Given the number of cards many of us carry, we’re always worried about forgetting that a free night certificate is about to expire soon. Even though we have great resources like AwardWallet at our disposal, a few always tend to fall through the cracks. Ever since the Covid-19 pandemic upended the travel industry, many of us have been wondering what would happen to our expiring certificates. Hilton was one of the first hotel chains to offer an extension for its free night certificates on the Hilton Surpass and Hilton Aspire Card. They also converted the free weekend night into a free night on any day of the week. I also carry the World of Hyatt Credit card by Chase in my wallet. This card also offers free night certificates, one upon renewal and another after you spend $15,000 on the card in a year, but will Hyatt be next to offer an extension?
Hyatt Free Night Certificates
Doctor of Credit recently reported a positive data point. A reddit user indicated that Hyatt automatically extended a certificate expiring in February 2021 to December 2021.
Earlier this year Hyatt had announced that free night, suite upgrade and club lounge access awards that expire between March 1 and December 31, 2020 would be extended until December 31, 2021. A reddit user has just had their free night certificate that expires in February, 2021 extended until December 31, 2021.
Hyatt hasn’t extended the expiration date for my certificate, yet
The Pundit’s Mantra
In my opinion, Hilton did the smart thing to extend the expiration dates on their free night certificates. It would be great if Hyatt would follow suit. When customers aren’t traveling, you don’t want them to lose points or certificates. When they’re ready to travel again, these points and certificates act as a great incentive and influence which hotel brand they choose.
For example, I have a significant amount of Hilton and Hyatt points. I also carry the co-branded Hilton and Hyatt cards, which offer free night certificates. Whenever I plan my next big trip, Hilton and Hyatt will be top of mind for me in terms of booking a hotel stay. If a hotel chain lets my points and certificates expire earlier, I’m not as incentivized to choose that brand over others the next time I book travel.
Hat Tip to Doctor of Credit
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This travel credit card is one of my favorite hotel credit cards. You can earn a welcome bonus of 50,000 points when you apply for this card using the link below!
With this card, you’ll not only earn a free night each year when you renew the card, but If you pair it with this limited time offer, you’ll also earn 25% points back when you redeem your points until October 8, 2020.
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Disclosure: The Points Pundit receives NO compensation from credit card affiliate partnerships. Support the blog by applying for a card through my personal referral links. This article is meant for information purposes only and doesn’t constitute personal finance, health or investment advice. Please consult a licensed professional for advice pertaining to your situation.
I hope Hyatt will also extend its upgrade certificates. I have several that are set to expire in Feb 2021, and I’m afraid I won’t be able to use them until sometime later in 2021.
I do not get free night certificates from Hilton for my Surpass card
Hi R.Ruopp,
Unlike the Aspire card, you don’t earn the free night cert on the Surpass right away. You earn a free night cert once you spend $15,000 on the card in a calendar year.
Hi Points Pundit, Not sure if you know this or not – but I am very close to spending the $15k to get a free night on the credit card. With the changes that came with the virus with respect to free night certificates, if i finish my spend now, will the expiration be 1 year from now, or will it extend to 12/31/2021. I was thinking of waiting until Dec to finish the spend because I am not traveling anytime soon, but it might not matter if the expiration automatically goes to the end of 2021, in which case… Read more »