Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard Review

Full Review of Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard

Pros Explained

• Decent Bonus with Manageable Spending Requirement: The 60,000 miles bonus requires spending $2,000 in the first 90 days. That’s only $667 per month, which is manageable for many families. Other cards with similar bonuses may require spending $3,000 or $4,000 in the first 90 days.
• First Checked Bag Free on Eligible Flights: You can check one free bag on Hawaiian Airlines operated flights as the primary cardholder on flights to North America or neighbor island flights. International flights do not qualify. Authorized users do not qualify for this benefit, either. To get the free checked bag, tickets must be purchased directly through Hawaiian Airlines, using your Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard. Your HawaiianMiles account number must also be associated with the reservation before check-in.
• $100 Companion Discount Annually: On each account anniversary, you will receive a companion discount worth $100 off one companion ticket. The discount is good for 12 months from the account anniversary. As long as you use this companion ticket each year, it can justify the $99 (waived for the first year) annual fee. This discount is valid only on round-trip coach travel between Hawaii and North America that is booked directly with Hawaiian Airlines using the primary cardmember's HawaiianMiles account. The primary cardholder must be one of the passengers, as well.
• One-Time 50% Off Companion Discount: When you open your account, you’ll receive a one-time 50% discount toward a published full coach fare round-trip flight for a companion. It is subject to the same restrictions as the $100 companion discount mentioned above.

Cons Explained

• Poor Earning Rates on Non-Hawaiian Airline Purchases: Non-Hawaiian Airlines purchases earn at most 2 miles per dollar spent. Other rewards credit cards offer higher rewards values in their bonus and other purchases categories.

The Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard may be a good fit for someone who lives in Hawaii or visits there often and prefers to fly Hawaiian Airlines. The 60,000 miles bonus, one-time 50% off companion discount, and annual $100 companion discount should justify this card's $99 (waived for the first year) annual fee as long as you can use these benefits before they expire. 

The regular rewards earning rates this card offers aren't amazing. That said, some of its other perks, such as a free checked bag and discounted award flights on Hawaiian Airlines, could be useful for frequent Hawaiian Airlines customers. 

Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard Bonus

This card offers a bonus of 60,000 bonus HawaiianMiles after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first 90 days. This is a decent bonus for a card with an annual fee (waived in the first year).

Based upon Investopedia's valuation of Hawaiian Airlines Miles of 1.26 cents, the 60,000 miles are worth $882. That's a lot of value for a very reasonable spending total.

The bonus is only available to first-time primary cardholders with new accounts, and it may take four to six weeks for the bonus miles to be deposited in your HawaiianMiles account.

Rewards Earning Details

The Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard allows you to earn 3 HawaiianMiles for every dollar you spend directly with Hawaiian Airlines, except for duty-free purchases made in-flight. You’ll also earn 2 HawaiianMiles per dollar on gas, grocery store, and dining purchases. Unfortunately, Target and Walmart are not included in the definition of grocery stores, and warehouse clubs, drug stores, and discount stores generally do not qualify, either. All other purchases earn 1 HawaiianMile per dollar. Depending on the value you get when you redeem your rewards, a 2% cash-back credit card may be a better option for all non-Hawaiian Airlines purchases after you earn the bonus.

There are no limits on the number of HawaiianMiles you can earn while your account is in good standing. You may not earn miles during a billing cycle if you fail to make the minimum payment by the payment due date, your account becomes delinquent, or your account is otherwise in default. Your miles do not expire ever.

Rewards Redemption Details

HawaiianMiles can be redeemed in many ways, but using them for flights will usually result in the best value. When you redeem your miles for flights on Hawaiian Airlines, the awards start at 7,500 miles for travel within Hawaii and 20,000 miles for flights between Hawaii and the West Coast of the U.S. There are no blackout dates for awards travel on Hawaiian Airlines. 

You can also redeem Hawaiian Miles for flights on partner airlines by calling the HawaiianMiles service center at 877-426-4537. Awards on partner airlines can only be used for round trips and are based on availability, which may be limited. Current partner airlines include:

• China Airlines
• Japan Airlines
• JetBlue
• Korean Air
• Virgin Australia

Other redemption options include hotel stays through the HawaiianMiles booking program, hotel gift certificates through Outrigger/Ohana Hotels, car rental gift certificates, select shopping, and dining gift certificates, magazine and newspaper subscriptions, donations, and gifting Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club membership to others.

Transferring Miles

If you find yourself in a situation where you can't fly with Hawaiian Airlines, you can use your points to book with one of their partners. While it's not really transferring as you're still booking through Hawaiian Airlines, it allows you to use miles for flights on other airlines. To do so, you need to call HawaiianMiles Service Center at 1-877-426-4537 to set up a booking. Awards used with partner airlines can only be issued as a roundtrip ticket, so one-ways and multi-city trips are not permitted.

How to Maximize Your Rewards

As with most programs, maximizing your rewards is a two-part process. First, you need to earn enough HawaiianMiles to redeem. Take advantage of the 60,000 HawaiianMiles bonus by spending $2,000 on purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account. Putting all of your Hawaiian Airlines purchases on your card will earn you an additional 3 miles per dollar. The other spending categories only offer 1 or 2 miles per dollar. You could earn more in these categories with other rewards credit cards.

Once you have enough miles, you should focus on redeeming your rewards to get the most value per mile. Generally, you're best off redeeming your miles for flights.

Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard's Outstanding Benefits

• $100 companion discount annually after each account anniversary
• Discounted flight awards
• First checked bag free on eligible flights
• One-time 50% off companion discount

Standard Benefits

• No blackout dates
• Send and receive miles from family and friends without a fee
• Other World Elite Mastercard benefits as detailed in new account materials

Cardholder Experience

The Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard is issued by Barclays U.S., which scored 792 out of 1,000 in J.D. Power’s 2021 U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study. That score is below-average. Additionally, Barclays ranked seventh out of 11 national card issuers.

You can contact Barclays U.S. customer service by calling the number on the back of your card, calling 877-523-0478, or sending a message through the message center after you log into your online account. Barclays also offers a mobile app.

This card provides a free FICO credit score monthly to help you keep up with your credit.

Security Features

This card is equipped for chip and PIN transactions, which provide added security and can be useful at unattended terminals in foreign countries where no other payment options are accepted. Additionally, you can lock and unlock the card from the bank's app if you temporarily misplace the card but don’t think it has been compromised. 

Our Verdict

If you fly Hawaiian Airlines often and can take advantage of the companion discounts it provides in the first and following years, this card might be a good fit for you. Its other benefits, such as a free checked bag and discounted award flights, could mean additional savings. 

Unfortunately, this card doesn't offer strong miles earning potential beyond the initial bonus and Hawaiian Airlines purchases. Anyone looking to maximize their credit card rewards could likely find other credit cards with better-earning rates and rewards values.