American Express points and Capital One miles don't transfer over to World of Hyatt. Only Chase and Bilt points do. But through Air Canada, that unlocks the ability to redeem American Express points or Capital One miles for Hyatt hotel stays.
And it potentially could be worth it, because you could redeem 25,000 American Express points or Capital One miles through Air Canada to book a $500 hotel. That gives you about 2 cents per point on your American Express points or Capital One miles.
If you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred or a Bilt card and you're thinking this wouldn't apply to you, it actually might in some situations, especially because of the new 4:3 transfer ratio.
Why Amex and Capital One Points Can't Book Hyatt
Hyatt is one of the best programs to use with points, but only Chase and Bilt points transfer there directly. So if you're sitting on American Express points or Capital One miles, Hyatt isn't really an option unless you book through the travel portal at 1 cent per point, which is not that ideal.
Air Canada and Hyatt launched a partnership this past July, and it comes with a bunch of different benefits like status challenges and earning points on both sides. The one that seems most interesting to me is the ability to redeem your Aeroplan points for World of Hyatt certificates.
The great thing about Aeroplan is that American Express, Capital One, Chase, and Bilt points all transfer to Aeroplan at a 1:1 ratio. That's the bridge between all of this.
I'm going to be real with you: this is not a home run every single time, and in some cases you might actually lose value. If you're going to be losing value, don't transfer your points. The goal here is to show you when it makes sense and when you should not transfer your points over to Aeroplan for Hyatt.
How the Aeroplan Hyatt Certificate Works
When you click Redeem Now on the Hyatt certificate, it presents you with two options:
- Category 1–4 certificate: 25,000 Aeroplan points
- Category 1–7 certificate: 75,000 Aeroplan points
I would ignore the Category 1–7 one, and I'll show you exactly why below.
Hyatt categorizes its hotels from 1 through 8, and under its new award chart each category has lowest, low, moderate, upper, and top pricing. Top is obviously the most expensive.
You want to redeem the Category 1–4 certificate for a Category 4 hotel, because that maximizes your points. A Category 4 hotel caps out at 25,000 points, so that's essentially a one-for-one redemption. Transfer 25,000 American Express points or Capital One miles over to Aeroplan to redeem for the certificate, then use that certificate for a 25,000 point Hyatt stay.
How to redeem it
- Link your accounts. Start on the Air Canada and Hyatt partnership page and link your Air Canada account and your Hyatt account.
- Transfer your points to Aeroplan. American Express, Capital One, Chase, and Bilt all transfer at 1:1.
- Go to Aeroplan offers, then Hotels. On the Air Canada homepage, use the left sidebar to go to Aeroplan offers, then Hotels. That shows all the World of Hyatt benefits.
- Click Redeem Now on the Hyatt night award and choose the Category 1–4 certificate.
- Book your stay. The certificate lands in your Hyatt account, and you book the night like a normal award.
Skip the 75,000 Point Category 1–7 Certificate
If you want to redeem for the Category 1–7 certificate that costs 75,000 Aeroplan points, look at Category 7. Category 7 caps out at 55,000 points.
So you're transferring your points over to Aeroplan to get that certificate, and the most you can redeem it for is 55,000 points, when it actually cost you 75,000 points. You're losing about 20,000 points in value in that situation, which is obviously not ideal. That's why I say avoid this one and focus on the Category 1–4 certificate.
The $500 Rule for Amex and Capital One Points
There's another way to look at this that won't require you to redeem for a 25,000 point hotel and still gets you good value: the cents per point value.
If you value your American Express points or Capital One miles at 2 cents per point, 25,000 points is worth a $500 hotel stay. So whatever you do with 25,000 American Express points or Capital One miles, you want to redeem it for at least a $500 hotel stay.
That's the rule. If you're going to transfer 25,000 American Express points or Capital One miles over to Aeroplan to redeem for a certificate, you should get at least $500 worth of value out of it.
