Credit card showdown: World of Hyatt card versus World of Hyatt Business card

Editor’s note: This post has been updated with new information.

Since 2018, Hyatt has offered one of the most well-rounded hotel cards with the World of Hyatt Credit Card.

It’s a product that offers a wide swath of benefits for even the casual traveler, from an annual Category 1-4 free night certificate to automatic entry-level Discoverist elite status. So when Hyatt announced a new business card last year — the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card — I was looking forward to seeing how this card would compete against its personal counterpart.

Besides the obvious of one being a personal product and the other a business product, these two Hyatt cards have significant differences. Could it make sense to have both the World of Hyatt card and the World of Hyatt Business card? In some instances, for those looking to reach higher thresholds of elite status without hotel stays, yes.

Here’s a closer look at these two cards from Hyatt and Chase — and whether it makes sense to add either (or both) to your wallet.

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Comparing the cards

Let’s first take a high-level look at how these two Hyatt cards — the World of Hyatt card and the World of Hyatt Business credit card — compare with one another.

	World of Hyatt card	World of Hyatt Business card
Sign-up bonus	30,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening. Plus, up to 30,000 more bonus points by earning 2 points per dollar spent on purchases that normally earn 1 point, on up to $15,000 in the first six months of account opening.	60,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
Annual fee	$95.	$199.
Earning rates	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.	2 points per dollar on the top three of eight spending categories each calendar quarter through December 31, 2023, and the top two of eight spending categories in 2024 and beyond (no limit). Categories include dining, airline tickets purchased directly, car rental agencies, local transit and commuting, gas stations, internet, cable and phone services, social media and search engine advertising, and shipping. 4 points per dollar at participating Hyatt hotels. 2 points per dollar at fitness clubs and for gym memberships. 1 point per dollar on all other purchases.
Other benefits	Automatic five elite night qualifying credits toward your next tier of status every year. Annual free night certificate at a Category 1-4 Hyatt property every account anniversary. Earn a second free night certificate at a Category 1-4 Hyatt property by spending $15,000 during the calendar year. Earn qualifying elite nights through card spending.	Spend $50,000 or more on the card in a calendar year and receive 10% of redeemed points back for the remainder of the calendar year, up to 20,000 points back per year. Earn up to $100 in Hyatt credit each anniversary year. Earn qualifying elite nights through card spending.

Sign-up bonuses

The two Hyatt cards have significant differences when it comes to their sign-up bonuses.

Also, since Chase issues both of these cards, they are subject to the issuer’s 5/24 rule, meaning you may not be approved if you have opened five or more personal credit cards across all banks in the last 24 months.

Park Hyatt Beaver Creek. SUMMER HULL/THE POINTS GUY

World of Hyatt card

Let’s start with the personal World of Hyatt credit card, which has a lower $95 annual fee. The sign-up bonus on both cards is 60,000 points; however, the personal card requires more spending to earn it.

First, you’ll earn 30,000 World of Hyatt bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening. That’s the easy part. From there, things get a little trickier.

New cardholders can earn another 30,000 points by spending up to $15,000 in the first six months of account opening — but only on everyday spending (non-bonused categories). The way that works is you’ll get 2 points per dollar on purchases that normally earn just 1 point per dollar. Maximizing this offer will require a hefty amount of non-bonused spending.

World of Hyatt Business card

In comparison, the World of Hyatt Business credit card has a higher $199 annual fee but comes with a simpler sign-up bonus. You’ll earn 60,000 points after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.

Bonus categories

First, there are several similarities with earning rates. For both the World of Hyatt card and World of Hyatt Business card, you’ll earn 4 points per dollar with Hyatt, 2 points per dollar for gym and fitness memberships and 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases.

World of Hyatt card

Now, for the differences. The World of Hyatt card also offers the following bonuses:

2 points per dollar on local transit and commuting.
2 points per dollar at restaurants.
2 points per dollar on airline tickets purchased directly with the carrier.

World of Hyatt Business card

Meanwhile, the World of Hyatt Business card has something that Hyatt and Chase call an “adaptive accelerator.” Simply put, your additional bonus categories will change based on how you spend.

Business cardholders will earn 2 points per dollar on their top three spending categories each calendar quarter through the end of 2023 but only on the top two spending categories after that. Those categories include the following:

Dining.
Airline tickets purchased directly with the airline.
Car rental agencies.
Local transit and commuting.
Gas stations.
Internet.
Cable and phone services.
Social media and search engine advertising.
Shipping.

