Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. World of Hyatt Credit Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and the World of Hyatt Credit Card deliver a healthy dose of points for cardholders.

That’s one of the few things that they have in common. When it comes down to the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card versus the World of Hyatt Credit Card, though, the choice should really be based on your travel patterns and personal interests. Between the two, there is a better card for some people.

Since the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card earns transferable Chase Ultimate Rewards® points, you are earning a hugely flexible loyalty currency. The World of Hyatt Credit Card locks you into Hyatt points immediately, but that can be a plus if you stay frequently with Hyatt brands or are saving up for a big redemption.

The big question: Which one is better? The World of Hyatt Credit Card versus the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card?

If you like flexibility, you’ll prefer the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, but dedicated Hyatt buffs wouldn’t consider checking in without the World of Hyatt Credit Card. Here are the details of each card so you can choose the right one for your personal spending habits.

» Learn more: The best travel credit cards right now

When to choose the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

This card provides the ultimate flexibility giving you the option to earn points that you can spend like cash through Chase's travel portal. You can also choose to transfer them to airline and hotel partners, including World of Hyatt. So this card works for Hyatt loyalists, too, but does not come with the elite status and bonus earning that the World of Hyatt Credit Card can provide.

You actually use its perks

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card comes with some snazzy benefits designed for frequent travelers. But the perks only come in handy if you fly a lot, stay frequently in hotels and know how to extract value from your points. They include:

• $50 hotel credit – On each account anniversary year, you’ll receive $50 to use for hotels purchased via Chase's travel portal. Terms apply.

• 25% bonus on Chase Ultimate Rewards® points – When redeeming your Chase Ultimate Rewards® points for travel, they are worth 25% more. This means that 60,000 points, for example, is actually worth $750. Instead of each point being valued at 1 cent, it is actually worth 1.25 cents. That can really add up if you use points to redeem for travel directly with the Chase portal.

• No foreign transaction fees – International travelers will value this benefit since there are no fees tacked onto your purchases when using the card overseas. If you travel only domestically, this may not matter to you as much.

You want to transfer rewards to another program

One of the best features of the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is that it has a host of transfer partners, giving you the option to move points to other airline and hotel loyalty programs when you need them (including World of Hyatt).

They typically transfer points at a 1:1 ratio, and since you can essentially earn World of Hyatt points with this card, too, it holds the upper hand.

You spend a lot on food, travel and entertainment

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card dishes out some nice point multipliers when you use the card to buy certain things, but so does the World of Hyatt Credit Card.

Here’s how the two rewards rates compare.

» Learn more: How to redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards

When to choose the World of Hyatt Credit Card

Fans of the Hyatt brand will find the World of Hyatt Credit Card to be beneficial thanks to the perks it provides, including elite status and a free redemption night. While you won’t have the flexibility of Chase Ultimate Rewards® and its numerous transfer partners, the Hyatt card has a hearty sign-up bonus that could help you book a bucket-list property with World of Hyatt:

Earn up to 65,000 Bonus Points. Earn 35,000 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.

You want instant elite status

Frequent guests of Hyatt will find this to be a worthy perk. The card comes with instant Discoverist elite status. While this is the lowest tier of Hyatt elite status, it does bring perks such as:

• 10% bonus in points.

• 2 p.m. late checkout (based on availability).

• Access to faster Wi-Fi speeds during the stay.

The card helps people get to the next level of elite status more easily by providing five qualifying night credits as well as two more if you spend at least $5,000 on the card within a calendar year.

You stay at Hyatts often

This card may not offer the flexible, transferable points that the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card does, but the sizable number of World of Hyatt points that come from the sign-up bonus and spending can be worth a lot. That is, if you stay at Hyatt properties.

One bonus of this card is that it includes a Category 1-4 redemption night each year you renew the card. You’ll earn another redemption night after spending $15,000 within the calendar year.

» Learn more: The complete guide to earning Hyatt points

Which card is right for you?

You might be wondering, “Should I get the World of Hyatt Credit Card or transfer points from Chase instead?” The answer lies in how often you travel and if Hyatt properties are a priority.

If you stay at Hyatt often, the World of Hyatt Credit Card carries weight since it comes with elite status, a fast track to a higher tier and a redemption night. For everyone else, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers more value because of the flexibility it provides.

Transferable points are a smart loyalty currency to collect, and the extra value you can get from redeeming Chase Ultimate Rewards® points for travel is icing on the cake.