| Rewards Rating: | 4 / 5 |
| Rewards Value: | 4.6 |
| Annual Percentage Rate: | 0.7 |
| Rewards Flexibility: | 3.7 |
| Features: | 3.0 |
| Issuer Customer Experience | 3.5 |
In a Nutshell:
This premium airline card offers a hefty sign-up bonus in the first year and attractive perks, such as a companion discount, but it comes with a high annual fee. This offer is no longer available on our site.
Rewards Rate
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Sign-up Bonus
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Annual Bonus $100 off a companion ticket for round-trip airfare between Hawaii and North America |  |
Annual Fee |  |
Average Yearly Rewards Value ($1,325 monthly spend) | |
APR | |
Rewards Redemption
Cons
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Barclays Customer Service Ratings
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Other Notable Features: $100 off a companion ticket yearly, one-time 50% discount on a companion ticket, highest World Elite Mastercard benefits, concierge service, lost luggage insurance, travel assistance, car rental insurance, VIP events and experiences, discounts on hotels, car rentals, vacation packages, cruises, shopping
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If Hawaiian Airlines is your carrier of choice – and especially if you often find yourself boarding its intra-island flights – you will love what this card has to offer. You get a great sign-up bonus, companion ticket discounts, free bag, and other perks that more than offset the annual $99 fee. In addition, Hawaiian Airlines offers a free option to transfer your miles to and from other Hawaiian accounts – an option for which most airlines charge a lot of money.
On the other hand, the earning scheme can only be described as average. Also, the benefits are a bit underwhelming compared to some of the best co-branded airline cards. Most co-branded airline credit cards waive the annual fee for the first year and offer better terms for a free checked bag and/or companion ticket. Most importantly, major U.S. legacy airlines generally offer a better redemption scheme, both for their own flights and those of their partners.
Earn 60,000 miles for a limited time
The card comes with a very generous 60,000-mile sign-up bonus, and the spending threshold is relatively low — you only need to spend $2,000 in the first 90 days to earn the bonus. Since we value Hawaiian Airline miles at around 1.3 cents per mile, this amounts to around $780 in airfare — enough to cover the cheapest SuperSaver ticket from the continental U.S. to Hawaii, and it can take you even further if you use it to travel between the islands. Now is a great time to sign up for the card, since this is higher than the card’s typical offer, which ranges between 35,000 and 50,000 miles.
Fair earning scheme
Though not the best earning rate on an airline card, the Hawaii Airlines card makes it pretty easy for users to rack up miles. You’ll earn 3 miles per dollar on Hawaiian Airlines purchases, 2 miles per dollar on gas, dining and grocery store purchases and 1 mile per dollar on other purchases. The biggest upside here is that you can earn good miles on the purchases you make every day — rather than just flights.
Limited redemption options
The largest drawback of the card is that, outside of a smattering of hotel and merchandise options, miles are only good for travel on Hawaiian Airlines or one of its six partners. The geographic range of this airline network is limited and is mostly designed for travel to and from the Hawaiian islands. If you are not a frequent visitor to Hawaii, you will find limited benefit in this card.
High interest rate
Do not apply for this card if you intend to carry a balance. The APR starts at 15.99 percent (variable) for people with good credit and goes up to 24.99 percent (variable). Compared to other rewards cards – which already tend to charge a high interest rate – that’s really high.
Share miles for free with friends and family
Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard holders can transfer Hawaiian miles to and from the frequent flier accounts of friends and family members free of charge. This is a great benefit, as most airline frequent flier programs charge some serious fees for the privilege.
50 percent off and $100 off companion discounts
One of the most valuable of the card’s benefits is a one-time 50 percent discount on a companion ticket. If you are flying to Hawaii with a partner, you can easily save up to $350. The card also offers $100 off companion discount once per year upon your anniversary as a cardholder. This discount is also valid for all published coach bucket fares.
Great travel benefits
In addition to the companion discounts mentioned above, card members also receive a free checked bag on Hawaiian Airlines flights. The card also comes with some other useful benefits, such as car rental insurance and concierge service. You can freely use the card when you’re abroad, since it doesn’t charge the typical 2 to 4 percent fee for foreign transactions.
Why get the Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard?
- You fly a lot on Hawaiian Airlines or travel frequently to Hawaii.
- You value perks like the 50 percent off companion discount, $100 off a companion ticket, and a free checked bag.
How to use the Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard:
- Pay cash for cheap flights, redeem miles for expensive flights.
- Use the 50 percent off companion discount for an expensive flight, use the $100 off for a cheap flight.
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