Costco selling Hyatt Check Certificates (Not Applicable to Pre-paid Rates)
My local Costco is selling Hyatt gift checks - 2x$50 for $80. Purchase them by taking a laminated card to the cashier and they give you the gift checks. Not sure how widespread this is, as the laminated card seems kind of homemade, so perhaps they are test marketing the idea.
I can't find any limitations on use of the checks in terms of earning points, FFNs, etc. Basically looking at this as a way to get 20% off any spending on room, food, etc.
Does anyone know of issues I'm not thinking of?
Thanks!
Edit by peteropny Addition of FAQs:
Are these certs usable on prepaid rates?
According to the T&Cs - these certificates are not applicable to pre-paid rates since the credit card is charged "at that time" - However, some people have reported being able to get the property to reverse the charge to credit card and apply these certificates to the stay - This is going above and beyond - do not expect properties to do that.
What rates are these certs usable on?
Most stays that are not prepaid may be paid for by these certs. There has been reports of refusal of properties to accept these certs for "pre-negotiated" rates (corporate, conference) but AAA, Senior, Costco & Government rates should not be a problem. See http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/14130848-post1271.html
Can incidentals be paid for with these certs?
If the incidentals are generated by property owned sources - YES. If its from a third party provider - YMMV.
Can you get change in cash from these certs?
Generally no but if you know that the folio is under a $50 increment - you can always charge more to the room to get to the $50 multiple (ie if your room charges with tax is $198 - it may be beneficial to charge $2 (or slightly more) to the room so that you can use 4 of the $50 certs).
Is $50 the only denomination that is sold?
Yes - except it appears that Hyatt mistakenly shipped some $25 ones to a Chicago area Costco but they've been withdrawn.
Which Costcos carry these certs?
It appears that most (if not all) Costcos have at some point carried these certs. Please post if certain Costcos do not carry them (and not just out of stock for a few days). You can check on whether a particular Costco carry (and have in stock) these certs by calling and asking for the admin office.
Does usage of these certs affect the "eligibility" of stay credit, points, miles, promotions (such as BWB, AA25K etc)?
No - "eligibility" is governed by the underlying reservation and other T&Cs of promotions - these certs are just a form of payment.
What properties can these certs be used at?
According to - https://www.certificates.hyatt.com/W...lidHotels.aspx - Check Certs (which these are) may be used at all Hyatt properties worldwide. However, at non-US locations, usage would be subject to the property's posted exchange rate between USD and the local currency which probably would render the savings smaller than the up to 20% at US properties - YMMV on this issue.
Which Costco locations have you seen these at? I have not seen them at my local (Metro Detroit) locations.
This would certainly help me next month, as I plan 13 stays in January (to requalify for Diamond through 2/12).
The only challenge I see is asking the check in person to accept them at check in vs. check out, since I don't really plan to spend the night during any of these stays.
__________________ Rule #1 of Mistake Fares: Don't call the airline till the fare is long gone.
We just called the Costco in Carlsbad, CA, and were told that they carry the Hyatt gift cards. Since we haven't seen them, we do not know if they are good at all the Hyatt brands, or only HP/SS as bbbb thinks.
I just bought a slew of these in King of Prussia, PA. (I live in CA but am visiting family here.) Don't think there are any restrictions - check "certificates.hyatt.com" for details. They are Hyatt Check Certificates, not gift cards, and it looks to me as if they are valid just about anywhere, and for anything except for on-site concessions. What a great way to save 20%!!!
I just bought a slew of these in King of Prussia, PA. (I live in CA but am visiting family here.) Don't think there are any restrictions - check "certificates.hyatt.com" for details. They are Hyatt Check Certificates, not gift cards, and it looks to me as if they are valid just about anywhere, and for anything except for on-site concessions. What a great way to save 20%!!!
That's what I thought! They are available here at the Costcos here in NJ!
I just bought a slew of these in King of Prussia, PA. (I live in CA but am visiting family here.) Don't think there are any restrictions - check "certificates.hyatt.com" for details. They are Hyatt Check Certificates, not gift cards, and it looks to me as if they are valid just about anywhere, and for anything except for on-site concessions. What a great way to save 20%!!!
I'm just home from Costco and agree with your assessment. You can find the list of participating properties here:
Wow! I would imagine Costco makes another 10% or so to sell the certificates. Sounds like Hyatt really wants to sell them in the down economy.
It seems strange that Hyatt no longer gives GP points with purchases gift cards and certs directly on their website. A few years back they ran a promotion of 10 GP points with every dollar of gift cards purchased. I purchased a bunch and gave them as employee incentives and gifts.
I would think Hyatt would sell a lot more cards and certs without having to discount margins by 30% if they went the GP route and increased customer loyalty via GP.
