American Airways AAdvantage and World of Hyatt launched a partnership in 2019, providing reciprocal advantages for elite members in every program. Since then, we have seen quite a few limited-time promotions for members, together with the power to select up prompt standing (the most up-to-date provide led to September).
Now, the 2 packages have launched an array of latest perks that choose vacationers can unlock through the 12 months, together with the power to use AAdvantage miles for Hyatt free night time awards, in addition to new Loyalty Selection Rewards and Milestone Rewards.
The updates had been first introduced late final 12 months, they usually’ve now gone into impact.
Sadly the power to earn bonus American miles on Hyatt stays and bonus Hyatt factors on American flights was eliminated on the finish of 2024.
Here is what it’s good to find out about these new choices.
No extra reciprocal factors earnings
Let’s begin with the most important unfavourable information. Beforehand, AAdvantage elite members acquired 1 mile for each greenback spent on qualifying Hyatt purchases. Moreover, World of Hyatt elite members acquired 1 level for each greenback spent on eligible American flights.
That perk ended on Dec. 31, 2024.
As somebody with AAdvantage Platinum Professional and Hyatt Globalist standing, it is a actual bummer. A lot of my Hyatt stays are booked with factors, however I did earn practically 6,000 bonus American miles for a mixture of labor and private stays with Hyatt properties final 12 months. I additionally earned simply over 1,000 bonus Hyatt factors for a handful of American flights in 2024.
However do the brand new advantages provide sufficient worth to offset this devaluation?
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New Hyatt advantages for AAdvantage members
The excellent news is that American AAdvantage members can now take pleasure in a handful of latest choices as they earn extra Loyalty Factors in a qualification 12 months.
As of Jan. 2, you’ll be able to redeem AAdvantage miles for Hyatt awards on the following tiers:
- 40,000 Loyalty Factors: Redeem 25,000 miles for a Class 1-4 free night time award
- 125,000 Loyalty Factors: Redeem 65,000 miles for a Class 1-7 free night time award
TPG pegs AAdvantage miles at 1.65 cents apiece in our valuations, so meaning you are utilizing $413 value of miles for the Class 1-4 award and about $1,073 value of miles for the Class 1-7 award. That is a big outlay of rewards, so you will wish to be certain the paid charges are excessive sufficient to justify this redemption.
Associated: The right way to earn, use and take advantage of your Hyatt free night time certificates
Moreover, beginning March 1, 2025, you will have 4 new Hyatt-related perks as a part of AAdvantage’s Loyalty Level Rewards, that are unlocked at particular thresholds through the 12 months:
- Hyatt Discoverist standing: This will probably be a brand new profit at 100,000 Loyalty Factors.
- Hyatt Explorist standing: This will probably be a brand new choice at each 175,000 and 250,000 Loyalty Factors.
- Class 1-4 free night time: This will probably be a brand new choice at 400,000, 550,000 and 750,000 Loyalty Factors.
- Class 1-7 free night time: This will probably be a brand new choice at 1 million, 3 million and 5 million Loyalty Factors.
The primary is easy, because it’s offered routinely if you attain 100,000 Loyalty Factors in a qualification 12 months. Whereas it is higher than nothing, World of Hyatt Discoverist is this system’s entry-level tier of standing, and people with the World of Hyatt Credit score Card routinely obtain it.
The others are a bit extra sophisticated, as you will have to forgo different Loyalty Level Rewards in favor of Explorist or the free night time award choice(s).
You possibly can view the present slate of Loyalty Selection Rewards at this hyperlink; listed here are among the notable selections on the 175,000 and 250,000 Loyalty Level thresholds:
- 175,000 (select one): two systemwide upgrades, 20,000 bonus miles (or 25,000 you probably have an AAdvantage bank card), six Admirals Membership one-day passes, two items of AAdvantage Gold standing
- 250,000 (select two): two systemwide upgrades, 20,000 bonus miles (or 30,000 you probably have an AAdvantage card), six Admirals Membership one-day passes, an Admirals Membership membership (which requires each selections), two items of AAdvantage Gold standing
Is Hyatt Explorist value choosing over these advantages? Solely you’ll be able to resolve. However given how beneficial the upgrades or Admirals Membership membership could be, mid-tier resort standing will not be the most suitable choice.
There is a related tradeoff for the Class 1-4 free night time. Reaching 400,000, 550,000 and 750,000 Loyalty Factors will get you two selections at every threshold — together with one other systemwide improve, one other 25,000 bonus miles, an Admirals Membership membership (two selections) or the present of AAdvantage Platinum standing. Class 4 properties high out at 18,000 factors, which implies this free night time is value simply over $300 based mostly on TPG’s present valuations — although it could possibly be increased when income charges are excessive.
