@cws-21 wrote:I currently have the AOD Visa Signature and hopefully it will not be nerfed for existing customers. However, I have been thinking about and researching alternatives just in case (and because I enjoy it). I focus entirely on cash back, but I will be applying for the Chase World of Hyatt this summer when I am 4/24. I mostly planned on getting the card for the free night which would offer a discounted weekend, once a year, in nearby NYC for my wife and me.
In checking out the World of Hyatt, I came across "Receive...an extra free night at any Category 1–4 Hyatt hotel or resort if you spend $15,000 in a calendar year," which I have dismissed multiple times because I didn't think I would ever spend even close to $15k on the card that would only really be used for Hyatt purchases. However, if I replaced a potentially nerfed AOD Visa Signature, and used the World of Hyatt for all hotel spending AND uncategorized spending I could probably reach the $15k mostly organically. If so, the World of Hyatt, on $15k of annual spending, would earn, at worst, 15,000 points (enough for a Category 1–4 hotel) and would earn a free night at a Category 1–4 hotel as well. I checked the prices for a night at two different Hyatt hotels in Jersey City, where my wife and I stay at least once per year, as an example and the average is $268 per night or 15,000 points. So, getting two free nights for $15,000 in spending works out to be a 3.57% return.
I have never thought of using the World of Hyatt for uncategorized spending, instead of a 2-3% card, but it seems like it could be well worth it. Of course, the two big caveats are that one must first stay at Hyatt hotels and also spend $15k in a year on the card, but I have a lot of uncategorized spending even though I have most of my bases covered with category-specific cards. Is there anything with which I am mistaken? Does anyone else use the World of Hyatt for uncategorized spending instead of something like a 2% card? Has everyone who can meet the spending been doing this and I am just really slow coming to the realization?
I have and use the card. I consider the points to be pretty valuable. For me, they're usually worth around 1.5 cents each, and the travel card point experts do even better with it. So if there are stays at Hyatt properties in your future, it's a pretty useful card. You get 2 points per dollar, making it a 3% card, on dining, air travel, transit, and gym membership. And that's not even counting the free night awards. On other spend, where you're only getting 1 point per dollar, it's still a 1.5% card.
@cws-21 wrote:Thanks for the reply, @okurosetta. The value of the WoH is even better if, with my Jersey City example, you consider all quantifiable value including $173 ($268 - $95 annual fee) + $268 (15k points for $15k spend) + $268 (free night for $15k spend). This would yield the equivalent of over $700 cash back or a 4.73% return. This would be impressive, especially considering I would be spending the $15k in uncategorized spending and staying in Jersey City once per year anyway.
But then you're including the annual certificate that you get whether you spend $0 or $15k (or any other number). Just different ways of looking at it - I personally wouldn't factor in the included annual certificate in determing how much the $15k spend would earn, but if you're looking at overall return on the card, then the 4.73% figure makes sense.
And replying to another post here, but I only really brought up Surpass as another example of a hotel card that can be used for non-category to potentially earn one above 3%. If someone else reads this thread and values a hotel in Manhattan much more than they would Jersey City (or LIC, etc), then they may prefer Hilton as the certificates definitely cover more ground. I have yet to find a use for a Hyatt (or Marriott) certificate within Manhattan (based on Cat 1-4 for Hyatt and 35k or less for Marriott), but there are dozens of Hiltons available. I am with you in staying in Jersey, though, so more making the point for other people reading this.
From the limited amount I know in this thread, the World of Hyatt seems better for you. Really wasn't mentioning Surpass to argue it would be better in your case, just more information for the discussion - similar card, similar strategy.
Re: 45k HP earned through $15k spend on Surpass: It definitely takes more Hilton Points to earn a similar free night, with the earn rates and value per point being very different. Generally speaking, Hyatt has a much higher value per point, but a Hilton Aspire holder (with Diamond status from card) would earn 34X per stay (before bonuses) while a World of Hyatt holder (with Discoverist status from card) would earn 9X per stay. So essentially, if one values Hyatt points at 3.77 times* what they value Hilton points, then the return on spend per stay is actually tied. Hyatt can have outsize value through transferring Chase UR while Hilton can have an insane earn rate - during triple points promos Aspire card holders earn 54X at Hilton. Again - not trying to say Hilton is better for you, but that a decent amount of math needs to be done to truly compare the two systems.
