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World of Hyatt has created revenue for competitors
Gary Leff wrote a great article about Cathay’s Elite devaluation and it got me thinking about an article I wrote last year, “Why Marriott may win most with World of Hyatt.” In that post I posited that the huge devaluation of Hyatt’s program actually incentivizes people like me to look elsewhere. And I have. It didn’t hurt that Hilton extended my Diamond Status through this year gratis, and I matched to Marriott Gold thru SPG Gold which I have with my Amex Biz Platinum. Other than using points here and there to stay with Hyatt, I’ve sought nights and stays elsewhere.
In Gary’s piece he talks about analysis that was done by Travel Data Daily that found:
What we found was that when loyalty members who consistently talk about their home airline suddenly begin talking about another airline in a positive manner or asking questions related to another airline, our research suggests the propensity for this individual to book a flight or switch loyalty programs significantly increases.
Our data analysis indicates that members who match the profile of talking about other programs positively, while simultaneously speaking negatively about Marco Polo were highly likely to switch (churn) loyalty programs within 85 days of making the statements.
That is me.
- I began speaking of other programs in a more favorable light
- I’ve simultaneously spoken negatively about Hyatt
- I’ve basically abandoned any effort to maintain Hyatt status.
I’m not a road warrior, but I would have done 25 stays to retain Diamond for another year…Hyatt’s elite program was so attractive that I sought out ways to make a stay with them happen. Even if it was less convenient and marginally more expensive – the status and points were worth the trouble. Now…I know I’m not going to hit Globalist Status ( 60 nights?!) and I don’t even care if I keep Explorist – I’d rather stay at a Marriott with Gold then a Hyatt with Explorist anyways. GIVE ME MY CLUB LEVEL!
I’m happy to stay with a chain that I’ll get more benefits for fewer stays ( even just credit card ownership) and if I end up at a Hyatt without much status…I’ll get a coffee at Starbucks and a bottle of wine or some beer at the local shop.
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Welcome Offer
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
- The begins immediately for new cardmembers and after your account anniversary for existing cardmembers
- 2x on all other travel
- 10% Anniversary Bonus
- Every year you keep the card, your total spend will yield a 10% points bonus. If you spend $10k in a year, you’ll get 1k bonus points
- Chase Sapphire Preferred continues to redeem at 1.25c in the Chase Travel℠ and the slew of other benefits remain in tact including Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver ( primary ), purchase protections, etc.
- Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
- Redeem in Chase Travel℠ for 1.25 cents per point
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2027.
- $95 Annual Fee
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is exceptional starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.
If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex® and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Ink Business Cash® , Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee is quite low at $95 a year + you get a 10% anniversary bonus on points + $50 hotel credit in Chase travel.
The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.