
Park Hyatt Sydney from 6 to 7 (36.4% increase)
Park Hyatt Tokyo from 6 to 7 (36.4% increase)
Park Hyatt Zurich from 6 to 7 (36.4% increase)
The hotels that jump from 4 to 5 are especially painful because Hyatt cardholders will no longer be able to use their anniversary nights at those hotels. And they attack the main category 4 values including the Andaz WeHo/LA, The Park Hyatt Melbourne, and the Hyatt Place NYC. I’ve stayed at all 3 of those hotels and it definitely stings to lose them. There is no longer a Hyatt hotel in NYC where you can use the anniversary night.
The hotels that jump from 6 to 7 are not surprises, these are the crown jewels of the Hyatt collection. The only real shocker is that the Park Hyatt Maldives, which can go for as much as $1,500/night with tax remains a category 6.
17 hotels go down in category. The few highlights include:
Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa goes from 6 to 5.
Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe goes from 6 to 5.
Hyatt Regency Maui goes from 6 to 5.
I guess on the bright side only 6 ultra high-end hotels will be in the new category 7. That’s more fair than Starwood’s category 7 that includes many hotels that simply don’t belong there. Though I’d have to assume that the new Park Hyatt NYC will open next year as a category 7 as well.
Worth noting:
-All Free Night Award redemptions booked before January 7, 2014 will follow the lower award chart regardless of the date of the stay..
-Any Free Night Award redemption booked on January 7, 2014 or after will follow the new Award Chart.
-Hyatt Gold Passport Customer Service will proactively deposit a point refund if you book a hotel that is going down in category.
-Any Free Night Award reservation booked before January 7, 2014 for stays starting January 7, 2014 can be modified through February 15, 2014 following the terms of the lower Award Chart. Any modifications made to these reservations after February 15, 2014 will follow the terms of the new Award Chart.
Next up: American and USAirways are due for a devaluation.
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35 Comments On "Step Up To The Plate: Hyatt Is Next To Devalue"
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Banks are giving out less and less points or harder to get points and Hotels and airlines are evaluating!!!
@Jason:
The opposite is true.
Never before has it been so easy to get a 40 or 50K signup bonus and 2, 3, 5, or even 5.5 points per dollar spent.
This is all just simple inflation unfortunately.
All this pressure to book now. Wish we had more time. Oh well.
It would be tradgic if Avios got devalued, by far the best points program with short haul 9k flights
@sky121:
You’ve got over 3 months to finalize for both United and Hyatt. Get crackin!
@bob:
Indeed. Though Avios is still a relatively new program and I don’t think a devaluation there is imminent.
I want to use my usair miles before they are devalued.
Can they be used for hotels or gift cards or car rentals if I do not need them for flights.
Magazines do not help me since I am in israel.
Can they be converted into something useful in my case
@Ken:
Hotels/gift cards are rarely ever a good use of miles.
When miles are devalued those aren’t the items being devalued, it’s the high end business/first class and high end hotels that are taking the big hits.
Miles can’t be converted.
United+Hyatt = UR declining in value.
What happened to collecting UR as a hedge? SW, United and Hyatt? Is Chase paying less now….?
can the 2 free nights from signup bonus be used in cat 7?
also is it true that diamond doesn’t get suite nights for signup?
@ChiliPalmer:
Unfortunately, true.
@menachem_m:
I suppose it’s possible but we’ll never know.
@ari:
Yes.
Correct, they eliminated that which makes the signup bonus on Ink and Sapphire more attractive than Hyatt.
Hey Dan, I’m considering transferring some chase UR points to hyatt. Would I be able to transfer back to chase if necessary? Thanks
@Sam:
No. It’s a one-way street.
But transfers are instant so why transfer until you’re ready to book?
@Dan:
can you sign up to get 2 free standard room nights and then use points to upgrade to suite?
@ari:
No.
Point upgrades and diamond suite upgrades are only valid on paid stays.
You can use UR points from Chase to redeem for a suite though in the first place. Plus UR/Hyatt points don’t expire and are transferable, the Hyatt cc nights expire in 1 year and are officially non-transferable.
@Dan:
gotcha, thanks
is there a min # of nights for using UR points to get a suite?
I have 2 suite nights Chase Hyatt card from before they changed it in August.
Can I use those at the highest level 7 = meaning 157 when it finally opens here in NYC?
I delayed the spend after opening it in late July so they expire October 2014.
@ari:
Officially 3.
@ih:
Yes.
Thank you, may I have another another por favor?
2013 is ending in the worse fashion…
Still value in the game but, oh boy, at this pace the end is near 🙂
@Travelbloggerbuzz:
2013 has had an unprecedented amount of point inflation though I think besides for AA/US we’ve seen the brunt of it already.
In all fairness though it’s never been easier to manufacture points and with 5x categories it’s not that hard to stay ahead of the inflation. Not that it doesn’t stink.
U can make a hyatt res directory with ur points?
@Yankel:
No, they transfer instantly at 1K:1K ratio.
I see they didn’t touch the GHK
@ryan:
Or the Andaz Maui.
They were very fair about only including the true top-echelon hotels in the category 7. Like I said, that’s more than SPG can say.
R.I.P. UR
11/10/13
Dan
I just bought $3000 worth of Amex gift cards on my chase SWA card. The counted it as a cash advance, leaving me a $90 fee and interest. Never happened before.
Is that a mistake. How do I fix it.
Thanks
@APoshiterYid:
Lol. It’s not that bad, but they aren’t going to be as valuable as they were last month.
Still will be more than AMEX MR.
@Sol:
Never heard of that happening. Try calling Chase.
But why buy AMEX gift cards when Visa gift cards are so much easier to cash out?
the problem with many bloggers is indirectly promoting devaluations. when you “create an event” and to deal with it, it indirectly says it is coming and the people who are thinking of devaluing reads this and sees an justification.
OPPOSITION is what we need to be doing
Thanks, Dan, for the horrible news. Part is over. Looks like I will stop spending on my Chase UR card, — Hyatt & United were the #1 attractions for me. Time for me to use Barclays Cashback Instead.
@jim:
Programs devalue when their economic models and competition allow, not when bloggers postulate.
@SOREN:
For regular spending that can make sense, but where you can earn 2-5.5 UR points per dollar you’re still far better off with points.
If a relative with a different last name applies and gets approved for the Hyatt credit card, can they book the free nights in my name? Do they need to be present at check in?
Dan
There are always online codes to buy AMEX gift cards with no fees. Does Visa have them as well
@jalem:
Officially they need to be present though there are workarounds.
@Sol:
With Visa those fees can be profitable: http://www.dansdeals.com/archives/36225
And they’re easy to cash out.
Dan – With Hyatt and United devaluing their points, how does that effect the value of the Chase UR point, vs. SPG or Amex MR, and how would rank your “MVP Cards” after these changes?
the basic rules of inflation 1. when there is more purchasing power everything goes up 2.that bad money -free miles- drives out good money -your real flying miles are worth less.
jusj how long will it take for AA to devalue once the merger goes through