danshep77 - Luggage Guru

by Daniel | Last Updated September 4th, 2021 We may earn a commission for purchases using our links, at no cost to you. If your looking to take advantage of some really great hotel benefits from a credit card then one of the following cards might just be right for you. Today, I am going to review 2 different hotel-related credit cards, The Hilton Honors Amex Surpass Card and the World of Hyatt Card. Both of these cards have the same annual fee and offer some pretty good benefits, one is a Visa card whilst the other is an Amex card. So let’s take a deeper look at each card and see what differences there are and see if one is better than the other. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYaLyWIVOgs Who Are These Cards Good For? If you spend a lot of time at different hotels and want to find a way to actually earn some rewards and benefits just for doing so, then each of these cards have some great ways to earn status points that can actually reward you with some really nice benefits, such as free stays and hotel spending credits.So let’s continue on and look at the annual fee of each card. Annual Fee So both of these cards have the same annual fee, which is currently $95 per year. Now this annual fee is not all bad, each card offers more than enough benefits to offset the annual fee and actually leave you with quite a lot of extra benefits.So now let’s take a look at what each card offers in terms of a sign-up bonus. Sign up Bonus Starting with the Amex Surpass Card you can earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus points after you spend $2,000 within the first 3 months of card ownership.And with points being worth approximately .5 cents per point, this means that the 130,000 points are worth $650, which is really good, this is more than 6 times the value of the annual fee. Along with this, you will also have the opportunity to earn another 50,000 points if you are able to spend a total of $10,000 within the first 6 months of opening the account, and this would be worth another $250.So if you can manage to spend a total of $10,000 in the first 6 months of opening the account you will revive a total of $900 in value. Next up, let’s take a look at what the World Of Hyatt Card offers in way of a sign-up bonus. So to begin with you will earn 30,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months of opening the account, and with points being worth approximately 1.8 cents per point, this means that the 30,000 points are worth $540, which is a $110 less in value that the Amex card gives you. But you will also be able to earn an additional 30,000 points if you are able to spend a total of $15,000 within the first 6 months of opening the account.So that would be a total of $1080 in value if you can spend this much, which is more than the Amex card, but you will need to spend $5,000 more to actually get the points.So the Amex Card offers an easier way to earn points than the Visa card, although not as much in total value. Earning Points So now let’s take a look at how each card compares in terms of earning points. Starting with the Amex Card you will be able to earn 12x points for eligible purchases that are made at Hilton Hotels and resorts.Next up you will earn 6x points on dining at US restaurants, and this includes takeout and delivery. You will also receive 6x points on groceries at US supermarkets, and 6x points for purchases at US gas stations.And finally, you will receive 3x points per dollar spent on all other purchases. So now let’s take a look at how the World of Hyatt card compares. First of all, you will receive 9x points for stats at Hyatt hotels.Next up you will receive 2x points on the following:Restaurants, flights that are booked directly with the airline, fitness clubs and gym memberships, local transit, mass transit, taxis tolls, and ride-sharing services. And finally, all other purchases will receive 1 point per dollar spent.But remember that the first $15,000 that is spent within the first 6 months of card ownership will receive 2x points per dollar spent, and after this, it will revert back to 1 point per dollar spent. So both cards offer some pretty good points earning potential and just remember that the World of Hyatt Card points are worth more than 3x the value of the Hilton Honors Amex Surpass Card. Benefits and User Perks So from here let’s look at the benefits and user perks that are offered with each card. So starting with the Amex Surplus Card you will receive complimentary Hilton Honors Gold Status, and this comes with quite a few perks such as fifth night free, room upgrades when available, a daily food and beverage credit at US hotels, or a free continental breakfast for non-US hotels, and up to 18 points per dollar spent at Hilton properties.And if you are able to spend $40,000 in a calendar year, you will receive Hilton Honors Diamond Status, and this comes with even more benefits than the Gold Status. Next up you will get access to over 1200 airport lounges around the world with a Priority Pass Standard Plus plan, and this gives you 10 free visits each year and is valued at $299.This is a really nice benefit to have as some of the lounges are really quite nice, and they offer free food and beverages. And finally, you will