You can now redeem your Hyatt points for a free stay at 6 new all-inclusive resorts

For travelers who love staying at all-inclusive resorts, Hyatt is one of the better brands out there thanks to its good properties and deals to be had. Specifically, the luxurious Hyatt Ziva and Hyatt Zilara brands already fall within the World of Hyatt portfolio. And starting Monday, April 4, members now have even more properties to consider when using World of Hyatt points for an all-inclusive stay.

In 2021, Hyatt announced the acquisition of Apple Leisure Group, which includes more than 100 all-inclusive luxury properties across Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and Europe through its AMR Collection. This collection consists of a number of resorts where you’ll experience beach-front settings, world-class spas, gourmet food, unlimited premium beverages, 24-hour room service and many activities right at your fingertips.

For those looking to travel with their family, there are family-friendly resorts in the portfolio, such as Dreams Resorts & Spa, Now Resorts & Spa and Sunscape Resorts & Spa. However, if you’re looking for a quieter, adults-only getaway, there are Secrets Resorts & Spa and Breathless Resorts & Spa. The Zoëtry Wellness & Spa Resorts are catered toward adults but allow children to join. In Europe, there are also Alua Hotels & Resorts, which offer both family-friendly and adults-only options, depending on the location.

Monday, April 4 marks the start of the integration between Hyatt and the AMR Collection properties wherein you can now earn and redeem World of Hyatt points at six AMR Collection properties in Cancun. While this is just a handful of properties out of the entire AMR Collection, on May 9, 2022, Hyatt will welcome more than 50 additional properties within the Americas. The rest of the resorts will be integrated at a future date.

Here’s what you can expect from Hyatt’s latest updates.

With the integration of the AMR Collection, Hyatt is implementing a new award chart for all of its all-inclusive properties. Yes, even the existing six Hyatt Ziva and three Hyatt Zilara resorts within the Hyatt portfolio will now fall under this new award chart.

The new all-inclusive award chart exists separately from Hyatt’s traditional award chart and follows an A through F category structure. All-inclusive properties on the new award chart cost between 15,000 points and 50,000 points per night for a standard night with double occupancy. Similar to the rest of the World of Hyatt properties, the award chart will also include peak and off-peak pricing.

The number of points required per night is valid for up to two guests in the room. After that, each guest costs an additional number of points, which is determined based on the category level and whether you’re staying on standard, peak or off-peak dates.

It’s worth noting that members will also be able to redeem their free night award certificates at all-inclusive properties. For members who have a Category 1-7 free night award certificate, they can be redeemed at an all-inclusive property that falls within Category A-D. Unfortunately, Category 1-4 free night award certificates cannot be used at all-inclusive properties in the new award chart.

When it comes to hotel and airline loyalty program changes, that typically means bad news for travelers. But, in our opinion, this is actually a favorable new award chart for consumers to take advantage of. Although the categories haven’t been announced for all of the properties in the World of Hyatt and AMR Collection portfolios, from the ones we’ve seen thus far, we’re quite pleased.

As previously mentioned, Hyatt is starting with six AMR Collection properties in Cancun for the start of its integration. As of April 4, you can now earn and redeem Hyatt points for stays at these six Cancun properties at the following rates.

It’s also worth noting that the existing all-inclusive properties in Cancun — the Hyatt Ziva Cancun, Hyatt Zilara Cancun and Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun — will now fall into the new award chart. As of April 4, each of the existing three properties will fall into the Category C bucket. This means they’ll cost the same number of points in the new award chart as the old award chart — 25,000 points for a standard night.

We sifted through the new options and found award availability to be very favorable when using points for a free stay. Each hotel that’s now incorporated in the World of Hyatt portfolio offers its own room type, and many allow you to use additional points to book a standard suite, premium suite and even a club access room.

For example, at the Zoëtry Paraiso de la Bonita Riviera Maya, just 25,000 points per night on a standard date will book you into a 1,130-square-foot ocean-front one-bedroom suite. The room even offers a terrace with a hammock and two sun loungers. Or, you can book a slightly bigger room — a standard suite — with its own plunge pool for 40,000 points per night. With rooms typically costing well over $700 per night, this is a great usage of your World of Hyatt points.

Or, if your family is looking to get away during the holiday time in December, there are still many properties with availability to use your points for a free stay. While you’ll most likely have to pay peak pricing because of the high-demand dates, it beats the $900 or more price tag per night. At the Dreams Playa Mujeres Golf Resort & Spa, for example, you can redeem 29,000 points per night to stay in a 600-square-foot junior suite at the Category C property. Families will appreciate the two queen bed set up with a sofa bed to spread out even more. These rooms also feature your own hot tub on a private terrace.

In addition to earning World of Hyatt points through the traditional method of staying at a Hyatt property, you can earn points through various credit cards. The quickest way to earn them quickly is through sign-up bonuses and then building on that stash by putting everyday spend on your card.

World of Hyatt offers two credit card options: the World of Hyatt Credit Card and World of Hyatt Business Credit Card.

With the personal World of Hyatt Credit Card offer, card holders can earn up to 60,000 bonus points — 30,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening, then up to 30,000 additional bonus points by earning 2 points for every dollar you spend on purchases that normally earn only 1 point, on up to $15,000 in the first six months after you open the account.

For those eligible for a business credit card, the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card currently offers 75,000 bonus points after you spend $7,500 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

However, if you want a credit card that provides you with more flexibility — and the option to transfer your points to other hotel and airline loyalty partners — there’s the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve®. Both of these cards earn Chase Ultimate Reward points, which can be transferred to the World of Hyatt program at a one-to-one ratio — among 13 other hotel and airline partners.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred is currently offering 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months. If you want a more premium card, you might prefer the Chase Sapphire Reserve, although the welcome offer is slightly lower at 50,000 points after you spend the same $4,000 on purchases in the first three months.

These credit card options allow the everyday person to work their way up to accruing enough points to redeem for a top-notch Hyatt vacation. And with the addition of more than 100 all-inclusive properties working their way into the program, you’ll have even more options to redeem your points to truly experience relaxation at its finest — without having to take out your wallet.

Check out CNN Underscored’s guide to the best travel credit cards of 2022.