American Airlines and World of Hyatt are ending the enhanced loyalty relationship they have run since 2019. The split takes effect November 15, 2026 — and that date is also a hard deadline. Any member who has not linked their AAdvantage and World of Hyatt accounts by 11:59 p.m. CT on November 15 will not be able to select any World of Hyatt reward after that.

Linking by the deadline does not save the partnership. It buys a wind-down. AAdvantage members who link in time can keep earning World of Hyatt awards through Loyalty Point Rewards through February 28, 2027, and select them through March 31, 2027. World of Hyatt members who link in time can keep earning AAdvantage awards through Milestone Rewards through December 31, 2026.

There is a second November 15 deadline hiding inside the first. AAdvantage members who want to redeem miles for a World of Hyatt Free Night Award must redeem it by 11:59 p.m. CT on November 15 — the same night the linking window closes. Awards already redeemed stay usable under their original terms, including their expiration dates.

One piece of the partnership survives the split. AAdvantage members can keep choosing 500 AAdvantage miles instead of World of Hyatt points on eligible Hyatt stays, by giving their AAdvantage number at check-in, even after the broader relationship ends.

The deadlines and who qualifies

• Link your accounts by 11:59 p.m. CT, November 15, 2026. Both accounts must be in good standing, your first and last names must match across the two programs, and you must be at least 18. Linking is free and done from either your AAdvantage account page or your World of Hyatt account page — you do not need to link from both.
• AAdvantage members: earn World of Hyatt awards through Loyalty Point Rewards through February 28, 2027, and select them through March 31, 2027. Hyatt status selected this way applies through February 29, 2028.
• World of Hyatt members: earn AAdvantage awards through Milestone Rewards through December 31, 2026.
• Free Night Award redemptions: AAdvantage members must redeem World of Hyatt Free Night Awards by 11:59 p.m. CT, November 15, 2026. Redemptions are limited to four per member per unlocked Loyalty Point level. Awards already redeemed remain usable under their original terms.
• The 500-mile option: AAdvantage members can continue to earn 500 AAdvantage miles instead of World of Hyatt points on eligible Hyatt stays by providing their AAdvantage number at check-in — this continues after the partnership ends, and it does not require linked accounts.

What the split actually costs — and what it does not

On the American side, the crossover rewards were real status, not token perks. At 100,000 Loyalty Points, members unlock World of Hyatt Discoverist status. At 175,000 or 250,000 Loyalty Points, they can choose Explorist status. At 400,000, 550,000 or 750,000 Loyalty Points, the choice includes a Category 1–4 Free Night Award; at 1, 3 or 5 million Loyalty Points, a Category 1–7 Free Night Award. Status earned this way and selected by March 31, 2027 applies through February 29, 2028 — so a linked member who crosses 100,000 Loyalty Points before the February 28, 2027 cutoff keeps Discoverist for more than a year after the partnership is gone.

The sharper deadline is the redemption route. Members who reach 40,000 Loyalty Points — AAdvantage Gold — can redeem 25,000 miles for a Category 1–4 Free Night Award, and members at 125,000 Loyalty Points — Platinum Pro — can redeem 65,000 miles for a Category 1–7 award. Those redemptions must happen by November 15, and linking is a precondition, so a member who waits until November 15 to link has hours, not weeks, to redeem.

The math on that redemption is worth doing before you spend the miles. At 1.45 cents per AAdvantage mile, 25,000 miles is about $363. A standard Category 4 award costs 15,000 Hyatt points, roughly $255 at 1.7 cents per point. Paying miles for the certificate is the expensive route on a standard-priced night — its real value is for members sitting on miles with no Hyatt points, or for a Category 4 stay where the points price is at the top of the chart. Do not redeem speculatively: once the miles leave your account, they are gone, and the certificate cannot be changed or transferred.

On the Hyatt side, the Milestone Rewards that disappear after December 31, 2026 are seat coupons and status. At 20 qualifying nights, members could choose two Preferred Seat Coupons on American; at 40 nights, two Main Cabin Extra Seat Coupons; at 70, 80 or 90 nights, AAdvantage Gold status. Those are the last Hyatt-side awards on the table, and only linked members can still earn them.

What is not ending matters as much as what is. The reciprocal earning that most members remember — bonus miles on Hyatt stays and bonus Hyatt points on American flights — already ended on December 31, 2024. What ends now is the milestone and status crossover, not dual earning. And the 500-mile-per-stay option is the one piece that outlives the split, though at about $7.25 of miles per stay it is worth less than the Hyatt points it replaces on a typical $200 stay, which would earn 1,000 base points worth roughly $17.

Hyatt has already named its replacement: a long-term collaboration with Delta Air Lines, announced the same day as the split, September 9, 2026. When it launches, eligible elite members of both programs will be able to earn World of Hyatt points and Delta miles on qualifying travel. Hyatt says the dual-earn benefit is launching "in the coming months," with details on launch timing, eligibility and earning rates still to come. Until those details are published, it is a press release, not a plan — do not count on it for 2027 travel.

Who benefits—and who should skip it

Link before November 15 if you are close to a threshold. An AAdvantage member sitting at 90,000 Loyalty Points or above can still cross 100,000 before February 28, 2027 and hold Discoverist through February 2028. A Hyatt member at 60 or more qualifying nights can still reach 70 before December 31 and take AAdvantage Gold. And anyone holding an unredeemed Enhance with Miles free night should redeem it before November 15 — after that, the miles stay in your account but the certificate is gone.

Linking costs nothing, so link even if you are not close. There is no fee and no downside to having the accounts linked; the only risk is missing the window and losing the option entirely.

Skip the chase if the math does not work. Do not manufacture Hyatt nights or American spend to reach a crossover reward that disappears in 2027. A status that runs through February 2028 is not worth a December mattress run, and the 500-mile option works without linking — so if the only thing you ever used was the miles-per-stay choice, you do not need to do anything at all.

Awardtrail analysis

This is a two-minute job with a one-week fuse, and the only mistake is leaving it until November 15. Link the accounts now, then check two numbers: your Loyalty Point total against 100,000 and 175,000, and whether you hold any unredeemed Enhance with Miles free night. If you are a Hyatt-heavy traveler, check your qualifying-night count against 70 before December 31. After that, the American–Hyatt era is over — and the Delta collaboration is the next thing to watch, but only once Hyatt publishes rates, dates and enrollment details.

Primary source: American Airlines — AAdvantage and World of Hyatt terms and conditions

Verified: November 8, 2026