Hyatt and American Airlines have had a partnership for several years, providing the ability to earn World of Hyatt points on American flights and AAdvantage miles on Hyatt stays. They’ve also run a number of status match/challenge opportunities for those with elite status in one of those programs.
The two companies have announced today a deepening of their relationship, giving even more opportunities to receive reciprocal benefits, status, free night certificates and more. Perhaps the most intriguing development will be the ability to earn status in both programs on an ongoing basis with spending on just one credit card. It’s not all good news though because earning Hyatt points on flights and American Airlines miles on stays will be ending at the end of this year, while some of the reciprocal earning opportunities represent poor value.
Hyatt benefits for those with American Airlines AAdvantage elite status
Starting on January 2, 2025, those who have earned enough Loyalty Points or have high enough status will be able to redeem AAdvantage miles for Hyatt certificates:
- 40,000 Loyalty Points or Gold status: redeem 25,000 AAdvantage miles for a category 1-4 Hyatt certificate
- 125,000 Loyalty Points or Gold status: redeem 60,000 AAdvantage miles for a category 1-7 Hyatt certificate
Redeeming 25,000 or 60,000 miles for category 1-4 or 1-7 certificates respectively is poor value, so this isn’t something that we’d recommend.
From March 1, 2025, there’ll be additional earning options added:
- 100,000 Loyalty Points: select Hyatt Discoverist status
- 175,000 & 250,000 Loyalty Points: select Hyatt Explorist status
- 400,000, 550,000 & 750,000 Loyalty Points: select category 1-4 Hyatt certificate
- 1 million, 3 million & 5 million Loyalty Points: select category 1-7 Hyatt certificate
While the benefits at the 40,000 and 125,000 Loyalty Point levels require the redemption of miles for the free night certificates, that won’t be the case for the options being added from March 1. Instead, those will be options you can select as your reward for hitting that Loyalty Points Rewards level without needing to redeem miles. Whether that’ll be worth doing is another matter though. Neither Discoverist nor Explorist status provide any meaningful benefits with Hyatt, especially because you won’t have been earning Milestone Rewards along the way such as Club Access Awards.
The free night certificates at those levels aren’t particularly appealing options either. For example, at the 400,000 Loyalty Points level you’d likely be better off selecting a benefit like 25,000 bonus AAdvantage miles or a Systemwide Upgrade. At the 1 million Loyalty Points level, a category 1-7 certificate might be tempting, but it would mean forgoing four Systemwide Upgrades, up to 100,000 miles back on award redemptions and more.
OK, so the Hyatt benefits for those earning sufficient American Airlines Loyalty Points aren’t thrilling. It’s the benefits in the other direction that could provide more value.
American Airlines benefits for those with World of Hyatt elite status
From January 1, 2025, there’ll be additional World of Hyatt Milestone Rewards benefit options for travel with American Airlines by earning enough elite night credits or for those earning sufficient base points with Hyatt:
- 20 & 30 elite nights or 35,000 & 50,000 base points: Choose two Preferred seat coupons for American Airlines flights
- 40 & 50 elite nights or 65,000 & 80,000 base points: Choose two Main Cabin Extra seat coupons for American Airlines flights
- 70, 80 & 90 elite nights: Choose American Airlines AAdvantage Gold status, valid for the full status membership year
- 100 nights: Choose American Airlines AAdvantage Platinum status, valid for the full status membership year
In addition to those benefits that’ll be selectable as Milestone Rewards options, those with Hyatt Explorist or Globalist status will have the opportunity to redeem points to obtain AAdvantage Status for a Day:
- 5,000 points: AAdvantage Gold Status for a Day
- 8,000 points: AAdvantage Platinum Status for a Day
- 12,000 points: AAdvantage Platinum Pro Status for a Day
Reciprocal point/mile earning ending
As mentioned earlier, these changes aren’t all good news. Up until now, it’s been possible to earn Hyatt points on paid American Airlines flights and AAdvantage miles on paid Hyatt stays. Those earning opportunities will be curtailed from December 31, 2024. That’s disappointing as it’s been nice earning bonus miles and points for the last few years simply by linking my accounts, but these new reward options do help assuage that loss. Quite how much these new options make up for that loss of points/miles earning though will depend on your travel habits.
Quick Thoughts
As I mentioned earlier, the Hyatt benefits you can obtain with American Airlines status and Loyalty Points are fairly lackluster considering how many miles you’ll have to redeem or other choice benefits you’ll have to give up.
