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 numerous limited-time promotions for members, together with the flexibility to select up prompt standing (the newest supply resulted in September).
Now, the 2 applications have launched an array of recent perks that choose vacationers can unlock throughout the 12 months, together with the flexibility to make use of AAdvantage miles for Hyatt free evening awards, in addition to new Loyalty Alternative Rewards and Milestone Rewards.
The updates had been first introduced late final 12 months, they usually’ve now gone into impact.
Sadly the flexibility to earn bonus American miles on Hyatt stays and bonus Hyatt factors on American flights was eliminated on the finish of 2024.
This is what it is advisable to learn about these new choices.
No extra reciprocal factors earnings
Let’s begin with the most important destructive information. Beforehand, AAdvantage elite members obtained 1 mile for each greenback spent on qualifying Hyatt purchases. Moreover, World of Hyatt elite members obtained 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 mix 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 supply 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 recent choices as they earn extra Loyalty Factors in a qualification 12 months.
As of Jan. 2, you possibly can redeem AAdvantage miles for Hyatt awards on the following tiers:
- 40,000 Loyalty Factors: Redeem 25,000 miles for a Class 1-4 free evening award
- 125,000 Loyalty Factors: Redeem 65,000 miles for a Class 1-7 free evening award
TPG pegs AAdvantage miles at 1.65 cents apiece in our valuations, so which means 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 need to be certain that the paid charges are excessive sufficient to justify this redemption.
Associated: Find out how to earn, use and benefit from your Hyatt free evening 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 throughout the 12 months:
- Hyatt Discoverist standing: This will likely be a brand new profit at 100,000 Loyalty Factors.
- Hyatt Explorist standing: This will likely be a brand new choice at each 175,000 and 250,000 Loyalty Factors.
- Class 1-4 free evening: This will likely be a brand new choice at 400,000, 550,000 and 750,000 Loyalty Factors.
- Class 1-7 free evening: This will likely be a brand new choice at 1 million, 3 million and 5 million Loyalty Factors.
The primary is easy, because it’s supplied mechanically whenever 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 mechanically obtain it.
The others are a bit extra difficult, as you will have to forgo different Loyalty Level Rewards in favor of Explorist or the free evening award choice(s).
You’ll be able to view the present slate of Loyalty Alternative Rewards at this hyperlink; listed here are a few of 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 presents 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 presents of AAdvantage Gold standing
Is Hyatt Explorist value deciding on over these advantages? Solely you possibly can resolve. However given how beneficial the upgrades or Admirals Membership membership could be, mid-tier resort standing might not be the most suitable choice.
There is a comparable tradeoff for the Class 1-4 free evening. 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 prime out at 18,000 factors, which implies this free evening is value simply over $300 primarily based on TPG’s present valuations — although it might be larger when income charges are excessive.
Associated: The perfect Hyatt Class 4 inns to maximise your free evening award certificates
Lastly, for these tremendous qualifiers, choosing a Class 1-7 free evening 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 Govt Platinum, as much as 300,000 miles again on award redemptions
- 5 million Loyalty Factors (choose one): 10 systemwide upgrades, present of AAdvantage Govt Platinum, as much as 500,000 miles again on award redemptions
Beneath the correct circumstances, a Class 1-7 property might be value a number of hundred {dollars} — but it surely’s as much as you to resolve if that is extra beneficial than these advantages.
New AAdvantage advantages for Hyatt members
There is a comparable 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 accessible as of Jan. 1, 2025:
- Most well-liked 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.
- Most important 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 primarily based on our valuations) or a pair of membership entry awards. Alternatively, the worth of most popular 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 comparable story for Most important Cabin Additional. At 40 nights, you possibly can go for 5,000 bonus factors (value $85) or a set improve award, and at 50 nights, you possibly can select one other 5,000 factors or a pair of suite improve awards. I am a giant fan of the upgrades since they mean you can verify a set on the time of reserving for eligible stays of as much as seven nights. Nonetheless, Most important Cabin Additional seats may also be fairly dear, in some instances surpassing $150.
Lastly, choosing AAdvantage Gold or AAdvantage Platinum standing when you begin hitting milestones past Globalist standing means forgoing extra suite upgrades or 10,000 bonus factors at every tier. Once more, solely you possibly can 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 luxuriate 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 accessible 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 prolong to companions on the identical reservation, topic to the revealed 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 have got a number of vacationers who’ll be checking baggage.
Nonetheless, these redemptions are additionally the usual award charges for Class 1, 2 and three properties, respectively, which could be rather more beneficial.
Associated: Your information to the World of Hyatt award chart
Our take
It is irritating to lose the flexibility 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. Lots 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 web addition.
Should you’re presently a loyal American flyer and Hyatt visitor — particularly with vital spending throughout the 2 applications — your flights and stays could also be notably much less rewarding going ahead.
That stated, the brand new redemption choices are considerably intriguing. It is true that you’re going to want a good variety of American miles to select up a Class 1-4 or Class 1-7 free evening award, but when the paid charges are by way of the roof, this might be a good choice. Moreover, on the correct journey, utilizing Hyatt factors to unlock the perks of American standing for a day may enable you keep away from checked bag charges and journey extra comfortably.
Simply make sure you weigh what you are giving up by redeeming your miles (or factors) on this trend.
Backside line
American and Hyatt have debuted some vital modifications to their partnership, together with the removing of reciprocal incomes privileges and the addition of recent Loyalty Level Rewards and Milestone Rewards choices. Sadly, lots 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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