In total, the World of Hyatt Business card and the personal World of Hyatt card overlap on five bonus categories (but only four on the business card after December 2023). The business card has six unique bonus categories that differ from the personal card. One significant upside of the business card is the flexibility of earning bonuses based on specific expenses each quarter.

Redemption options

Confidante Miami. BENJI STAWSKI/THE POINTS GUY

Since both of these Hyatt credit cards are part of the World of Hyatt program, their redemption options will be the same.

One of the best ways to use your Hyatt points is to redeem them for free hotel nights. Redemptions for standard rooms start at 5,000 points per night at Category 1 hotels and 40,000 per night at Category 8 hotels. Premium suites go for as much as 60,000 points per night at Category 7 hotels.

However, note that with Hyatt’s shift to peak and off-peak pricing, Category 1 properties could drop to as low as 3,500 points per night, while Category 8 properties could go as high as 45,000 points per night.

Card benefits

First, let’s discuss the similarities between these two cards’ benefits.

Both the World of Hyatt card and World of Hyatt Business card will automatically get you entry-level Hyatt Discoverist status. While perks are fairly limited, you’ll still enjoy benefits like 2 p.m. late checkout, a daily bottle of water and upgrades to preferred rooms within the same room category. The cards also offer the following:

No foreign transaction fees.
Complimentary roadside dispatch.
Extended warranty protection.
Purchase protection.
Trip cancellation and travel interruption insurance.
Travel and emergency assistance services.

World of Hyatt card

On the World of Hyatt credit card, one of the most attractive benefits is the annual free night certificate at a Category 1-4 Hyatt property, which you’ll receive every account anniversary. This perk alone can be worth much more than the card’s $95 annual fee. You’ll also get a second free night after spending $15,000 in a calendar year.

World of Hyatt Business card

Instead of free night awards, the World of Hyatt Business credit card focuses more on benefits that can be used for multiple people, which makes sense when you consider Hyatt is targeting the primary cardholder and any potential employees.

First, you can gift up to five Discoverist statuses to others, and they do not have to be employees. Five elite statuses with one card is pretty hard to beat. What’s more, there is no fee for employee business cards.

Once you spend $50,000 or more on the card in a calendar year, you’ll receive 10% of your redeemed points back for the remainder of the calendar year (up to 20,000 points per year). In addition, you’ll receive up to $100 in Hyatt credit each anniversary year when you spend $50 or more at any Hyatt property (earned as $50 in statement credits up to two times).

Why both cards may make sense

Carrying the World of Hyatt card and the World of Hyatt Business credit card could unlock the ability to double dip on benefits.

The World of Hyatt card automatically gets you five elite night credits just for having it (which the business variant, unfortunately, does not). Meanwhile, spending on the World of Hyatt Business card can get you more elite nights quicker (five nights versus four nights for every $10,000 spent).

All these night credits can help you level up your status tier with the World of Hyatt program and secure Milestone Rewards, which include bonus points, suite upgrades and more.

With that said, an argument could be made for wanting to earn free nights and five automatic nights (World of Hyatt card) in addition to the perks of gifting Discoverist and earning elite nights faster through spending (World of Hyatt Business card).

	World of Hyatt credit card	World of Hyatt Business card
Automatic five elite night qualifying credits toward your next tier of status every year	Yes.	No.
Earn qualifying elite nights through card spending	Yes, earn two nights for every $5,000 spent.	Yes, earn five nights for every $10,000 spent.
Annual free-night certificate at a Category 1-4 Hyatt property every account anniversary	Yes.	No.
Earn a free-night certificate at a Category 1-4 Hyatt property if you spend $15,000 during your cardmember anniversary year	Yes.	No.
Spend $50,000 or more on the card in a calendar year and receive 10% of redeemed points back for the remainder of the calendar year	No.	Yes.
Earn up to $100 in Hyatt credit each anniversary year	No.	Yes.

Bottom line

Hyatt has an ever-growing footprint and one of the most lucrative hotel loyalty programs. If you’re looking to earn top-tier World of Hyatt Globalist status, the elite night credits via spending on both the World of Hyatt card and the World of Hyatt Business card may help accelerate that progress and justify having both.

Now is as good a time as ever to consider whether either (or both) cards make sense for you. But we’re still hopeful and patiently waiting on a future premium Hyatt card.

Official application link: World of Hyatt Credit Card.
Official application link: World of Hyatt Business Credit Card.

Additional reporting by Ryan Wilcox.