American And Hyatt Remove Reciprocal Points Earning, Add Redemption Options

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Back in 2019 American and Hyatt teamed up for reciprocal benefits.

One of the main values was that AA earned a mile per dollar spent at Hyatt hotels and Hyatt elites earned 1 point per dollar spent on AA flights.

Alas, those earnings will end on 12/31/24.

In its place next year, the program will offer:

• Enhance with miles:
  • Hyatt Explorists can redeem 5K AA miles to receive or gift Gold status for a day (up to twice per year) or 8K AA miles to receive or gift Platinum status for a day (up to twice per year).
  • Hyatt Globalists can redeem 5K AA miles to receive or gift Gold status for a day (up to twice per year), 8K AA miles to receive or gift Platinum status for a day (up to twice per year), or 12K AA miles to receive or gift Platinum Pro status for a day (up to twice per year).

This is a similar program that AA offers its own elites, though AA elites can also receive Executive Platinum status for a day for 20K miles and AA Executive Platinum elites can gift that status for a day for the same rate.

Those rates may be worthwhile for the right trip (though you’re limited to just 4 main cabin seat coupons and don’t really get all the benefits of status), but they’re not overly exciting.

• Hyatt Milestone rewards:
  • When you reach 20 or 30 Hyatt nights in a year, you can select 2 preferred seat coupons, in addition to the choice of other awards like 2 club awards, $25 Find credit, or 2K Next stay award.
  • When you reach 40 Hyatt nights in a year, you can select 2 main cabin extra seat coupons, in addition to the choice of other awards like 5K Hyatt points, a suite upgrade award, or a $150 Find credit.
  • When you reach 50 Hyatt nights in a year, you can select 2 main cabin extra seat coupons, in addition to the choice of other awards like 5K Hyatt points, 2 suite upgrade awards, or a $150 Find credit.
  • When you reach 70, 80, or 90 Hyatt nights in a year, you can select AA Gold status, in addition to the choice of other awards like 10K Hyatt points, a suite upgrade award, or a $300 Find credit.
  • When you reach 100 Hyatt nights in a year, you can select AA Platinum status, in addition to the choice of other awards like 10K Hyatt points, a suite upgrade award, or a Miraval BOGO night award.
  • When you reach 110, 120, 130, 140, or 150 Hyatt nights in a year, you can select AA Platinum status, in addition to the choice of other awards like 10K Hyatt points, a suite upgrade award, or a Miraval BOGO night award.

These awards can’t be gifted, they must be used by the member. None of them are particularly compelling, though the AA status may be worthwhile for some.

“If you choose AAdvantage® status as a World of Hyatt Milestone Reward, your status is valid from the date it appears in your AAdvantage® account through March 31 of the following full year. For example, if you receive AAdvantage® Gold status as a Milestone Reward on June 1, 2025, your status will be valid through March 31, 2027. This means you’ll enjoy your selected status for the remainder of 2025, all of 2026 and until March 31 of 2027.”

You can also earn AA status and loyalty point rewards by spending on an AA card, versus spending for status on a Hyatt card, where that spending will likely be more rewarding.

• AA hotel redemptions:
  • AA Golds or members with 40K loyalty points can redeem 25K miles for a Hyatt category 1-4 certificate.
  • AA Platinums or members with 125K loyalty points can redeem 60K miles for a Hyatt category 1-7 certificate.

Those are both incredibly poor values for your AA miles.

• Hyatt status:
  • When AA members earn 100K loyalty points, they will receive Hyatt Discoverist status, which is nice, but the status comes with any Hyatt card and isn’t worth much.
  • When AA members earn 175K loyalty points, they can choose Hyatt Explorist status as a loyalty points reward. Other rewards like 2 systemwide upgrades or 30K AA miles are far more valuable.
  • When AA members earn 400K, 550K, 750K loyalty points, they can choose Hyatt 1-4 free night as a loyalty points reward. Other rewards like 2 systemwide upgrades or 50K AA miles are far more valuable.
  • When AA members earn 1M, 3M, or 5M loyalty points, they can choose Hyatt 1-4 free night as a loyalty points reward. Other rewards like 4-10 systemwide upgrades or a 100K-500K AA miles rebate are far more valuable.

It remains to be seen if the annual reciprocal elite status challenge returns in 2025.

But overall, there’s not much to get excited about with these changes. Will you take advantage of any of the new redemption options?

HT: mochjas, via DDF