After twelve years analyzing loyalty programs and personally booking over 240 award nights, I've learned something most travelers miss: buying Hyatt points doesn't mean paying Hyatt's prices.
That’s where the secondary market, such as platforms like The Miles Market, come in. They consistently deliver 40-60% savings over retail, but only if you understand why these points exist in the first place. Most people don't realize that business owners with 6-figure annual corporate spending accumulate 300,000+ Hyatt points they'll never use.
That business consultant flying to Sacramento every week? She's not using those points for Maldives overwater bungalows. At The Miles Market, I've seen these 'orphaned points' transform travel dreams while putting cash back in sellers' pockets for assets that would otherwise expire worthless.
Can You Actually Buy Hyatt Points Below Retail? (The 2026 Reality)
Yes, but only one method delivers consistent 40-60% savings. Hyatt sells points directly for $0.024 each. Credit card transfers reduce that cost slightly. Dining programs earn points much slower.
The secondary market, where verified sellers list points through secure escrow platforms, typically prices Hyatt points at $0.012-$0.014 each. That's approximately 50% savings, not marketing spin.
Here's what most articles won't tell you: this market exists because the math doesn't work for high-volume earners. A sales director earning 250,000 points annually through business travel has maybe two weeks of vacation. Those points accumulate faster than life allows them to be spent.
Method #1 – Strategic Credit Card Transfers (Slow, But Accessible)
Credit card transfers sound elegant: earn Chase Ultimate Rewards or Amex points, then move them to Hyatt at 1:1 ratios. In practice, this strategy works best for topping off existing balances, not building point portfolios from scratch.
Which Cards Transfer to Hyatt in 2026?
Chase Ultimate Rewards ecosystem: Chase Sapphire Reserve earns 3x on dining and travel, Chase Sapphire Preferred offers 2x in those categories, and Ink Business Preferred delivers 3x on common business expenses. All transfer to Hyatt instantly.
Bilt Rewards: The Bilt Mastercard uniquely earns 1x points on rent payments (up to 100,000 points annually). For renters spending $3,000+ monthly, this creates 36,000 points per year.
The Hidden Cost: Time + Spending Requirements
To acquire 45,000 points through dining spend would require $15,000 over 6-12 months. Now let’s be honest, that’s money that could purchase the same points three times over on the secondary market.
My take: I use credit card transfers to top off balances, never as my primary acquisition method. The timeline is too slow and the opportunity cost too high.
Method #2 – Retail Promotions (Expensive Even With 'Bonuses')
Hyatt runs promotions offering 30-40% bonus points several times per year. These sound compelling until you examine the actual cost per point.
Why Hyatt's "40% Bonus" Still Costs Too Much
Even with a 40% bonus, your effective cost is $0.0171 per point. That’s still 50% more expensive than secondary market rates of $0.012 per point. Buying directly from Hyatt means paying maximum price. The only scenario where retail makes sense is if you need points immediately and can't wait for secondary market processing. That being said, The Miles Market has shown exceptionally fast processes this past year, closing the gap with the retail market.
Method #3 – Secondary Market Purchases (How I Save 40-60% Every Time)
This is where the real value lives. The secondary market isn't a loophole, it's a mature marketplace solving a genuine problem for high-volume points earners who can't use what they've legitimately accumulated.
Understanding the Seller: Why This Market Exists
In my years working in the industry, these are the typical seller profiles I have encountered. I found that understanding who they are adds comforting logic to the process.
Corporate consultants: Flying 150+ segments annually generates hundreds of thousands of Hyatt points per year. These professionals have 2-3 weeks vacation maximum. They accumulate points 10x faster than they can redeem them.
Small business owners: Running $200K annually through credit cards for vendor payments and business expenses. If they're using the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card, that's 200,000+ points yearly. Now let’s be honest, many haven't taken a vacation in three years.
Sales professionals: Their companies pay for business travel directly, but personal credit cards earn the points. They're accumulating massive balances on trips they didn't pay for, and they'd rather have cash for their kids' college funds.
The seller's problem is real: Points don't expire with account activity, but they also don't grow in value. A seller watching 500,000 points sit unused is holding a depreciating asset. Hotel loyalty programs regularly devalue points, increase award pricing, or reduce availability.
One verified seller told me in March 2025: "I had 780,000 Hyatt points and two weeks vacation. I needed a new HVAC system. The choice was obvious." He sold 600,000 points for $7,200, kept 180,000 for a future anniversary trip, and fixed his air conditioning.
That’s the reality in 2026 - The secondary market gives sellers real value for assets the loyalty programs never intended them to monetize.
How The Miles Market Protects Both Parties (Why I Only Use Them)
I've tested a couple different marketplaces over the years (and for the sake of this research). The Miles Market is the only platform where I'd sell my own points, and that tells you everything about their security infrastructure.
Seller verification process:
- Business documentation review for corporate sellers
- Earning history analysis (flags suspicious velocity)
- Account authentication without password sharing
- Identity verification matching account holder names
Escrow mechanics: Your payment sits in escrow, meaning it is not released to the seller until points successfully transfer to your account. The seller never sees your account credentials. You never share your password.
