World of Hyatt Business Credit Card Review [2024]: Discoverist Status Included

Hotel credit cards can offer business owners significant value by reducing travel costs. In this World of Hyatt Business Credit Card review, you’ll learn the features, benefits, and drawbacks of this card to help you decide whether it’s right for you.

Elite Status and Generous Bonus Points

World of Hyatt Business Credit Card

4.6

FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

World of Hyatt Business Credit Card

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Current Offer

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening

Annual Fee

$199

Rewards Rate

9X points at Hyatt hotels (4 bonus points plus 5 base points as a World of Hyatt member); 2X points on your top three spend categories each quarter (through 12/31/24, then your top two categories each quarter); 2X points on fitness club and gym memberships; and 1X points on all other purchases

Benefits and Drawbacks

Benefits

• Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening
• Up to 9X points on spending
• Up to $100 in Hyatt statement credits
• 5 Tier-Qualifying Night Credits and Milestone rewards for every $10,000 spent per calendar year
• World of Hyatt Discoverist status for you and up to 5 employees

Drawbacks

• Has annual fee

Card Details

• Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening
• 9X points at Hyatt hotels (4 bonus points plus 5 base points as a World of Hyatt member); 2X points on your top three spend categories each quarter (through 12/31/24, then your top two categories each quarter); 2X points on fitness club and gym memberships; and 1X points on all other purchases

Who should get the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card?

Business owners who frequently travel and stay at Hyatt hotels may find the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card a good fit for their needs. This card allows you to earn points as part of the World of Hyatt loyalty program and offers several other benefits frequent Hyatt customers may appreciate.

Ideal applicants must be comfortable paying a $199 annual fee to access the benefits. That said, the generous welcome bonus, potential statement credits, and qualifying night credits with eligible spending provide value that may make the fee worth it.

Travelers who prefer hotels from other brands and those who don’t travel often may be better suited for different credit card options.

Card basics

World of Hyatt Business Credit Card benefits and perks

• Generous sign-up bonus: This credit card offers you the opportunity to earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. The reward is lucrative, but the spending requirement may be hard to meet if your business doesn’t have many expenses to put on a credit card.
• World of Hyatt Discoverist status: As the primary cardholder, you will receive automatic Discoverist elite status. You also will receive five upgrade awards you can use to gift Discoverist status to employees. This status offers benefits such as bottled water, preferred room upgrades (when available), premium internet, elite check-in, and late checkout as available at some locations.
• Earn Tier-Qualifying Night Credits: For every $10,000 in purchases put on the card, the primary cardholder will earn five World of Hyatt Tier-Qualifying Night Credits. These credits allow you to move up the elite membership level chart to qualify for the additional benefits of Hyatt Globalist status.
• 10% of redeemed points rebate with qualifying purchases: Businesses that spend $50,000 or more in a calendar year get 10% of their redeemed points back on up to 200,000 World of Hyatt points for the remainder of the calendar year. This counts only points redeemed for qualifying activities but can be a nice bonus for those who often redeem their World of Hyatt points.
• Earn $50 statement credits with qualifying spending: Each anniversary year, you can earn up to two $50 statement credits. You earn one for each time you spend $50 or more at any Hyatt property on your card. If you regularly spend at Hyatt hotels, this can be a great way to receive additional value from this card.
• DoorDash benefits: Receive a complimentary 12-month DashPass subscription if you activate by Dec. 31, 2024. DashPass benefits include $0 delivery fees for orders over $12.
  
• Travel protections: You also have access to important travel coverage, including an auto rental collision damage waiver, travel and emergency assistance, and trip cancellation and interruption insurance.
• Purchase protection: You also have extended purchase and warranty protection. The warranty protection adds an additional year to eligible warranties of three or fewer years.
• Hyatt Leverage membership: This program provides small businesses with discounts on standard room rates.

Drawbacks to the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card

• Annual fee: You must pay a $199 annual fee. This fee can be steep if you don’t use many of the benefits the card offers.
• Rewards limited to Hyatt: As you’d expect with a branded credit card, you cannot use your Hyatt points for non-Hyatt affiliated hotels.
• No annual free night award: Some other credit cards reward you with a free night certificate each time you renew your credit card and pay the annual fee after the first year. This card does not offer Hyatt free night certificates.

Earning and redeeming points

Best ways to earn

The World of Hyatt Business Credit Card provides several ways you can earn points. The best option is exactly what you’d expect from a branded credit card. You can earn 9X points at Hyatt hotels (4 bonus points plus 5 base points as a World of Hyatt member).

For non-Hyatt purchases, you can earn 2X points per dollar spent with fitness club and gym memberships.

