Update on the partnership between American Airlines AAdvantage and World of Hyatt

American Airlines AAdvantage And World of Hyatt launched the partnership in 2019, providing reciprocal benefits to elite members in each program. Since then, we’ve seen a number of limited-time promotions for members, including the ability to get instant status ( most recent offers ends in September).

Now, the two programs are launching a series of new perks that select travelers can receive throughout the year, including the ability to Use AAdvantage miles to receive Hyatt free night awards, as well as new Loyalty Choice Rewards and Important rewardsall take effect in early 2025.

Unfortunately, later this year, the ability to earn US miles for Hyatt stays and reward Hyatt points on US flights will be eliminated.

Here’s what you need to know about these new services.

No more reciprocal point earnings

Let’s start with the main negative part of this announcement. Right away, Elite advantage members receive 1 mile per dollar spent on eligible Hyatt purchases. Besides, The elite world of Hyatt members receive 1 point per dollar spent on qualifying US flights.

This perk will end on December 31, 2024.

As someone with AAdvantage Platinum Pro and Hyatt Globalist status, this is a real bummer. Many of my Hyatt stays were booked with points, but I’ve earned nearly 6,000 award miles in the US for a combination of work and personal stays at Hyatt hotels this year. I also earned just over 1,000 Hyatt rewards points on some US flights in 2024.

But do the new benefits offer enough value to offset this devaluation?

New Hyatt benefits for AAdvantage members

Starting next year, American AAdvantage members will see some new options as they earn more Loyalty Points in a qualifying year.

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Starting January 2, 2025, you will have the ability to redeem AAdvantage miles for Hyatt rewards at the following levels:

• 40,000 loyalty points: Redeem 25,000 miles for Tier 1-4 free night awards
• 125,000 loyalty points: Redeem 65,000 miles for free night awards Tiers 1-7

TPG pegged AAdvantage miles at 1.6 cents per mile in our October 2024 valuationSo that means you’re using $400 worth of miles for Category 1-4 awards and $1,088 worth of miles for Category 1-7 awards. That’s a significant outlay for the bonus, so you’ll want to make sure the rate paid is high enough to justify redeeming it.

Related: How to earn, use, and make the most of your Hyatt free night certificate

Additionally, starting March 1, 2025, you’ll have four new Hyatt-related perks as part of AAdvantage Loyalty point rewardsunlocked at specific thresholds during the year:

• Hyatt Explorer status: This will be a new benefit at 100,000 Loyalty Points.
• Hyatt Explorer status: This will be a new option at both 175,000 and 250,000 Loyalty Points.
• Category 1-4 free nights: This will be a new option at 400,000, 550,000 and 750,000 Loyalty Points.
• Category 1-7 free nights: This will be a new option at 1 million, 3 million and 5 million Loyalty Points.

The first one is simple as it is offered automatically once you reach 100,000 Loyalty Points in a qualifying year. While it’s better than nothing, World of Hyatt Discoverist is the program’s entry-level status level, and it’s also automatically awarded to those with Hyatt World Credit Card.

Related: Incredible World of Hyatt credit card offer: Earn 5 free nights with the biggest rewards ever

The others are a bit more complicated, as you’ll need to forgo other Loyalty Rewards in favor of Explorist or the free night award option(s).

You can view the current list of Loyalty Choice Rewards at this linkbut here are some notable options at the 175,000 and 250,000 Loyalty Point thresholds:

• 175,000 (choose one): two Full system upgrade20,000 bonus miles (or 25,000 if you have an AAdvantage credit card), six one-day Admirals Club passes, two AAdvantage Gold status gifts
• 250,000 (choose two): two system-wide upgrades, 20,000 bonus miles (or 30,000 if you have an AAdvantage card), six Admirals Club one-day passes, one Admirals Club membership (require both choice), two AAdvantage Gold status gifts

Is Hyatt Explorist worth choosing because of these benefits? Only you can decide, but given how valuable an upgrade or Admirals Club membership is, mid-range hotel status may not be the best option.

There are similar trade-offs for Category 1-4 free nights. Reaching 400,000, 550,000 and 750,000 Loyalty Points gives you two options at each threshold — including another system-wide upgrade, another 25,000 bonus miles, an Admirals Club membership (two options) or a gift AAdvantage Platinum status. Category 4 properties top out at 18,000 points, meaning this free night is worth just over $300 based on TPG’s October 2024 valuation — although it could be higher as revenue increases. high revenue.

