Chase World of Hyatt Business Credit Card Review

The information related to the Chase World of Hyatt Business Credit Card has been collected by Money Crashers and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card.

The World of Hyatt Business Credit Card offers hotel rewards and benefits to small-business owners who prefer to stay at Hyatt hotels and resorts. You can earn bonus rewards on many common business purchases, and receive benefits when staying at the growing list of properties that participate in the World of Hyatt program. 

However, this card has a larger than average annual fee, so it’s ideally suited for those who frequently stay at Hyatt properties, rather than those who are just willing to collect rewards for occasional stays. 

What Is the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card?

The World of Hyatt Business Credit Card is a solid credit card for small-business owners who book Hyatt stays frequently and want to capitalize on that spend. 

New applicants can take advantage of an attractive sign-up bonus offer: Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. 

Note that this offer is only available if you have not received a new cardmember bonus for this card within the last 24 months. 

This card earns 9 points per $1 spent for Hyatt stays and experiences, including restaurants and spas. That’s the headline.

It also earns: 

• 2 bonus points per $1 spent on fitness club and gym memberships
• 2 bonus points per $1 spent in your top three eligible spend categories each quarter through December 31, 2023, then 2 bonus points per $1 spent in your top two eligible spend categories each quarter
• 1 bonus point per $1 spent on all other purchases

Eligible bonus spending categories include:

• Dining
• Airline tickets purchased directly with the airline
• Car rental agencies
• Local transit and commuting
• Gas stations
• Internet, cable, and phone services
• Social media and search engine advertising 
• Shipping

The World of Hyatt Business Card can be extremely helpful if you’re looking to earn elite status within the Hyatt ecosystem. You get automatic World of Hyatt Discoverist status for you and up to five employees just for owning the card. Plus, you earn five annual Qualifying Night credits for every $10,000 spent in a calendar year to use toward reaching top-tier elite status and Milestone Rewards faster. 

This card is also especially beneficial to businesses with large spending requirements. When you spend $50,000 in a calendar year on your card, you get 10% of your redeemed points back for the rest of the year on up to 200,000 points redeemed. 

This card also features an annual Hyatt statement credit worth up to $100. After spending $50 or more at any Hyatt property, you can get a $50 statement credit, up to two times each anniversary year (for a total of $100).

Other benefits include an auto rental collision damage waiver policy and trip cancellation and interruption coverage. Your business purchases are also covered by a purchase protection policy of up to $10,000 per claim and extended warranty coverage that adds a year to your manufacturer’s warranty.

There’s a $199 annual fee for this card but no foreign transaction fees.

What Sets the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card Apart?

This card has several features that distinguish it from other hotel credit cards for small businesses.

• Up to $100 in Hyatt statement credits each year. After you spend $50 or more at any eligible Hyatt property, you can get a $50 statement credit. You can get this benefit up to two times each anniversary year, for a total of $100.
• 10% points back. If you spend $50,000 in a calendar year on your card, you get 10% of your redeemed points back for the rest of the year on up to 200,000 points redeemed. This is a good perk — potentially worth thousands in free travel — for high-spending business owners.
• Earn up to 9x points on eligible purchases. This card earns 9 points per dollar spent for Hyatt stays and experiences, including restaurants and spas. Not many other cards earn at this rate. The card also earns 2 bonus points per $1 spent on fitness club and gym memberships, a category not typically covered by business travel cards.
• Receive Discoverist status. You get automatic World of Hyatt Discoverist status for you and up to five employees just for owning the card. Plus, you earn five annual Qualifying Night credits for every $10,000 spent in a calendar year to use toward reaching top-tier elite status and Milestone Rewards faster. Discoverist status can get you benefits like preferred room upgrades and late checkouts. 

Key Features of the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card

The World of Hyatt Business Credit Card has a strong sign-up bonus, a generous rewards program, and additional benefits for Hyatt loyalists. 

Sign-Up Bonus

Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Earning Rewards

This card earns 9x points on Hyatt stays and experiences, including restaurants and spas. This is broken down into 4 bonus points per dollar spent on the card plus 5 base points per dollar you can earn as a World of Hyatt member (points you’d earn with or without the card). 

