Last-minute strategies for earning World of Hyatt status
As the year draws to a close, it’s the perfect time to evaluate your progress towards achieving elite status with World of Hyatt, a loyalty program renowned for its valuable rewards. Hyatt offers three tiers of elite status: Discoverist, Explorist, and Globalist, each requiring a specific number of qualifying nights or base points to achieve. For instance, to attain Discoverist status, members need to stay 10 qualifying nights or accumulate 25,000 base points, while Globalist status requires 60 qualifying nights or 100,000 base points. Once earned, this status is maintained for the following year and an additional two months, providing a significant incentive to reach these goals by year-end.
To help you reach your desired tier, there are several strategies you can employ. One effective method is to open the World of Hyatt Credit Card, which grants five tier qualifying night credits annually. If you apply by November 20, you can earn additional credits for eligible stays, potentially boosting your status significantly. Furthermore, spending on this card can also earn you qualifying night credits—two for every $5,000 spent on the personal card and five for every $10,000 on the business card. If you’re short on nights, consider planning a trip or staycation at a Hyatt property to quickly accumulate the required nights. Alternatively, if you have upcoming stays at non-Hyatt hotels, switching those to Hyatt locations can also help you reach your elite status goals.
If you find yourself close to qualifying based on base points, your options are more limited, as base points can only be earned through eligible stays and incidental charges. However, Hyatt properties offer 5 base points per dollar spent, so maximizing your spending during stays can help. Additionally, for those seeking a quicker route to elite status, exploring credit card options that provide complimentary Discoverist status or participating in status challenges may be worth considering. As the deadline approaches, assessing your current standings and implementing these strategies can be crucial in securing the benefits that come with Hyatt elite status, making your travels even more rewarding.
As the end of the year approaches, it’s a good idea to review your
elite status
goals and assess your progress toward achieving them.
World of Hyatt
elite status is one of the most valuable, so you may want to top up your account if you’re close to the next status tier.
Here’s a reminder of how to earn
Hyatt elite status
and, if you haven’t quite reached your desired tier, an overview of how you can earn more qualifying nights or base points before the end of the year.
World of Hyatt status overview
There are two ways to earn each World of Hyatt status tier: qualifying nights or base points. Specifically, here’s a look at the requirements you must meet each calendar year for Hyatt elite status:
Discoverist
: 10 qualifying nights or 25,000 base points
Explorist
: 30 qualifying nights or 50,000 base points
Globalist
: 60 qualifying nights or 100,000 base points
Once you earn a Hyatt elite status tier, you’ll keep that status for the year after you qualify, plus two more months. So, if you qualify for a specific Hyatt status in 2025, your status will be valid through February 2027.
Alila Kothaifaru Maldives. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
Take a look at how many qualifying nights and base points you currently have for this year, and calculate how many you plan to earn before the end of the year based on the Hyatt stays you currently have planned. Then, check out the following section for strategies you can use to earn more qualifying nights or base points before the end of the year.
Related:
Comparing the best hotel elite status tiers and how to earn them in 2025
Strategies if you need more qualifying nights
If you are just a few nights short of qualifying for your desired Hyatt elite status tier, below are some strategies you can use.
Open the World of Hyatt Credit Card
The
World of Hyatt Credit Card
(see
rates and fees
) offers primary cardmembers five tier qualifying night credits each calendar year. It may take up to eight weeks from when you open your card account for the night credits to be reflected in your World of Hyatt account, though.
Hyatt Place Melbourne / Palm Bay / I-95 in Florida. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
However, if you apply for the World of Hyatt Credit Card by Nov. 20 at 9 a.m. EST, you’ll earn two total tier qualifying night credits per eligible night at any Hyatt hotel or resort completed between Oct. 16, 2025, and Jan. 31, 2026, for up to 15 tier qualifying nights. It may take up to eight weeks from the last day of the calendar month of your stay for the night credits to be added to your World of Hyatt account, but night credits awarded for 2025 nights will apply to 2025 status even if issued or received in 2026.
