Hyatt Mattress Run: Part 1 | Getting Globalist Status for Two Years During Covid-19
The world of travel came to a stop in early 2020 and the industry as a whole is pushing to keep their customers loyal, both through COVID-19 safety precautions and lucrative promotions. Hyatt’s current stackable promotions and 50% reduction in nights needed to earn elite status (until 2023!) have made a mattress run for points and top tier Globalist status extremely tempting!
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Hyatt Promotions and Travel
We’ve been incredibly fortunate that as digital nomads we’ve been able to work and stay busier than ever in 2020. We’re also in a unique position that we’ve been able to continue to house sit full time this year. And, while we usually travel full time we’ve been able to stay near our families during this turbulent time.
“We’re glad to say that our immediate family and ourselves have stayed safe and healthy.”
So, we’ve been able to continue to pursue financial independence, retire early (FI/RE) this year and we hope to match, if not best our expenses/budget from last year: How We Lived on $7,000 ($3,500 each) All-Inclusive for One Year.
As you might imagine, having traveled to 26 countries and over 80 cities in the last 4 years, we’re itching to get back out and have a few adventures. However, our safety and health (and those around us) have been our priority above all else this year.
As many hotel, airline, and other travel promotions have come up, we’ve generally passed them by. We’ve been grateful that our points and hotel and airline status have been generously extended over the next year but we haven’t wanted to expand our circle of exposure unnecessarily.
However, read on to see a promotion that we just couldn’t pass up and we believe that with the right precautions is safe to pursue.
“Please keep in mind that this is only our opinion, and we ask that you make your own call whether you want to take the steps needed to reach Hyatt Globalist status or not.”
A Mattress Run During COVID-19?
In the past couple of months we’ve continued to run across articles and commentary on Hyatt promotions that intrigued us, but we didn’t act on them. First, it’s 2020, meaning COVID-19 has put a damper on travel. Second, we weren’t sure the time frame of the promotion fit with our upcoming house sitting schedule.
But as life may have it, it kept popping up on our RSS reader and frankly, Sergio couldn’t get it out of his mind and kept bringing it up to Shannon. Finally, when one of the key promotions was extended through Feb 28, 2021 , we couldn’t ignore it any longer!
So here we are, at the end of 2020. Despite a vaccine on the horizon, COVID-19 is still shutting down cities and we’re planning our next mattress run!
If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of a mattress run, we recommend starting with The Ultimate Mattress Run | Hacking Hotel Rewards for Free Rooms with Hilton!
Note: Please exercise caution and your best judgment on whether or not getting Hyatt top elite status (Globalist) until February 2023 is worth it to you during COVID-19. We’re not advocating for people to do or not do it, we’re simply sharing.
The Ultimate Mattress Run | Hacking Hotel Rewards for Free Rooms with Hilton!
Hyatt Mattress Run for Globalist Status
We love the adventure of mattress runs and are frankly just excited to be at it again. However, it of course needs to make sense (e.g. financial, logistical, etc.). The main goal of this Hyatt mattress run is to earn Globalist status (Hyatt’s top tier) for two years.
Because it’s valid for two years, we’re thinking long term. We’ll likely not make a whole lot of use out of it in 2021, but we’re optimistic that we’ll enjoy the benefits of Hyatt Globalist in 2022!
There are several overlapping promotions and a few steps to get there, but they key to Globalist status through February 2023 is that due to COVID-19, Hyatt has cut the number of nights to earn status in half. So instead of needing to stay 60 nights at Hyatt properties, you now only need 30 nights to reach the top level of status with World of Hyatt!
On top of that, Hyatt has extended their Bonus Journeys promotion through February 28th, 2021 which means you’ll earn double nights towards elite status for every night you book with Hyatt!
So, with a simple policy update and a lucrative promotion you now only need to stay 15 nights to reach Hyatt Globalist…
“... But it gets better than that!”
If you apply for and get the World of Hyatt credit card (by December 31, 2020), you’ll receive a credit of 10 elite nights for 2021!
