Credit Cards

Hawaiian Airlines Introduces Enhanced Bag Benefit for Cardholders

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When it comes to travel credit cards, there are several routes that consumers can take. For some, a generic catch-all card may make sense, while others may prefer to leverage their brand loyalty by adding a co-branded travel card to their wallet. With the latter, travelers can often enjoy perks specific to their preferred airlines or hotel, allowing them to save money and/or time. Case in point: Hawaiian Airlines and Barclays have enhanced a key perk for island-bound flyers — especially those embarking on extended trips.

Now, Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard customers who book directly with Hawaiian Airlines can check up to two eligible bags for free. According to the airline, this perk amounts to savings of up to $140 per roundtrip. Previously, the card did offer free checked baggage, but only for the first bag. This benefit is only available to primary cardholders, but is valid for travel between North America and Hawaii, as well as between Neighbor Hawaiian Islands.

In addition to the checked baggage perk, the Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard offers cardholders a one-time 50%-off companion discount, as well as an annual $100 companion discount each anniversary year — both for roundtrip travel between Hawaii and North America — among other benefits. As for rewards, the card earns 3x miles on eligible Hawaiian Airlines purchases, 2x on gas, 2x on dining, 2x on eligible grocery store purchases, and 1x on all other purchases. Notably, the card does have a $99 annual fee.

The Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard also offers a welcome bonus for new cardholders. Currently, cardmembers can earn 60,000 bonus HawaiianMiles when they make at least $2,000 in purchases on their new card within the first 90 days. Like with all other HawaiianMiles, these miles do not expire.

Commenting on the newly-added perk, Hawaiian Airlines Managing Director of Loyalty & Travel Products Bryan Kapeckas stated, “As we’ve seen a healthy return to travel and prepare to enter the busy holiday travel and shopping season, we are excited to reward our Hawaiian Airlines cardmembers with two free checked bags. This enhanced benefit is another way of saying thank you to our cardmembers for their loyalty.” 

Additionally, Barclays Director of Airline Partnerships Kristyn Forrester said, “As a partner-first organization, we are always looking for ways to enhance cardmembers’ experiences with the brands they love. This industry-leading offer of two free checked bags brings our cardmembers more value and elevates the travel experience on Hawaiian Airlines to new heights.”

For Hawaiian Airlines flyers, the increased complimentary checked luggage allowance could prove to be a good reason to apply for the Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard. With the reasonable $99 annual fee and other perks included, even those who may only take the airline once or twice a year may see positive value from the card. Then again, given the inherent specialty of Hawaiian Airlines, there’s a good chance that this card — even with enhancements — won’t make a ton of sense for most travelers. Nevertheless, it’s always worth taking a look at what other co-branded cards are doing as the competition could certainly work to the benefit of consumers overall.

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