Related:
Is the World of Hyatt credit card worth the annual fee?
Spend on your World of Hyatt card
You can also earn qualifying night credits when you meet specific spending thresholds on the World of Hyatt Credit Card and the
World of Hyatt Business Credit Card
(see
rates and fees
).
Specifically, primary cardmembers of the World of Hyatt Credit Card earn two tier qualifying night credits for every $5,000 spent on purchases each calendar year, and primary cardmembers of the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card earn five tier qualifying night credits for every $10,000 spent on purchases each calendar year.
Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
These tier qualifying night credits may take up to eight weeks from the last day of the calendar month when you qualify to be added to your World of Hyatt account. However, Hyatt will apply these night credits to the calendar year in which the spending occurred.
So, you could spend on the World of Hyatt Credit Card or World of Hyatt Business Credit Card before the end of the year to meet one or more of these spending thresholds and earn qualifying night credits.
Related:
Why I aim to spend $15K on my World of Hyatt Credit Card each year
Plan a new trip or staycation
Finally, if you need more qualifying nights, another option is to plan a new trip for the required number of nights. For example, if you expect to be three nights short, consider booking a three-night stay. The stay could be at a nearby
Category 1 Hyatt hotel
or perhaps in a destination you’ve been wanting to visit.
Hyatt Place Melbourne / Palm Bay / I-95 in Florida. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
Alternatively, if you have stays at properties outside of the World of Hyatt program before the end of the year, consider cancelling those stays and instead staying at a World of Hyatt property.
Related:
How much value does World of Hyatt status provide when you book directly?
Strategies if you need more base points
You have fewer options if you’re close to qualifying for a higher status tier via base points. After all, you can only earn base points when you pay an eligible rate for a stay, for eligible incidental charges during a stay or for eligible nonstay charges.
Hyatt’s Alila Fort Bishangarh in India. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
Specifically, you’ll earn 2.5 base points per eligible dollar spent at
Hyatt Studios
hotels and 5 base points per eligible dollar spent at other World of Hyatt properties. Members can earn base points on up to three rooms per stay as long as they occupy at least one of the rooms.
Therefore, if you need additional base points, you can only earn them through qualifying spending with World of Hyatt.
Related:
The 14 best Hyatt all-inclusive resorts in the world
Other strategies for earning Hyatt status
If none of these strategies are for you, it may still be possible to earn Hyatt status before the end of the year via one of the following methods.
Get a Hyatt credit card
Primary cardmembers of the
World of Hyatt Credit Card
or the
World of Hyatt Business Credit Card
get complimentary Discoverist status. Additionally, the primary cardmember of the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card can designate up to five employees to receive Discoverist status.
Mediation at Miraval Austin. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
So, if you only want a low tier of World of Hyatt status, you could get Discoverist status through one of these cards.
Related:
World of Hyatt card vs. World of Hyatt Business card: 2 valuable hotel earners
American Airlines AAdvantage Loyalty Point Rewards
If you’re also striving for
American Airlines elite status
, you could secure World of Hyatt status at select Loyalty Point Reward levels.
Specifically, you’ll automatically earn Discoverist status at the 100,000 Loyalty Point Reward level. And you can choose Explorist status at the 175,000 and 250,000 Loyalty Point Reward levels. However, there are other choices, such as
systemwide upgrades
, at these Loyalty Point Reward levels that are likely more valuable.
Look for a status challenge
Finally, it’s sometimes possible to gain World of Hyatt status via a status match or challenge. For example, this August,
Hyatt targeted select American Airlines AAdvantage elite members
to receive Explorist status for 90 days. These targeted members could stay 10 qualifying nights during their 90-day trial period to keep Explorist status through February 2027 or stay 20 nights and unlock Globalist status.
Related:
3 ways to earn Hyatt Globalist elite status
Bottom line
It’s crunch time for getting the last qualifying nights or base points you need to secure your desired World of Hyatt elite status. If you haven’t yet reached your goal, consider using some of the strategies discussed in this article to help you cross the finish line.
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
