Hawaiian Airlines Business Mastercard card from Barclays review

Hawaiian Airlines Business Mastercard card from Barclays review

Updated: September 10, 2020
Updated: September 10, 2020
Ratings Policy
Business Rating:
2.3 rating
2.3 rating
2.3 / 5
Rewards Value1.5
Annual Percentage Rate0.6
Rewards Flexibility3.5
Features2.0
Issuer Customer Experience3.5

In a Nutshell:

The Hawaiian Airlines Business Mastercard credit card has decent sign-up and spend-based bonuses, but its annual fee is high, and its earning scheme is quite average.

Rewards Rate

  • 3:1 on Hawaiian Airlines purchases
  • 2:1 on gas, dining and office supplies
  • 1:1 general purchases
  • Up to 40,000 yearly bonus miles, based on spend
Poor

Sign-up Bonus
60,000 miles if you spend $1,000 in the first 90 days

Very Good

Annual Fee
$99

Fair

Average Yearly Rewards Value ($4,000 monthly spend)
$687

Poor

APR
17.99-26.99%

Poor

Rewards Redemption
Pros

  • No blackout dates
  • Points don’t expire as long as account is active
  • No limit on the points you can earn
  • Rewards are good for Hawaiian Airlines travel and many airline partners
  • No round trip requirements
  • Redeem miles on flights, upgrades, hotels and car rental
  • Transfer miles to family and friends for free

Cons

  • Rewards rate lags rates offered by other U.S. airlines
  • Fees for changes and cancellations
  • Rewards only good for Hawaiian airlines travel and limited airline and travel partners
Very Good

Barclays Customer Service Ratings

  • D. Power 2020 customer satisfaction rating: 796 (80% of issuers in this category ranked higher)
  • 24/7 customer service?: Yes
  • Online chat available?: Yes
  • Google Play Store mobile app rating: 4.1/5
  • Apple Store mobile app rating: 4.1/5
Very Good

Other Notable Features: EMV chip, complimentary employee cards, consolidated statement showing all expenses, travel assistance, transfer miles to the Hilton HHonors program

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The information about the Hawaiian Airlines Business Mastercard has been collected independently by CreditCards.com. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy.

The only reason to apply for the Hawaiian Airlines Business Mastercard is if you fly Hawaiian Airlines a lot. The sign-up and spend-based bonuses can get you up to 100,000 bonus miles in the first year – up to 200,000 miles total, including bonus and regular miles. That can amount to four round trip flights between Hawaii and the mainland, so it is not a bad proposition. However, if you want a choice of airlines or want to travel to destinations besides Hawaii, and you don’t intend to charge tens of thousands of dollars a year on this card, you might want to look for other options.

Less-than-stellar earning scheme

The Hawaiian Airlines Business Mastercard credit card offers 3 miles per dollar for Hawaiian Airlines purchases, 2 miles per dollar on gas, dining and office supplies and 1 mile per dollar for all other purchases. That’s a pretty minimal rewards rate for a premium airline co-branded credit card. And unlike many other credit card offers, the annual fee is not waived for the first year.

High interest rate

Do not apply for this card if you intend to carry a balance. The card offers a variable APR starting at 17.99 and ranging all the way up to 26.99 percent. That’s higher than any other business card we reviewed.

Excellent sign-up bonus

The Hawaiian Airlines Business Mastercard credit card offers a generous 60,000-mile bonus – one of the highest bonuses among the cards in our business category. For added convenience, you only have to spend $1,000 in the first 90 days. Most business cards set a threshold of $3,000 or higher for a sign-up bonus.

Extra bonuses for spending more

For big spenders, the card offers yearly bonuses that are generous. You receive 20,000 bonus miles after spending $50,000 to $99,000 during the year, and another 20,000 miles if you can master the spend of $100,000 or more.

50 percent off companion discount

You also get a one-time 50 percent discount on a companion pass. This discount is valuable because it doesn’t appear to exclude deeply discounted fare categories. If you are planning a flight to Hawaii with a partner soon, you can add yet another $250 to $350 to the value that this card offers in the first year of membership.

No foreign-transaction fees

As a valuable benefit for frequent travelers, the Hawaiian Airlines card doesn’t charge a foreign-transaction fee. This leaves you free to use the card when you are traveling abroad, unlike the typical credit card that charges between 2 and 4 percent on purchases made in foreign countries.

Share miles for free with friends and family

As a Hawaiian Airlines Business Mastercard credit card holder, you can share Hawaiian Airlines miles with friends or family for free. This is a rare benefit. Most airline frequent flier programs add a hefty fee for this service.

Business expense management features

The card comes with a few tools and features to help business owners manage their accounts. Employee cards are complimentary and include individualized spending limits. Also, a consolidated expense statement gives you an overview of all spending.

Why get the Hawaiian Airlines Business Mastercard?

  • You fly a lot on Hawaiian Airlines.
  • You spend more than $50,000 a year to qualify for the extra bonus.
  • You want to leverage employee spending to collect miles (since there are no fees for employee cards).
  • You want to fly to Hawaii with a companion.

How to use the Hawaiian Airlines Business Mastercard:

  • Charge whatever you can to the card and encourage employees to do the same in order to get the spend-based bonuses.
  • Use cash for cheap flights, use miles for expensive flights.
  • If you can’t use the miles on flights, consider transferring them to the Hilton HHonors hotel program at a higher rate (1 mile = 1.5 HHonors point).
  • Do not carry a balance on this high-APR card.

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