Through July 31, you can purchase Gold Passport points from Hyatt and receive a bonus of up to 40% when you buy at least 5,000. This is a targeted promotion, according to One Mile at a Time, but I’ve got the same offer and I’ve seen many other people also receive this amount.
With a 40% bonus, the cost per point drops to 1.71 cents each. That’s not an amazing deal — I think Hyatt points are worth an average of 1.4 or 1.5 cents each — but it is still a good deal for many redemptions.
Some of my favorite hotels are in Category 5 or 6, which charge 20,000 points or 25,000 points per night for a free night award. For example, the Andaz Maui is a Category 6, so buying points would cost $427.50 whereas daily room rates are usually over $500. (Actually finding award space is a separate matter.) On the other hand, the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong is also a Category 6, but an upcoming stay next month would cost only $271 per night — not a good redemption value.
If buying points doesn’t look attractive at first, consider buying just half the number you need and secure a Points + Cash award instead. Category 2-6 hotels are a particularly good deal when booking Points + Cash awards because you’re essentially buying the other half of the points at a discounted rate using the cash co-pay. In most cases the cost per point is well under 1.71 cents.
| Hotel Category | Free Night Award | Points + Cash | Cost per Point Saved |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5,000 | 2,500 + $50 | 2 cents |
| 2 | 8,000 | 4,000 + $55 | 1.375 cents |
| 3 | 12,000 | 6,000 + $75 | 1.25 cents |
| 4 | 15,000 | 7,500 + $100 | 1.33 cents |
| 5 | 20,000 | 10,000 + $125 | 1.25 cents |
| 6 | 25,000 | 12,500 + $150 | 1.2 cents |
| 7 | 30,000 | 15,000 + $300 | 2 cents |
In a scenario where you find a Points + Cash award at a Category 6 property, for example, you need only buy 12,500 points and then book a Points + Cash award with a $150 co-pay. The other 12,500 points reflected by that co-pay are 1.2 cents each. On average, you are paying 1.46 cents per point — and that’s a much better price. Even better, Travel Summary told us yesterday about a 10% rebate on all points redeemed through October if you have the Hyatt Visa credit card. Unfortunately you’ll still need to buy the necessary points up front if you don’t already have them.
I was a little disoriented by the new website when I tried to find out where to buy points. You can click on the grey “Rewards” tab at the top of the page, and then select “Purchase, Combine, and Gift.” Remember that you’re limited to buying up to 55,000 points per year — although there are plenty of ways to transfer additional points from other sources.
Note: Because the purchase is processed by Points.com, it will not count as a hotel transaction or Hyatt transaction for the purpose of earning bonus points with any particular credit card. It’s going to be ordinary, non-bonused spend.
