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You don't need to pay a hefty annual fee to get sizable value from a credit card. Cards like The World of Hyatt Credit Card (Rates & Fees) and the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card provide excellent hotel benefits for modest annual fees. Plus, these cards are linked to two of the best hotel programs around, World of Hyatt and Hilton Honors. However, each card has different points earning potential, benefits, and access to free night certificates.
Which card is the best option for you? Let's compare.
- Up to 9X points total per $1 spent at Hyatt - 4X points per $1 when you use your card at Hyatt hotels & 5X points per $1 you can earn as a World of Hyatt member
- 2X points per $1 spent at restaurants, on airlines tickets purchased directly from the airlines, on local transit and commuting and on fitness club and gym memberships
- 1X point per $1 everywhere else
(Terms Apply)
- 12X bonus points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio
- 6X bonus points for each dollar of eligible purchases on your card at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations
- 4X bonus points on U.S online retail purchases
- 3X bonus points for all other eligible purchases on your card
Page Contents
Hilton Surpass vs World of Hyatt Card: Annual Fees
Both of these cards have an annual fee of under $150. The World of Hyatt Card has an annual fee of $95 (Rates & Fees) while the Hilton Surpass has an annual fee of $150(Rates & Fees). However, the benefits of these cards can help offset the cost to carry them.
Hilton Surpass and World of Hyatt Card: Welcome Offers
One of the biggest incentives to pick up either the Hilton Surpass or the World of Hyatt Card is the welcome offer. Here are the bonuses available on both cards right now:
- World of Hyatt Card: Earn up to 60,000 Bonus Points. Earn 30,000 Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Plus, up to 30,000 More Bonus Points by earning 2 Bonus Points total per $1 spent in the first 6 months from account opening on purchases that normally earn 1 Bonus Point, on up to $15,000 spent.
- Hilton Surpass: Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership.
It’s worth noting that these bonuses change over time. If you’d like to see the history of card offers, whether to get a sense of what to expect in the future or to compare today’s bonus with past ones, here’s a link to the offer history for American Express cards and a link to the offer history for Chase cards.
Hilton Surpass vs World of Hyatt Card: Points Earning
The Hilton Surpass has outstanding earning capabilities on everyday spending:
- 12X bonus points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio
- 6X bonus points for each dollar of eligible purchases on your card at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations
- 4X bonus points on U.S online retail purchases
- 3X bonus points for all other eligible purchases on your card
Keep in mind, the Hilton Surpass card comes with automatic Hilton Gold status, which means you'll earn additional bonus points on Hilton stays.
The World of Hyatt Card has a smaller number of available earning categories:
- Up to 9X points total per $1 spent at Hyatt - 4X points per $1 when you use your card at Hyatt hotels & 5X points per $1 you can earn as a World of Hyatt member
- 2X points per $1 spent at restaurants, on airlines tickets purchased directly from the airlines, on local transit and commuting and on fitness club and gym memberships
- 1X point per $1 everywhere else
And like its competitor, the Hilton Surpass offers automatic Hyatt Discoverist status, so you'll earn bonus points on eligible Hyatt stays.
Which points are more valuable?
It’s worth noting that on average AwardWallet users redeem Hyatt points for an average 2.19¢ each and Hilton points for roughly 0.59¢ apiece. Keep this in mind as you compare each welcome bonus.
Hilton Surpass vs World of Hyatt Card: Benefits
Elite status
The World of Hyatt Card comes with Hyatt Discoverist status, which is the entry tier Hyatt elite status above the general member level. These are the perks you get with Hyatt Discoverist status:
- 10% bonus on qualifying purchases
- Complimentary premium internet for your stay
- Late checkout up to 2 p.m. when available
- Two complimentary bottles of water
Additionally, this card comes with five elite qualifying nights each year and the ability to receive two more credits with every $5,000 spent on the card annually. This allows you to spend towards a higher level Hyatt elite status like Globalist.
With the Hilton Surpass, you'll get automatic Hilton Gold status. Hilton Gold status comes with the following perks:
- 80% bonus on hotel stays
- Fifth night free on award stays
- Space-available room upgrades
- Daily food and beverage credit for up to two people staying at the hotel. This credit varies by hotel and location.
