Chase World of Hyatt Card Benefits for Active-duty U.S. Military Members [$2,000+]

Our military members make occupational sacrifices while facing unique challenges in their personal lives. Trying to balance the challenges of duty, home life, and commitment can also be supplemented by the financial challenges of military service.

The financial challenges have not gone unnoticed as evidenced by the passing of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act of 2003 (SCRA) and the Military Lending Act (MLA). We’ll expand on how these acts apply to credit cards shortly, but for now, it’s important to understand that the laws were designed to relieve some of the financial burdens of managing credit granted to our service members.

Chase is a financial institution that ensures its credit card products not only follow the letter of these laws but go above and beyond the requirements. An example of a Chase credit card that provides good value for active-duty military members is The World of Hyatt Credit Card.

Today we’re going to illustrate how Chase makes the World of Hyatt card military-friendly by waiving associated fees, but we’ll also share how the card benefits can be valuable for active-duty military members and their families.

How Do the SCRA and MLA Work?

Passed in 2003, the SCRA applies to credit acquired by the service member before active duty. The MLA (2006) applies to credit acquired by service members during active duty and after September 20, 2017, when the law was updated.

While the laws apply to a multitude of financial transactions, here’s how the acts generally apply to credit cards:

• Credit card interest rates on cards acquired pre-active-duty service are capped at 6% (SCRA)
• Credit card interest rates on cards acquired during active-duty service after September 20, 2017, are capped at a maximum 36% interest rate (Military Annual Percentage Rate MAPR), which would include fees, interest charges, application fees, etc. (MLA)

Chase caps interest rates on credit acquired prior to active duty at 4% versus the 6% required by law. Chase also waives fees for personal consumer credit cards acquired during active duty (after September 20, 2017).

In addition to the savings realized by Chase waiving card fees, the World of Hyatt card offers a long list of benefits for cardholders who are active-duty military members.

Potential Value of the World of Hyatt Card Benefits for Active-duty Military Members

If you frequent any major hotel chain, you may benefit greatly from having the associated hotel-branded credit card. You’ll earn rewards faster, enjoy perks that can make your stay more comfortable, and receive protections and benefits that give you peace of mind or save you money.

Active-duty military members whose brand of choice is Hyatt will find value in the World of Hyatt card, even with modest spending on the card.

Here’s a sampling of some key World of Hyatt card benefits and their potential value.

Waiver of Annual Fee — Value of $95

As an active-duty military member, the $95 annual fee will be waived.

Earning Potential and Redemption Options — Value of $1,050

The Value of a Welcome Offer — Value of $450 to $900

The welcome offer for the World of Hyatt card presents an opportunity to earn hundreds of dollars worth of World of Hyatt points by opening the card and meeting the required spending threshold within a specified time period.

Welcome offers can vary, so you’ll want to check for the most recent offer before you apply.

Here is the current welcome bonus offer for the World of Hyatt card:

Referral Bonus Opportunities — Value of $150

You can earn World of Hyatt points for referring family or friends when they are approved for the World of Hyatt card. You’ll normally receive 5,000 points for each qualified referral, up to a maximum of 25,000 points each year. We value World of Hyatt points at approximately 1.5 cents each. If you were to refer 2 people to the card you’d receive points worth ~$150.

Note that Chase refer-a-friend opportunities come and go and may not always be available for every card.

Spending on the Card — Value of $450

The World of Hyatt card earns at least 1 World of Hyatt point for every dollar spent on the card. Additional bonus-earning categories allow you to start racking up points even more quickly.

Here’s an example of how spending on the card can add up to hotel award nights:

• Earn up to 9x points per dollar spent at Hyatt properties (4x credit card bonus points + 5x stay points) and participating Small Luxury Hotels
  • $2,000 spent = 18,000 points
• Earn 2x points per dollar spent at restaurants, flights purchased directly from the airline, gym memberships, and local transit/commuting
  • $5,000 spent = 10,000 points
• Earn 1x point per dollar spent on miscellaneous spending
  • $2,000 = 2,000 points

Before you know it, you’ll have enough points for at least 2 annual free night certificates. We value World of Hyatt points at approximately 1.5 cents each, meaning 30,000 points are worth ~$450.

Don’t forget, you can combine points with cash to make your points go further and extend the length of your stay.

Even with modest spending, you can earn enough points for award hotel nights. Also, check out the latest welcome offer on the card for additional ways to earn even more points.

