Hyatt award chart changes analyzed across 1,078 properties

Ahead of the May 20 World of Hyatt award chart changes — which included a switch from three pricing tiers per category to five and 136 properties changing categories — many loyalists feared the program would lose much of its value.

Luckily, the changes haven’t been as bad as many feared. TPG’s Nick Ewen wrote about his first impressions of the Hyatt award chart changes on May 20. Two days later, we used data from Gondola (a free hotel search and direct booking platform for frequent travelers) to discuss how award pricing changed at 19 popular Hyatt properties.

Now, we’re back with more data from Gondola — this time across 1,078 properties, including every property that changed categories May 20 and a broad sample of other properties. This data shows that while some redemptions became dramatically more expensive, many Hyatt sweet spots survived, and some properties even became cheaper on points.

Effect of the Hyatt award chart changes by category

I frequently redeem points at low-category Hyatt properties, such as Hyatt Category 1 hotels. So, although our previous stories focused on high-category and aspirational properties, I was eager to see how award pricing and redemption rates changed on a category-by-category basis.

The chart below includes data across 1,018 properties with standard room rewards that price according to the Hyatt award chart for hotels and resorts (i.e., all Hyatt options excluding Miraval, all-inclusive collection and dynamically priced properties). Properties that changed categories on May 20 are listed under their pre-May 20 category.

Properties	Previous average award rate (in points)	New average award rate (in points)	Change in average award rate	Previous average redemption rate (cents per point)	New average redemption rate (cents per point)	Change in average redemption rate (cents per point)
203	5,331	5,704	Up 7%	2.43	2.32	Down 0.11
268	8,269	8,782	Up 6%	2.14	2.05	Down 0.09
215	12,393	12,684	Up 2%	1.93	1.88	Down 0.05
119	15,489	17,088	Up 10%	2.02	1.84	Down 0.18
101	20,203	20,826	Up 3%	1.73	1.67	Down 0.06
51	25,380	26,377	Up 4%	1.86	1.81	Down 0.05
40	30,410	33,458	Up 10%	2.13	2.03	Down 0.1
21	43,616	48,951	Up 12%	2.14	1.86	Down 0.28

Importantly, these averages reflect both Hyatt’s new five-tier pricing structure and the annual category adjustments.

Hyatt Place Kyoto in Japan. SUMMER HULL/THE POINTS GUY

The median-night data tells a much more encouraging story for most travelers. Because Hyatt added more lower-priced tiers alongside the new Upper and Top tiers, travelers with flexible dates may see little change — or even lower award pricing — on many stays.

Properties	Previous median award rate (in points)	New median award rate (in points)	Change in median award rate	Previous median redemption rate (cents per point)	New median redemption rate (cents per point)	Change in median redemption rate (cents per point)
203	5,000	4,500	Down 10%	2.25	2.23	Down 0.02
268	8,000	7,500	Down 6%	1.95	1.91	Down 0.04
215	12,000	12,000	0%	1.72	1.74	Up 0.02
119	15,000	15,000	0%	1.81	1.68	Down 0.13
101	20,000	20,000	0%	1.59	1.58	Down 0.01
51	25,000	25,000	0%	1.71	1.67	Down 0.04
40	30,000	30,000	0%	1.94	1.87	Down 0.07
21	40,000	45,000	Up 13%	1.57	1.48	Down 0.09

Even so, it’s obvious that the properties in categories 4 and 8 before May 20 are the ones that fared, on average and by median, worst. It’s interesting that low category (categories 1 and 2) and Category 7 properties had and kept the best redemption rates based on average and median.

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Effect of the annual Hyatt category changes

On May 20, 136 properties also changed categories. Of the ones that follow Hyatt’s standard award chart (so excluding Miraval, all-inclusive collection and dynamically priced properties), 108 moved up in category and 21 moved down.

