World of Hyatt drops American Airlines for Delta: what points holders should do before the deadlines

Hyatt announced on 9 September 2026 that it is ending its airline partnership with American Airlines AAdvantage and starting a new reciprocal partnership with Delta SkyMiles. If you have used the Hyatt to American link, or you earn Ultimate Rewards and transfer to Hyatt, the wind-down has real deadlines.

The timeline

Under the new deal, the shape is reciprocal: Hyatt elite members will earn Hyatt points on qualifying Delta airfare, and Delta Medallion members will earn Delta miles on qualifying Hyatt stays. Exact earning rates and status benefits have not been published; Hyatt and Delta say they will share more in the coming months.

Why this matters for card holders

Hyatt is the marquee transfer sweet spot for Chase Ultimate Rewards, so a large share of the people affected are card holders sitting on transferable points. The airline partnership is separate from card transfers (your points still move to Hyatt as before), but the cross-earning and status tie-ins on the airline side are changing hands from American to Delta. If your travel is built around American, that reciprocal benefit is on a clock.

What to do

• If you use the Hyatt to American link: connect your accounts before 15 November 2026 if you have not, and use the milestone and Loyalty Point selections while their windows are open (American benefits as Hyatt Milestone Rewards through 31 December 2026; Hyatt benefits as AAdvantage Loyalty Point Rewards through 28 February 2027).
• If you fly Delta: nothing to do yet. Wait for the earning rates before you change how you credit stays or flights.
• If you transfer points to Hyatt: your card transfers are unaffected. This is about which airline Hyatt cross-earns with, not the transfer ratio into Hyatt.

Want to see where your card's points move and at what ratio before you decide how to use them? CardPolo's transfer partner explorer lays out every program and ratio in one place.