This card also earns 2x points on fitness club and gym memberships, 2x points in your top three eligible quarterly spending categories (top two from January 1, 2024), and 1x point on all other eligible purchases. Eligible bonus categories include:

• Dining
• Airline tickets purchased directly with the airline
• Car rental agencies
• Local transit and commuting
• Gas stations
• Internet, cable, and phone services
• Social media and search engine advertising 
• Shipping

Redeeming Rewards

You can redeem World of Hyatt Points at eligible World of Hyatt hotels. Hyatt points are generally worth more than points from other hotel programs because you can redeem them for free nights starting at 5,000 points per night. Realistically, expect to pay 8,000 to 15,000 points per night for a mid-range property in a mid-sized city, which is an excellent return on spending. 

Important Fees

This card charges a balance transfer fee of $5 or 5% of the amount of each transaction and a cash advance fee of $15 or 5% of the amount of each transaction. There is a $40 late payment fee and a $40 returned payment fee.

This card has an annual fee of $199 that’s not waived for the first year. There is no foreign transaction fee.

Credit Required

This card requires good or better credit to qualify. If your FICO score is much below 700, or your personal credit history is limited, then you’ll likely have trouble being approved. However, this is pretty standard for a premium business travel credit card.

Pros & Cons

The World of Hyatt Business Credit Card from Chase is a very rewarding card for small business owners, but it does have a few drawbacks. 

Pros

The strengths of this card are its rewards program and potentially valuable benefits. 

• Generous new account bonus. This card has an excellent sign-up bonus. Though the total point value isn’t as high as some competing cards, Hyatt points are worth much more, so this bonus could be worth five or more free nights. 
• Great way to earn elite status. This card offers five night-stay credits towards elite status for every $10,000 spent. This contrasts positively with the World of Hyatt consumer card, which offers two night-stay credits for every $5,000 spent (or four per $10,000 spent). In theory, you could earn Hyatt’s extremely valuable top-tier Globalist status from spending alone, but in practice this card offers an easy way to top off your night-stay credits if you won’t earn the status you want solely through actual hotel stays. 
• On-property credits. You can receive a $50 credit for spending on properties twice each cardmember year, effectively cutting the net cost of the card ($199) in half. 
• Discoverist status for you five employees. You’ll always have a better stay at a hotel when you have elite status, even if it’s the basic tier. This is the only hotel card that offers elite status not only to the cardholder, but also to authorized users. That means a better experience for your employees on the road. 

Cons

The weaknesses of this card are its high annual fee, as well as the lack of some key features offered by the consumer card. 

• $199 annual fee. This is more than most cards in its class, but it’s potentially more than 50% offset by the two $50 hotel fee credits. 
• No annual free night certificates.  The World of Hyatt consumer card offers a free Category 1-4 certificate each year, and another when you use your card to spend $15,000. Strangely, the business version doesn’t offer any free night stay certificates. 

How the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card Stacks Up

This card’s closest competitor is probably the Marriott Bonvoy Business Credit Card from American Express. Here’s how the two cards compare.

	World of Hyatt Business Credit Card	Marriott Bonvoy Business Credit Card
Annual Fee	$199	$125
Sign-Up Bonus	Very good	Good
Rewards Rate	Up to 9x points	Up to 6x
Foreign Transaction Fee	None	None
Credit Needed	Good or better	Good or better

The World of Hyatt Business card has a better return on spending than the Marriott Bonvoy Business Credit Card, and its sign-up bonus is more generous because Hyatt points are worth more than Marriott points (usually). However, it has a higher annual fee, so the Marriott card could be a better fit for users who can’t reliably offset that expense.

Final Word

Fans of the World of Hyatt program are always looking for ways to earn more points and reach the highest levels of elite status. If this sounds like you, and you’re a small business owner, then  the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card needs a spot in your business spending arsenal. With lots of opportunities to earn bonus points plus valuable on-property benefits, it could be your key to great hotel stays and lots of free nights.