By sheer point cost, the worst category changes were to high-category properties. Here’s a look at some of the worst increases on an average points per night basis:

Property	New category	Previous average award rate (in points)	New average award rate (in points)	Change in average award rate (in points)
Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort Spa and Casino	8	36,892	53,333	Up 16,442
	8	40,342	55,000	Up 14,658
Hotel Fluela Davos in Switzerland	8	32,869	45,000	Up 12,131
Hyatt House Tokyo Shibuya	6	21,293	31,667	Up 10,374
Andaz 5th Avenue in New York	8	32,255	42,273	Up 10,018
Hyatt Regency Lisbon in Portugal	5	17,049	25,250	Up 8,201
	5	15,526	22,909	Up 7,383
	8	41,156	48,333	Up 7,177
	7	27,512	34,222	Up 6,710

However, the largest percentage changes were at low-category properties. Here’s a look at some of the worst changes on a percentage basis:

Property	New category	Previous average award rate (in points)	New average award rate (in points)	Percentage change in average award rate
Hyatt Regency Kuantan Resort in Malaysia	2	4,926	8,375	Up 70%
Hyatt Place Sumter / Downtown in South Carolina	2	5,667	9,545	Up 68%
Hyatt Place Kyoto in Japan	3	8,713	14,600	Up 68%
Hyatt House Monterrey Valle / San Pedro in Mexico	2	5,026	8,333	Up 66%
Hyatt Place Mount Laurel in New Jersey	2	5,187	8,500	Up 64%
Hyatt Place Rouen in France	2	5,118	8,375	Up 64%
Hyatt Regency Columbus in Ohio	3	8,142	13,200	Up 62%
Hyatt Place Dubai Jumeirah	2	4,908	7,955	Up 62%

I’ve stayed at the Hyatt Regency Kuantan Resort twice, and I love the property. But with this massive increase in the average award rate, I’ll likely book at a paid rate instead of redeeming Hyatt points for my next stay. After all, paid rates are still low at this property on many dates.

However, it’s not all bad news. Twenty-one properties that use the standard Hyatt award chart dropped in category. And, as you can see in the following chart, the points and percentage decreases are massive for some of these properties.

Property	New category	Previous average award rate (in points)	New average award rate (in points)	Change in average award rate (in points)	Percentage change in average award rate
	4	19,503	14,000	Down 5,503	Down 28%
Hyatt Centric Delfina Santa Monica in California	5	25,776	21,111	Down 4,665	Down 18%
	4	20,321	15,833	Down 4,488	Down 22%
Andaz West Hollywood in California	5	26,194	21,818	Down 4,376	Down 17%
Hyatt Centric Congress Avenue Austin	4	20,118	15,833	Down 4,285	Down 21%
Commune by the Great Wall in China	2	11,909	7,750	Down 4,159	Down 35%
Hyatt Place London City East	3	15,010	11,000	Down 4,010	Down 27%
Hyatt Place Santa Barbara in California	5	25,515	21,667	Down 3,849	Down 15%

The category decrease for the Hyatt Centric Congress Avenue Austin, Andaz Macau and The Standard, Singapore is particularly exciting, as now you can redeem Category 1-4 certificates at these properties.

Hyatt award chart changes left sweet spots

One of the biggest fears of many Hyatt loyalists was that the Hyatt award chart changes would kill most sweet spots. But, among 50 of the highest cents per point properties in pre-May 20 data that didn’t change category on May 20, the typical (median) night moved 0 points and the average nightly rate increased just 209 points from 11,913 to 12,122 points.

Interestingly, the average cents-per-point across these 50 properties increased slightly (from 2.68 to 2.75) because the paid rates also increased slightly.

Park Hyatt Maldives pool — Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY

If we zoom out to the larger 1,078-property sample, 163 properties still offer an average redemption rate of 2.5 cents per point or higher. Here are a few notable examples:

Property	Current category	Previous average award rate (in points)	Current average award rate (in points)	Previous average redemption rate (cents per point)	Current average redemption rate (cents per point)
Hyatt House Nairobi Westlands in Kenya	1	5,604	5,455	4.17	4.76
Hyatt Regency Rochester in New York	1	5,089	4,625	3.82	4.43
Hyatt Regency Merida in Mexico	1	5,159	4,875	3.50	4.04
Park Hyatt St. Kitts Christophe Harbour	7	28,664	30,333	3.60	3.82
	8	41,856	46,000	4.42	3.73
	8	40,342	55,000	4.62	3.71
Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa	7	30,595	27,857	4.12	3.68

It’s impressive to see that the average award rate not only went down at Category 1 properties like the Hyatt Regency Rochester and the Hyatt Regency Merida, but also at an aspirational property like the Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa. I absolutely loved my stay at the Park Hyatt Maldives and will be looking to return on Lowest or Low dates.

