World of Hyatt today announced that they would extend the previous Asia-Pacific status and certificate expiry policies (read more here and here) globally.
Member tiers as of March 31, 2020, will be updated to reflect February 28, 2022. Free night certificates, club access awards, and suite upgrades are extended through December 31, 2021.
You can access the World of Hyatt’s page for COVID-19 here.
READ MORE: World of Hyatt Rate & Bonus Points And Miles Promotions
Milestone Awards
Remember that you don’t earn milestone awards in 2020 if you don’t reach 20/30/40/50/60 nights.
Here’s the email that Hyatt just sent out:
Hyatt’s COVID-19 reservation cancellation policy:
Hyatt Updated Coronavirus Cancellation Policy (April 1, 2020)
Conclusion
Hilton Honors already extended their all member tiers by a year, including those that were about to expire at the end of March (read more here).
Hotel and airline loyalty programs don’t have any other choice than to extend member tiers and any instruments by 12 months considering the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has halted most travel for the foreseeable future.
Here are the World of Hyatt COVID-19 FAQ:
Elite Status Extension
1. Which members are eligible to receive a special elite status extension?
We have significantly expanded our previously announced Asia Pacific elite status extensions to now include all elite members globally. Now, status and benefits will be extended for all current elite members on a global basis without having to re-qualify. This means that whatever a member’s status is as of March 31, 2020 – whether Discoverist, Explorist or Globalist – it will be automatically updated to reflect a February 28, 2022 expiration date.
2. How and when will these elite status extensions be facilitated?
The status extension will be generated automatically by World of Hyatt – members do not need to take any action. All elite tier extensions should be reflected in members’ accounts no later than April 15, 2020.
3. Will members be granted their tier status from February 2020?
No, status will be extended based on status as of March 31, 2020, which reflects activity through all of 2019.
4. What should members do if they believe they are eligible but don’t see updated status reflected in their accounts as of April 15, 2020?
If a member does not see the extended elite tier status in his or her account by April 15, 2020, he or she can reach out to the nearest Global Contact Center using the following details.
- Country specific phone numbers and email addresses can be found here.
- Or, members can contact World of Hyatt through WeChat (WeChat ID: HyattHotels).
Earned Awards Extension
1. Which members are eligible to have their earned awards extended?
We have significantly expanded our previously announced Asia Pacific earned award extensions to now include members globally. All members (base and elite) on a global basis will have their unused, expiring awards extended.
2. Which awards will be extended?
Expiring Free Night, Suite Upgrade and Club lounge access awards qualify for an extension.
I. For members (base and elite) who fall into one of the three audiences below, we will automatically extend the expiration date of any unused earned awards that expire between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020. The new expiration date will be December 31, 2021. This includes existing awards and awards that may be earned throughout this year with a 2020 expiration date
i. Members with addresses in the defined Asia Pacific territories (see below list) as of February 18, 2020.
ii. Members without a mailing address on file who have a Simplified Chinese/Traditional Chinese/Japanese/Korean language preference on file as of February 18, 2020.
iii. Members without a mailing address on file who enrolled through our WeChat Mini App.
II. For all other members not covered above, we will automatically extend the expiration date of any unused award with a March 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020 expiration date. The new expiration date will be December 31, 2021. This includes existing awards and awards that may be earned throughout this year with a 2020 expiration date.
3. What is the new expiration date for these awards?
The new expiration date for awards expiring in 2020 will be December 31, 2021.
4. How will the award expiration date extension be facilitated?
The award extension will be generated by World of Hyatt – members do not need to take action. Awards expiring in January and February of 2020 for Asia Pacific members were updated by March 31, 2020. Awards that expired between March 1, 2020 and March 31, 2020 will be replaced with new awards on April 20, 2020. All other unused awards will be updated by the 20th day of the month in which the award is expiring.
General
1. For this offering, what territories are considered within Asia Pacific?
American Samoa, Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Caroline Islands, Greater China (including Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR and Taiwan), Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Indonesia, Japan, Kiribati, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Norfolk Island, North Borneo, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Pitcairn, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Tahiti, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Wake Island, Wallis and Futuna.
