Hyatt Hotels (for select members) and Singapore Airlines join most other travel providers extending status for loyal members.
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UPDATE: Not All Hyatt Members Extended
Hyatt has reached out to communicate that not all members were/will be extended. In their clarification they indicated the following:
“Hope you are well! Saw your article in Live and Let’s Fly regarding Hyatt tier extension and wanted to note that Hyatt has extended elite tier status for a relatively small group of members on a case-by-case basis and does not have plans to automatically extend status for all elite members.”
Additionally, with regard to milestones rewards, the brand clarified that milestones needed to be achieved for the associated benefits.
“Members will continue to enjoy elite tier benefits but must requalify for Milestone Rewards.”
They went on to add:
“Milestone Rewards which you only earn when you complete the required number of qualifying nights or Base Points each calendar year outlined in the Milestone Rewards chart. However, those extended to the Globalist tier will continue to enjoy benefits such as Club lounge access, room upgrades to the best available room (up to standard suites), 30% point bonus, 4 p.m. late checkout (subject to availability), priority access to your room when checking in early, and complimentary parking on free night awards.
Those extended to Explorist tier will continue to enjoy benefits such as room upgrades to best available room (excluding suites and rooms with Club lounge access), 20% point bonus, 2 p.m. late checkout (subject to availability) and premium Wi-Fi (where available).
Those extended to Discoverist will continue to enjoy benefits such as preferred room upgrades, 10% point bonus, 2 p.m. late checkout (subject to availability) and premium Wi-Fi (where available).”
Many in the comments stated they had not received an extension and Hyatt wished to make it clear that some were but not all. In the communication I received initially (as included below) this distinction was not noted at the time and was confusing to me, as I had achieved 32 nights (thus meeting qualification requirements) but was extended anyway. They are looking into that matter.
Hyatt Hotels Extends Select Members Status Last Week
For those still waiting for a last-minute elite status extension, Hyatt Hotels Corporation has bestowed yet another year of elite status benefits upon some of its members. Elite members who were unable to achieve reduced requirements in 2021 (edit: may) retain their standing in the World of Hyatt loyalty program for another year.
It’s notable that, unlike competitors, Hyatt’s levels of elite status do not necessarily confer the benefits exclusive to that tier. For example, those that failed to achieve milestones during the prior calendar year will not receive those benefits such as Suite Upgrades (4) valid for up to seven nights each, or access to the My Hyatt Concierge service.
The hotel chain is poised for a big year with an even larger selection of properties through new construction as well as its expanding partnership with Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH.) It has also made a push for corporate spending with its new business credit card.
Singapore Airlines Extends Status To 2023
Singapore Airlines has also extended status for another year to those travelers who were unable to earn the required elite qualifying miles to maintain their standing in the program. As Singapore doesn’t use milestone awards to award benefits, those who held an elite tier will remain in the status quo until early 2023.
In a unique twist, point transfers from banking partners like American Express cards or Chase Ultimate Rewards travel credit cards can earn travelers Star Alliance Gold status for up to 24 months. That transfer negates the need to earn by flight segments (50,000 miles) and includes airport lounge access and bonus mile earning. It may also be a good replacement for flyers who have missed requalification in a program that did not extend status.
For those considering this transfer option, there are two things that seem worthy of consideration. Business cards have very high sign-up bonuses at the moment that make this more attainable without using current point balances, transfers are easy to do, and secondly, expiring miles (3 years) means that travelers will have to burn these miles in the next 36 months.
Hyatt Milestones Are a Fair Method For Distributing Benefits
One discussion that has come up in the comments section on other status extension posts is whether those that were able to requalify (either at standard levels or reduced qualifications) should be upset about extensions for those who did not. I was personally able to requalify under the reduced terms (finished with 32 nights of 30 required.)
Hyatt’s approach, however, somewhat satisfies both those who want to be rewarded for prioritizing Hyatt during difficult conditions and keeps those who would have liked to have traveled more but couldn’t, engaged. Delta has done a good job of this by prioritizing upgrades for Diamonds who have earned the status in 2021 over those who were extended.
Conclusion
While late to the party, Hyatt and Singapore have come through for (edit: some) travelers that were not able to travel at the same rate prior to the pandemic or even at a sufficient reduced rate during 2021. Rewards card transfers make the Singapore offer particularly interesting. I may be turning my opinion on milestone awards despite not earning many of them myself, it seems to be a fair way to approach things even if that’s not how I felt in the past and it doesn’t benefit me personally now.
What do you think? Is there a travel brand you’re waiting on to extend status that either hasn’t made an announcement or didn’t select your account?
Hyatt needs to extend suite upgrade awards! I have some expiring at the end of February and as a family with young kids I have not been traveling but this is the reason I go for globalist status and I could really use them in 2022
Contact your concierge. Briefly explain that suite upgrades are the main reason you strive for Globalist status, and that the pandemic has greatly reduced your travel.
I had two SUAs expiring 12-31. They extended one of them until Feb 23. This is more than fair, as I was upgraded several times into suites without burning an upgrade.
Oddly, though with no international travel at all, but with more paid domestic F and reduced earning requirements (about where they were 5 years ago). I made 1K for the first time since 2018 or so. I hope they wind up extending 2022 status for 2023.
So what does this mean for the 2023 and beyond threshold? If I want Globalist through 2024, 60 nights?
Yea, I was told 60 nights. To be honest if they are extending everyone then the fair thing to do would be to use the 2021 nights towards your 60 in 2022. That way people who have made the effort are rewarded for it. I believe Hilton did something like this.