*Next-day edit: A better example would be Surpass, as that was what was compared before. Surpass would earn 30X at Hilton (18X for Gold status, 12X via card), so math would be 3.33 times in that case. Surpass holders would earn 50X during triple points promos.
Re: Standard Room Reward - I'm not sure where the language is (edit: here it is, "one standard accommodation, double occupancy"), so Hilton certificates can be used at any property with a Standard Room Reward. When you look up rooms, they will either be Standard Room Reward or Premium Room Reward. Standard rooms typically cap out at 95k points. As an example, we stayed at the Conrad Midtown (Manhattan) with a certificate at a time when the room was going for $1350.
I think as soon as you have a reliable redemption - or better yet a few - then a hotel card can become one of the easiest choices. There is a hotel where P2's son lives that goes for 30k Marriott Bonvoy, which means the certificate with the $95 Chase personal / $125 Amex business Marriott cards covers it. But it regularly goes for $300-400, with the lowest we've ever paid being $240, and that was with a great Amex offer factored in. We see him every few months, so we're happy with 2 annual fees for 2 certificates now and will be happy to go 4 for 4 (when eligible for SUB). Honestly, we'd probably go 8 for 8 if we could.
I'm not bringing up Marriott cards to say they are better either - the point is that you already have that reliable redemption in mind for World of Hyatt. I think the card would be great for you, especially if you can hit that $15k with non-category (plus Hyatt stays of course, and any 2x category you'd benefit from). It's a great card - P2 will be going for it next, and I likely will eventually. I guess I'm just a fan of hotel cards in general, so I tend to cover a lot of ground.
P2 
P2 Future 
Chopping Block 
I am a straight cash back guy, not a travel/hotel guy, but, dang, I enjoyed reading this thread. 
Nice topic/good discussion/great points.
P.S. My wife and I use the (free) MyVegas apps to collect points and we redeem them for 100% free nights at Sycuan casino/resort in San Diego (2-3 night stays at a time) several times per year. Off to 'Gee-Gee' (grandma) the kids go!
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Something I thought of since my last reply, which potentially complicates much of what I said but is relevant to NYC bookings specifically: I have personally found that NYC (especially within Manhattan, but also nearby) bookings tend to fluctuate dramatically. Rooms often start at around $300-400 when you look a few months out but they can drop significantly closer to the date of stay.
I once re-booked a hotel four times because the rates kept dropping, with the first booking being $310 but the fifth being just $133. This was at a Hilton Garden Inn near Times Square in late 2021. Jersey City or Hoboken would have been PATH and a long walk for the concert I was going to (30-40 minutes each way), staying within Manhattan meant two stops on the subway (15-20 minutes each way).
Side note: It was funny when my phone told me about the five hotel stays I had that night. The other four were canceled, but my phone was going off the original confirmation e-mails 
That's where points get tricky. If your Jersey City example drops in price before the stay, do you value the certificate / 15k points as the original price booked or the new price? My thought is the new price, as you'd be able to cancel and re-book without penalty.
And maybe my first paragraph is meaningless to you - maybe you are visiting Jersey City for Jersey City, family, friends, etc - not for its proximity to NYC. Or maybe you are going to NYC, but prefer to stay in Jersey, even if NYC rates are better.
At the end of the day, how you value points / certificates will be up to you. You'll be opening the account, paying the annual fee, and using the points / certificates as you wish. So I'm not trying to tell you how to value your points / certificates, more giving food for thought.
And I'm not trying to say the World of Hyatt won't be valuable! If you book the $286 room and it drops, you can cancel the certificate booking and pay. If you book the $286 room and it goes up (or stays the same), then the certificate continues to be a solid use. Especially if you're going a few times a year, chances are at least one will stay the same or go up.
@Aim_High wrote:
@TSlop wrote:
@cws-21 wrote:Does it offer an annual certificate for paying the annual fee or are there any spend requirements for it?
You'll have to spend $15k to earn a free night award. There is no annual free night included with the $95 annual fee, unfortunately.