The American Airlines benefits you can obtain from Hyatt status and Milestone Rewards are much more interesting. The Preferred and Main Cabin Extra seat coupons will have limited appeal considering you’d be potentially giving up on Suite Upgrade Awards (SUAs), but if you have upcoming flights with American Airlines and no hotel plans where SUAs could come in handy, that might be more attractive than 5,000 Hyatt points as an alternative.
It’s at the 70+ elite night levels where this partnership shines. Being able to select Gold or Platinum status with American Airlines could provide excellent value in lieu of 10,000 bonus points or a Suite Upgrade Award, especially if you reach those Milestone Rewards earlier in the year. That’s because those status levels will be valid for a full membership year. That means that if, say, you reach 70 elite night credits by April 1, 2025, you could select AAdvantage Gold status which would then be valid through February 28, 2027.
Being able to redeem Hyatt points for AAdvantage Status for a Day could provide some good value too. While 5,000 Hyatt points might seem a little steep for one day of AAdvantage Gold status, if it gets you a free checked bag, preferred seating, bonus miles on paid flights, etc., it has the potential to be worthwhile. The Status for a Day options are valid on international flights in addition to domestic flights, plus you can gift Status for a Day to a family member of friend even if you don’t need to utilize it yourself.
Earn Hotel & Airlines Status With One Credit Card
What’s particularly interesting about this enhanced partnership is the ability to earn status with both Hyatt and American Airlines on an ongoing basis through credit card spend on just a single card.
One option would be to do that via an American Airlines credit card. That would allow you to rack up Loyalty Points and potentially earn Executive Platinum status in the AAdvantage program and Explorist with Hyatt. The downside with that approach is that Globalist status isn’t an option.
The more appealing approach for many will be to put significant spend on a Hyatt personal and/or business card seeing as both cards let you earn elite night credits through spend in addition to World of Hyatt points. That way you can spend your way to Globalist status if you like, picking up Milestone Rewards along the way. Then when you reach 70 or 100 nights, you can pick Gold or Platinum status respectively with American Airlines too. That approach could be worthwhile for someone who travels frequently enough with American Airlines to get some decent value from the free checked bags, upgraded seating, etc. without having to dedicate credit card spending to both Hyatt and American Airlines, and who doesn’t care about AAdvantage status as high as Platinum Pro or Executive Platinum.
Your Thoughts
What do you make of these changes? Will you like try to earn Loyalty Points with American in order to get Hyatt benefits, or are you more likely to focus on Hyatt status and elite night credits in order to get benefits and status with American Airlines too? Or do these changes not appeal to you at all? Let us know in the comments.
Want to learn more about miles and points? Subscribe to email updates or check out our podcast on your favorite podcast platform.
What does AA status “for a day” mean? Does it mean for all things related to a given reservation, including day-of-booking privileges (seat selection) as well as day-of-travel privileges (free checked luggage/priority lines), which are actually utilized on different days?
You have to choose a specific day that it’ll be used for – here’s more information https://www.aa.com/i18n/aadvantage-program/enhance-with-miles-terms-and-conditions.jsp
Ah, they take care of the seat booking stuff with coupons, got it. Thanks!
It seems to me that American Airlines and Hyatt are taking away the great option of getting points in both programs simultaneously and giving us a bunch of worthless options in return.
I wonder if one can redeem the one day AA status during status challenges with another airline. eg, I am eyeing on JetBlue mosaic for pet fee waiver. sounds too good to be true but that will definitely be a wonderful use of Hyatt/chase/bilt points lol
This is the only blog describing this change as “deepening”. The changes to the partnership are strictly worse than what exists now, and the fact you support it reveals you to be a paid advertiser for corporations
The partnership is deepening though. Previously the only ongoing earning opportunity was reciprocal miles or points on stays or flights, but now people have the opportunity to earn status, get status for a day, get seat coupons, free night certificates, etc. Granted, most of those redemption options are poor value (as noted in the post), but that doesn’t mean the relationship isn’t deepening versus what it was before.
If you regard the changes as worse for you, that’s a completely valid point and it does sound like that’s the case for quite a few people based on other comments. However, I’m genuinely excited about these changes as it means I can get American Airlines status with little-to-no effort, whereas previously I only ever earned a few hundred miles or points here and there.
As for being a paid advertiser for corporations, that’s not the case – I’ve earned nothing from American Airlines or Hyatt for writing this post. Neither company sponsors the blog and as far as I’m aware we don’t make any money directly from either company.
