Hyatt Free Night Certificates (2021)

Get Free Hotel Nights with Credit Card Certificates, Guide to the World of Hyatt

Every year you have a non-business version of the Hyatt card, you’ll receive a certificate you can use for a free night at a Category 1-4 hotel (out of 7). This corresponds to hotels that cost up to 15,000 Hyatt points per night during standard season, and up to 18,000 points per night during peak season. You can use them for many nice Hyatt and Hyatt Place hotels in many major cities around the world.

Hyatt Credit Cards Guide

You'll qualify for a second certificate as soon as you spend $15,000 during a calendar year—this is the only card that lets you reasonably earn two certificates per year. The opportunity cost of earning this certificate is around $100-120. So, if you are holding onto the card, and you are sure you will be able to use both certificates, it is usually worthwhile to try to use the card for $15,000 worth of spending. For example, if you spend $15,000 with the Freedom Unlimited combo, you'd earn 22,500 Ultimate Rewards points. One of the most valuable uses of these points is to convert them to 22,500 Hyatt points. But you'd be better off spending $15,000 with the Hyatt card. You'd receive 15,000 Hyatt points, plus a certificate worth an additional 15,000 points.

For existing cardholders, the spending requirement is based on your cardholder year until your 2021 anniversary date. You'll then have an opportunity to earn an additional certificate by spending $15,000 between your anniversary date and the end of 2021. In 2022 and beyond, spending for the certificate is based on the calendar year.

Even if you don’t have the credit card, you’ll earn a Hyatt free night certificate when you reach 30 elite night credits each year, and when you stay at your 5^th (and your 10^th) Hyatt brands. The credits you earn from your Hyatt credit card count towards these milestones. In addition, you’ll earn an “uncapped” certificate if you hit 60 nights. Guide to the World of Hyatt.

There is no time limit for earning the certificates you get by staying in a variety of Hyatt brands. For example, if you stay in a Hyatt, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Place, and Hyatt House over a period of a few years, and you complete a stay at a Hyatt Regency, you’ll immediately qualify for the extra certificate.

While you can’t use these certificates to stay at Hyatt’s most expensive hotels, it is still easy to use them at nice hotels, in all but the most expensive destinations in the world. You can easily get a free night worth $150-200, and you can frequently get even more value. If you travel a few times per year, you should be able to find an opportunity to get good use of the certificate, and you will also get free Hyatt Discoverist status just by having the card.

Great places to use your free night

A lot of bloggers have written good articles that recommend some great choices for using your certificate. Here are some links to get your imagination going. You can also view the list of Hyatt’s category 4 hotels.

Expiration rules

The stay must be completed within 12 months from the date of issue, which should be close to your account anniversary date. Certificates from reaching Hyatt status expire in only 180 days. Don’t let them expire.

Other details

If there is a standard room available, they should be bookable with your certificate.
You can only use these on standard rooms. That can make it hard to use at a few aspirational properties.
However, once you book the room, you can usually arrange an upgrade to a nicer room (for an additional charge).