Reader Question: How To Determine & Prevent Hyatt Points Expiration Date Due To Inactivity

Today we received a Reader Question about the points expiration policy of World of Hyatt and how one can tell when points are expiring.

It’s quite easy to prevent your points from expiring, especially if you have a Hyatt property nearby and you don’t even have to stay at the hotel to do it.

Right off the bat: Hyatt points expire if the account has no activity for 24 months which is normally quite a long time but a lot of people haven’t traveled much during the last two years and the points expiration policies many programs have put in place are now running out.

The downside is that Hyatt doesn’t provide a noticeable remark in the account that would tell the member when the points expire (the way for example America Airlines AAdvantage does it).

This causes confusion for many customers including our reader Francielle:

I got an email from Hyatt that my points are expiring at the end of this month due to inactivity. I’m not exactly sure when I stayed at Hyatt last time and the balance on the account is just 18,300. Is there a way to check on the online account if this is accurate and if so, how can I prevent the miles from expiring?

Not an unusual situation and we got this question frequently over the years so it’s good to talk about this once more.

The only way here is to check in your account activity when the last qualifying transaction was and to count down the 24 months. I’m not exactly sure if this is by design or a simple oversight, either way, the result is that many customers lose track of their points.

First, you can find the terms & conditions of World of Hyatt here.

III. Loss of Points; Termination of Your Membership; Termination of the Program

(a) Inactivity. If a Member’s account is inactive for twenty-four (24) consecutive months, all points in that Member’s account will be forfeited at that time, but the Member’s account will remain open (with the ability to earn new points thereafter) unless the Member’s account is otherwise terminated in accordance with these Terms. (Prior to July 1, 2017, Members whose accounts were inactive for twenty-four (24) consecutive months had their membership terminated and all points in and awards or benefits associated with that Member’s account were forfeited upon termination.) Under no circumstances will forfeited points be reinstated. Active Members can remain active in the Program by (i) receiving points via authorized means, (ii) receiving credits with a partner in the Program for a stay at a Hyatt hotel or resort, (iii) redeeming points (and, if applicable, completing any reservation for which such points were redeemed), (iv) gifting a Program award (in accordance with these Terms), (v) converting points to Partner Loyalty Points (as defined in Appendix B), (vi) purchasing or combining points, or (vii) having a valid Hyatt co-branded credit card, including the World of Hyatt Credit Card and/or World of Hyatt Business Credit Card (collectively, “Hyatt-branded Credit Card”) associated with the Member’s Program account. If a Member redeems points for an Award Reservation and either cancels that reservation or does not actually check-in on the appointed date (i.e., no-shows), that reservation will not count as a redemption of points pursuant to subsection (iii) of the preceding sentence and will not toll the measurement of that Member’s Program inactivity.

It’s rather clear from the T&C that a mandatory, qualifying activity is required to keep the points from expiring after 24 months after the last activity took place.

Two years sound long but can actually go by rather quickly so it’s important to keep this in mind.

The good news is that having a qualifying activity take place on the account is very easy. Of course, staying at a hotel is one thing this you can also purchase or combine points, gift an award, receive or redeem points for a transaction involving F&B purchases at the property.

I’d prefer the latter if possible in case you have any Hyatt nearby. Either get something for takeout or eat at the restaurant, give your membership number and the points post instantly.

Here is an example of an F&B purchase at the Andaz Seoul that I posted to my account last week:

This transaction is sufficient to reset the 24-month calendar for points expiration. The reader followed my advice and since she lives in Tokyo went to the Grand Hyatt in Roppongi to buy something at the Cafe.

Conclusion

World of Hyatt points expire 24 months after the last qualifying transaction and members should be mindful of that. Even though Hyatt usually sends emails such as in the case of our reader, not every email reaches its intended recipient.

You could just buy 1000 points or transfer them to someone else in order to have an activity. This would be the easiest without even having to leave the house. 1000 points are US$24 which is rather reasonable. Of course, going to one of the hotels and buying some snacks for ~ $10 is cheaper if you can find an adequately priced item. I’m a big fan of the lunch set from Delicatessen at Park Hyatt Tokyo at roughly that price point.