A credit card with useful perks and benefits for Hawaiian Airlines regulars.
30-second take
- Get this card if you’re a frequent Hawaiian Airlines flyer.
- Pick something else if you’re an occasional traveler.
- Apply with good to excellent credit score of 680 or higher.
| Product Name | Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Mastercard® |
|---|---|
| Card Type | Mastercard |
| Annual Fee | $99 |
| APR (Annual Percentage Rate) for Purchases | 17.99%, 21.99% or 26.99% variable |
| Introductory Balance Transfer APR | 0% for the first 15 billing cycles (then 17.99%, 21.99% or 26.99% variable) |
| Balance Transfer Fee | $5 or 3% of the transaction, whichever is greater |
| Cash Advance Rate | 27.24% variable |
| Foreign Transaction Fee | None |
| Cash Advance Fee | $10 or 5% of the cash advance amount, whichever is greater |
| Interest Free Period | Up to 23 days |
| Late Payment Fee | Up to $37 |
| Returned Payment Fee | Up to $37 |
| Additional Cardholder Fee | $0 |
| Rates & Fees | Rates & Fees |
| Minimum Age | 18 years of age |
|---|
| Welcome Offer | $3,000 in the first 90 days and earn 50,000 bonus miles. |
|---|---|
| Reward Value per Dollar | 1 miles |
| Rewards Points Expiry | Never |
The basics
The Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Mastercard® may be the right choice for a niche flyer — and most helpful if you fly to and from Hawaii often. But there are other things to consider if you’re thinking about picking up the card.
The signup bonus is relatively easy to obtain, and is enough for a one-way flight between North America and Hawaii in the Coach Saver fare class. You also get other solid perks, like no foreign transaction fees, a yearly bonus and a one-time discount.
The perks
-
Signup bonus.
Spend $3,000 in the first 90 days of card membership to earn 50,000 bonus miles. This is relatively easy to earn, and has a solid value.
-
First checked bag free.
The primary cardholder gets their first checked bag free when they purchase an eligible ticket through Hawaiian Airlines using their card. This perk can save you $25 per flight.
-
One-time companion discount.
Get a one-time 50% discount for your companion for a round-trip coach travel ticket between Hawaii and North America. Depending on the distance traveled, you can save approximately $450.
-
Earn miles.
Earn 3x miles on eligible Hawaiian Airlines purchases. You’ll also earn 2x miles on gas, dining and grocery store purchases, and 1x points on everything else. Redeem miles for flights, hotels, rental cars and gift certificates.
How to earn additional miles
You can purchase miles in increments of 500 if you need additional miles to redeem a reward.
You can also earn miles when flying with Hawaiian Airlines partners. Some of them include:
- Japan Airlines
- Virgin Atlantic
- Korean Air
- jetBlue
- China Airlines
Earn miles when you stay at certain hotels by being a member of the hotel’s loyalty program and providing your Hawaiian membership number when checking in. Hotels that you can earn miles with include:
- Marriott hotels. Up to 2 miles per dollar.
- Starwood hotels. 3 miles per dollar.
- Hyatt hotels. Up to 5,000 miles.
- Hilton hotels. Redeem Hilton Honor points for HawaiianMiles — 1.5 Hilton Honors points are worth 1 HawaiianMiles point.
- Alohilani resort. Up to 1,500 miles per night.
- Maui Coast hotel. 150 miles per night.
- Prince Resorts Hawaii. 5,000 miles and fourth night free.
If you rent a car from AVIS, Budget or Payless car rental companies, or if you shop at certain locations in Hawaii, you can earn additional miles.
Download the HawaiianMiles Marketplace app and log in to your HawaiianMiles membership account to see all locations where you can earn Hawaiian Miles.
You’ll also like …
-
Intro APR period on balance transfers.
Get a 0% intro APR period on purchases and balance transfers for the first 15 billing cycles following your account opening. Balance transfers must be made within the first 45 days of card membership to qualify for the intro APR. After the intro period is up, a variable APR of 17.74%, 21.74% or 26.74% applies.
-
No foreign transaction fees.
Use this card freely when you travel abroad without incurring any international transaction fees. Other cards have fees of up to 3% of each transaction.
-
Companion ticket discount.
Get a $100 discount for a companion every year on your credit card anniversary.
-
Miles boost.
Once you spend $10,000 in a calendar year, you’ll get 5,000 bonus miles — a $50 value.
-
ShareMiles.
You can send miles to and receive them from your friends and family up to 10 times annually without paying any fees for the transfers.
What to watch out for
-
Balance transfer limitations.
To use the intro APR period, make sure your balance transfers post within 45 days of your account opening. For each transfer, you’ll pay either $5 or 3% of the transaction, whichever is greater. If your transfer amount exceeds your credit limit, Barclays — the card issuer — may decline your transfer or may only accept a partial amount.
-
Annual fee.