Note: Unless the promotion for the 10 elite nights is extended, you’ll need to apply for the World of Hyatt credit card by the end of the year. Otherwise, in 2021, elite nights will go back to the standard rate of five per year for Hyatt credit card holders.
Plus, once you spend $6,000 on the World of Hyatt credit card you’ll get 50,000 Hyatt points as a signup bonus. The bonus on this card is actually tiered, so you’ll get 25,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 (within the first three months) and an additional 25,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 more ($6,000 total) in the first six months.
Note: For context, free award nights at Hyatt start at 5,000 points. Meaning, if you play it right, that’s 10 free nights at a category one property! Don’t forget to check out our Award Travel, Category 1, 2, & 3 Hotel Maps for Hyatt to plan your next free Hyatt stay.
With that being said we recommend spending $5,000 right away because for every $5,000 you spend on the credit card, you’ll earn two additional elite nights.
So, by simply getting the World of Hyatt credit card and spending $5,000 on it, you’ll earn 12 nights towards the already lowered 30 required elite nights for Globalist status. You’ll need to earn 18 more elite nights, but by signing up for Bonus Journeys, you’ll be able to earn those remaining stays in only nine nights!
Tip: Remember that each $5,000 spent on the World of Hyatt credit card will earn you two more elite night credits. It’s a hefty spend to make, but if you can pull it off, then it’s less nights you need to actually book and stay at a Hyatt property. Plus, after spending $15,000 in one year you’ll receive a free (Category 1-4) award night, which if you play it right can save you hundreds of dollars!
Getting More Than Globalist Status
The main goal of the Hyatt mattress run is to earn Globalist status through February 2023. But the cherry on top is the points we’ll earn as well. Between the sign up bonus points for getting the World of Hyatt credit card and the several overlapping promotions (be sure to sign up for them all!), we’ll be bringing a nice surplus of reward points that we can use either for future stays or to purchase the nights we book for the mattress run.
Hyatt promotions to sign up for:
Bonus Journeys: Register by Jan 15, 2021. Valid October 1, 2020 through Feb 28, 2021. Earn double elite nights (base elite nights for the check-out year & bonus elite nights credited for 2021), meaning any check-out date for 2021 up to Feb 28th will earn double elite nights. On top of that, you’ll earn triple points for hotel stays and Hyatt credit card holders will earn quadruple points at select properties.
Free Nights on Sale: Register by Jan 15, 2021. Valid July 8, 2020 – Feb 28, 2021. Get 15% of your redeemed points back (25% for cardholders), plus free parking.
Work From Hyatt Code: No registration needed. Valid August 25, 2020 to September 12, 2021, offer code WFHYAT. Minimum 7 night stay.
500 Reasons to Stay Somewhere New: No registration needed. Earn 500 bonus points for staying at qualifying Hyatt hotels.
Where to Book The 9 Nights to Earn Globalist Status?
Since we’re digital nomads, traveling full time and pursuing financial independence, retire early, we’re not likely to book nine Hyatt nights at $200 a pop. Instead, as you might imagine, we’ve looked at lower category Hyatt Hotels to find the least expensive properties we can. We’ve found a couple in Mexico that drop below $40 a night and options in the US, like Las Vegas that are inexpensive as well.
We may opt to use the points we earn from the World of Hyatt credit card sign up bonus to pay for our nine nights, however it’s more likely we’ll hold on to the points and pay out of pocket for our stay instead.
Tip: Sign up for the World of Hyatt rewards program first so that you can add the rewards number for your credit card application. This will make it easier to get your sign up bonus points deposited into your Hyatt account.
Step-by-Step: Tools and Resources
We like to know exactly what needs to be done and we like to track it so that we know it got done. So, we created this Google Sheet for ourselves that lists each task needed to complete this Hyatt Globalist mattress run as a to-do list. Be sure to make a copy of it first, then use it to track each step by checking off the checkboxes for completed items. At the bottom, it will tell you how many nights you still need in order to earn Globalist status.
If you’re like us, you probably want more detail on the promotions. We wouldn’t have known about this mattress run opportunity if it wasn’t for the detailed and easy to follow post from Frequent Miler (Thank you Greg, Nick, Stephen and crew!).
