How bad are Hyatt’s May 20 award chart changes?
37% FrequentMiler
27% Live and Let's Fly
16% One Mile at a Time
20% Other
Hyatt’s upcoming award chart overhaul on May 20, 2026 is being widely described as a significant devaluation of the program.
Key Impacts
- Only 136 World of Hyatt properties are affected, but 112 of them will see higher point costs.
- The new chart introduces five pricing tiers—lowest, low, moderate, upper, and top—replacing the previous three‑tier system. 🔗
- Average point prices for unchanged properties are expected to rise as well, meaning even hotels that stay in the same category may become more expensive to redeem.🔗
FrequentMiler +6
Pricing Increases
- Point requirements can jump up to 67 % for some categories; for example, Category 8 moves from 35,000‑45,000 points to 35,000‑75,000 points.
- Category 4 night rates increase from a range of 12,000‑18,000 points to 12,000‑25,000 points, representing up to a 39 % rise. 🔗
- Across all categories, the shift from three to five tiers widens the cost range, with high‑end prices climbing between roughly 33 % and 67 %.🔗
Live and Let’s Fly +3
Property Changes
- Five hotels will reach Category 8 for the first time under the new chart.
- The changes take effect at 8:00 am CDT on May 20, 2026, giving a short window to book stays at the current, lower rates before the new pricing applies. 🔗
- Reservations made before the effective date will honor the old pricing, making early booking especially important for properties moving to higher tiers.🔗
FrequentMiler +3
Overall, the consensus across the sources is that the May 20 award chart changes represent a harsh increase in redemption costs, with many properties becoming substantially more expensive to book using points.
FrequentMiler 29%
(1 week to go) World of Hyatt announces 2026 category changes. They’re not inspiring.
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One Mile at a Time 16%
Ouch: World Of Hyatt Updates Award Chart, Costs Increase By Up To 67%
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Searching for good news in Hyatt’s devaluation | Coffee Break Ep103 | 4-28-26
Hyatt is changing their award charts on May 20th, 2026, and it’s pretty devastating with a new 5-tier pricing system and huge increases in prices. Today, we’ll see if there’s some good news in all of this. Watch here: Or listen here (or click “Follow” on the player below to select your preferred podcast app instead): (00:00) – New 5-level award charts: lowest, low, moderate, upper, top (prev: off-peak, standard, peak) Learn more about Hyatt’s brutal new award chart starting May 20th here (01:56) – Is there any good news? (06:47) – Some good news about premium suites (11:37) – Thoughts and analysis Visit https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe to get updated on in-depth points and miles content like this, and don’t forget to like and follow us on social media. Music Credit – Beach Walk by Unicorn Heads
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Hyatt has today announced the next evolution in World of Hyatt, with a new award chart set to debut sometime in May (“before the end of May” is as specific as they would be). Hyatt frames this as a set of changes that enable them to keep an award chart and avoid dynamic pricing, but with the introduction of five different pricing levels within each category that enable a range of as much as 40,000 points per night within a single category, it is hard to think of the award chart as being anything but dynamic. Hyatt bundles this news
Live and Let's Fly 27%
Analysis: Hyatt Just Blew Up The World Of Hyatt Award Chart
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Miles to Memories 5%
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The Bulkhead Seat 12%
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The Bulkhead Seat 3%
Ouch: Hyatt Annual Award Increases Are Out and the Majority of Hotels Move Up
Hyatt is rolling out the annual update to the redemption costs for its World of Hyatt® loyalty program (this coincides with the introduction of a new five-tier redemption structure) This year the change will impact 136 hotels worldwide (with 112 increasing in cost). Hyatt has confirmed the category shifts with the update taking effect on May 20th. Only 24 properties are moving down in cost this year. Everything from Park Hyatt to Hyatt Place locations are going to cost more. The changes are especially pronounced in the United States, which accounts for 53% of the affected properties. Most