Bottom line

The May 20 Hyatt award chart changes certainly affected all property tiers, but the impact was uneven. Although average nightly award rates increased in every category, the effect ranged from a modest 2% increase in Category 3 to a 12% increase in Category 8. Some properties — primarily those that changed category or occupy higher categories — did see significant increases in their average award rates. But some specific properties, including several in Category 1 and at least one in Category 7, saw decreases in their average award rates.

I, frankly, never expected to see the average award cost of the Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa decrease in this set of Hyatt award chart changes. But, when you think about it, the Maldives has serious peak and off-peak seasons, and resorts often have low occupancy on some off-peak dates. So, in the case of the Park Hyatt Maldives, we’re likely seeing those dates gain the Lowest award pricing tier for Category 7, while other nights keep approximately the same rates as before.

In short, this set of Hyatt award chart changes will sting for travelers who can only travel on peak dates and hence will need to redeem at the Upper and Top award tiers. However, in general, most travelers will still be able to find high-value ways to redeem Hyatt points.

Hyatt redemptions now require more strategy than before. But for travelers with flexible dates, World of Hyatt remains one of the most valuable hotel loyalty programs.

Gondola is a free hotel search and direct booking platform for frequent travelers, making it easy to compare cash and points rates across brands while earning up to an extra 7% cash back.

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Stacie Harris

Stacie Harris is a local resident and reporter of the Maple Grove area. Stacie reports on medicine and science for the Maple Grove Report.

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Amex Membership Rewards: How to earn, redeem and transfer

With an American Express card that earns Amex Membership Rewards points, cardholders can redeem points through American Express Travel for hotels (including vacation rentals), car rentals, cruises and flights, or opt to use their points for statement credits, gift cards and more.

Whether you’re a points expert or not, you can also maximize your Amex Membership Rewards points by transferring them to Amex’s airline and hotel partners. With many options for redeeming and maximizing your hard-earned points, your Amex rewards are extremely valuable.

Here’s how to redeem points, maximize Amex benefits and find the best Amex cards for earning Membership Rewards points.

What are Amex Membership Rewards points?

Membership Rewards points are the rewards currency of American Express. If you have an Amex card that earns Membership Rewards points, you will earn them for everyday spending, just as you would earn airline miles with an airline-branded card or hotel points with a hotel-branded card. Plus, depending on your Amex card, you can also earn bonus points in certain spending categories.

In the world of points and miles, American Express Membership Rewards points are considered some of the most valuable and useful points you can earn because of their flexibility. Per TPG’s April 2026 valuations, Amex points are worth 2 cents apiece.

How do I earn Amex Membership Rewards points?

The easiest way to earn many Membership Rewards points is to apply for a Membership Rewards-earning American Express card.

Earning Membership Rewards points from cards

Here’s a look at the welcome offer, bonus-category structure, annual fee and benefits for each of the six most valuable Membership Rewards cards to help you choose the best Amex card.

