Today, so many credit-card flavors exist that it’s hard to keep straight in your mind what each does. So, let’s take on one of the big comparisons: Mastercard World vs. Mastercard World Elite.

Clearly, the addition of the word “elite” means those cards come with additional benefits. But are they enough to really differentiate the card? And, at the end of the day, which card is really right which consumer?

It was September 1958 when Bank of America launched the first credit-card network with its BankAmericard. A month later, American Express launched the first worldwide credit-card network. Since then, consumers have seen a veritable arms race as credit card companies raced to build the biggest, most-reliable networks.

Today, so many credit card networks exist it begs a big question:

What credit card is the best?