World of Hyatt just won some major fans, and truth be told – they deserve it. The hotel group loyalty program just announced sweeping extensions of points, benefits and elite guest status in perhaps the most generous status extension by a loyalty program yet. The moves come as travel has all but disappeared.
People have questions, and we’ve got most of the answers about how this all plays out for World of Hyatt members. And yes, all this news applies globally…
World Of Hyatt Points Expiration Paused
As long as you keep earning points in the World Of Hyatt program, your points never expire. If however you become inactive for a period of 24 months, failing to earn a single point from hotel stays, or credit card points transfers points can expire. Until December 31st, 2020 that’s won’t be happening though.
World Of Hyatt is suspending points forfeitures through December 31st, 2020, which means even if your points are about to expire, they won’t. This of course gives every member a chance to earn Hyatt Points in the meantime, even without staying in a hotel, which would then extend the validity at least another two years. Fantastic news.
Basically, if your points haven’t yet expired, you’ve got until the end of December to keep them from expiring for years. Use that time, wisely.
Hyatt Discoverist Explorist, Globalist Status Extensions
Hyatt is making loyalty incredibly simple with this April, 2020 news. Whatever status you held in the World Of Hyatt program as of March 31st, 2020 – is yours until February 28th, 2022. Obviously, you can still move up the tiers, but no one is losing out.
This is an extension of over one year, and means some who would’ve been losing status imminently will now get to enjoy the amazing suite of World of Hyatt elite benefits through 2021, and into 2022. This joins the most generous extension moves by any loyalty program thus far, and may in fact best them.
The new extensions should show in member accounts by April 15th, 2020. For a full run down of airline and hotel elite status extension by program, check out this master list.
World Of Hyatt Upgrade, Free Night Benefit Extensions
If you’ve got a World Of Hyatt benefit such as a suite upgrade, free night certificate or club lounge voucher due to expire between March 1st, 2020 and December 31st, 2020, it’s now been extended one year, with an expiry on December 31st, 2021.
Yep, it’s that simple. Anyone holding one of these loyalty perks, either from a credit card or their elite status will have until December 31st, 2021 to use them. If the world isn’t traveling again by then, they will be the least of your problems.
Cancellation Policies, Flexibility And Headspace
One silver lining of the current state of the world is an opportunity to form better personal practice with sleep to relaxation. Headspace is one of the premier platforms for meditation, soothing white noise to play in your sleep and relaxation help, and the World Of Hyatt app now offers Headspace content for free.
World of Hyatt has some of the more generous cancellation policies in place at the moment, and for bookings made until June 30th, 2020, for any future travel date, you can cancel or change even non-refundable reservations without penalty, up to 24 hours before check in.
This gives travelers better comfort to make speculative reservations with the best intentions, but know they won’t lose anything if things go differently, and for travel later in 2020 or 2021, it’s a great move.
You can check out all the World Of Hyatt updates and policies on this travel resource.
Sadly, Hyatt is ignoring everyone who earned elite status between January and March of 2020!
@Patrick- how do you figure? If you earned status between January and March 2020. You would have that status on March 31. That is what Hyatt is extending.
@Richard – if you earned status between Jan and March 2020, your new status is already valid until Feb 2022.
Hyatt: “whatever your status was as of March 31, 2020 – whether Discoverist, Explorist or Globalist – it will be automatically updated to reflect a February 28, 2022 expiration date.”
So new elite members who earned elite status in 2020 do not get an actual extension. Only members who earned elite status in 2019.
If someone can get elite status in the first 3 months they dont need an extension. They can probably become an elite whenever they feel like it.
@Sea Pea, That’s a lot of assumptions.
It seems Delta has the same elite extension policy (extending every Medallion member’s status through 2021), so I feel bad for Delta fliers who made Delta elite status in early 2020 and who now will have a LOT more competition in 2021!
These companies say they are going to extend the status of ALL elite members, but, in practice, only extend the status of last year’s elite members. Just be straight forward and say “only last year’s elites will get an extension”. New elites are penalized in that they won’t be able to use their account for the time they thought they could, but won’t get an extension either.