We love earning and using points here at Upgraded Points, and we get really excited when we have the opportunity to do that in unique ways.
In 2019, Hyatt and Lindblad Expeditions announced a partnership that allows guests to either earn or use World of Hyatt points on Lindblad cruises, along with some additional benefits.
Lindblad Expeditions aren’t cheap, so this won’t appeal to everyone, but for those of you who are interested in these bucket list-worthy trips, this is a great benefit you should know about.
In this post, we’ll show you how to earn World of Hyatt points and benefits, how to earn elite status with Hyatt by booking a Lindblad cruise, and how you can redeem World of Hyatt points to book a Lindblad cruise.
Lindblad Expeditions/Hyatt Partnership
Lindblad Expeditions is a luxury adventure travel company that offers mostly small ship cruises to exotic locations around the world like the Galápagos Islands, the Amazon, and Antarctica.
In 2019 Hyatt and Lindblad Expeditions announced a partnership that would offer World of Hyatt benefits on Lindblad cruises.
That means that not only can you get benefits and earn points and elite nights on Lindblad cruises, but you also have the option to book Lindblad cruises with World of Hyatt points!
Hot Tip: Lindblad also has a partnership with National Geographic, so you’ll see that most of its cruises and tours are marketed under the Lindblad/National Geographic Expeditions name.
You can earn or use World of Hyatt points on Lindblad/National Geographic Expeditions. Image Credit: Katie SeemannWorld of Hyatt Benefits on Lindblad Expeditions
When you book an eligible Lindblad/National Geographic Expedition through Hyatt you’ll receive special benefits. To receive the benefits you must book through the correct channels. You can either:
When you’re booking, be sure that your World of Hyatt number is attached to your reservation and confirm that you will receive your benefits.
Lindblad will not honor any World of Hyatt benefits if you don’t add your membership number during the booking process. If you try to add your Hyatt number to your reservation after the fact, they may tell you they are adding it, but they still won’t honor your benefits (unfortunately, I know this from experience).
I recently went on a Lindblad/National Geographic Galápagos cruise which was originally booked before the Hyatt/Lindblad partnership was announced. I called to add my World of Hyatt number to my reservation as soon as I heard about the partnership. The representative I spoke to happily added my number.
About a year later I found out that my number was removed from my reservation. Lindblad refused to re-add it and actually told me they didn’t believe me that the rep added it in the first place (even after I told them who it was and what date it was added).
So, the moral of the story is to book through the Hyatt/Lindblad website or get written confirmation from Lindblad that you are eligible for World of Hyatt benefits at the time of booking.
Bottom Line: You must book through the Hyatt/Lindblad landing page or add your World of Hyatt number to your reservation with Lindblad at the time of booking. You can’t get any benefits by trying to add your number to an existing reservation.
World of Hyatt Benefits on Lindblad Cruises
Now that you know how to book your Lindblad/National Geographic cruise through Hyatt, let’s take a look at some of the benefits you’ll receive:
- Earn 5 base points per $1 spent on Lindblad cruises
- Qualifying nights earned will count toward World of Hyatt elite status
- Receive a $250 onboard credit per reservation
World of Hyatt Elite Bonuses
World of Hyatt elite members will also earn their usual tier bonus points on Lindblad cruises booked through Hyatt:
- Discoverist: 10% points bonus
- Explorist: 20% points bonus
- Globalist: 30% points bonus
These are bonus points and don’t count toward elite status.
American Airlines Elite Member Benefits
American Airlines elite members (Gold status and higher) who have their AAdvantage accounts linked to their World of Hyatt accounts will earn 1 AAdvantage bonus mile per $1 spent on Lindblad cruises booked through Hyatt.
Bottom Line: You can book a Lindblad/National Geographic trip through Hyatt to receive extra perks and benefits. You’ll earn 5x base points per $1 spent, earn elite night credits, and will get a $250 onboard credit.
How To Earn World of Hyatt Status By Booking a Lindblad Expedition
Earning 5 base points per $1 spent on a Lindblad/National Geographic cruise is huge. These cruises are expensive, which means you can very easily earn World of Hyatt elite status by booking and paying for a Lindblad cruise.
For example, if you pay $15,000 for a cruise, you’d earn 75,000 base points. That’s more than enough to earn Explorist status (as long as all of those points came in the same calendar year) and it would get you 75% of the way to top-tier Globalist status (not to mention you’d have a nice chunk of World of Hyatt points to play with).
In addition, with those 75,000 base points you would also earn these Hyatt Milestone Rewards:
- 4 Club lounge access awards
- A Category 1-4 free night award
- 5,000 bonus points, a $100 Hyatt gift card, or a 10,000-point savings on a FIND experience
If you paid for a $20,000 cruise all within the same calendar year, you’d earn top-tier Globalist status!
Bottom Line: When you book a Lindblad trip through Hyatt you’ll earn 5 base points per $1 spent. These points count toward World of Hyatt elite status.
Earn More Points With Hyatt Credit Cards
Regardless of whether or not you book your Lindblad expedition through Hyatt, you can earn lots of points if you have a Hyatt credit card.
Lindblad/National Geographic Expeditions code as Hyatt on both The World of Hyatt Credit Card and the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card. That means you’ll earn 4 points per $1 spent on any Lindblad Expedition when you use a Hyatt co-branded credit card.
How To Book a Lindblad Cruise With World of Hyatt Points
If you’d rather not pay cash for your trip, you’ll be thrilled to know you can use World of Hyatt points to book a Lindblad/National Geographic cruise!
When you redeem points for a Lindblad expedition, you’ll get 1.6 cents per point in value. Considering we value Hyatt points at ~1.5 cents, that’s a solid redemption.
Yes, it will take a lot of World of Hyatt points to book one of these trips, but having the opportunity to take a bucket-list trip like this using points is fantastic. If that sounds awesome to you, check out our guide to earning tons of World of Hyatt points to get started.
You can book a Lindblad cruise with points online by requesting a reservation. If there’s space available on your chosen itinerary, you’ll get a booking confirmation via email. Be sure to select World of Hyatt points as your payment method.
You can pay for your Lindblad cruise with World of Hyatt points. Image Credit: HyattFinal Thoughts
We love unique ways to earn and use points — this Hyatt/Lindblad partnership is an excellent opportunity to do just that while enjoying some bucket-list itineraries.
If you book your Lindblad cruise through Hyatt, you’ll earn 5x points per $1 spent, earn elite night credits, and get a $250 shipboard credit.
If you opt to pay for your Lindblad cruise with World of Hyatt points, you’ll get 1.6 cents per point in value, which is a solid redemption.
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