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The information for the following product(s) has been collected independently by Business Insider: Hawaiian Airlines® Bank of Hawaii World Elite Mastercard®, Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®. The details for these products have not been reviewed or provided by the issuer.
The Hawaiian Airlines® Bank of Hawaii World Elite Mastercard® is a credit card that offers benefits that easily justify the $99 annual fee for someone who takes at least one trip on Hawaiian Airlines annually. It's especially handy for couples traveling together. But if you never fly on Hawaiian Airlines planes, there are better options.
The Hawaiian Airlines® Bank of Hawaii World Elite Mastercard® rarely makes anyone's list of the best airline credit cards. But that doesn't mean the card is a slouch.
It comes with a combination of useful benefits that you won't find on nearly any other credit card. If you fly Hawaiian Airlines even once per year, this card could make plenty of sense.
First, the card comes with 60,000 bonus HawaiianMiles after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first 90 days from account opening. Along with that, you'll also receive a single-use companion discount of 50% off a round-trip coach flight between North America and Hawaii.
The ongoing benefits are the reason a casual Hawaiian Airlines flyer will pay the $99 annual fee each year. You'll get two free checked bags when you use the card to purchase your airfare (potentially $140 in savings per round-trip) — and you'll also get an annual $100 companion discount. It even provides discounts of up to 25% on award flights.
Hawaiian Airlines doesn't have a lengthy list of airline partners for which you can redeem your miles. If you almost never fly with Hawaiian Airlines, you should look into a credit card co-branded by another airline with a healthier list of partners, such as the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®. You can redeem American Airlines miles to book flights on many more airlines (including Hawaiian) than Hawaiian Airlines miles allow.
The Hawaiian Airlines® Bank of Hawaii World Elite Mastercard® offers a welcome bonus of 60,000 bonus HawaiianMiles after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first 90 days from account opening.
Aside from that, you'll earn the following when spending on the card:
Insider estimates Hawaiian Airlines miles value to be an average of 1 cent each when used for travel — though you could potentially receive more value, depending on how you use them. That means this card effectively earns between 1% and 3% back on purchases.
To get the most value from your miles, you'll need to redeem them as they were intended — for award flights.
Hawaiian Airlines doesn't fly to many destinations worldwide. You can use Hawaiian Airlines miles to fly between Hawaii and the mainland US, Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and a handful of islands in the South Pacific. However, you can also use your miles to fly on the following partner airlines:
This opens up much of the world to you — including flights to Europe, the Caribbean, Africa, and Australia.
Hawaiian Airlines uses various award charts to price its flights. If you're flying on a Hawaiian Airlines plane, you'll use this award chart. If you're flying on its partner airlines, you'll use these award charts.
Unfortunately, the price you'll pay in miles isn't quite competitive with many other popular airline award prices. You can still get solid value from them, but you may have to work a little harder.
Here are a few good ways to redeem your miles:
All these trips will give you a value higher than Insider's estimated average value of 1 cent each.
This is a rare and valuable benefit among credit cards — and for a card that charges just a $99 annual fee, it's unprecedented.
If you're the primary cardholder, you'll get your first two checked bags for free when you pay for your airfare with the Hawaiian Airlines® Bank of Hawaii World Elite Mastercard®. Hawaiian charges:
This benefit helps Hawaiian Airlines to compete with the likes of Southwest, its main competitor serving the Hawaiian islands. Southwest gives all passengers two free checked bags — no credit card necessary.
When you open the Hawaiian Airlines® Bank of Hawaii World Elite Mastercard®, you'll get a single-use discount of 50% off a round-trip coach flight for a travel buddy between North America and Hawaii. This companion certificate is good for up to 13 months after account opening.
Depending on where you fly, this could save you a good amount of money. Round-trip coach flights between Hawaii and East Coast cities like Boston and New York can cost over $700.
Each year you renew your card, you'll receive a $100 discount for round-trip coach flights between North America and Hawaii. If you'll use it, this perk will single-handedly offset the $99 annual fee each year.