- Complimentary bottled water
You can upgrade to Hilton Diamond status by spending $40,000 on your card in a calendar year.
Free night certificates
The World of Hyatt Card comes with a complimentary free night certificate valid at any Category 1-4 Hyatt property. The free night certificate is deposited a few weeks after your card's anniversary date.
Additionally, you can receive another Category 1-4 certificate if you spend $15,000 on your World of Hyatt Card within the calendar year. Once you reach the $15,000 spending threshold, a free night certificate will be awarded to you within a few days. Hyatt free night certificates expire 12 months after being issued; you must use your certificate by that date.
The Hilton Surpass does not come with a complimentary free night certificate every year. However, you can receive a free night certificate if you spend $15,000 within the calendar year. Once you reach the $15,000 spend threshold, a free night certificate will be awarded to you within a few days.
Hilton free night certificates are uncapped, which means they can be used at almost any Hilton property, regardless of the points cost. As long as standard room availability is available, you can book a room with these certificates. These free night certificates expire 12 months after they are issued.
Other perks
The Hilton Surpass comes with a quarterly up-to-$50 hotel credit (up to $200 annually). If you stay at a Hilton property and use this card to pay for your room, you will receive a $50 credit. But you can also put this credit towards other charges towards your room, which is helpful for meals, ancillary purchases, and more.
The Hilton Surpass also provides Emerald Club Executive status. You will need to enroll for this benefit. This status level allows for guaranteed upgrades when available and quicker earning toward free car rentals with National Car Rental.
Finally, the Hilton Surpass has several travel and purchase protections. These include:
- Extended warranty for purchases
- Purchase protection
- Car rental loss and damage insurance
- Baggage insurance
The World of Hyatt Card has many travel and purchase protections as well:
- Trip cancellation and delay insurance
- Purchase protection
- Car rental loss and damage
- Baggage insurance
Plus, neither card imposes foreign transaction fees.
Application Rules
The World of Hyatt Card is a Chase-issued credit card, which means you must be under the 5/24 to be eligible to open an account. You would not be approved for this card if you have opened five or more personal credit cards in the last 24 months. You would also not be eligible for the signup bonus if you currently hold this card or have received a signup bonus for this card within the last 24 months.
The Hilton Surpass has a “once per lifetime” rule in that you can receive the signup bonus only once for this card. If you have another Hilton card, such as the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, you can still apply for the Hilton Surpass and receive the bonus.
Additionally, you can hold a maximum of five American Express credit cards at a time and cannot apply for more than two within a 90-day period. When you apply for an American Express card, you will see a pop-up if you are not eligible for the signup bonus before completing your application. You can then decide whether to continue your card application or not.
Related: Understanding Rewards Credit Card Application Rules and Restrictions
Final Thoughts
The World of Hyatt Credit Card and the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card are great mid-level hotels for your wallet. But each of these cards has its pros and cons.
The World of Hyatt Card offers a lower annual fee, comes with a complimentary Category 1-4 free night award, and earns valuable Hyatt points. You can also spend towards a second free night certificate per year and additional elite-qualifying nights with this card.
The Hilton Surpass comes with quarterly credits that can offset the annual fee and offers superior bonus categories for earning a large number of Hilton points. The Surpass card can also be used to spend towards an uncapped free night certificate that can be used at 99% of the Hilton locations worldwide.
Both cards have their strong points — which hotel card is the best option for you?
- Up to 9X points total per $1 spent at Hyatt - 4X points per $1 when you use your card at Hyatt hotels & 5X points per $1 you can earn as a World of Hyatt member
- 2X points per $1 spent at restaurants, on airlines tickets purchased directly from the airlines, on local transit and commuting and on fitness club and gym memberships
- 1X point per $1 everywhere else
(Terms Apply)
- 12X bonus points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio
- 6X bonus points for each dollar of eligible purchases on your card at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations
- 4X bonus points on U.S online retail purchases
- 3X bonus points for all other eligible purchases on your card
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: The World of Hyatt Credit Card (Rates & Fees), and Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card (Rates & Fees)
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