Chase and Hyatt recently released the new World of Hyatt credit card (my referral link), adding quite a few benefits for people who spend money at Hyatt or are big spenders in general. The details of the card were detailed by Melinda in this post. I happened to let my Globalist status lapse this year and planned to earn it again starting 2019, but when I saw this card I started to strategize about how to spend my way to elite status while earning plenty of points and free nights along the way. My first step was reallocating credit limits, which I explained how to do here.
A few days ago I made the phone call to upgrade, and it was surprisingly easy and quick to do so. The representative I spoke with said “that’s a very popular request right now” so it appears the bloggers/Chase are doing a great job of encouraging it, and it also speaks to the value of the new card. I was not initially told about the 2,000 point upgrade bonus, but when I asked it was confirmed to me that I would receive it.
Below are some potential FAQs that people might have about the upgrade process:
Will I get a new credit card number?
No – this will be an upgrade of your existing credit card and will be under the same credit card number.
Will I get a new physical credit card?
Yes – while your credit card number will remain the same, you will be issued a new World of Hyatt credit card. This means the expiration date and 3 digit code will change, so any recurring payments will need to be updated.
If I call to upgrade, will my old card be deactivated?
Not initially – your old Hyatt Credit Card will still be active and usable until you receive and activate the new World of Hyatt Credit Card. After the activation of the new card, you should destroy your old one as it will not longer be usable.
If I upgrade and continue spending on the old card prior to receiving the new one in the mail, will my spend count towards the new benefit thresholds?
Yes – I confirmed this with a Chase representative. After you call to upgrade, your account fully reflects you having the new card, and thus you should receive the benefits of the new card from that point forward. So essentially you don’t have to physically use the new card for the spend to start counting – you can start as soon as you’ve completed the call to upgrade.
Will my cardmember anniversary date change if I upgrade?
I’ve seen conflicting reports, but it should not change. If it does, you should call Chase and ask questions, because it could potentially impact your credit if they opened a new account for you.
Will an upgrade add a credit card to my 5/24 status?
No – it is an upgrade and not a new account (which is why the previous question was also important). This upgrade will have no impact on your 5/24 status.
How long will it take for the 5 Elite Nights to post to my account?
For me it posted in just under 3 days including a Sunday. It should be within a few days in any case.
How long will it take for Elite Nights based on spending to post (i.e. the 2 nights for every $5,000 spent)?
There is some conflicting reports so far as it’s still early. Some people have received it quickly, within about 7-10 days of the statement closing with the nights backdated to the statement close date. Others have waited 3+ weeks and have been told by Chase/Hyatt that it can take up to 8 weeks. It’s possible these are processed in batches on an unknown schedule.
I received my elite nights from spending 12-13 days after my statement closed, and the elite nights were back-dated to the statement closing date.
Summary
For me it makes sense to earn Globalist status through spend on the World of Hyatt Credit Card as I’ll be able to do so fairly easily. Everyone else will have to make their own calculations to decide if it’s worth it. Let me know what other questions you might have – I’ll try to keep this list updated.
Please help me with “For me it makes sense to earn Globalist status through spend, as I’ll be able to do so fairly easily.” I read that it takes $137,500 of spend to make Globalist. Can you make that easy for other people? Thanks!
I won’t need to spend quite that much as I will have a few elite nights racked up plus the extra 5 from the credit card, so maybe I’ll need to be at around $100K. I’m able to put business spend on the card fairly easily (most of it travel at 2x also) so it’s just a matter of shifting my spend.