Around six months ago in an effort to establish credit with Bank of America, I applied for the Hawaiian Airlines Visa Signature card. Back then the card offered a 35,000 mile bonus with approval and minimum spending. While I did get approved for the card, Bank of America gave me a lesser card and a 10,000 mile bonus instead. It sucked, but I moved on and felt somewhat grateful for the bonus. A few months ago the card disappeared completely and no one was sure what was going on.
Today Hawaiian Airlines and Barclay’s bank launched both a personal and business Mastercard. Each of the new cards is a bit different. Let me give you a run down and then my analysis below.
Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite MasterCard (Personal) – $89 Annual Fee (Not Waived)
Key Benefits:
- Earn 35,000 Bonus Miles after spending $1,000 during the first 90 days
- Complimentary checked bag for the primary cardholder
- One-time 50% off companion discount for travel in coach between Hawaii & North America.
- 2x miles on purchases with Hawaiian Airlines.
- Up to 10x miles at participating partners
- No foreign transaction fees
- 5,000 annual bonus miles
- $100 annual companion discount
Hawaiian Airlines® Business MasterCard – $89 Annual Fee (Not Waived)
Key Benefits:
- Earn 35,000 Bonus Miles with your first purchase.
- One-time 50% off companion discount for travel in coach between Hawaii & North America.
- 2x miles on purchases with Hawaiian Airlines
- Up to 10x miles at participating partners.
- No foreign transaction fees
- Up to 40,000 bonus miles depending on annual spend. (20,000 miles with $50k-$99k spend or 40,000 miles with $100k or more in spend.)
Analysis:
Hawaiian Airlines does not have the greatest award chart and many people have used their cards in the past to transfer miles to HHonors. (1 mile = 2 Hhonors points.) Since the huge devaluation of Hilton last year, this just isn’t a very good deal anymore. Additionally, Barclay’s has been tightening how often you can get a credit card from them. With the US Airways card going away soon and the great bonus on the Barclay Arrival card, I wouldn’t waste my time with this offer. Of course, if you have a need for Hawaiian miles or are looking for a quick 70,000 Hhonors points, then it may be for you. On the surface the personal card looks better since it doesn’t require a high spend or the annual bonus.
Note: I do not receive any referral commission for links in this post.
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