After a long stretch of silence, the legacy Hawaiian Airlines–branded credit card is quietly back, though the way it returned only adds to the confusion that has surrounded it for months.
The card returns.
Applications for the Hawaiian Airlines Bank of Hawaii World Elite Mastercard are open again, offering 60,000 Atmos Rewards points after $2,000 in spending within 90 days, with a $99 annual fee. A business version is also available, offering 50,000 points after $4,000 in spending, bringing the familiar Hawaiian-branded card back into full availability.
If this sounds familiar, it should. This is the same card that effectively vanished last fall when HawaiianMiles shut down and Atmos Rewards took over, a transition that left travelers staring at broken application links and unclear explanations.
What we were told at the time.
At the time, Barclays and Hawaiian insisted the credit card was not going away, even as application pages returned 404 errors and cardholders were left guessing about what would come next. We covered that confusion extensively, and for a while nothing much changed other than growing uncertainty.
Now the card is back, but the picture is still unclear. When we first reported on the card’s disappearance last year, Barclays contacted us directly with a statement attributed to Doug Villone, Head of Cards and Partnerships. He said the Hawaiian credit card program would “remain intact for the next several years.” That may still be true, but the unexplained disappearance and reappearance of application links suggests a situation far less settled than that assurance implied.
The bigger picture on the Hawaiian credit card.
The issuer is still Barclays, but the card is now surfaced through Bank of Hawaii, adding another layer to an already tangled setup. For longtime Hawaiian flyers, it is hard to tell whether this represents a meaningful return or simply a reshuffling behind the scenes.
That distinction is significant because Alaska Airlines has a long and lucrative credit card relationship with Bank of America. That partnership is widely viewed as one of the most valuable parts of Alaska’s entire business, potentially rivaling the economics of flying itself. When Alaska acquired Hawaiian, many assumed it was only a matter of time before Hawaiian’s card portfolio followed the same path to Bank of America.
A card back in limbo.
So far, that has not happened. Instead, the Hawaiian-branded card survives in a kind of back and forth situation, earning Atmos points now rather than the old HawaiianMiles and existing alongside Alaska’s own cards. All that without any clear road map for how long this arrangement is meant to last.
For travelers simply chasing points, there are richer offers elsewhere, including significantly larger bonuses on Alaska’s Atmos cards. For Hawaii residents who care about continuity, branding, and what survives from the old Hawaiian ecosystem, this looks less like a fresh start and more like a respite on borrowed time.
The card may be available again, but the uncertainty that has surrounded it since the merger remains firmly in place.
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One thing I just found out is that, unlike the old Hawaiian Air points, Atmos does not allow free point transfers between accounts. You can transfer them, but at a prohibitive cost ($10/1000 points) which basically makes the transfer worthless–you might as well not use them and just buy a ticket with cash. So my wife and I now have permanently separate Atmos accounts and can’t pool the points between them.
I finally cancelled my Hawaiian card last November. I will not be signing up for an Alaskan card. THere were too many uncertainties and ambiguities regrding what they did and did not cover and when there was a published policy as to the latter, it shifted shortly thereafter. THere was no stabiity. So I simply got sick of the uncertainity and after having the card for more than 20+ years and cancelled. Contraty to common belief cancelling the card did not affect my credit rating.
For travelers chasing points… Can you highlight specifically what Alaska’s Atmos card offers “larger “ than Hawaiian card? Assuming you have/use both.
It is still very confusing about the continuation of the Barclay’s World MasterCard.
I have very disappointed with the difficulty and poor service with the Atmos Summit Visa with Bank of America. I had to go through several applications before being accepted even
with a top FICO score in the 850’s with a long history with Bank of America and large
Compensating balances. Even so I had to make personal trips to speak with the Manager of our Bank Of America before getting approved.
Then insult to injury, they approved me with a measly $10,000 credit limit. My Barclays World Elite MC and others have a $50,000 credit limit. When I asked for a higher limit, Inwas rejected 3 times. The Manager thought I should let 3 billing cycles pass before re applying for a higher credit limit.
I had to keep paying down my Atmos BofA because of the $10,000 credit limit.
Anyone else having this sort of difficulty?
Anything that comes back without clear answers is IMO made for fools. Do you really think anything an airline does is in the financial favor of the tourist?
With HA loosing 189 million last year who do you trust? Do yourself a favor and slowly reread and check the fine print or annual percentage rates/fees etc.
