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Although sometimes overlooked, hotel credit cards can be a lucrative addition to any wallet. Many of these cards offer generous sign-up bonuses or welcome offers, incredible hotel redemptions and free night perks.
We'll look at two mid-tier hotel credit cards: the World of Hyatt Credit Card and the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card. The World Of Hyatt card has a reasonable $95 annual fee, whereas the Hilton Surpass has a moderate $150 annual fee (see rates and fees).
World of Hyatt vs. Hilton Surpass overview
| World of Hyatt card | Hilton Surpass card | |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome offer | 35,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening. Plus, up to 30,000 more bonus points by earning 2 points per $1 spent on purchases that normally earn 1 point on up to $15,000 in the first six months of account opening. | Earn 155,000 Hilton Honors points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the card within the first six months of card membership. |
| Free night award | Earn a free night at a Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort every year after your cardmember anniversary and an extra free Category 1-4 night after spending $15,000 in a calendar year | Earn a free night reward after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases on your card in a calendar year |
| Earning points | 4 points per dollar at participating Hyatt hotels 2 points per dollar on local transit and commuting, restaurants, airline tickets purchased directly and fitness club and gym memberships 1 point per dollar on all other purchases | 12 points per dollar at participating Hilton hotels 6 points per dollar at U.S. restaurants, U.S. gas stations and U.S. supermarkets 4 points per dollar on U.S. online retail purchases 3 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases |
| Elite status | Discoverist status | Hilton Honors Gold; upgrade to Diamond by spending $40,000 in a calendar year |
| Redeeming points | Fixed award chart with nightly redemptions starting at 5,000 Hyatt points | Dynamic award chart |
| Statement credits | None | Up to $200 annually toward Hilton purchases |
| Benefits | No foreign transaction fees Travel and shopping protections | No foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees) Travel and shopping protections National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status Enrollment is required for select benefits |
World of Hyatt vs. Hilton Surpass welcome offer
The Hilton Surpass currently has a welcome offer of 155,000 Hilton Honors points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the card within the first six months of card membership. Hilton Honors points are worth 0.6 cents, according to TPG's valuations, so the welcome bonus is valued at $930.
Meanwhile, the World of Hyatt Credit Card staggers its sign-up bonus. You'll first receive 35,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening. Plus, up to 30,000 more bonus points by earning 2 bonus points total per $1 spent on purchases that normally earn 1 bonus point on up to $15,000 in the first six months of account opening. World of Hyatt points are worth 1.7 cents each (according to TPG's valuations), so the welcome bonus is also worth $1,020.
The Hyatt card is issued by Chase, which means it's subject to the restrictions of 5/24. That means you will not be approved for this card if you have opened five or more personal credit cards across all banks in the last 24 months.
Related: The award traveler's guide to Hilton Honors and the ultimate guide to the World of Hyatt
Winner: Hilton Surpass. Its spending requirement is easier than the World of Hyatt's approach.
World of Hyatt vs. Hilton Surpass benefits
The Hilton Surpass and the World of Hyatt card offer elite status with their respective brands, but the Hilton card goes one step further.
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Hilton Surpass cardholders receive automatic Hilton Gold status. TPG values Hilton Gold status at $1,220 based on its perks at Hilton portfolio properties. Gold status perks include bonus points on stays and space-available upgrades for up to executive rooms.
If you spend more than $40,000 on the card in a calendar year, you'll be bumped to top-tier Hilton Diamond status through the end of the next calendar year.
Meanwhile, World of Hyatt cardholders get automatic entry-level Discoverist status, with benefits such as late checkout, preferred rooms and a 10% points bonus on eligible purchases. According to our valuations, Discoverist status is worth only $165.
Related: 5 easy ways to maximize the World of Hyatt program
Both of these mid-tier hotel cards offer a free night award — but differ in how you earn it.
For the Hilton Surpass, you'll receive a complimentary free night reward after you spend $15,000 on your card in a calendar year. You can use this free night at almost any Hilton property worldwide. Even the most expensive Hilton properties (think Conrads and Waldorfs) qualify for this free night reward.
The World of Hyatt card offers an annual free night certificate at a Category 1-4 Hyatt property, which you'll receive every account anniversary. This can be worth much more than the card's $95 annual fee but does not include more premium properties in the Hyatt portfolio. However, you can also get a second free Category 1-4 night after spending $15,000 in a calendar year.