Redemption Options — Value Varies

The best use for points you’ve earned on the World of Hyatt card will be to redeem for award nights. The number of points it takes for an award night ranges from 3,500 points at an off-peak Category 1 property to 45,000 points for a peak-rate night at a Category 8 hotel.

You can also use your points for room upgrades where rates range from 3,000 points for a Club room to 9,000 points for a premium suite.

Additional options that can offer less value for your points include car rentals, spa access/treatments, dining, meeting credits, and experiences.

Finally, you can redeem World of Hyatt points by transferring them to airlines, generally at a ratio of 5 World of Hyatt points to 2 airline miles. While normally not a good value, here’s the process to transfer World of Hyatt points into airline miles.

Bottom Line:

You’ll earn World of Hyatt points by maximizing the welcome bonus offer, referring friends and family, and spending on the World of Hyatt card. The best redemption option for your points is to redeem them for Hyatt award nights or room upgrades.

Travel Protections and Benefits — Value of $680

Travel protections offer peace of mind since you’ll know that if something goes wrong during your trip, you could potentially recoup some of the loss or added expenses. Travel benefits can also provide perks and save you money.

Here are the key travel protections and benefits you’ll find on the World of Hyatt card and each perk’s estimated value.

Car Rental Insurance — Value of $200

If you reserve and pay for your car rental with your World of Hyatt card and decline the rental agency’s CDW/LDW coverage, you’ll receive coverage for damage, theft, reasonable loss-of-use, and towing charges. Coverage is secondary to any personal auto insurance that applies. If you do not have auto insurance or if you are traveling in a country other than your residence country, coverage is primary.

Daily coverage with the rental agency can cost $20 per day. If you were to rent for 10 days, you could save ~$200.

Trip Cancellation, Trip Interruption, and Trip Delay — Value of $100

If your trip needs to be canceled or is interrupted for a covered reason, you could receive up to $5,000 per person, up to $10,000 per trip. If your trip is delayed more than 12 hours or overnight, you could receive up to $500 in reimbursements for eligible expenses.

Hot Tip:

The Guide to Benefits for the World of Hyatt card lists “a change in military orders” for you or your spouse/domestic partner as a covered event for trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance coverage. This makes the protection a real plus for active-duty military members.

Baggage Insurance — Value of $100

If your luggage is lost, you could receive up to $3,000. If the luggage is delayed more than 6 hours, you could receive up to $100 per day in reimbursements for eligible expenses, up to a maximum of 5 days.

Annual Free Night Certificate — Value of $200

Each card anniversary year, you’ll receive an annual free night certificate good for a Category 1 through 4 Hyatt hotel.

If you spend $15,000 on the card in a year, you’ll receive an additional free night certificate, also good for a Category 1 through 4 hotel night.

Complimentary World of Hyatt Elite Status — Value of $50

The World of Hyatt card includes complimentary World of Hyatt Discoverist elite status. While Discoverist is entry-level elite status, benefits include late checkout, preferred rooms, and 10% bonus points on paid stays. Status remains valid as long as your World of Hyatt card is active.

You’ll also receive a faster path to higher elite status with 5 automatic elite night credits each year, plus 2 additional elite night credits for every $5,000 spent on the card.

No Foreign Transaction Fees — Value of $30

Foreign transaction fees are generally 3% of the entire transaction amount. The World of Hyatt card is a good international travel companion as it does not charge foreign transaction fees.

If you were to spend $1,000 abroad, you would save $30.

Bottom Line:

The World of Hyatt card comes with several valuable travel insurance protections plus benefits such as a complimentary free hotel night certificate each year, World of Hyatt Discoverist status, and no foreign transaction fees.

Shopping Protections and Benefits — Value of $195

The World of Hyatt card offers valuable protection for eligible items and benefits that can save you money when you use the card to make qualifying purchases.

Purchase Protection and Extended Warranty — Value of $50

When you purchase eligible items with your World of Hyatt card, you can receive coverage for damage or theft for up to 120 days from the purchase date. The coverage limit is up to $500 per claim, up to $50,000 per account. If the eligible item has a manufacturer’s warranty of 3 years or less, the warranty will be extended for 1 additional year.

Chase Offers — Value of $25

Log in to your Chase online card account and activate Chase Offers from select merchants and service providers. Use your card to make the associated purchase and earn statement credits for the purchase.