To own the card, you’ll pay $99 each year. The fee isn’t waived for the first year. However, if you travel often, you’ll likely be able to easily offset the annual fee.
-
Potentially high APR.
Depending on your credit, you can have a purchase APR of 17.99%, 21.99% or 26.99% variable.
-
Penalty fees.
For any late or returned payments you make, expect to pay up to $37. This is one of the rare cards that doesn’t have a penalty APR.
How to make the annual fee worth it
The one-time 50% discount for a companion’s round-trip coach ticket can more than cover the annual fee in the first year. For a $500 round-trip flight, that’s a savings of around $250.
Long-term, the card is worth keeping if you take someone on a trip every year: The $100 companion-ticket discount makes up for the annual fee.
HawaiianMiles are worth around 1.2 cents apiece. If you can earn around 7,500 miles from your card every year, your bonus miles will outweigh your annual fee.
Consider other cards if …
-
You fly on other airlines.
Depending on which airline company you prefer to fly with, you can consider the Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express from American Express if you fly Delta, the United℠ Explorer Card for United Airlines flights or the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite™ Mastercard® if you fly American Airlines.
-
You want a general travel rewards card.
A general travel rewards card lets you earn points redeemable for flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises and more. One solid general travel rewards card is the Barclaycard Arrival® Plus World Elite Mastercard®.
-
You want a cashback card.
If you want a simple, no-annual-fee card, you can consider the American Express Cash Magnet™ Card from American Express or the Chase Freedom Unlimited® credit card — both cards earn you unlimited 1.5% cash back. If you want a higher cash back for select purchase catagories, consider Discover it® Cash Back or the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express.
How does a balance transfer work with this card?
Balance transfers come with a fee of either $5 or 3% of the transaction, whichever is greater. This means that the fee for a $1,000 balance transfer is $30.
If you request an amount that exceeds your credit limit, Barclays may either decline your request or only accept a partial amount. Requests for a balance transfer from another Barclays account will immediately be declined.
Balance transfers initiated during the card application can be cancelled within 10 days of your card being approved. All you need to do is call the number on the back of your card.
What should I know before I apply?
To apply for the Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Mastercard®, you must be at least 18 years old and a US resident. Residents of Puerto Rico and US territories are not eligible.
You’ll need to provide information, such as:
- Full name and contact information
- Employment and financial information.
- Social Security number and date of birth
- Mother’s maiden name
What credit score do I need?
You’ll have a better chance if you apply with a good to excellent credit score of 680 or higher. With a better credit score, you’ll get a lower APR and a higher credit line.
Which partner airlines can I fly with HawaiianMiles?
Aside from Hawaiian Airlines, where the redemption value is highest, you can redeem your miles for flights with partner airlines. Some of them include:
- jetBlue. You’ll need 50,000 miles for tickets valued up to $419.
- Korean Air. Between 100,000 and 200,000 miles cover a round-trip flight between South Korea and the US.
- Virgin Atlantic. Between 60,000 and 160,000 miles cover a flight from the UK to US west coast, depending on which class you fly.
- Virgin Australia. Between 100,000 and 200,000 miles cover a flight from Australia to international destinations, depending on which class you fly.
Call HawaiianMiles service center at 1-877-HA-MILES (1-877-426-4537) from Monday to Friday 7 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Hawaii-Aleutian Time to redeem miles for partner flights.
What do customers say about the Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Mastercard®?
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) rated Barclays US with an A+. Customers reviews and the BBB rating give the bank a composite score of 3.77 out of 5 stars. Most customers complain about poor customer support for the bank in general.
As for the card itself, some customers consider the number of miles required to redeem a flight ticket to be too high. However, those who often travel between Hawaii and the US claim the card is a good value.
How to apply for the Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Mastercard®
- Go to the Barclays US website and select Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Mastercard® from the list of cards. Click Apply now.
- Complete the application form with details such as your name, address, Social Security number and date of birth.
- Review your application and submit it.
How long will it take to get my Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Mastercard®?
Typically, you’ll receive an immediate decision on your application. In rare cases, you may need to wait a few business days to a few weeks until your application is manually approved.
Once approved, expect your card to arrive in the mail within 7 to 10 business days.
I got the card. Now what?
- Download Barclays US Mobile banking app. Make payments, access your FICO® score and more.
- Avoid interest. After the close of each billing cycle, you have a grace period of 23 days to pay your balance to avoid paying interest on your purchases.
- Avoid fees. Late and returned payments come with hefty fees of up to $37. Balance transfers and cash advances also come with fees.
- Customer service. If you have questions, contact Barclaycard customer service at 1-866-928-8598.
Bottom line
This may be a good choice for Hawaiian Airlines regulars. You get to earn miles by making purchases and by the distance flown with Hawaiian Airlines and its partners. Also, staying at certain hotels and by renting cars from certain companies can earn you additional miles.
However, if you’re a casual flyer, you might get more out of a general travel card.