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Hyatt revamps loyalty program. What you need to know

Hotel loyalty programs are going through a renaissance, especially after Marriott and Starwood joined forces and announced crossover perks between their rewards programs. Now, Hyatt (H), which has 667 locations in 54 countries, is making its own news by revealing plans to overhaul the hotel chain’s Gold Passport program.

Effective March 1, 2017, Hyatt’s Gold passport loyalty program will be referred to as the World of Hyatt. The new program will consist of three elite tiers tiers: Discoverist, Explorist and Globalist. These will replace the current levels of Platinum and Diamond.

As we’ve seen with other loyalty program revamps, members will get more rewards the more money they spend. “In World of Hyatt, Base Points provide greater opportunities to progress toward tier status simply by doing things members already enjoy at Hyatt such as staying at our hotels and resorts, or in our restaurants and spas,” a Hyatt spokesperson told Yahoo Finance.

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Hyatt made the announcement Thursday, and all the details are available on their website. Here are some of the major changes likely to affect loyalty members:

1. Your current status will roll over…kind of

The previous program had two elite tiers and the new program has three, and they sort of correspond. If you’ve qualified for Diamond status for 2017, you will have Globalist status. If you don’t re-qualify for Diamond status in 2017, you’ll be in the Explorist tier. If you qualify for Platinum, you will become a Discoverist.

The standard membership tier will remain.

2. You can no longer use stays to earn status, and it’s harder to reach top tier

Under the current program, members qualify for Platinum status after five eligible stays or 15 eligible nights each calendar year. A stay is defined as the total number of consecutive nights spent at one property. For Diamond membership, guests must have 25 eligible stays or 50 eligible nights for each calendar year.

As you can see below, stays have been removed from the equation and guests can now reach elite status by using qualifying nights and base points. The most notable change happens at the top tier where guests enjoy perks like free parking, late check-out, suite upgrades and club lounge access. Currently, guests need 50 eligible nights to qualify for the highest tier, which is Diamond. In March, the new top tier will become Globalist, where guests will need 10 more qualifying nights than they needed to qualify for Diamond membership.

Discoverist 10 Qualifying Nights or 25,000 Base Points

Explorist 30 Qualifying Nights or 50,000 Base Points

Globalist 60 Qualifying Nights or 100,000 Base Points

3. Your points hold more power

Members will continue to earn five base points for every US dollar spent. In addition, the number of points needed to earn free nights will remain unchanged in every category. Under the new system, members will also earn base points on multiple rooms under a reservation when paying eligible rates.

Currently, eligible stays and nights were the only ways to qualify for elite status. In the new program, points replace stays as an alternate way to earn status.

4. You’re rewarded for diversifying

Hyatt currently has 12 brands in its portfolio, including the Hyatt Regency, Hyatt Hotels, Andaz and Residence Club. Under the new program, members will be able to earn a free night award at a Category 1-4 property (categories are based on prices in different markets) for staying at five different Hyatt brands.

5. There will be credit card perks

People who have Hyatt-branded credit cards will automatically get Discoverist status and benefits, including preferred room upon arrival, late check-out, and a 10% point bonus. For those who are thinking about applying for a card, new Hyatt credit card members will get an extra 5% bonus points on eligible spend when earning base points at Hyatt hotels or resorts if they become a card member before March 1, 2017.

In addition, if a Discoverist achieves Explorist status they’ll get 20% bonus points when they spend at Hyatt. Those achieving Globalist status will receive 30% bonus points. So, if a Hyatt credit card member is an Explorist, they will receive five base points per dollar on eligible spend + 20% bonus points on the base points earned. (So if you earn 100 base points on purchases made at Hyatt, you will recieve 20 bonus points.) For non-Hyatt spend, there are no changes to existing card.

And finally, starting on Jan. 1, 2017, Hyatt card holders spending $50,000 each year will also get Explorist status through the following year.

Brittany is a writer at Yahoo Finance.

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