With the Hawaiian Airlines® Bank of Hawaii World Elite Mastercard®, you'll receive a discount on coach awards when flying on Hawaiian Airlines. Discounts vary between 5% and 25%, depending on your route.
It appears that most often you'll receive a discount of around 12.5%. That's a healthy "rebate" just for holding a credit card.
If you have Hawaiian Airlines Gold or Platinum elite status, your Hawaiian Airlines® Bank of Hawaii World Elite Mastercard® can reimburse you for up to $10 per day in inflight purchases (maximum $100 per year).
Primary cardholders can transfer Hawaiian Airlines miles to friends and family without a fee. Amazingly, there is no minimum number of miles you must transfer. So if you've got 800 miles you'll never use, you can send it to someone who can.
When you pay your monthly phone bill with the Hawaiian Airlines® Bank of Hawaii World Elite Mastercard®, you can receive up to $1,000 in cell phone protection each year. You'll get up to $800 per claim, with a maximum of two claims in a year.
If you're currently paying for phone insurance, this card is worth cash to you.
World Elite Mastercard credit cards come with a handful of statement credits which, if you can use them all, translate to more than $100 in value:
World Elite Mastercard credit cards also come with a World Elite Concierge which can help you to book event tickets and hard-to-acquire dinner reservations.
The Hawaiian Airlines® Bank of Hawaii World Elite Mastercard® incurs a $99 annual fee. You'll also pay for things like balance transfers and cash advances.
This card does not charge foreign transaction fees.
Hawaiian Airlines® Bank of Hawaii World Elite Mastercard® | United℠ Explorer Card | Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card | |
Annual fee | $99 | $0 intro for the first year, then $95 | $0 intro for the first year, then $150 |
Rewards rate | 3x miles on eligible Hawaiian Airlines purchases 2x miles on gas, dining, and eligible grocery store purchases 1 mile per dollar on all other eligible purchases | 2x miles on eligible United purchases 2x miles on dining and hotel stays booked directly with the hotel 1 mile per dollar on everything else | 2x miles on Delta purchases 2x miles at US supermarkets and at restaurants worldwide 1 mile per dollar on everything else |
Welcome bonus | 60,000 bonus HawaiianMiles after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first 90 days from account opening | 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months your account is open | 40,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,000 in eligible purchases on your new card in your first six months of card membership |
Travel benefits | Two free checked bags on Hawaiian Airlines Single-use 50% off companion discount between Hawaii and North America on Hawaiian Airlines $100 annual companion discount for roundtrip flights between Hawaii and North America on Hawaiian Airlines Discounted award flights on Hawaiian Airlines | Two United Club one-time passes each year Free first checked bag on United flights* Priority boarding on United flights 25% back on United inflight purchases Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS application fee credit Complimentary Premier upgrades 25 Premier Qualifying Points (PQP) for every $500 you spend on purchases (up to 1,000 PQP in a calendar year) Expanded access to United award flights Complimentary DoorDash DashPass and Caviar membership through December 31, 2024 | Free first checked bag and priority boarding on Delta flights $200 flight credit when you spend $10,000 or more in a calendar year 20% off inflight purchases as a statement credit |
Review | United Explorer Card review | Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express card review |
The Hawaiian Airlines® Bank of Hawaii World Elite Mastercard® comes with features that make the card easily worth its $99 annual fee for anyone who flies Hawaiian Airlines even once or twice per year.
For example, if you were to pay for your airfare with the card and check two bags on a round-trip flight, you'd save $140. Or, if you take one round-trip coach flight with a travel buddy between North America and Hawaii, you can use the card's annual $100 companion ticket discount to immediately offset the card's annual fee.
The Hawaiian Airlines® Bank of Hawaii World Elite Mastercard® is issued by Barclays, a bank located in the UK. You can find your login information by heading to the Barclays US site.
You can check your Barclays credit card application status by visiting this page. You'll have to enter your last name, the last four digits of your Social Security number, your zip code, and your email address.
As with most travel rewards credit cards, you'll need good to excellent credit. We recommend that you not apply for a rewards credit card until your score is at least 700 to give you the best possible chance of being approved.