Compared to the Surpass, you'll essentially be getting two free nights versus one night with the Hilton — with the caveat being the Hilton night can be at a super high-end property.
Related: Best uses of Hyatt free night certificates
The Surpass offers a statement credit of up to $200 at eligible Hilton properties. Cardmembers receive up to $50 in statement credit each quarter when using their Hilton Surpass for Hilton purchases. Eligible purchases include room rates and incidental charges at Hilton portfolio properties.
Cardholders also receive Emerald Club Executive status with National Car Rental and various travel and shopping protections. No foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees) on the card is also a great benefit when using the card outside of the U.S.
Similarly, the World of Hyatt also provides several purchase and travel protections, along with no foreign transaction fees. You can also earn five elite qualifying nights every year you have the card, with the opportunity to earn even more elite credit. Also, every $5,000 spent on the card will earn you two additional qualifying nights.
Winner: Surpass. While the World of Hyatt offers a free night certificate with no spending requirement, the Surpass has superior elite status and a $200 Hilton statement credit.
Earning points with the World of Hyatt vs. Hilton Surpass
With the Hilton Surpass, you'll receive Hilton Honors points at the following rates:
- 12 points per dollar at participating Hilton hotels
- 6 points per dollar on dining at U.S. restaurants, U.S. gas stations and U.S. supermarkets
- 4 points per dollar on U.S. online retail purchases
- 3 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases
Related: What's the best Hilton card for you?
Meanwhile, the World of Hyatt card earns bonus points with these categories:
- 4 points per dollar at participating Hyatt hotels
- 2 points per dollar on local transit and commuting, restaurants, airline tickets purchased directly and fitness club and gym memberships
- 1 point per dollar on all other purchases
Winner: Tie. Considering TPG's valuations of World of Hyatt and Hilton Honors points, they have a very similar earning structure.
Redeeming points with the World of Hyatt vs. Hilton Surpass
Your best bet for both of these cards will be to redeem for hotel stays with each respective brand.
Hilton has a much larger global footprint than Hyatt, so consider that when deciding which card is a better fit for you.
With Hilton Honors, there is no award chart to determine how many points you need for a particular stay. This makes it difficult to determine how many points you'll need until you are ready to book. However, Hilton does have a Points Explorer tool that allows you to check the maximum number of points required to book a standard room at a particular property or for multiple properties in a specific area.
Related: The best hotel cards that come with an annual free night
Meanwhile, the best way to redeem World of Hyatt points is for free nights and upgrades. You also have the option to redeem points for dining, spa visits, Lindblad Expeditions and other experiences, but you're almost always better off using points for hotel rooms.
Redemptions for standard rooms start at 3,5,000 points per night at Category 1 hotels and 45,000 per night at Category 8 hotels.
In general, awards are typically lower in cost than other programs, and there are some amazing opportunities to get a lot of value from your Hyatt points, more so than Hilton.
Winner: World of Hyatt, thanks to a fixed award chart offering cheaper redemption options.
Should I get the World of Hyatt or Hilton Surpass?
The World of Hyatt card offers a lower annual fee, cheaper award redemptions and a free night certificate without any spending requirement. However, Hilton enthusiasts may find the higher annual fee (see rates and fees) on the Surpass easier to digest when taking into account its superior elite status benefits, Hilton statement credits and larger property footprint.
Related: Should I get the World of Hyatt Credit Card or transfer points from Chase instead?
Bottom line
At the end of the day, the card that is better suited for you may come down to brand and loyalty preference. In general, the World of Hyatt program is more lucrative, but the Hilton Gold elite status benefits may also be more enticing to you.
Another consideration is that the Hilton Honors and World of Hyatt programs partner with transferable points currencies. You can transfer Amex Membership Rewards points to Hilton, and you can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Hyatt. Transferable points are a powerful tool, so if you don't have enough points with a specific program, you can easily shift points from another program that you hold a balance with.
To learn more, read our full reviews of the World of Hyatt and Surpass cards.
Apply here: World of Hyatt card
Apply here: Hilton Surpass card
For rates and fees of the Hilton Surpass card, click here.
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
