Huge news for Hyatt loyalists: starting tomorrow, Oct. 15, World of Hyatt members will be able to digitally transfer points to another member directly on Hyatt.com.
For now, specific details about how the digital transfer process will work are scant, but it will certainly make the process more efficient, from what we understand.
Historically, transferring World of Hyatt points between members has been a pain point. You think it'd be as simple as pulling out your phone, opening the World of Hyatt app and tapping a few buttons. But alas, the process actually requires filling out a PDF form online and emailing (or mailing) it directly to Hyatt for processing. Many considered the process slow and inefficient, especially when booking hotel stays on the go, trying to lock in a great points deal or simply traveling as a group or a family.
"Since we often travel as a family and book award trips together, being able to easily move Hyatt points between accounts — whether mine, my husband's or even my parents' — will make things so much simpler than having to print out and upload a form circa a bygone, paper-based era," said Summer Hull, TPG's senior director of content.
While we know for sure digital points transfers will roll out, it's unclear if other changes are coming. Currently, World of Hyatt members can transfer points for free, and no family affiliation is required, but transfers are limited to one transfer per member every 30 days.
"An electronic transfer process is a long time coming to Hyatt, which has trailed some of the other major hotel programs, including Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors," said Eric Rosen, TPG's director of travel content, before sharing other changes he'd like to see.
"I hope that some of the other current limitations on transfers of Hyatt points between accounts will also be updated. For instance, while it's free to transfer points between World of Hyatt accounts, members can only transfer or receive points once every 30 days, which is a significant limitation. Hopefully, these transfers will continue to be free without per-transaction or annual caps on the number of points you can transfer, too.
It's been a big year of change for the World of Hyatt program. In May, a new award chart went live, expanding it to five award rates (Lowest, Low, Moderate, Upper and Top) from the previous five. The hotel loyalty program also launched a new partnership with Air Canada. And at the beginning of October, certain Chase credit cardholders who could transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to World of Hyatt saw their transfer ratio shift from 1:1 to 4:3.
Stay tuned for more details about the new World of Hyatt digital transfer system as more information becomes available.
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.