159. The Hyatt Award Chart Overhaul: Points Strategy Shifts with The Points and Miles Doc

159. The Hyatt Award Chart Overhaul: Points Strategy Shifts with The Points and Miles Doc

From Point Me To First Class by Devon Gimbel MD

March 16, 2026 · 1h 43m

About this episode

This episode discusses the recent overhaul of the Hyatt award chart and its implications for travelers using Hyatt points.

Over the past decade, Hyatt has had one of the most beloved hotel loyalty programs in the points world—and a big reason for that has been its simple, predictable award chart that made it possible to get incredible value from Hyatt points. That's (potentially) about to change as Hyatt recently announced a major overhaul to its award chart structure that will introduce dozens of new pricing levels and dramatically shift how award nights are priced at properties around the world. In this episode, I'm joined by Kelly, the Points and Miles Doc, to dig into what Hyatt announced, what these changes mean in practice for people who use Hyatt points, and whether this fundamentally shifts the value of Hyatt points going forward. We talk about the mechanics of the new evolved award chart, the potential impact on different types of travelers, why Hyatt made this change now, how it compares to what could have happened, and what strategy adjustments—if any—points users should consider making in response to these changes. If you've been following this announcement or you use Hyatt points for hotel stays, this episode walks through the details you need to understand what's shifting, what's…

People in this episode

Host: Devon Gimbel MD

Guest: Kelly

Topics covered

  • Hyatt award chart
  • points strategy
  • travel
  • hotel loyalty programs
  • value of points
  • travel changes

Keywords

  • Hyatt
  • award chart
  • points strategy
  • hotel loyalty
  • travel changes
  • value of points

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Hyatt, Points and Miles Doc

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