As most of you know by now, Hyatt is offering Chase Hyatt Visa cardholders a 20% rebate on award redemption through July 31, 2015. This 20% discount applies to award stays, Points + Cash redemptions, suite upgrades, dining and spa activities. If you don’t already have a Chase Hyatt Visa, you can still get one and be eligible for this promotion as long as you register by March 31, 2015.
Some of you have been asking me whether this 20% rebate affects my previous assessment that using Arrival miles for Points + Cash awards is cheaper than straight point redemptions, if you’re earning miles from spend (manufactured or otherwise). Now that Hyatt award redemptions are discounted by 20%, are Arrival Points + Cash redemptions still cheaper? I’ve put a new table together, listing the discounted point requirements along with the amount of spending required to accrue those points.
Scroll right to see calculations past Category 6
| Category 1 | Category 2 | Category 3 | Category 4 | Category 5 | Category 6 | Category 7 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points Per Night with 20% discount | 4,000 points | 6,400 points | 9,600 points | 12,000 points | 16,000 points | 20,000 points | 24,000 points |
| Spending on Hyatt/ Sapphire/ Freedom/ Ink Card | $4,000 | $6,400 | $9,600 | $12,000 | $16,000 | $20,000 | $24,000 |
| Points + Cash | 2,000 + $50 | 3,200 + $55 | 4,800 + $75 | 6,500 + $100 | 8,000 + $125 | 10,000 + $150 | 12,000 + $300 |
| Spending on Hyatt/ Sapphire/ Freedom/ Ink Card + Arrival Plus Card | $2,000 + $2,250 Arrival Miles Total: $4,250 | $3,200 + $2,475 Arrival Miles Total: $5,675 | $4,800 + $3,375 Arrival Miles Total: $8,175 | $6,000 + $4,500 Arrival Miles Total: $10,500 | $8,000 + $5,625 Arrival Miles Total: $13,625 | $10,000 + $6,750 Arrival Miles Total: $16,750 | $12,000 +13,500 Arrival Miles Total: $25,500 |
| Cash Rate | |||||||
| When to book through Ultimate Rewards | Cash rate is $48 or less | Cash rate is $80 or less | Cash rate is $120 or less | Cash rate is $144 or less | Cash rate is $192 or less | Cash rate is $240 or less | Cash rate is $288 or less |
| When to Redeem Arrival Plus Miles | Cash rate is $88 or less | Cash rate is $142 or less | Cash rate is $213 or less | Cash rate is $266 or less | Cash rate is $355 or less | Cash rate is $444 or less | Cash rate is $534 or less |
Based on the rate of point accrual, Points + Cash redemptions combined with Arrival miles aren’t always going to be cheaper. This applies solely to Category 1 and 7 redemptions. At these levels, the amount of spend required to accrue points is less spend than for a Points + Cash award. For the remaining categories, you are still looking at saving $725 – $3,250 in spend by redeeming a Points + Cash award.
Before redeeming Gold Passport points, be sure to scroll down further and check the rates at which it makes more sense to redeem Ultimate Rewards points (through the Ultimate Rewards travel site) or Arrival miles for a Hyatt stay. This way, when a Category 1 Hyatt stay comes to $88 per night, you’ll know that using Arrival miles is better than a Hyatt Gold Passport redemption, regardless of the 20% rebate. This should give you a good sense of how to maximize your points and miles during this promotion.
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