DoorDash DashPass — Value of $120

Enroll your card by December 31, 2024, and receive a 12-month complimentary DoorDash DashPass membership that offers waived delivery and reduced fees. This offer is only valid for those who have not had DashPass previously. DoorDash DashPass normally costs $9.99 per month.

Qualification and Requesting Benefits

As you can see, the World of Hyatt card offers valuable benefits for military members who frequent Hyatt properties.

Now let’s review who qualifies for Chase’s benefits, some tips on applying for the card, and how to request SCRA/MLA benefits.

Who Qualifies for Military Benefits

You may qualify for benefits with Chase under the SCRA or MLA if you are one of the following:

• Active-duty military
• Reserve or full-time National Guard member on active duty
• Active-duty commissioned officers of NOAA or the Public Health Service

Additionally, spouses, domestic partners, children, and qualifying dependents of active-duty service members may receive benefits.

How To Apply for the World of Hyatt Card as a Military Member

In order to be approved for the World of Hyatt card, it’s recommended to have a good to excellent credit score of at least 700 or above. You may also need some credit history and sufficient income to make monthly payments (even if you plan to pay off the card each statement period).

Once you’ve determined your credit score, you’ll want to review Chase’s 5/24 rule as it can affect your chances of approval. In general, Chase considers new credit cards from all card issuers and will not approve you if you’ve opened more than 5 in the past 24 months.

Be sure to check the Department of Defense database via the MLA website to confirm your active duty status is showing appropriately in your record. And, if you are applying for benefits for a spouse/domestic partner, their status needs to be shown in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) database. These databases are also used by financial institutions to validate eligibility.

How To Request Benefits (Do This After You’re Approved)

Once you’ve applied for the World of Hyatt card and are approved, you can request SCRA/MLA benefits. It’s possible that Chase may automatically grant SCRA/MLA benefits after validating your eligibility. This can happen when you’ve noted in your application that your income source is “military.” If so, you’ll receive a letter confirming the benefits.

If not, you can easily request benefits by doing the following:

• Log in to your Chase online card account.
• In the upper left of the page, select Secure Messages from the menu.
• Select New Message.
• Select Servicemembers SCRA benefits from the drop-down menu.
• Complete the request and include your World of Hyatt card account number.
• Attach the supporting documents (active-duty military orders, supporting spouse request documents).

You can also call 877-469-0110 (8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays) or if out of the country, call collect at 318-340-3348. This is a dedicated line for SCRA/MLA questions.

Finally, you have the option of sending the request via mail, with supporting documentation, to Chase at the following address:

Attention SCRA Request
P.O. Box 183240
Columbus, Ohio, 43218-3240

Additional Recommended Chase Credit Cards for Active-duty Military Members

The waiving of credit card fees is a huge benefit for active-duty military as cards with high annual fees also come with a long list of valuable perks that offset this cost.

Here are 2 additional Chase credit cards that offer exceptional value, especially with the waived annual fees.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

With a generous welcome bonus and a valuable collection of travel insurance benefits, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is a good choice for active-duty military members.

Why We Like the Card for Active-duty Military Members

• Waiver of the $95 annual fee
• Earns flexible rewards points that can be redeemed for up to 1.25 cents each for travel via the Chase Travel portal or transferred to hotel or airline partners for even greater potential value (including World of Hyatt)
• Elevated bonus earnings on travel, online grocery purchases, dining, and streaming services
• Up to $50 annual hotel credit
• Excellent travel insurance benefits

Chase Sapphire Reserve^®

If you travel frequently, you’ll appreciate the complimentary lounge access, travel statement credits, and premium travel benefits that come with the Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

Why We Like the Card for Active-duty Military Members

• Waiver of the $550 annual fee
• Up to $300 statement credit each year for travel purchases
• Earns flexible rewards points that can be redeemed for up to 1.5 cents each for travel via the Chase Travel portal or transferred to hotel or airline partners for even greater potential value (including World of Hyatt)
• Worldwide lounge access with complimentary Priority Pass Select membership
• Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS fee reimbursement
• Travel/shopping benefits and protections

Final Thoughts

If you stay even a few nights a year at Hyatt properties, you’ll realize the value of holding the World of Hyatt card.

The card packs in a lot of value with its automatic elite status, elevated earnings on paid stays, the opportunity for award nights, and plenty of travel and shopping benefits.

Plus, with its low $95 annual fee, you’ll be able to keep the card long after your active-duty service to continue to enjoy award nights and Hyatt perks.