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Hyatt Points + Cash awards are now bookable online. These awards let you use only half the number of points needed for a free night award in exchange for a cash co-pay. They can be a high value way to stretch your points. They can also be a bad deal.
Here are seven things you need to know about Hyatt Points + Cash awards.
1. Their Cost
Hyatt divides its hotels into seven categories, roughly based on price. Here is a chart that shows the prices of booking free nights in a Suite, a Club room, and a Standard room at each of the seven categories.
The last two columns are about Points + Cash stays, which can only be used to book a standard room. You’ll notice that the number of points needed for a Points + Cash stay is exactly half the points needed for a free night. The co-pay varies from $50 to $300.
I conceptualize Points + Cash stays as booking a free night and then buying back half the points used for that free night for the price of the cash co-pay. The last column shows the “price” of “buying back” points during Points + Cash stays. The worst deals by far are for Category 1 and 7 hotels. You’ll basically never want to book Points + Cash stays at those properties. Categories 2-6 offer much better deals, with Category 6 offering the best deals.
2. Capacity Controls
Any time a standard room is for sale at a Hyatt property, it should be bookable with points as a free night. However, Points + Cash stays are only offered at the discretion of the hotel (ie capacity controlled.) That’s a huge difference.
3. Points + Cash Stays are “Paid Stays”
You earn stay credits toward status on Points + Cash stays. You earn points on the Cash portion of Points + Cash stays. Hyatt Diamonds can use Suite Upgrades on Points + Cash stays.
None of those things are true for free night awards.
4. You Pay Taxes and Resort Fees on Points + Cash Stays
You pay the often punitive hotel taxes on the Cash portion of Points + Cash stays. You also pay resort fees if you are staying at a resort.
You don’t pay either on free night awards.
These two factors make free nights a better deal compared to Points + Cash awards than the chart above showed. However since these vary by hotel, they can’t be added to the chart.
5. How to Book Points + Cash Stays Online
Perform a search on hyatt.com. Then check “Show Hyatt Gold Passport Points & Awards” above the search results.
Now the hotels will display with their points price for a free night.
Select a hotel. If a Points + Cash tab appears, it has availability for the nights you searched.
If only a Redeem Points tab appears, there is no Points + Cash availability.
6. Night-by-Night Searching Technique
Imagine you want to enjoy a weeklong stay at a particular hotel on Cash + Points. You search the weeklong stay and don’t get the Points + Cash tab, meaning there is no space for the entire week.
Search night-by-night to see if you can find space on any days. Then you can book those days with Points + Cash and the other nights as free nights.
7. Currency Fluctuations Can Make Points + Cash a Better Deal
The Park Hyatt Vienna is a Category 6 hotel that costs 25,000 points for a free night or 12,500 points + $150 for a Points + Cash stay. Except that the $150 is priced in local currency at 127 euros, which is currently less than $136.
The cash component is priced in the hotel’s currency and doesn’t update as often as currency values fluctuate. This can work for or against you. In this case because the dollar has gone up against the euro recently, it works for you.
By the way, this hotel is 470 euros ($502) per night on May 1, 2016 on a refundable rate like the free night and Points + Cash rates. That means you’d get 2.01 cents per point of value from a free night and 2.93 cents per point of value from a Points + Cash award. Easy choice.
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Hi just got diamond status. Can I book points and cash online and then call to use a suite certificate or do I need to book entire reservationby phone when looking to use certificate? Thanks much
Hi just got diamond status. Can I book points and cash online and then call to use a suite certificate or do I need to book entire reservationby phone when looking to use certificate? Thanks much
The booking of pts + cash can be a separate step from the DSU being applied.
If you know you ARE going to stay at the hotel (regardless of whether you get suite), go ahead and book it online. Then you can call at pretty much any point to have the DSU applied (if they have a standard suite available at that time you call).
The booking of pts + cash can be a separate step from the DSU being applied.
If you know you ARE going to stay at the hotel (regardless of whether you get suite), go ahead and book it online. Then you can call at pretty much any point to have the DSU applied (if they have a standard suite available at that time you call).
Nice post, and thanks for the reminder column on “cost of points saved.” I’ve also come to look at that dimension via how much it costs me to earn Hyatt points — via other channels, which vary. Likewise, the personal calculations get a bit more complicated as I’ll buy Hyatt gift cards for the cash side — and they indeed can come at a significant discount (depending on where you get them — I get mine via Kroger during 4x fuel promotion cycles)
As much as I’m grateful that Hyatt now has its points & cash availability on line (thus saving the time wasting phone inquiries), I’ve soured a bit on the points & cash concept. Yet my enthusiam for them could return if Hyatt renews the Hyatt “Diamond Challenge” — and if I could be convinced anew as to why that status is actually worthwhile to get.
Nice post, and thanks for the reminder column on “cost of points saved.” I’ve also come to look at that dimension via how much it costs me to earn Hyatt points — via other channels, which vary. Likewise, the personal calculations get a bit more complicated as I’ll buy Hyatt gift cards for the cash side — and they indeed can come at a significant discount (depending on where you get them — I get mine via Kroger during 4x fuel promotion cycles)
As much as I’m grateful that Hyatt now has its points & cash availability on line (thus saving the time wasting phone inquiries), I’ve soured a bit on the points & cash concept. Yet my enthusiam for them could return if Hyatt renews the Hyatt “Diamond Challenge” — and if I could be convinced anew as to why that status is actually worthwhile to get.
This article explained the P+C process well, but I’m hoping someone can specify the “Break even” price points where you would either pay cash or use P+C instead.
For example, for a Category 5 Hyatt, what price would the room have to be to make sense to use P+C? Or below what price would it be cheaper to pay cash only and save your points? In the case of a Category 5 property, is the value of P+C equal to $305 assuming Hyatt’s value is 1.8 cpp? ($0.018 x 10000 points) + $125 = $305
Knowing this “break even” dollar amount would be very useful to many of us when booking our reservations in advance. Thanks.
If you value Hyatt points at 1.8 cents each, which is way higher than I do BTW, you should use P+C instead of free nights whenever possible on Cat 2-6 hotels and never on Cat 1 and 7 hotels. Cat 2-6 P+C stays allow you to “buy” Hyatt points for less than 1.8 cents. To determine whether to use cash or P+C, your math is correct.
This article explained the P+C process well, but I’m hoping someone can specify the “Break even” price points where you would either pay cash or use P+C instead.
For example, for a Category 5 Hyatt, what price would the room have to be to make sense to use P+C? Or below what price would it be cheaper to pay cash only and save your points? In the case of a Category 5 property, is the value of P+C equal to $305 assuming Hyatt’s value is 1.8 cpp? ($0.018 x 10000 points) + $125 = $305
Knowing this “break even” dollar amount would be very useful to many of us when booking our reservations in advance. Thanks.
If you value Hyatt points at 1.8 cents each, which is way higher than I do BTW, you should use P+C instead of free nights whenever possible on Cat 2-6 hotels and never on Cat 1 and 7 hotels. Cat 2-6 P+C stays allow you to “buy” Hyatt points for less than 1.8 cents. To determine whether to use cash or P+C, your math is correct.
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