The Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard helps you earn enough Hawaiian Airlines miles to leave winter behind.
Sara Rathner
Senior Writer/Spokesperson | Credit cards, travel rewards, debt payment
Sara Rathner is a NerdWallet travel and credit cards expert. She has appeared on the “Today” show and CNBC’s “Nightly Business Report,” and has been quoted in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Yahoo Finance, Time, Reuters, NBC News, Business Insider and MarketWatch. Before joining NerdWallet, Sara worked at The Motley Fool for nearly 10 years. She also worked as a freelance personal finance writer and paraplanner and has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Northwestern University.
Assigning Editor Kenley Young
Assigning Editor | Credit cards, credit scores
Kenley Young directs daily credit cards coverage for NerdWallet. Previously, he was a homepage editor and digital content producer for Fox Sports, and before that a front page editor for Yahoo. He has decades of experience in digital and print media, including stints as a copy desk chief, a wire editor and a metro editor for the McClatchy newspaper chain.
Fact Checked Co-written by Claire Tsosie Assigning Editor Claire Tsosie
Assigning Editor | travel, credit cards
Claire Tsosie is an assigning editor for the travel rewards team at NerdWallet. She started her career on the credit cards team as a writer. Her work was featured by Forbes, USA Today and The Associated Press.
Many or all of the products on this page are from partners who compensate us when you click to or take an action on their website, but this does not influence our evaluations or ratings. Our opinions are our own.
The Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Mastercard® is a strong option if you regularly travel to or from the Aloha State — especially if you generally bring a plus one.
It offers significant annual discounts for traveling with a partner, a potentially valuable perk that's quite rare among airline cards, for an annual fee of $99. It also packs a good sign-up bonus and useful ongoing rewards. And like all good airline cards, it doesn't charge foreign transaction fees.
Here are five things to know about the card.
The Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Mastercard® is one of the very few airline cards that offer savings on companion tickets , making it an incredibly valuable choice for those who travel to or from Hawaii with others.
You'll receive a one-time discount of 50% off round-trip coach airfare between Hawaii and North America for a companion in the first 13 months of card membership. If you plan to use this card for the long term, you’ll also get a $100 discount on a companion ticket each year once you reach your first anniversary.
The Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Mastercard® offers something you don't always see on an airline card: elevated rewards in everyday categories — not just on purchases made with the airline. You get:
3 miles per dollar spent on Hawaiian Airlines purchases. 2 miles per dollar spent on gas, dining and grocery store purchases. 1 mile per dollar on all other purchases.That gives you a good reason to use this card for spending outside of airfare, making it easier to rack up miles faster for your next trip. Can you feel the ocean breeze yet?
NerdWallet values Hawaiian miles at 1 cent each. This is a baseline value, drawn from real-world data on hundreds of economy routes, not a maximized value. In other words, you should aim for award redemptions that offer 1 cent or more in value from your Hawaiian miles.
Cashing in miles for flights is the obvious choice, but you have some flexibility in how you use your rewards. You may not get the highest value per mile, but the options are there nonetheless:
Redeem miles for stays at hotels. Book car rentals with Avis and Budget using miles. You can also redeem rewards for gift cards and merchandise.Southwest Airlines also offers nonstop flights from the mainland U.S. to Hawaii, and that airline offers several co-branded credit cards. Find out which one might be right for you .
With the Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Mastercard® , you get two free checked bags, and that's a potentially valuable perk for loyalists.
Normally, checking a standard-sized bag with Hawaiian Airlines would cost $15 or more each way, and a second bag would cost an additional $20 or more each way. So depending on how light you pack, you could save $70 or more round trip with this card. (To qualify, you must use your Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Mastercard® when buying tickets directly via the airline.)
However, unlike with other airline cards, only the primary cardholder gets this benefit. Your companion will have to pay for their checked bag.
In the U.S., Hawaiian Airlines only offers nonstop service from Hawaii to a handful of cities on the mainland. But thanks to the airline's partnership with JetBlue, more cities have access to Hawaii (albeit with layovers).
NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula incorporates coverage options, customer experience, customizability, cost and more.
Learn MoreYou can earn HawaiianMiles on JetBlue flights, earn TrueBlue points on Hawaiian Airlines flights, and redeem points from one award program for flights on the other airline. You can't, however, earn both HawaiianMiles and TrueBlue points on the same flight — you must pick one or the other.
Not totally sold on a Hawaiian vacation? The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card , a general travel card, may be a better fit. For starters, it features a generous sign-up bonus. And you'll also earn 3 Chase Ultimate Rewards® points per dollar spent on dining, select streaming services and online grocery purchases. You'll earn 2 points per dollar on travel and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases. The annual fee is $95 .
You can find even more options on NerdWallet's roundup of the best credit cards to get .
Information about the Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Mastercard® has been collected independently by NerdWallet and has not been provided or reviewed by the issuer of this card.
About the authorsYou’re following Sara Rathner
Visit your My NerdWallet Settings page to see all the writers you're following.
Sara is a NerdWallet travel and credit cards expert. She has appeared on the “Today” show, Nasdaq and CNBC’s “Nightly Business Report.” See full bio.
You’re following Claire Tsosie
Visit your My NerdWallet Settings page to see all the writers you're following.
Claire is an assigning editor for NerdWallet. Her work has been featured by Forbes, USA Today and The Associated Press. See full bio.
On a similar note.
Download the app
Disclaimer: NerdWallet strives to keep its information accurate and up to date. This information may be different than what you see when you visit a financial institution, service provider or specific product's site. All financial products, shopping products and services are presented without warranty. When evaluating offers, please review the financial institution's Terms and Conditions. Pre-qualified offers are not binding. If you find discrepancies with your credit score or information from your credit report, please contact TransUnion® directly.
NerdUp by NerdWallet credit card: NerdWallet is not a bank. Bank services provided by Evolve Bank & Trust, member FDIC. The NerdUp by NerdWallet Credit Card is issued by Evolve Bank & Trust pursuant to a license from MasterCard International Inc.
Impact on your credit may vary, as credit scores are independently determined by credit bureaus based on a number of factors including the financial decisions you make with other financial services organizations.
NerdWallet Compare, Inc. NMLS ID# 1617539
California: California Finance Lender loans arranged pursuant to Department of Financial Protection and Innovation Finance Lenders License #60DBO-74812
Insurance Services offered through NerdWallet Insurance Services, Inc. (CA resident license no.OK92033) Insurance Licenses
NerdWallet™ | 55 Hawthorne St. - 10th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105