have to option of earning a free weekend night reward if you spend $15,000 in a calendar year. So next let’s see what the World of Hyatt Card offers in terms of benefits. To begin with, you will receive 1 free night at a category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort on the anniversary of your card membership (which is basically after 1 year), And just this alone can be worth as much as the annual fee of the card. On top of this, if you are able to spend $15,000 within a calendar year you will receive an additional night free. Next up you will automatically receive Hyatt Elite status, as a Discoverist Member. With the Discoverist membership, you will receive a few perks such as 10% bonus points for eligible spend at Hyatt, Premium in-room internet, and 2 pm late check-out upon request where available. So both cards have pretty good perks and depending on how you travel, there is a card that should benefit most users.If you like the idea of having access to airport lounges, then the Amex Surplus card is the best choice, and if you like free stays at hotels, then the World of Hyatt Card offers an easier way to gain free nights than the Amex card does. Insurance-Related Benefits So for the last part of this review, let’s have a look at all of the Insurance related benefits that come with each card. Starting with the Amex Surplus Card you will receive car rental loss and damage insurance which will cover up to $50,000 for damage or theft of a rental car. You will also get a baggage insurance plan that covers you, your spouse, and any dependent children under the age of 23 for up to $500 per person for checked baggage and up to $1,250 per person for carry-on baggage.There is also an extended warranty that gives you 1 additional year on purchases that are made within the US and that have a warranty of 5 years or less. You will also get purchase protection which provides you up to 90 days of coverage and covers up to $1,000 per time and a total of $50,000 per calendar year.And finally, there are no foreign transition fees. Now let check out what the World of Hyatt card offers. First up you will receive purchase protection on new purchases for up to 120 days, and this covers damage or theft for up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per account.You also receive extended warranty protection of one extra year on US manufacturers warranties that are 3 years or less. There is fraud protection that provides you with Zero Liability Protection against unauthorized purchases on your world of Hyatt card. You will receive Trip Cancellation / Trip Interruption Insurance which can reimburse you up to $5,000 per trip if your trip is canceled or cut short due to sickness, severe weather, or other covered situations. You also get Trip Delay Reimbursement which covers up to $500 per ticket if your travel is delayed by more than 12 hours or requires an overnight stay, and this covers expenses such as eats and lodging.Next up is Lost Luggage Reimbursement which covers up to $3,000 per passenger for you or an immediate family member if your luggage is damaged or lost by the carrier. You also receive Baggage Delay Insurance which provides up to $100 per day for up to 5 days for baggage that is delayed by the carrier for more than 6 hours, and this covers expenses such as toiletries and clothing. There is Travel Accident Insurance which covers up to $500,000 in the case of accidental death or dismemberment, as long as the trip is paid for with your card. Like the Amex card, there are no foreign transaction fees. And finally, you will receive Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, basically, you will be able to decline the rental company’s collision insurance if you pay with your card, and this will provide coverage of theft and collision damage of the rental car. So once again, both cards have some pretty decent insurance-related benefits, but the World of Hyatt Card offers a lot more in the way of travel-related insurance. Final Thoughts So what are my thoughts about these cards? Both of these cards have some really good benefits and choosing one really comes down to your own personal choice. The Amex Surplus Card offers a sign-up bonus that is easier to obtain than the World of Hyatt Visa Card with an initial spend of $2,000 in the first 3 months to receive the first part of the bonus which is worth $650, whereas the World of Hyatt Visa Card requires a spend of $3,000 in the first 3 months to receive a bonus worth $540.Even though the World of Hyatt Visa Card ultimately offers a higher sign-up bonus, you will need to spend $5,000 more than the Amex Surplus Card to receive it.So if spending a lot on the card initially is something you want to avoid, then the Amex Surplus Card is a better choice.When it comes to insurance-related benefits, the World of Hyatt Visa Card offers a lot more than the Amex Surplus Card, and if this is something that you might be concerned about when traveling then the World of Hyatt Visa is clearly a better choice.For me, I would probably choose the World of Hyatt Visa Card as I believe I would benefit the most from it as I travel a lot and would feel most comfortable with all of the travel insurance benefits. But Id love to know which card you would choose and why?