The Barclays Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Mastercard® offers exclusive benefits and rewards to frequent travelers of Hawaiian Airlines.
With this card, you can earn bonus miles, two free checked bags, and a one-time 50%-off companion discount on roundtrip coach travel between Hawaii and North America.
This credit card review will cover everything you need to know about this card to determine if you should add this card or a different card to your wallet. Let’s dive right in.
Welcome Bonus
The Hawaiian Airlines Mastercard® currently offers the following welcome bonus:
Earn 60,000 Bonus HawaiianMiles for $2,000 in Purchases in the First 90 Days.
The card also offers a one-time 50%-off companion discount for roundtrip travel between Hawaii and North America on Hawaiian Airlines.
Earning Miles
The Hawaiian Airlines Mastercard® earns HawaiianMiles at the following rate:
- 3 miles per dollar on Hawaiian Airlines purchases;
- 2 miles per dollar on dining;
- 2 miles per dollar at grocery stores;
- 2 miles per dollar at gas stations; and
- 1 mile per dollar on all other purchases.
Annual Fee
The Hawaiian Airlines Mastercard® has a $99 annual fee, which you can offset with two free checked bag, a companion discount, and more.
Card Benefits and Perks
Below are the benefits and perks of the Hawaiian Airlines Mastercard®:
Two Free Checked Bags
The primary cardholder gets two free checked bags on Hawaiian Airlines flights, which is a value of $140 for a round-trip flight.
This benefit does not extend to travel companions like many other airline credit cards.
$100 Anniversary Companion Discount
To help justify the annual fee, cardmembers will receive a $100 companion discount on each account anniversary for travel between Hawaii and North America.
The discount is not valid for intra-Hawaii flights and must be used within 12 months from the account anniversary.
Discounted Award Flights
Another benefit of this card is access to discounts when redeeming your miles on Hawaiian Airlines.
Transfer HawaiianMiles With No Transaction Fee
Cardmembers can transfer HawaiianMiles to friends and family without a fee by holding the card.
Mastercard World Elite Benefits
This card is a World Elite Mastercard, which gets you access to these special benefits and discounts:
- DoorDash: Automatically get $5 off your first DoorDash order each month.
- Lyft: Take 3 rides in one calendar month and pay with your World Elite Mastercard to earn a $5 Lyft credit.
- Fandango: Spend $20 at Fandango or on Fandango’s streaming service and get a $5 Fandango Reward.
- ShopRunner: ShopRunner is an online membership that unlocks free 2-day shipping and free returns at dozens of top stores, including Under Armour, Cole Hann, Bloomingdale’s, and more.
No Foreign Transaction Fees
This card has no foreign transaction fees on purchases outside the U.S., which is helpful if you travel internationally to help you avoid paying a 3% fee on those international purchases.
Pros and Cons
Here’s a quick overview of this card’s advantages and disadvantages:
Pros:
- Two free checked bags.
- Annual companion certificate.
Cons:
- $99 Annual Fee
- Lack of travel and purchase protections.
- Very limited options on redeeming points outside of Hawaiian Airlines.
Alternatives to the Hawaiian Airlines Mastercard
Now that you know about this credit card’s various benefits and pros and cons, it’s time to see its alternatives.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Better for Travel and Purchase Protections
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (review) is one of the most popular travel rewards cards because it offers nice welcome bonus and extra points on travel and dining, which can be transferred to airline and hotel partners or redeemed directly for travel at a rate of 1.25 cents per point through Chase Travel℠. The Sapphire Preferred also offers great travel and purchase protections for a card with a $95 annual fee.
Welcome Bonus: Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.
Earning Rewards: 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 3x points on dining, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs), 2x points on all other travel purchases, and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases.
Card Benefits: Ability to transfer to airline and hotel partners, 25% bonus when redeeming points through Chase Travel, $50 annual hotel stay credit via Chase Travel, 10% anniversary points bonus, no foreign transaction fees, primary rental car insurance, trip delay insurance, trip cancellation insurance, baggage delay insurance, purchase protection, and extended warranty.
Transfer Partners: Aer Lingus, Air Canada Aeroplan, British Airways, Emirates, Air France KLM Flying Blue, Hyatt, IHG, Iberia, JetBlue, Marriott, Singapore KrisFlyer, Southwest, United, and Virgin Atlantic.
Citi Premier® Card
Better for Earning Points
- 75,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.
- 3x Points for Flights, Hotels, Gas Stations, EV Charging, Supermarkets, and Restaurants. hotels, gas stations, EV charging, supermarkets, and restaurants.
- $100 Annual Hotel Credit
- $95 Annual Fee
The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card stands out for its impressive 3x points earning on everyday purchases including restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, and travel. While its redemption options might not match competitors like Chase or Amex, you’ll still get solid value through airline transfer partners and travel bookings.
Welcome Bonus: 75,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.
Earning Points: 10x points on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through the Citi Travel portal; 3x points on airfare, hotels, gas stations, EV charging, supermarkets, and restaurants.
Card Benefits: $100 annual hotel credit on bookings of $500+ through the Citi travel portal, no foreign transaction fees, trip delay insurance, trip cancellation and interruption insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, secondary rental car insurance, and Mastercard World Elite benefits.
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Better for Airport Lounge Access
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (review) delivers both everyday value with unlimited 2x miles on purchases and premium comfort through comprehensive airport lounge access for you upon enrollment. You’ll also receive $300 in annual travel credits plus 10,000 anniversary bonus miles, creating substantial ongoing value.
Welcome Bonus: Earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months.
Earning Rewards: 10x miles on hotels and rental cars and 5x miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel; 2x miles on all other purchases.
Card Benefits: $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel, 10,000 bonus miles every account anniversary, airport lounge access (Capital One and Priority Pass) upon enrollment, Global Entry / TSA PreCheck credit, Hertz President’s Circle elite status, primary rental car insurance, trip delay insurance, trip cancellation insurance, and cell phone protection.
Transfer Partners: Accor (2 to 1), Aeromexico, Air Canada Aeroplan, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Avianca LifeMiles, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Choice Privileges, Emirates, Etihad, Finnair, I Prefer Hotels (1 to 2), Japan Airlines(2 to 1.5), JetBlue (5 to 3), Qantas, Qatar, Singapore KrisFlyer, TAP Air Portugal, Turkish Airlines, Virgin Red, and Wyndham Rewards.
Is the Hawaiian Airlines Mastercard Worth It?
The Hawaiian Airlines Mastercard® is a pretty good choice for frequent Hawaiian Airlines travelers.
However, if you don’t fly Hawaiian at least a few times per year, you are better off getting a general travel card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (review) or the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (review) for better benefits and added flexibility.
