Compare the Features and Benefits of Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card and
World of Hyatt Business Credit Card

The Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card should be the go-to card for Southwest frequent travelers that own a small business. Don’t let the $299 annual fee scare you off. This card comes packed with perks that can easily justify that fee.

Southwest-specific perks include the ability to earn 2,500 TQPs toward A-List status for every $5,000 spent in purchases annually, the ability to choose a standard or preferred seat within 48 hours prior to departure when available and to choose a Preferred Seat right at booking when available. You will also be able to upgrade to Extra Legroom seat within 48 hours prior to departure when available – for you and up to 8 companions on the same reservation.

Plus, cardholders get premium travel perks like a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee statement credit once every 4 years. This includes the option of the Canadian NEXUS program.

Cardholders earn 4x Rapid Rewards points on Southwest Airlines purchases. That’s a higher rewards earning rate on Southwest purchases than you’ll find on any other Southwest business credit card.

Cardholders will earn 2,500 tier qualifying points toward A-List status for every $5,000 spent on purchases annually. While you probably don’t want to put that much spending on the card, you can conceivably spend all the way to A-List Preferred status by spending alone.

The biggest downside to this card is the limited redemption options. The best way to redeem Rapid Rewards points is for Southwest flights. And since the Rapid Rewards structure is a fixed-value program, you won’t get more value from some flights than others. The good news is that means there are no blackout dates when you want to redeem points.

You can add employee cards for no additional cost, meaning you can be rewarded for employee spending.

Lastly, this card is great for getting more than halfway to a Southwest Companion Pass with the bonus offer. Read our guide on earning a Southwest Companion Pass for up to two years via new account bonuses.

The World of Hyatt business credit card is literally packed with reasons to have it. To me, the main reason is that you can use your business spending to earn elite night credits. For someone that values Globalist status (which is often referred to as the best top tier status of any US hotel chain – with good reason!) and has business with high spend, the ability to earn 5 elite night credits per $10,000 in spend is great.

Keep in mind you’ll also earn 4X World of Hyatt points per dollar spent at Hyatt properties and then 2 points per $1 spent for the top two of the following eight spend categories you spend on each calendar quarter —with no cap: 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; and shipping.

If you spend a lot on those categories, your $10,000 in spend earns you 20,000 World of Hyatt points (worth about $340 using our own valuations of points and miles) as well as 5 elite status qualifying nights.

One thing to note is that there are other Chase credit cards that earn better for some of the above categories. For instance the Chase Ink Business Preferred earns 3X Chase Ultimate Rewards (which transfer back to the World of Hyatt program 1:1) on all travel (beating 2X on the World of Hyatt Business card for airline and car rental spend) and 3X on internet, cable and phone services; social media and search engine advertising; and shipping. However, that caps out at $150,000 in combined total spend whereas the World of Hyatt business credit card has no cap. You could spend $500,000 on these (top two each quarter, remember) and earn a whopping million points whereas you’d earn significantly less on the Chase Ink Business Preferred due to the $150,000 cap. Basically, you can earn a ton of Hyatt bonus points!

Beyond that, this card offers automatic Hyatt status in the form of Discoverist status. While it’s the lowest elite tier in the World of Hyatt program, it normally would take 10 nights to earn and still offers some nice perks such as premium Internet, complimentary bottled water, a preferred room within your booked category, the ability to earn 1 American Airlines AAdvantage mile per $1 spent at Hyatt (in addition to your Hyatt points), and a 2pm checkout (based on availability). Not only that, but you can “gift” this same Discoverist Hyatt status to up to five employees as well.

And don’t forget, this card gives you access to the Hyatt Leverage program. Hyatt Leverage provides your company with a discount code for stays at a Hyatt property, just like big corporations get! I have personally saved significant money using my own Hyatt Leverage discount.

Another great benefit of this card is the primary car rental CDW / LDW coverage as long as the rental is for business purposes. I really love credit cards with primary CDW insurance because you know you won’t have to involve your personal insurance, potentially owing a deductible, if something happens. I once had a Jaguar I rented from Hertz get keyed in a parking lot and Chase took care of it 100%.

It’s also got some nice protections for items you purchase, with both Purchase Protection (theft or damage to a newly purchased item) and Extended Warranty.

All in all, the World of Hyatt Business credit card is an incredibly well rounded card for those that are loyal to Hyatt and, by extension, the World of Hyatt loyalty program.