*ETA: Apologies @TSlop since I didn't realize the discussion was regarding the Hilton Surpass and not the World of Hyatt card.
No worries. I just edited my post to add in more of the quote mentioning the Surpass to hopefully not cause any future readers any issues.
@ptatohed wrote:I am a straight cash back guy, not a travel/hotel guy, but, dang, I enjoyed reading this thread.
P.S. My wife and I use the (free) MyVegas apps to collect points and we redeem them for 100% free nights at Sycuan casino/resort in San Diego (2-3 night stays at a time) several times per year. Off to 'Gee-Gee' (grandma) the kids go!
I am enjoying the replies to my post as well, @ptatohed. Actually, I am "a straight cash back guy" too, but I have optimized my cash back setup as much as makes sense for my current lifestyle and spending. I have no intentions of moving on to acquiring points for travel, at least for the foreseeable future, so that leaves me with few opportunities to improve upon my setup and put more money back in my pocket. One of the few ways that I have left to accomplish this is by acquiring a WoH because I think, regardless of how I use it, it will likely accomplish my goal (again, more money back in my pocket).
I cannot see how that difference can come close to the value of the WoH's initial free night, night paid by points (15k points for $15k spending), and bonus extra free night ($15k spending).
I really was not trying to say that the Surpass and WoH would carry the same value, particularly for you based on what you are looking for and the numbers you have cited. I saw discussion of using a hotel card to put $15k of non-category spend in order to elevate return to over 3% (in travel value). The WoH and Surpass can both achieve this with $15k annual spend for a $95 AF, provided certificates/points/etc are valued highly enough of course.
But beyond the $95 AF / $15k annual spend similarities, they are very different cards. And as soon as you start talking points, travel perks, certificates, status, etc etc, the value is just so subjective. What is best for one person may not be for the next.
For the sake of hypotheticals, I could give a sense on some factors that could make one better than the other, based on my personal experience.
For starters, I am not great at speaking to Jersey City specifically. My Jersey friends are further north, so sometimes our trips are one night at some hotel in Bergen county followed by one night within NYC. Our Bergen county hotel is usually the Homewood Suites in Mahwah, though the Hyatt Place in Fair Lawn looks solid, depending on what we'd be up to with friends. Both of these hotels are routinely $135-150/night.
Alternatively, if we're seeing a Devils game, we're staying at the Courtyard next door. It isn't the best, but walking through a parking garage to get to your hotel beats spending half an hour just to get out of a parking lot. I usually see rooms for $180-200 here, so it's more than the above for sure. However, our last two uses came before further travel (flight out of EWR one trip, next night in NYC the other), so not having to backtrack saved a lot of potential traffic.
If we're looking to stay in or near NYC, then we expect to pay $300 and are happy when we pay less. Sometimes staying within NYC adds enough value that we stay there (we have paid $400+), other times we use the PATH and stay in Jersey and save $100+. My car almost always stays in Jersey 
What is all this rambling getting at?
For certain trips, being near but not within NYC for two nights might be best for us. This would certainly favor the WoH - for a date we'll be in Jersey City soon, the Hyatt House is going for $374/night or 15k points. That would be a great use of points or a certificate, especially as comparable hotels nearby are going for at least $300.
But if we were to spend one night hanging with friends, Jersey City would not be a good option, being at least 30 minutes from any of them. And if we were to be seeing something that ended late the second night, especially if it were in Brooklyn - there were no shows in Brooklyn when I was growing up and now they all seem to be there, but that's a separate ramble - then it may take two subways just to reach the PATH, which only runs every half an hour after a certain time. I've gone from Hoboken to Brooklyn in 40 minutes only to have the reverse take over an hour and a half later that night. On these trips, paying for some sort of hotel in Bergen County for the first night and then using a Hilton certificate to not only be within the city but in a specific neighborhood the second night could be more valuable.
With all this said, I think the WoH has a better value proposition, in general. For starters, the WoH can be a good card with or without the $15k annual spend while the Surpass practically requires the $15k spend to be a keeper. Surpass could be better for those who value Hilton Points and the wider reach of Hilton certificates highly, but for those people, the Aspire tends to be the better card. Surpass also has a niche audience in those who value Priority Pass lounges but would not need more than 10 visits per year.