Associated: The most effective Hyatt Class 4 lodges to maximise your free night time award certificates
Lastly, for these tremendous qualifiers, choosing a Class 1-7 free night time at 1, 3 and 5 million Loyalty Factors means lacking the next:
- 1 million Loyalty Factors (choose one): 4 systemwide upgrades, present of AAdvantage Platinum Professional, as much as 100,000 miles again on award redemptions
- 3 million Loyalty Factors (choose one): six systemwide upgrades, present of AAdvantage Government Platinum, as much as 300,000 miles again on award redemptions
- 5 million Loyalty Factors (choose one): 10 systemwide upgrades, present of AAdvantage Government Platinum, as much as 500,000 miles again on award redemptions
Beneath the suitable circumstances, a Class 1-7 property could possibly be value a number of hundred {dollars} — nevertheless it’s as much as you to resolve if that is extra beneficial than these advantages.
New AAdvantage advantages for Hyatt members
There is a related slate of additives for Hyatt elite members, although once more, these come on the expense of incomes 1 level per greenback spent on American flights.
First, as a part of Hyatt’s Milestone Rewards program, there are 4 new AAdvantage advantages obtainable as of Jan. 1, 2025:
- Most popular seat coupons: Members can select two of those coupons at each 20 nights or 35,000 base factors and 30 nights or 50,000 base factors.
- Major Cabin Additional seat coupons: Members can select two of those coupons at each 40 nights or 65,000 base factors and 50 nights or 80,000 base factors.
- AAdvantage Gold standing: Members can select this at both 70, 80 or 90 qualifying nights.
- AAdvantage Platinum standing: Members can select this beginning at 100 nights.
As soon as once more, it is as much as you to resolve if that is value it. Twenty nights additionally contains the choice of two,000 bonus factors in your subsequent Hyatt Place or Hyatt Home keep (value $34 based mostly on our valuations) or a pair of membership entry awards. Alternatively, the worth of most well-liked seats on American varies wildly — some are as little as $13, whereas choose seats on long-haul flights can set you again greater than $100.
It is a related story for Major Cabin Additional. At 40 nights, you’ll be able to go for 5,000 bonus factors (value $85) or a suite improve award, and at 50 nights, you’ll be able to select one other 5,000 factors or a pair of suite improve awards. I am an enormous fan of the upgrades since they mean you can affirm a set on the time of reserving for eligible stays of as much as seven nights. Nevertheless, Major Cabin Additional seats can be fairly expensive, in some instances surpassing $150.
Lastly, choosing AAdvantage Gold or AAdvantage Platinum standing when you begin hitting milestones past Globalist standing means forgoing further suite upgrades or 10,000 bonus factors at every tier. Once more, solely you’ll be able to resolve if it is value it.
Past these new milestone choices, Explorist and Globalist members now have a brand new choice to redeem Hyatt factors and revel in American standing for a day — successfully a short-term standing match. As of Jan. 1, 2025, listed here are the brand new choices:
- 5,000 Hyatt factors: Get pleasure from AAdvantage Gold standing for a day.
- 8,000 Hyatt factors: Get pleasure from AAdvantage Platinum standing for a day.
- 12,000 Hyatt factors: Get pleasure from AAdvantage Platinum Professional standing for a day (solely obtainable to Globalists).
It will confer all of the perks of the respective standing — together with complimentary upgrades, free checked baggage and even bonus miles on paid tickets (as excessive as 80% for AAdvantage Platinum Professional). They will even lengthen to companions on the identical reservation, topic to the printed restrictions. Because of this, you would be greatest off pursuing these redemptions on high-cost tickets to maximise the elite mileage bonus, on these with the best probability of a complimentary improve and when you might have a number of vacationers who’ll be checking baggage.
Nevertheless, these redemptions are additionally the usual award charges for Class 1, 2 and three properties, respectively, which could be way more beneficial.
Associated: Your information to the World of Hyatt award chart
Our take
It is irritating to lose the power to earn Hyatt factors on American flights and American miles on Hyatt stays, and, sadly, the brand new advantages might not offset this loss for members. Most of the new perks require you to pick them over different advantages, so there’s successfully a value related to them. That is totally different from the earlier iteration of the partnership, the place the bonus miles or factors had been a internet addition.
For those who’re presently a loyal American flyer and Hyatt visitor — particularly with vital spending throughout the 2 packages — your flights and stays could also be notably much less rewarding going ahead.
That mentioned, the brand new redemption choices are considerably intriguing. It is true that you will want an honest variety of American miles to select up a Class 1-4 or Class 1-7 free night time award, but when the paid charges are by way of the roof, this could possibly be an honest choice. Moreover, on the suitable journey, utilizing Hyatt factors to unlock the perks of American standing for a day may show you how to keep away from checked bag charges and journey extra comfortably.
Simply you’ll want to weigh what you are giving up by redeeming your miles (or factors) on this trend.
Backside line
American and Hyatt have debuted some vital adjustments to their partnership, together with the elimination of reciprocal incomes privileges and the addition of latest Loyalty Level Rewards and Milestone Rewards choices. Sadly, most of the new perks require you to select them in lieu of different (probably extra beneficial) advantages, so some members may view this as an total devaluation.
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