How to get World of Hyatt status

If you already carry the World of Hyatt Credit Card (Chase), you already have Discoverist — it's automatic for as long as you hold the card, no stay or application needed, and the card also throws in 5 tier-qualifying night credits a year toward whatever you're building beyond that. This is a US card, and it's the easiest way into Hyatt status by a wide margin. The World of Hyatt Business Credit Card (Chase) works the same way for Discoverist — automatic for as long as you hold it — though it carries a $199 annual fee and, unlike the personal card, doesn't add automatic night credits toward higher tiers.

The only other route in isn't free. American AAdvantage runs an ongoing Loyalty Point Rewards program that lets Platinum members redeem accumulated Loyalty Points for Hyatt status as a milestone reward, and roughly 100,000 Loyalty Points gets you Discoverist. Holding AAdvantage Platinum alone doesn't do it — you have to actually earn the points threshold, which makes this a much slower play than just picking up the Hyatt card.

Explorist and Globalist aren't handed out just for holding a card, but you can spend into them. The personal World of Hyatt Card adds 5 automatic night credits a year and then 2 more per $5,000 spent; the business card skips the automatic credits and earns 5 per $10,000. Explorist needs 30 qualifying nights, which works out to roughly $65,000 on the personal card or $60,000 on the business card in a calendar year; Globalist needs 60, which runs about $140,000 on the personal card or $120,000 on the business card. Chase Sapphire Reserve offers a separate shortcut straight to Explorist: $75,000 in purchases a year on the personal card, or $120,000 on the business version, unlocks Explorist status that carries through the following calendar year and into February of the year after that.