Chase Hyatt Visa Signature Review (before July 2017)
Old review NOT being updated. Please see our current review here.
Updated May 15, 2017.
The Facts
The Math
Since the annual free night most likely more than pays for the annual fee, you can enjoy the card's other benefits like bonus spending categories (3x and 2x), Hyatt elite status, and waived foreign transaction fees at no cost. However, for general spending you need to value one point more than 2 cents to beat 2% cash back from Fidelity Visa.
Hyatt Visa vs. Sapphire Reserve: ironically Hyatt Visa's biggest competitor is actually the Sapphire Reserve, also from Chase, as the Ultimate Rewards points you earn from Sapphire Reserve can be transferred into Hyatt points at a 1:1 ratio. Sapphire Reserve's effective annual fee after considering the $300 annual travel credit is merely $75 more than Hyatt Visa, and with that it offer several premium features such as airport lounge access, luxury hotel privileges, primary rental car coverage, and a higher level of consumer & travel protection. Secondly, Sapphire Reserve's rewards are better than Hyatt Visa's, since it offers 3x points on all travel and dining, and in addition to Hyatt points, you also have flexibility of transferring points to miles of partners such as United, Southwest, British, Korean, Singapore, etc. In comparison, Hyatt Visa's strength only lies in a smaller annual fee, the Cat 1-4 free Hyatt night, and Hyatt status. While many may keep both cards, Hyatt Visa is probably the one that sits in the drawer collecting dust.
The Conclusion
The annual free night and Hyatt status are great reasons to keep the Hyatt Visa after the first year. As for whether or not to have the card in your wallet, keep in mind there are better alternatives such as Fidelity Visa and Chase Sapphire Reserve. Hyatt Visa is actually one of the "drawer cards" we recommend.
Updated May 15, 2017.
The Facts
- Annual Fee: $75
- Signup Bonus: Two free nights at any Hyatt hotels after spending $2,000 within 3 months of new account opening, and an additional 5,000 points when you add the first authorized user and make the first purchase within 3 months of new account opening. The most expensive Hyatt hotels (consistently retailed for at least $800 per night) to redeem the free nights include Park Hyatt New York, Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme, Park Hyatt Milan, Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa, Park Hyatt Sydney, and the soon opening Park Hyatt St. Kitts. The following hotels are also great alternatives and they mostly retail for at least $400-$700 per night: Park Hyatt Zurich, Park Hyatt Vienna, Ararat Park Hyatt Moscow, Park Hyatt Changbaishan, Palacio Duhau - Park Hyatt Buenos Aires, Park Hyatt Tokyo, Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills, Andaz New York 5th Avenue, Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort, Andaz Mayakoba Resort Riviera Maya, Hyatt Carmel Highlands, Hyatt Zilara Rose Hall, Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall. Historical best bonus of this card: two free nights + $50 credit + 5,000 points (for adding authorized user) + first annual fee waiver in 2015.
- Rewards: 3x Hyatt, 2x dining, airfare (purchased directly from airlines) and car rentals, and 1x everywhere else
- Best Use of Hyatt Gold Passport points: You can redeem Hyatt points for stays or upgrades at Hyatt hotels, including Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, andaz, Summerfield Suites, and Hyatt Place. Hyatt points, though not as great as SPG points, are still much more valuable than other Hotel currencies out there (Hilton, Marrriott, IHG, etc). The points of those programs are valued less than 1 cent per point, while Hyatt points are valued around 1~2 cents per points. You may also transfer Hyatt points to miles of 30+ frequent flyer programs at 2.5:1 ratio. You can get a better rate at 2:1 if you do bulk transfer (50,000 points = 25,000 miles). Unless you value miles at 3~4 cent per mile, it is probably better just to use Hyatt points toward hotels.
- Hyatt Benefits: (1) One annual free night at a Category 1-4 hotel upon anniversary (the certificate expires after 12 months). (2) Complimentary Hyatt Discoverist, the entry-level elite status and normally achieved after 10 nights or 25,000 base points, as long as you have this card. The benefits are limited but better than nothing. (3) Achieve Hyatt Explorist, the mid-tier status and normally achieved after 30 nights and 50,000 base points, after you spend at least $50,000 with the credit card in the previous year. Explorist comes with decent benefits including four Club access certificates each year; however, spending $50,000 is quite a requirement.
- Other Benefits: (1) EVM Chip embedded - this feature is now on many cards, but Hyatt Visa was among the first few USA cards that employed the technology. This undoubtedly adds quite a bit of convenience to foreign travel and spending. (2) Waived foreign transaction fees.
- History: In August 2011, Chase quietly added the annual Cat 1-4 free night as a retention feature to the card. Starting October 2012, there is a new benefit toward Diamond status: spend $20K/year and get 2 stay and 5 night credits; spend $40K and get an additional 3 stay and 5 night credits. In October 2013, Chase removed the first year annual fee but also signup benefits for current Hyatt Platinum and Diamond members (Platinum members used to get two free nights plus two suite upgrades for paid stays and Diamond members used to get two free nights confirmed in a suite). In January 2014, Hyatt Gold Passport points had a substantial devaluation - this affected the Hyatt Visa in three ways: the signup value of the two free nights remains the same or you can say gains value relatively; the annual Cat 1-4 free night diminishes in value; points earning from spending inevitably diminishes in value. In September 2016, Chase removed the first annual fee waiver ($75). In February 2017, with the introduction of World of Hyatt, the revamped loyalty program, the Hyatt Visa received some minor tweaking accordingly.
The Math
Since the annual free night most likely more than pays for the annual fee, you can enjoy the card's other benefits like bonus spending categories (3x and 2x), Hyatt elite status, and waived foreign transaction fees at no cost. However, for general spending you need to value one point more than 2 cents to beat 2% cash back from Fidelity Visa.
Hyatt Visa vs. Sapphire Reserve: ironically Hyatt Visa's biggest competitor is actually the Sapphire Reserve, also from Chase, as the Ultimate Rewards points you earn from Sapphire Reserve can be transferred into Hyatt points at a 1:1 ratio. Sapphire Reserve's effective annual fee after considering the $300 annual travel credit is merely $75 more than Hyatt Visa, and with that it offer several premium features such as airport lounge access, luxury hotel privileges, primary rental car coverage, and a higher level of consumer & travel protection. Secondly, Sapphire Reserve's rewards are better than Hyatt Visa's, since it offers 3x points on all travel and dining, and in addition to Hyatt points, you also have flexibility of transferring points to miles of partners such as United, Southwest, British, Korean, Singapore, etc. In comparison, Hyatt Visa's strength only lies in a smaller annual fee, the Cat 1-4 free Hyatt night, and Hyatt status. While many may keep both cards, Hyatt Visa is probably the one that sits in the drawer collecting dust.
The Conclusion
The annual free night and Hyatt status are great reasons to keep the Hyatt Visa after the first year. As for whether or not to have the card in your wallet, keep in mind there are better alternatives such as Fidelity Visa and Chase Sapphire Reserve. Hyatt Visa is actually one of the "drawer cards" we recommend.