Welcome offer	Earning rates	Annual fee	Notable perks
Find out your offer and see if you’re eligible for as high as 175,000 bonus points after spending $12,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership. Welcome offers vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer.	Earn 5 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® (on up to $500,000 each calendar year, then 1 point per dollar spent) and prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel Earn 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases		Receive up to $400 in statement credits each calendar year (up to $100 per quarter) when you dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible purchases with Resy. No reservation required. Receive up to $300 in statement credits per calendar year (up to $75 per quarter) for eligible purchases at U.S. Lululemon retail stores (excluding outlets) and online. Receive up to $200 in statement credits each calendar year for incidental fees charged by one airline you select. Receive up to $600 in hotel statement credits every calendar year (up to $300 biannually) on prepaid Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection bookings with Amex Travel when you pay with your card (Hotel Collection stays require a two-night minimum). Enrollment is required for select benefits. Check out a full list of Amex Platinum card benefits.
Find out your offer and see if you’re eligible for as high as 300,000 bonus points after spending $20,000 on purchases in the first three months of card membership. Welcome offers vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer.	Earn 5 points per dollar spent on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com Earn 2 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases in select business categories and eligible purchases of $5,000 or more (on up to $2 million in combined purchases each calendar year, then 1 point per dollar spent) Earn 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases		Receive up to $150 in statement credits on U.S. purchases made directly at Dell and an additional $1,000 statement credit after spending $5,000 or more at Dell per calendar year. Receive a $250 Adobe statement credit after spending $600 or more on U.S. purchases made directly at Adobe each calendar year. Receive up to a $209 Clear+ statement credit each calendar year (subject to auto-renewal). Get up to $120 in statement credits every calendar year for purchases made directly with any U.S. wireless telephone provider (up to $10 per month). After spending $250,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar year, unlock up to $1,200 in Amex Travel online flight statement credits and up to $2,400 in One AP statement credits for use in the next calendar year (subject to auto-renewal). Enrollment is required for select benefits. Check out a full list of Amex Business Platinum card benefits.
Find out your offer and see if you’re eligible for as high as 100,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership. Welcome offers vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer.	Earn 4 points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide (on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar spent) Earn 4 points per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1 point per dollar spent) Earn 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com Earn 2 points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on amextravel.com Earn 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases		Receive up to $120 in Uber Cash each calendar year, valid on Uber rides and Uber Eats orders in the U.S. (up to $10 each month; add your Amex Gold to your Uber account and pay with any Amex card). Receive up to a $120 dining statement credit each calendar year (up to $10 each month) to use at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com and Five Guys. Receive up to a $100 Resy statement credit each calendar year at U.S. Resy restaurants (up to $50 biannually). No reservation required. Get up to $84 in Dunkin’ Donuts statement credits each calendar year at U.S. Dunkin’ locations (up to $7 each month). Enrollment is required for select benefits.
Find out your offer and see if you’re eligible for as high as 200,000 bonus points after spending $15,000 on purchases in the first three months of card membership. Welcome offers vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer.	Earn 4 points per dollar spent on the top two eligible categories (from six categories) where you spend the most each billing cycle (on up to $150,000 in combined purchases from these two categories each calendar year, then 1 point per dollar spent) Earn 3 points per dollar spent on flights and prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com or the Amex Travel App™ Earn 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases		Receive up to a $240 statement credit each calendar year (up to $20 each month) for eligible U.S. purchases at FedEx, Grubhub and office supply stores. Earn up to $155 in statement credits per calendar year (up to $12.95 per month, plus applicable taxes) for a monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to automatic renewal; Plus Ups excluded). Enrollment is required for select benefits.
Earn 40,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership.	Earn 3 points per dollar spent on restaurants worldwide, travel and transit Earn 1 point per dollar spent on other purchases	$150	Receive up to a $209 Clear+ statement credit each calendar year (subject to automatic renewal). Enrollment is required.
Earn 15,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months of card membership.	Earn 2 points per dollar spent (on up to $50,000 each calendar year, then 1 point per dollar spent) Earn 1 point per dollar spent on other purchases		*Eligibility and benefit level vary by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.

The information for the American Express Green Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

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Other ways to earn Membership Rewards points

Once you have one (or more) of the above cards, there are additional options for earning Amex points. The first is leveraging Rakuten, one of TPG’s favorite online shopping portals. Through Rakuten, you can opt to earn cash back or Membership Rewards points.

If you don’t have an account, you can sign up and enjoy a standard one-time bonus of $30 when you spend at least $30 within 90 days of becoming a member.

You can also earn Amex Membership Rewards points through referral bonuses. You’ll receive a set number of points when someone uses your referral link and is approved. Keep in mind that rewards earned through referral bonuses are taxable.

Amex Membership Rewards transfer partners

Since you can transfer Membership Rewards points to 17 airline and three hotel transfer partners, you can search for award travel on almost every major route and city worldwide.

Emirates A380 first class — ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

Thus, earning Membership Rewards points is usually more lucrative than earning miles or points in a single airline or hotel loyalty program. Remember, you are not locked into one transfer partner — you can send some points to one program and then some to another.

Below, we’ve listed all those partners, the transfer ratios and the transfer times discovered in our testing.

If you haven’t done so, link your transfer partner accounts to your Membership Rewards account now. This will prevent future delays when you need to make a quick transfer.

The best ways to redeem Amex Membership Rewards points

To get the most value from your points, you will want to transfer them to partners.