Related: The best Hyatt Category 4 hotels to maximize your free night award certificate

Finally, for those who qualify, opting for Category 1-7 free nights with 1, 3 and 5 million Loyalty Points means missing the following:

• 1 million Loyalty Points (choose one): four system-wide upgrades, AAdvantage Platinum Pro gift, up to 100,000 miles back on redemption
• 3 million Loyalty Points (choose one): six system-wide upgrades, AAdvantage Executive Platinum gift, up to 300,000 miles at redemption
• 5 million Loyalty Points (choose one): 10 system-wide upgrades, AAdvantage Executive Platinum gift, up to 500,000 miles refunded upon redemption

Under the right circumstances, a Class 1-7 asset could be worth several hundred dollars – but you have to decide whether the asset is worth more than these benefits.

New AAdvantage benefits for Hyatt members

There are also a similar range of add-ons available for Hyatt elites, though again, these come at the cost of earning 1 point per dollar spent on US flight.

First, as part of Hyatt Essential Rewards ProgramThere will be four new AAdvantage benefits starting January 1, 2025:

• Priority seat discount coupon: Members can choose two of these coupons at both 20 nights/35,000 base points and 30 nights/50,000 base points.
• Coupon for extra seats in main cabin: Members can choose two of these coupons at both 40 nights/65,000 base points and 50 nights/80,000 base points.
• Gold Status Advantages: Members can choose this at 70, 80 or 90 qualifying nights.
• Platinum Status Advantages: Members can choose this starting at 100 nights.

Again, you have to decide if this is worth it or not. Twenty nights also includes the option of 2,000 bonus points on your next stay at Hyatt Place or Hyatt House (worth $34 based on our valuation) or a pair of award club passes. On the other hand, prices for preferred seats on American planes vary widely – some are as little as $13, while select seats on long-haul flights can cost you more than $100.

It’s a similar story for Main Cabin Extra. After 40 nights, you can choose to receive 5,000 bonus points (worth $85) or one Suite upgrade bonusand after 50 nights, you can choose another 5,000 points or a pair of Suite Upgrade Rewards. I’m a big fan of upgrades because they allow you to confirm a suite at the time of booking for qualifying stays of up to seven nights. However, Main Cabin Extra seats can also be quite expensive, in some cases exceeding $150.

Finally, choosing AAdvantage Gold or AAdvantage Platinum status once you start hitting milestones beyond Globalization status means giving up additional set upgrades or the 10,000 bonus points at each level. Again, only you can decide if it’s worth it or not.

In addition to these new milestone options, Explorist and Globalist members will soon have a new option to redeem Hyatt points and enjoy American status for a day — an efficient way to match status in a short time . Starting January 1, 2025, here are the new options that will take effect:

• 5,000 Hyatt points: Enjoy Gold Advantage status for one day.
• 8,000 Hyatt points: Enjoy AAdvantage Platinum status for one day.
• 12,000 Hyatt points: Enjoy AAdvantage Platinum Pro status for one day (for Globalists only).

This will confer all the perks of the respective status—including free upgrades, free checked bags, and even bonus miles on paid tickets (as high as 80% for AAdvantage Platinum Pro) . They will also extend to companions on the same booking subject to published restrictions. Therefore, it’s best to pursue these redemptions for high-priced tickets to maximize elite mileage rewards, for those with the highest chance of free upgrades, and when you have a lot of travelers who will checked baggage.

However, these conversions are also the corresponding standard bonus rates for Class 1, 2 and 3 assets, which can be much more valuable.

Related: Your guide to the World of Hyatt award rankings

receive from us

It’s frustrating to lose the ability to earn Hyatt points on US flights and US miles when staying at Hyatt, and unfortunately, the new benefits may not offset this loss for members. Many of the new perks require you to choose them over other benefits, so there will actually be costs associated with them. This is different from the current version of the partnership, where bonus miles or points are a net addition.

If you’re currently an American loyalist and a Hyatt guest – especially with significant spending on the two programs – your flights and stays in 2025 may be significantly less rewarding tell.

That said, the new redemption options are somewhat appealing. It’s true that you’ll need a decent number of US miles to claim a Class 1-4 or Class 1-7 free night award, but if the price to pay is prohibitive, this could be a reasonable option. Plus, on the right trip, using Hyatt points to unlock the perks of American status for a day can help you avoid checked baggage fees and travel more comfortably.

Just be sure to consider what you’ll be giving up by redeeming your miles (or points) this way.

Bottom line

American and Hyatt announced some significant changes to their partnership for 2025, including the elimination of reciprocity earning perks and the addition of Loyalty Points and Key Rewards options. new importance. Unfortunately, many of the new perks require you to choose them over other (possibly more valuable) benefits, so this could be seen as an overall discount for some members.

Hyatt elite members can still enjoy bonus points on American flights through the end of the year, while the same is true for American elite members who earn bonus miles on stays at paid Hyatt fee. However, starting January 1, 2025, you’ll have a whole new set of perks to analyze and see if any of them are right for your specific situation.