Quick Convert all your HA miles to Alaska thinking the card will disappear and suddenly it comes back. Loose all your mileage points to a Alaska’s system that asks for more points to redeem for the same reward. IMO reminds me exactly of what the Hawaiian Come, don’t come, Welcome. Not Welcome game. Make a reservation sorry park closed situation. IMO no matter what the tourist gets the short end of the stick. Why get rid of both credit cards when Alaska/HA can collect 2 annual fee’s if you think you need both. Fool me once your fault. Fool me twice well just look in the mirror.
As a Boston resident I’m planning on switching to the JetBlue card next month. No point in keeping my card with Hawaiian no longer flying to Boston, and Alaska is Never the cheapest to the west coast, Delta and JetBlue always are.
I wonder if it’s similar to what American Airlines is doing? Their affordable “AAdvantage” Barclays-issued MasterCard was supposed to be discontinued this year in favor of various Citibank cards. However, mine has yet to be canceled…
Believe me… no one in Hawaii wants to be associated with bank of America, they have probably the worst customer service in the banking industry… I closed my atmos card not more than 6 months after opening it… stick with Barclay’s if at all humanly possible
No one outside of Hawaii wants BofA either!
I have been a Hawaiian credit card holder for years to earn points to fly home. I am soooo disappointed alll my points I have accumulated is worth nothing!!!
Why bother? You get more from the joint Atmos card. We have done our homework. And Hawaiian has been having the most snafus with the merger. We don’t want to pay annual fees on too many cards.
Just a heads up. I used my HawnMiles Barclay’s World Elite for the past 2 trips to Vegas. When checking in, I was charged a $40 baggage fee. Paid with the same card and brought it the fine Hawaiian Airlines employee at the bag drop area. She told me “next time” go to the customer service line and they will assist. Since I had already Paid, said I’d have to contact Hawaiian Airs customer service which I did upon my return. I eventually received my credit a few days later. Customer service rep was not helpful nor knowledgeable but to his credit I was credited. Happened again 2 days ago the counterperson was able to “waive” my fee but mentioned we only get 1 free bag! Hawaiian/Alaska – what gives???
I’ve had similar problems on Alaska with the BofA Atmos card.
I have a Hawaiian Miles Barclay card and my husband has an Alaska BOA card. We’ve found that the service from Barclay is far superior to the Bank of America. I just finished booking two trips: one on Alaska to Charleston, and one on Hawaiian to Honolulu. Both were a nightmare. Since the merger both websites state that all fares shown are round trip-but when you go to book your return flight there is only one you can book and retain the “round trip” fare you selected and it usually gets you in the middle of the night. Anybody have the same experience? What a nightmare.
I wish I knew Barclays would continue the Hawaiian brand. I canceled my Barclays assuming I would no longer be able to earn miles or points. Barclays card has 2 free check bags whereas Atmos has only 1 per person.
My current Hawaiian World Elite credit card has always been issued by Barclay via Bank of Hawai’i, that didn’t change after the merger. And while the Atmos credit card may offer “larger bonuses’, it always comes with a significantly higher annual fee.
Between my wife and I we have 2 Hawaiian cards and 2 Alaska cards (thats approx. $400 in annual fees!!!) now with the consolidation of HA by Alaska, thinking either dropping our 2 Hawaiian cards or dropping one Hawaiian card and one Alaska card. We are family of 4 but our kids just graduated from college and realistically wont be able to join on our trips to the islands once they join the workforce so point accumulation and transfer benefits, and $99 companion fare benefits are no longer a priority. Our HA cards renews in May so any advice on most beneficial combination would be greatly appreciated. Mahalos!!!
Bare minimum- you cancel one & your wife cancel the other one. Then you each add your spouse to your remaining accounts as an authorized user. Points continue to accumulate no different than how y’all use the cards now but half the annual fees.
Thanks Christina! That was actually Plan A, now we are toying with the idea of Plan B which to not renew both our HA cards in May and actually just keep one Alaska Atmos card because I think the most bang for the buck benefit would be the $99 companion fare benefit provided by the Alaska Atmos card. Also assuming that since our HA miles have been rolled into the Atmos program then there is no risk of losing our HA miles. Let me know if I am overlooking any other important benefits of keeping the HA card.
Will this card be open to those who still have the Barclays Hawaiian card? Assuming it is now Bank of Hawaii? (a way to add points from SUB)