I do not agree that the tiers alone make up for the difference in between putting in the effort or not. You get a cat1-4 for your 30 nights. If someone only had 5 nights, that free globalist benefit is worth a lot more then what could be a $150 redemption.
Hyatt realty needs to extend everyone or no one, they’re only penalizing those who earned status in 2021 by giving it away to everyone else who didn’t earn it
Your information that SQ extends until “early 2023” is a bit inprecise.
SQ KrisFlyer has rolling qualification and status validity periods. So things can differ from person to person.
Personally, my qualification period runs til the end of February. So I’m still in my first year of extension. March 1, 2022-February 28, 2023 will be my second extension. And given they announced a third extension, my status is secured until the end of February 2024.
Obv, if someone else’s qualification year ends March 31, he will indeed get extended only until March 31, 2023 in which case your “early 2023” summary is accurate.
Not a very fair move from Hyatt – I made an effort at the very end of the year to reach 15 nights for Explorist, and now – 20 days into the year, they tell me I would have qualified anyway, and no additional benefits since the first milestone with real benefits is 20 nights. Other major chains announced extensions in December or earlier.
Kyle,
Is there actual confirmation of the elite extensions to everyone who did not meet the minimum requirements? It seems that you have met them with 32 nights and I got the same email and met them with 31 nights.
I was told that this email basically meant that we will continue to have access to our concierge and that is the ‘extension’ for us, but it was denied that this was a member wide extension to those that did not meet the minimum.
What jackasses! First they let you struggle and scramble to meet the requirement. And then instead of extending a fair measure across all customers (e.g. carry over all 2021 nights to 2022) or cutting the requirements in half again, they extend it for only some customers… smh
So glad I didn’t the extra money chasing Hyatt status in 2021. What a complete waste of money
I did the same thing at end of 2021, and also received the extension email. There was significant cost (and opportunity cost) for everyone who requalified in 2021, so the only fair thing seems to be to roll over (some?) 2021 qualifying nights into 2022.
When I log into my Hyatt account, it still shows my Explorist status expiring Feb 28, 2022. Do you have confirmation that it is a system wide status extension to all menmbers with status?
I sent a complain email to my concierge. I believe the extension isn’t system wide… that is if you aren’t reasonably close to requalifying by few nights, you won’t get a free extension. Still it’s not fair to those who re-qualified on their own. I’ve received the same email but i already re-qualified a month ago (mid December) on my own and I had to do couple of mattress run. It cost me like $200 but figured it’s worth it since I am only 3 nights from achieving it. Getting that email was puzzling and insulting.
They are not extending all. I just got an email from my concierge that they will not extend.
So who, other than you, was extended? Of course, being an actual head in bed person who earns Globalist each year I am happy status is not going to get inflated with extensions. Though I am sympathetic to those that got a brief moment of excitement from your post.
It will be interesting to know exactly how people were chosen. Based on @Damon’s comment it might be they think of you as an influencer, Kyle. If that’s the case you could be on their naughty list now.
How do I see if my status has been extended? I didn’t receive any emails and don’t see where in my account that would show up.
It appears none of you were. I wondered why there was no talk about this anywhere else. It seems they may have handpicked a few people and Kyle was one. How that led to an understanding of an extension for everyone is beyond me. But he did correct it I guess in the update.
At the beginning of 2021 a lot of bloggers and followers were chasing the double qualifying nights promotion with status through end of 2022. It’s pretty disappointing to learn now that it was a waste of time and money. I could have stayed home and been extended.
Kyle,
What are the things one can steal from a hotel room and get away with? That is the hotel won’t bother charging your card for it or making a fuss about it. I think it behooves everyone to start stealing things from hotel rooms and airlines to get back the value they stole from us. And no, i wasn’t stealing already like you Neanderthals. But now it feels justified.
Sadly from reading your posts and views it’s obvious up you are serious. Spoken like the true liberal POS you appear to be. And calling others “Neanderthals” isn’t any different that what I called you.
No airline or hotel stole anything from you. Grow up. It’s all on your company’s dime anyways.
Strange, aren’t they checking the accounts? Why would they send me an email telling that I was being extended as a courtesy from Hyatt three weeks after I got the extension through regular process by meeting the qualification requirements in 2021? I understand others have received the same, not very professional.
I was able to meet the 30 nights requirement (I did 32) and they extended my Globalist status through 2024. Did anyone that re-qualified for Globalist got the same? Or they selected as well a few members only for this? Just curious about their extension policy but obviously happy I got this 😉
Are you serious?!
Are you sure? My account says “You are on your way to Explorist through February 2024”, but that just means I have to meet the qualification this year to extend the current status to that date.
Just wanted to chime in, I’m a Hyatt globalist and I did not know they had extended people. I had 28 nights toward renewing my globalist status. When I saw your article, I checked this morning and Hyatt extended my globalist status until February of 2023 and also extended my suite upgrade awards to February 2023. Not sure how this happened, and I fully expected to lose my status. I wasn’t upset, simply because I agree with some of the others that many people worked hard to achieve their status this year. I was not expecting any particularly special treatment. I’m thinking that maybe Hyatt looked at my track record with him and saw that I’ve been a Globalist for the past 8 years (I was whatever the top-tier precursor was before they invented Globalist) and was well on my way to becoming a lifetime Globalist. For the past 8 years excluding last year I had 75 + nights every year plus a few of those years I had over 100 nights. In 2015 and 16 I had almost 200 nights with Hyatt. So I’m presuming they looked at the track record and renewed my status but I’m not certain.