Example: Hyatt Regency Mission Bay in San Diego
On the Hyatt site, the Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa and Marina is $424 for the member rate per night. With taxes and fees, it comes to $487.69, so it's close to $500. Switch it over to points and the same night costs 20,000 points, or a certificate.
Even though it costs 20,000 points, I would still redeem a certificate in this situation because the hotel is close to $500. Using my American Express points or Capital One miles, transferring them over to Aeroplan to get that certificate for this stay, I'm still getting close to $500 in value. That's nearly 2 cents per point, which in my book is pretty solid for American Express or Capital One points, especially since you typically can't redeem them for Hyatt by transferring points.
What About Chase Sapphire Preferred and Bilt Points?
Up until this point, we've been talking about American Express points and Capital One miles. What about Chase Sapphire Preferred and Bilt points?
The Chase Sapphire Preferred transfer ratio to World of Hyatt switched to 4:3 instead of 1:1 on October 1st, and Bilt is changing over to the 4:3 transfer ratio on January 1st as well.
So with that 4:3 transfer ratio, does it make sense to send your Bilt or Chase points through Aeroplan to get the certificate instead of transferring points directly to Hyatt? I crunched the numbers, and here's a chart to help you decide.
Say your Hyatt night costs 20,000 points. If you transfer direct from Chase or Bilt to World of Hyatt at 4:3, you'd need about 26,667 points, which you have to round up because transfers go in increments of 1,000. That means 27,000 points. Through the certificate, you transfer 25,000 Chase or Bilt points to Aeroplan at 1:1. You're saving 2,000 points per night, and if you stay four nights, that's 8,000 points.
When the Hyatt gets more expensive, like 22,500 points, you'd need to transfer 30,000 points directly. The certificate is still the same 25,000 points, so you're saving 5,000 points every night. Four nights, that's 20,000 points.
And for one of those top-tier Category 1–4 Hyatts at 25,000 points, you'd need to transfer around 33,333 points, which rounds up to 34,000. The certificate still costs 25,000, so you're saving 9,000 points per night. Stay four nights and that's 36,000 points you're saving just by getting the Aeroplan certificate.
That kind of blew my mind, because I never really thought about it that way until I did the math.
Of course, if you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve or the Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business, you can ignore this, because those still transfer at 1:1. And Bilt members, you still have until January 1st at 1:1. Once that goes to 4:3, that's where getting an Aeroplan certificate might be the better move.
It could get even better if there's a transfer bonus to Air Canada Aeroplan. Chase has had them in the past, and Bilt has too, so it's definitely possible to see an Aeroplan transfer bonus that sweetens this deal even more. Here's when transfer bonuses usually show up.
Current Transfer Bonuses to Air Canada Aeroplan
Current Transfer Bonuses to World of Hyatt
Before You Transfer Any Points
There are a few things you should know before you transfer any of your points to Aeroplan for these certificates.
- The certificates expire six months after they land in your Hyatt account. That's 180 days.
- You have to complete the stay before it expires, not just book it before it expires.
- Find your date first. Make sure it fits your stay and there's availability, then transfer your points to Aeroplan.
- Points transfers are final. You can't move them back to American Express, Chase, Bilt, or wherever you transferred them from.
- As long as there's a standard room available, the Hyatt price doesn't really matter. You just need a standard room available at that Hyatt to redeem the certificate.
- It's one night in a standard room. It doesn't stack with Suite Upgrade Awards, Club Access Awards, Guest of Honor awards, or anything like that. If you want to lock in a suite, you have to book a regular award.
- If your hotel moves up out of Category 1–4, the certificate won't cover it. Check the latest Hyatt category changes before planning around a specific property.
Max's Take: This is really not something I would do every single time. You need to know what you're doing, and you need to make sure there's availability. There are extra steps, but there are ways to maximize this.
The Bottom Line
American Express and Capital One points don't transfer over to World of Hyatt, but Aeroplan can get you there with these certificates. The Category 1–4 certificate for 25,000 points is the one to use. Ignore the Category 1–7 certificate, because the value isn't there. Use the Category 1–4 certificate on a $500 hotel night or more, and you'll get good value out of your points.