Here are just a few of our favorite redemptions:

Fly to Hawaii on points and miles: Transfer your Membership Rewards points to Delta SkyMiles, and you’ll pay as little as 18,200 SkyMiles for a one-way flight from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL).
Save on business-class award flights: Singapore Airlines operates two of the world’s longest flights, one from Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and another from SIN to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). You won’t want to spend 18 hours in an uncomfortable seat, so transfer your Membership Rewards points to the Singapore KrisFlyer program to book business-class flights. Both routes cost 117,000 KrisFlyer miles plus taxes and fees one-way, a small price for comfort on such a long flight.
Transfer your Amex Membership Rewards points to Iberia Club: On off-peak dates, you can fly from JFK and Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to Spain’s Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD) for just 16,000 Iberia Club Avios in economy, 29,500 Avios in premium economy and 40,500 Avios in business class each way.
Transfer your Amex Membership Rewards points to Air France-KLM’s Flying Blue program: Book business-class flights from North America to Europe starting at just 60,000 Flying Blue miles each way.
Book domestic JetBlue award flights: Transferring your Membership Rewards points to Etihad Guest can be a good option. JetBlue flights 500 miles or shorter within North America cost just 6,000 Etihad Guest miles (transfers from Amex to Etihad end on June 30).

Just remember that transfers are irreversible, so you should transfer your Amex points only after you’ve confirmed the award space for the flight or hotel you want.

For more information on maximizing your Amex points for travel, check out our guide to sweet spots and more with Membership Rewards points.

Additionally, you can also use your points to book virtually any travel through the Amex Travel platform. You usually receive 1 cent per Amex point. This is an OK value, but not a spectacular way to redeem your points. It’s still better than the redemptions we’re about to get into, however.

Poor-value ways to redeem Membership Rewards points

Unfortunately, several options for redeeming your points represent less-than-stellar value and should typically be avoided if you want to maximize your hard-earned Amex Membership Rewards.

Some of these options include:

Using points for charges: This is like a cash-back option covering eligible charges on your billing statement. You can view the list of eligible charges on your current online statement. With this option, you’ll only receive 0.6 cents per point.
Using Pay with Points at checkout: After linking your Membership Rewards account with online merchants like Amazon, Best Buy and Grubhub, you can pay for your purchases at a slightly better (but still poor) value of 0.7 cents per point. Although this option can sometimes be useful for promotions, you may want to turn this off to prevent accidental use of your points.
Redeeming for taxi rides in New York City: You can redeem points for certain New York City taxi fares at a value of 1 cent per point.
Redeeming for gift cards: Depending on the merchant, these redemptions offer a value between 0.5 cents and 1 cent per point.

Frequently asked questions

Here are some answers to frequently asked questions we’ve seen about Amex Membership Rewards.

How do I transfer Amex Membership Rewards points to airlines?

To transfer Membership Rewards points, follow these steps:

Log in to your Amex account.
Go to the rewards section.
Go to the transfer section under rewards.
Ensure the loyalty program you want to transfer your points to is linked.
Select the partner you want to transfer to and initiate the transfer.

It’s important to note that once you make a transfer, you cannot reverse it.

Are there fees or taxes when I use Amex Membership Rewards points?

While there are no fees to use Amex Membership Rewards points, there is an excise tax offset fee of $0.0006 per point, with a maximum of $99. This fee only applies when transferring points to one of Amex’s U.S.-based airline partners, like Delta SkyMiles and JetBlue TrueBlue.

Can you pool or share Amex points?

If you have multiple Membership Rewards points-earning cards, the points will all be pooled in your Amex account. However, Amex doesn’t allow you to transfer points between accounts, even if it’s between family members. Amex also doesn’t allow you to transfer your points to a partner program in someone else’s name, except for an authorized user on your Membership Rewards account who has been on the account for at least 90 days.

Do Membership Rewards points expire?

Membership Rewards points do not expire, provided you keep at least one card open that earns them. If you cancel all of your Amex Membership Rewards cards, you must redeem or transfer your points before closing the last card. Otherwise, you will forfeit the points.

Bottom line

Thanks to Amex’s generous card offers, Membership Rewards points are easy to earn and redeem. They’re also easy to use with a variety of transfer partners.

Whether you choose to splurge on a European getaway or use your points to visit family in another state, having Membership Rewards points at your disposal can help you save money.

For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Business Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Business Platinum Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Blue Business Plus Card, click here.