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American Airlines and the World of Hyatt have brought back a fast track status promotion that we’ve seen, in one guise or another, published each year since the Hyatt/American Airlines partnership was launched.
This promotion gives select American Airlines elites the opportunity to enjoy immediate World of Hyatt elite status for 90 days and the opportunity to extend that elite status by completing qualifying activity within those 90 days.
Here’s what you need to know about this promotion/status challenge.
Key terms & conditions
- Targeted AAdvantage elite levels: AAdvantage Gold, Platinum, Platinum Pro, and Executive Platinum members + ConciergeKey.
- AAdvantage and World of Hyatt accounts must be linked (here)
- Registration must be done by 31 October 2024 (here)
- World of Hyatt activity must be completed within 90 days of registration to achieve World of Hyatt Explorist or Globalist status through February 2026.
- World of Hyatt qualifying activity is earned when an AAdvantage member books an eligible rate or award night through Hyatt channels.
Note: Do NOT register for this promotion until you have read this entire article.
The status challenges
All AAdvantage elites
- Enjoy World of Hyatt Explorist status for 90 days from the date of registration and earn Explorist status through 28 February 2026 by completing ten (10) Tier-Qualifying Nights (as defined in the World of Hyatt program terms) within 90 days of registering for this challenge.
Targeted AAdvantage Platinum Pro, Executive Platinum & ConciergeKey elites
As well as being able to enjoy instant World of Hyatt Explorist status and being given the opportunity to extend that status though February 2026, some AAdvantage Platinum Pro, Executive Platinum & ConciergeKey elites are being targeted for this offer:
- Earn World of Hyatt Globalist status through February 2026 by completing twenty (20) Tier-Qualifying Nights within 90 days of registering for this challenge.
Don’t forget that all American Airlines elites who link their AAdvantage and World of Hyatt accounts earn one bonus AAdvantage mile for every eligible dollar spent on qualifying Hyatt stays and experiences.
These points are awarded in addition to the AAdvantage Miles these elites already earn when they book through American Airlines.
Thoughts
Hyatt Explorist status isn’t a hugely rewarding elite status, but it’s a status that’s worth having thanks to benefits like these:
- 2 pm late check-out.
- 20% bonus on all base points earned.
- Upgrades at check-in subject to availability.
If you have some Hyatt stays coming up in the next few months and don’t hold any kind of status with the World of Hyatt, the instant status that’s on offer here could be useful.
Whether it’s actually worth crediting the World of Hyatt program with 10 nights in 90 days to keep hold of Explorist status through February 2026 is another matter and will depend on an individual’s travel patterns.
The targeted Globalist offer is clearly the better of the two offers in this promotion, but while I love the Hyatt Globalist status I hold and occasionally do slightly irrational things to maintain it, it isn’t the powerhouse elite status that it once was if you don’t earn it the traditional way.
This is because, a few years ago, Hyatt separated out a lot of the key benefits that Globalist status offered and put them into its Milestone Rewards program, so key benefits (like guaranteed suite upgrades) are no longer linked to Globalist status.
They’re linked to the number of elite nights that a traveler credits to the World of Hyatt program.
What this means is that an AAdvantage elite member who earns elite status through these matches/challenges would still have to credit the same number of nights to the World of Hyatt program as a regular World of Hyatt member in order to enjoy the same benefits.
To put all of that in simple terms: This promotion does not offer a quick path to lounge passes or guaranteed suite upgrades and that’s why only those who can really make the most of Globalist status going forward should be considering throwing 20 nights Hyatt’s way to lock that elite status in.
Get the timing right
American Airlines AAdvantage elites may only have 90 days in which to earn the number of elite nights needed to lock in elite status through February 2026, but they don’t have to start the clock on those challenges until 31 October 2024.
This means that anyone considering using this promotion should make sure that they time their registration in such a way so as to (a) maximise the instant free Explorist status on offer and (b) give themselves the best possible chance of locking in that elite status through February 2026 (i.e. hold off registering, if you can, until you’re close to a busy travel period).
Bottom line
American Airlines elites are, again, being given the opportunity to enjoy instant World of Hyatt elite status and to lock that status in through February 2026 by crediting 10 elite nights to their World of Hyatt accounts within 90 days of registering for the promotion.
Select American Airlines elites are also being given the opportunity to lock in top-tier Globalist status by crediting 20 elite nights to their World of Hyatt accounts within 90 days of registering for the promotion, but anyone considering participating in this challenge should keep in mind that Globalist status earned through a challenge doesn’t come with a lot of the better benefits that now come through crediting 40+ elite nights to a World of Hyatt account.
Note: Select World of Hyatt elites are also being targeted for a promotion that can fast track them to AAdvantage elite status and we’ll publish details of those offers when we’ve had a chance to work out what they are.
