Changes to Hyatt Visa Card

I just received an email from Hyatt advising me of the following, with respect to the Hyatt Visa from Chase:

On October 1, your Hyatt Credit Card will offer brand new features that can make your purchases and Hyatt stays even more rewarding. As an existing cardmember, you will be able to enjoy these features as soon as they launch – you do not need to register or reapply.

EARN MORE HYATT GOLD PASSPORT POINTS
Your Hyatt Credit Card could help you earn more Hyatt Gold Passport^® points than ever before, whether you’re dining at your favorite neighborhood restaurant or flying around the world.
new Earn 2 Hyatt Gold Passport points for every $1 spent at restaurants, on airline tickets when purchased directly from the airline, and at car rental agencies.¹
Plus, you’ll continue to earn 3 Hyatt Gold Passport points for every $1 spent at Hyatt properties worldwide and 1 Hyatt Gold Passport point for every $1 spent elsewhere.¹
There’s no limit to the number of points you can earn, and points never expire. Use your Hyatt Credit Card for all of your purchases, and see how quickly your points add up.

ENJOY ELITE STATUS
As a Hyatt Credit Cardmember, you’re entitled to Hyatt Gold Passport Platinum membership for as long as you are a cardmember.²
new You’ll also have an opportunity to earn and maintain Diamond status—our highest level of membership—more easily. When you spend the following amounts in a calendar year, we will award you with credits towards Diamond status:³
    $ 20,000 annually = 2 stay / 5 night credits
    $ 40,000 annually = an additional 3 stay / 5 night credits
Diamond status is achieved by completing either 25 stays or 50 nights at Hyatt properties each calendar year. Use your Hyatt Credit Card for every purchase and you’ll be even closer to enjoying all of the benefits of our most elite level of  membership.

^{2 Platinum status valid as long as your Hyatt Credit Card is open and not in default and you comply with Hyatt Gold Passport program rules. Authorized users will not be eligible for Platinum status or associated Platinum benefits.
3 Upon spending $20,000 in net purchases in a calendar year, you will receive 2 stay and 5 night credits toward tier status in your Hyatt Gold Passport account. Upon spending $40,000 in net purchases in a calendar year, you will receive an additional 3 stay and 5 night credits toward tier status in your Hyatt Gold Passport account (for a maximum of 5 stay and 10 night credits toward tier status per calendar year). Spending in excess of $40,000 will not earn any additional stay/night credits. After qualifying, please allow 2 to 3 weeks for stay/night credits to post to your Hyatt Gold Passport account. Stay/night credits are non-transferable. Stay and night credits count only toward tier status and are not Award Stays. For complete terms and conditions of the Hyatt Gold Passport program, see goldpassport.com. Chase is not responsible for offer fulfillment.}

^{You will earn 3 Hyatt Gold Passport® points for each $1 USD of net purchases made at participating properties and locations that are Hyatt owned, managed, franchised or licensed by Hyatt Corporation or its subsidiaries or affiliates. You will earn 2 Hyatt Gold Passport points for each $1 USD of net purchases made in any of the following categories: restaurants (excluding dining purchases at participating Hyatt properties and locations that qualify for the 3 Hyatt Gold Passport points described above); airline tickets – when purchased directly with the airline; car rental agencies. Merchants who accept Visa credit cards are assigned a merchant code based on the kinds of products and services they sell. Chase groups similar merchant codes into categories for purposes of making rewards offers to you. Chase makes every effort to include all relevant merchant codes in its listed categories. However, even though a merchant or the items that it sells may appear to fi t within a listed category, the merchant may not have a merchant code that falls within that category. Therefore, purchases with that merchant will not qualify for the stated rewards offer on category purchases. You will earn 1 Hyatt Gold Passport point for each $1 USD of all other net purchases. You do not earn Hyatt Gold Passport points in the card program on balance transfers, cash advances, cash-like charges such as travelers checks, foreign currency, and money orders, any checks that are used to access your account, overdraft advances, interest, unauthorized or fraudulent charges, or fees of any kind, including fees for products that protect or insure the balances of your account. There is no maximum number of points that you can accumulate in the card program. You must also be a member of Hyatt Gold Passport. See Card Program Rules and Regulations for details. All Hyatt Gold Passport terms and conditions apply and are available at goldpassport.com.}

The Hyatt Visa card is already a card that I own, and cherish.  While I have not had an opportunity to review the changes in detail, they appear to be extremely positive.  I love Diamond Hyatt Membership.  It will be interesting however to see the existing Diamond members reactions to this. Will they opine that this dilutes their status?  Stay tuned. 

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