Can I save points on a Hyatt award with a date change trick? | Question of the Week Ep2 | 5-4-26

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Can I save points on a Hyatt award with a date change trick? Frequent Miler reader Matt wrote:

I recently succeeded in changing a Hyatt award stay to avoid cancelling and forfeiting the Hyatt points. I’m wondering if that could be a strategy to leap past the upcoming changes to the World of Hyatt program. For example, I would create a reservation using points at a Hyatt property now and change the date later for a stay that is currently not bookable because it is more than 13 months away. Has anyone successfully used this strategy in previous years when category changes were announced, avoiding the need to make up point differences due to the associated program changes at that time? I understand that this is highly prospective and perhaps wishful thinking, but it could mean a sizeable savings in Hyatt points!

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Ana

Are we sure that as a Globalist, if you make an advance points booking, you’re not locked into that rate? That you’d be charged the higher rate if you don’t pay before May 20th? In another miles-and-points group they were saying otherwise.

Vinny Buttafuco

please publish the transcript rather than torture us having to watch the program…..sorry it is not watchable, sorry

Fig fig

Good to know that points advance should be paid for prior to the 20th if the hotel will go up in category. My question though involves doing a points advance at Ventana Big Sur which is not moving categories but will more than likely be on year round “super peak” pricing. Will this type of points advance booking be subjected to repricing at the time the points need to be in your account (ie 7 days before your stay)
Asking for a friend.

MaryY

As Globalist, doing an advanced poins booking always locked in the current points rate, even if the hotel moved up in category. From your update, looks like this is definitely changing even if the reservation is not modified in any way?

Last edited 1 hour ago by MaryY
Eric

Nick, you mention at the end that if you have any points advance booking as a Globalist, that you need to pay for the stay in full prior to the category change rolling in to avoid paying the higher points. Has this always been the case? Because I had a points advance booking last year at Il Tornabuoni in Florence, and I called Hyatt to pay for it prior to my stay at the Category 7 rate (It is now Cat 8). They did it by charging me the higher rate then refunding me the points difference