I don’t see any benefits to the new options. You have to look at points like money. AA points are worth about 1.5 cents each. Hyatt points are worth 2 or more cents each. Nothing they are offering justifies the points they cost. In the case of AA milestone choices. There are much better options that the new Hyatt options
If you are excited about these (pathetic) changes — you have fallen prey to the garbage talking points from AA and Hyatt. No way to sugarcoat it: the partnership is dead and consumers got punished.
The new terms mostly focus on the “non-benefit benefits” like Discoverist status or preferred seat coupons — things that have very, very limited value. It’s only really the option for Platinum status at 100 nights that has any real value.
Unmentioned is whether there will be any change to the fast track promotions that are offered in both directions occasionally. Those are probably of more value to people who can take advantage of them than anything in the program revealed today.
I didn’t earn a ton of points via the dual accrual(s), but I will miss having the opportunity.
Law of unintended consequences. As both an Exec Platinum on AA and Globalist in Hyatt – I’m now considering a status match to United. Based in Chicago – I got Gold on Delta (through Credit Cards) and the Status pairing with Alaska via AA gives me status there. Hyatt is a way better program (I have Lifetime Diamond on Hhonors). I find United redemptions easier with better amenities in United Clubs, cheaper wifi options. This new program is a takeaway for high usage (not necessarily loyal) travelers- also I believe once I reach whatever level is on United – I also get Marriott status (I travel a lot domestically).
Tom – Agree 100%. Globalist with Plat Pro, fly a bunch on United and Delta. Will absolutely consider an airline status match to another carrier. Only have to use AA on one of my loops. Also, Plat for Life at Marriott and may bring them back in the fold too. These changes play for the redemption crowd (great for them, no hate – respect the game) but business travelers are being told very clearly where we stand. I’ll vote with my $. Message received, Hyatt and AA.
From March 1, 2005 – should that be from March 1, 2025?
Oops, thanks – just fixed that
I agree with others that the headline of this post and the overall tone misses the mark, since these changes are bad for almost all readers.
The title seems like it came from a press relaes. Most of the other bloggers took a similar approach.
Like others in the comment section, I’m disappointed by these changes. I previously would play the AA LP game just to get AA Gold status for the Hyatt-AA double dip. Admittedly that was perhaps irrational behavior, so maybe this change will be positive for me!
You’ve really missed the boat here to the extent that I’m wondering if this post is being sponsored by AA/H PR. This eliminated a rare chance to increase earn. Instead, we have “enhanced” chances to burn. Burn that is at terrible rates.
Aside from a crazy outlier edge case of people that MS to obscene levels, it’s nearly impossible As someone who travels on other people’s money, I lost incentives to spend within the partnership discouraging deep loyalty.
This feels like one of the partners didn’t want to renew and find budget for internal costs for the mutual earn. Instead they found some ways to offer bad RRV burns that probably are a win win for each company but not consumers.
Spot on. This sounds like a sponsored post.
“That means that if, say, you reach 70 elite night credits by April 1, 2025, you could select AAdvantage Gold status which would then be valid through February 28, 2027.”
Can you explain this a little bit to me? There seems to be a way to maximize the status. I am interested in AA gold at 70 nights. I can hit 70 nights now, then wait to claim the milestone award for 90 days and select it in January 2025 (if it appears for selection come January 1, 2025). Would that give me Gold status until February 28, 2027? Or would I need to hit the 70 nights in December, wait 90 days to select AA gold in March (the new AA status year) and then I will have AA Gold until February 28, 2027?
We don’t know yet if a Milestone Reward earned towards the end of the year will be redeemable towards these AA options once they go live – I’ll have to check with our rep if that’ll be possible.
If it is possible and you redeemed for that in January 2025, I’d expect the AA status to expire on February 28, 2026. You’d therefore presumably need to time it so that you can select the AA status from March 1, 2025 in order keep it through the end of February 2027.
Squarely targeted at business travelers. Interesting devaluation as it doesn’t target those who redeem miles/points.
I’d say that this is more beneficial for those who redeem miles/points before than before. Other than the occasional status match/challenges, previously you’d only earn anything from the partnership if you had paid flights or stays. With this new setup, you could have zero paid flights and stays and come out ahead based on award stays and/or credit card spending.
Yeah. The previous system was setup great for a business traveler to double dip points which I did when using OPM. The new system is much less rewarding for business travel imo.
I don’t know that it is rewarding to anyone really.
If I didn’t have lifetime Plat with American Airlines, earning it each year via Hyatt CC spend (+stays) would be worth considering. American Airlines and Southwest Airlines have the most flights from the most convenient airport to me so I end up flying American several times per year but not enough to earn status the flying way.