Last year, my husband and I both signed up for the new Chase World of Hyatt credit card. Just a few days ago, we finally got our Hyatt anniversary certificates! I was beginning to wonder if they would ever come.
The Timeline for Hyatt Anniversary Certificates
We each applied for the Chase World of Hyatt card at the end of June 2018. In addition to the sign-up bonus, the card comes with a free anniversary night good at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel. The card’s annual fee is $95, so essentially we are getting a “free” hotel night for a discount.
Up until this past year, people reported receiving their Hyatt anniversary certificates on or a few days after their card anniversary. Based on that, we expected to receive our certs in late June or early July of this year. We had plans to use them this past summer at Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa.
However, July came and went without receiving the anniversary certs. I contacted both Hyatt and Chase, and they said the certs are now taking up to 10 weeks to arrive.
Finally, we both received them in our World of Hyatt accounts nine weeks after our anniversary.
(By the way, we are spending our Hyatt points from the credit card bonus at Hyatt Andaz Papagayo in Costa Rica—can’t wait! See this post).
Redeeming Our Hyatt Anniversary Certs
Originally, our plan was to go back to our previous plans from this summer and redeem the certs at Hyatt Regency Hill Country NEXT summer. We could take a weekend trip and enjoy the lazy river and Flow Rider in the summer temperatures.
But then we discovered that we really traveled too much this past summer, and we want to be home more next summer. So, I focused my attention on the spring break trip we already have planned to Costa Rica.
We used miles to book flights to and from Costa Rica, except that we still have to add a leg from DFW to Miami. I decided to fly my younger kids out with me two days early to spend some time in Miami. Despite my numerous trips to the state of Florida, I’ve never been to Miami!
The Confidante Miami Beach is perfect for what we need. It’s a Category 4 hotel, so it qualifies for free nights using the anniversary certs. The hotel is right on the beach, and it has a nice pool area.
For two nights during spring break, the cash price is almost $1000. So paying $190 in annual fees is a great deal. Plus, we can use the Hyatt anniversary certs within our existing travel plans.
Bottom Line
Our free nights from the Hyatt anniversary certificates took much longer to arrive than we had planned. In October, we are coming up on our anniversary for our IHG cards. I have a feeling we will also have to wait 8-10 weeks to get our free IHG nights, so I’m not counting on using the anniversary certs before the end of the year.
What has been your experience with the Hyatt anniversary free night certificates? What are your plans?
Click here to view various credit cards and available sign-up bonuses
Author: Nancy
Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.
I pat $75 annual fee but have been receiving emails to upgrade to $95 card. Not sure if it’s worth the extra $20 since I don’t put much spend on that card.
Did you book your stay before the Andaz went up in category? I used mine one year at Hyatt Place Nashville but it just went up a category (not happy with so many of those changes!) This year stayed at Hyatt Riverwalk San Antonio which is a great location.
@Boonnie Yes, I booked it just before it increased to 20k a night. Glad you enjoyed the Hyatt Regency Riverwalk! We may use our certs there one of these years.
Glad you found good usage of the certificate. I am still awaiting mine. The Hyatt hill country is great by the way. I love staying there for the lazy river. As of a few months ago, they started charging a $15 parking fee per night unless you are a globalist.
@Edward I hope you get your certs soon! We visited Hyatt Hill Country over New Year’s a few years ago, but we didn’t really get to enjoy the pool area due to the cold weather. Bummer about the new parking fee!
I stayed here using a combination of Annual Free nights + Brand loyalty free nights. Was a great hotel with really nice beach. Staying on free nights they waived the resort fees too which made it an even better deal.
@Shaun I’m glad you enjoyed your stat at the Confidante. I’m looking forward to the beach!
I love that they waive that stinky resort fee, Marriott does not!