The card even adds bonus categories based on where you spend the most money. Concentrating your spending in limited categories can help you maximize earnings on this card. You qualify to earn 2X for the top three spend categories each quarter (through 12/31/24, then your top two categories each quarter). Categories include:

• Dining
• Airline tickets purchased through the airline
• Car rental agencies
• Local transit and commuting
• Gas stations
• Internet, cable, and phone services
• Social media and search engine advertising
• Shipping

Maximizing your redemptions

World of Hyatt allows you to redeem points for several options in addition to hotel stays, such as:

• Dining and spa experiences at select locations
• FIND experiences around the world, such as paragliding
• Lindblad Expeditions
• Boutique fitness classes and spa therapies at participating locations
• Meetings and events
• Avis rental cars

That said, a reasonable redemption value can usually be achieved by booking free hotel nights. Maximizing value for any individual will be different. For someone who doesn’t care what hotel they stay in, getting the highest number of free nights would be maximizing value. In this case, look for off-peak hotel rewards at low category hotels.

Others may want to maximize their value per point redeemed. These cardholders can compare the price it would cost to book a room to the points it costs to redeem a free night. The higher the price-per-point value is, the better the deal is. In particular, Hyatt’s all-inclusive properties may provide excellent value for these individuals.

For example, a room that would cost $136 or 12,000 points at the Hyatt Regency Chicago comes out to a value of $0.01 per point. A room at the all-inclusive Hyatt Zilara Cancun would cost $626 or 25,000 points, for a value of $0.03 per point.

World of Hyatt Business Credit Card transfer partners

The World of Hyatt rewards program allows you to transfer points to travel partners. You can convert your points to miles at a rate of 1,250 points to 500 miles with a minimum of 5,000 points per conversion request as of May 3, 2023.

World of Hyatt partner airlines include:

• Aeromexico
• Air China
• Air France
• All Nippon Airways
• American Airlines
• Asiana Airlines
• British Airways
• Asia Miles — Cathay Pacific
• China Airlines
• China Eastern Airlines
• China Southern Airlines
• Delta Airlines®
• Emirates Skywards
• Etihad Airways
• Japan Airlines
• Korean Air
• LAN Airlines S.A.
• Qantas Airways
• Qatar Airways
• Royal Brunei Airlines
• Singapore Airlines
• Southwest Airlines
• Thai Airways
• United Airlines
• Virgin Atlantic Airways

If you fly American Airlines, you can earn 1 World of Hyatt bonus point for each $1 spent on American Airlines flights. If you’re elite at both World of Hyatt (which you would be with this card) and American Airlines, you earn 1 AAdvantage bonus mile for every $1 you spend on qualifying Hyatt stays and experiences.

World of Hyatt Business Credit Card FAQs

Other cards to consider

The World of Hyatt Business Credit Card won’t be a perfect fit for everyone. If the card doesn’t meet your needs, you may want to consider these alternatives.

Marriott Bonvoy Business^® American Express^® Card

The Marriott Bonvoy Business^® American Express^® Card comes with a lower $125 annual fee and an annual free night on your cardmember anniversary. As with the World of Hyatt card, you can only earn free nights at Marriott-branded properties, and you get complimentary Gold Elite status with the card. Select benefits require enrollment.

Read our Marriott Bonvoy Business review.

American Express^® Business Gold Card

The American Express^® Business Gold Card comes with a higher $375 annual fee  but offers flexible rewards you can use outside of a specific hotel chain. This card allows you to earn 4X Membership Rewards Points on purchases in the two categories with the most spend each billing cycle from 6 eligible categories (up to $150,000 in combined purchases each calendar year, after that 1X), 3X Membership Rewards points on flights and prepaid hotels booked at amextravel.com, and 1 point per $1 spent on other eligible purchases. You also gain access to helpful features such as trip delay insurance and a baggage insurance plan. Select benefits require enrollment.

Read our American Express Business Gold card review.

Elite Status and Generous Bonus Points

World of Hyatt Business Credit Card

4.6

FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

World of Hyatt Business Credit Card

4.6

FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

Why We Like It

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening

See how these cards compare:

Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card

• Earn 3 Free Night Awards after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in eligible purchases within the first 6 months. Each Free Night Award has a redemption level up to 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points, for a total potential value of up to 150,000 points, at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees. Terms apply.
• 6X points at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels
• 4X points at restaurants worldwide, U.S. gas stations, U.S. shipping, and U.S. wireless telephone services
• Automatic Gold Elite status which includes room upgrades and 25% more bonus points on hotel stays
• Free Night Award every year
• $125 annual fee. Terms apply.
• See rates and fees | Terms Apply

American Express® Business Gold Card

• Earn 70,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $10,000 on eligible purchases in the first 3 months
• 4X Membership Rewards on the two categories with the most spend each billing cycle from 6 eligible categories (up to $150,000 annually, after that 1X)
• No foreign transaction fees
• $375 annual fee
• See rates and fees | Terms Apply