The security moat: Ten years in operation. Zero successful fraud attempts. PCI-DSS Level 1 compliance - that’s the same security standard used by major financial institutions.
Why this matters: I've heard nightmare stories from other platforms. Buyers sending payment directly to sellers who disappear. Points reversing weeks after purchase because they were fraudulently obtained.
The Miles Market's track record speaks for itself. I trust them because they've earned that trust through consistent execution.
The Real Math: 50% Savings
Current secondary market rates typically range from $0.0115 to $0.014 per point. For 100,000 Hyatt points, you're looking at $1,200 on the secondary market versus $2,400 at retail. A smart, genuine $1,200 savings (50% discount).
For Category 8 properties like Park Hyatt New York or Park Hyatt Kyoto requiring 45,000 points, you'd pay $540 on the secondary market versus $1,080 at retail. The cash rates for these properties often exceed $1,500 per night.
This is why I built my entire Hyatt strategy around secondary market purchases. The math is simply too compelling to ignore.
Method #4 – Mattress Run Strategies (Complicated + Diminishing Returns)
A 'mattress run' means booking hotel stays you don't actually need: paying for rooms to earn points and elite status. Even in best-case scenarios, you're looking at costs barely better than retail, and you're physically checking into hotels you're not using.
Hyatt Globalist status now requires 60 qualifying nights or 100,000 base points annually. But the benefits have eroded, suite upgrades are increasingly scarce, and club lounge access disappeared at many hotels during COVID.
My take: The least compelling of methods. You're spending over two grand on unnecessary hotel stays to earn status that might get you upgraded twice. On the secondary market, that money buys enough for 15-30 award nights at mid-tier properties.
Method #5 – Hyatt Dining Program & Partners (The Slowest Path)
This one is for the restaurant goers who go very very often.. The Hyatt dining program lets you earn a couple of points per dollar at participating restaurants. To accumulate 45,000 points through dining, you'd need to spend $9,000-15,000 over 2-3 years. And that’s counting on you living in a major city with participating restaurants, as suburban areas usually only have a small handful of participating restaurants.
I earn maybe 8,000-12,000 points per year from restaurants I'd visit anyway. And that's a nice bonus, not a strategy. Treat dining earnings as passive accumulation. Never architect your spending around these programs, the yields are too low and timelines too long.
The Cost Comparison: Why Secondary Market Wins
Here's how all five methods stack up when you need 100,000 Hyatt points:
The winner is clear. Secondary market purchases deliver 50% cost savings with minimal complexity and fast execution.
Red Flags: What I Never Do When Acquiring Points
After testing multiple platforms and hearing nightmare stories, here's my absolute avoid list:
Never use non-escrow platforms. If a marketplace asks you to send payment directly to sellers via Venmo or wire transfer, you have zero protection. I've heard stories of buyers losing $3,000-8,000 to sellers who disappeared.
Avoid "too good to be true" pricing under $0.01/point. Those points are either fraudulently obtained or the seller plans to reverse the transaction.
Never respond to Reddit/forum 'gift' requests. Anonymous users posting 'DM me, I'll transfer points as a gift' are running scams.
Why The Miles Market's model works: Verified sellers + escrow = trust. The platform's financial incentive aligns with transaction success.
Your Next Move: Building Your Hyatt Portfolio
If you're new to buying points, here's how I'd structure your approach:
Beginners: Start with the secondary market for your immediate redemption needs. Identify the specific Hyatt property and dates you want to book. Calculate the exact point requirement. Then purchase that amount through The Miles Market. You'll see the 50% savings firsthand.
Intermediate travelers: Use the secondary market as your primary acquisition method, supplemented by credit card transfers when you have natural spending.
Advanced users: Build a rolling 12-month inventory through quarterly secondary market purchases, monitor award availability using Seats.aero, and track point valuations with PointsYeah.
Calculate your personal "value ceiling": Only buy points when the cost is less than what you'd pay in cash. For Category 8 properties averaging $1,200/night cash rates, buying points for $540 makes perfect sense.
A note for potential sellers: If you're sitting on 200,000+ points you won't use in the next two years, they're depreciating assets. Award chart devaluations happen regularly. Convert them while they hold value.
Essential tools:
- Seats.aero: Real-time award availability search
- PointsYeah: Track point valuations and redemption ROI
- AwardWallet: Consolidate all loyalty balances
The secondary market for Hyatt points works because it solves real problems for both parties. High-volume earners get liquidity for assets they can't use. Budget-conscious travelers access luxury properties at 50% discounts.
After twelve years in this space, I've seen dozens of acquisition strategies. The secondary market consistently delivers the best combination of cost savings, speed, and simplicity.
That's why it remains my primary method, and why I trust The Miles Market with considerable annual transaction volumes. The math works. The security infrastructure protects both parties. The seller base is legitimate.
Build your Hyatt portfolio strategically, and you'll unlock travel experiences that would otherwise cost thousands more.
