With Hawaiian and Alaska Airlines quickly combining in more ways every day, many cardholders, us included, are left wondering about the future of their Hawaiian Miles Master Card. The question is clear for current and prospective cardholders: Should I keep my Hawaiian Airlines card when the renewal date comes around, or should I apply for as new one as is still being offered, or what?
We’ll explore what’s currently known, share lessons from what happened to credit cards from past airline mergers, and provide practical advice to help you navigate this period of uncertainty.
Here are two possible playbooks Alaska could follow. One is from what happened between USAir and American, and the other is between Alaska and Virgin America.
Lessons from USAir and American Airlines acquisition.
When American Airlines merged with US Airways in 2013, Barclays, the issuer of US Airways credit cards, soon stopped issuing new cards. Citi became the exclusive issuer for new American Airlines credit cards, while Barclays continued servicing existing accounts under the AAdvantage brand for years. During the transition, Barclays cardholders retained their existing benefits, but new applications for Barclays-issued cards were no longer accepted. This setup allowed for a smoother integration of the loyalty programs and credit card systems.
This precedent suggests a similar playbook could unfold with Hawaiian and Alaska Airlines. Bank of America issues Alaska Airlines VISA credit cards, while Barclays issues the Hawaiian Airlines Mastercard. As the loyalty programs merge next year, Barclays may stop offering new Hawaiian Airlines cards, and Bank of America could become the sole issuer of co-branded cards.
Travelers have speculated that Bank of America might even acquire Barclays’ Hawaiian credit card portfolio to ease the transition. However, Alaska has not confirmed details about the fate of existing Hawaiian Airlines cards or their differing perks. You can read more about the potential implications of the merger in our earlier coverage: Hawaiian and Alaska Airlines Just Rewrote The Rules Of Airline Benefits.
Lessons from Alaska’s Virgin America acquisition.
When Alaska Airlines acquired Virgin America in 2016, Virgin America Visa Signature® cardholders could continue earning and redeeming points through the end of 2017. However, all open accounts were closed on January 4, 2018, and cardholders weren’t automatically transitioned to Alaska Airlines credit cards. Instead, Virgin America cardholders were encouraged to apply for the Alaska Airlines Visa credit card issued by Bank of America.
This provides another precedent for how Alaska might handle Hawaiian Airlines credit cards. While it’s possible that cardholders will continue using their cards for either a limited or longer time, there’s no guarantee at present that accounts will be automatically converted to Bank of America’s Alaska Airlines credit cards. Cardholders may need to reapply for new Alaska-branded cards, potentially affecting credit scores due to account closures and new credit applications.
The Virgin America transition highlights the importance of staying informed as details about the Hawaiian and Alaska Airlines credit card programs evolve. Knowing what to expect can help cardholders make timely decisions to minimize issues and maximize benefits.
What Hawaiian Airlines cardholders should consider next.
For now, Hawaiian Airlines cards remain active, Barclays continues to issue them, and Hawaiian Airlines continues to promote them online and in-flight, including their 70,000-mile bonus. However, this is a critical time to think ahead and consider the implications.
For those who have both Hawaiian and Alaska cards, we’re all thinking carefully about the value obtained from each. One commenter asked, “With the merger, is there any reason to have both? I’ve been thinking about canceling the Hawaiian card.”
Waiting for more details is often the best strategy here. The mid-2025 timeline gives cardholders time to plan. Closing a card prematurely could negatively impact your credit score and limit your options.
What about the current Alaska Airlines Visa card.
While the new premium card below is being touted as having great capabilities, it isn’t clear whether or not the current $95/year card will remain unchanged. That card also currently has a 70k mile bonus for signups.
Where does Alaska’s new premium card fit in?
Alaska Airlines recently introduced a $395 premium card with perks like a first-class companion fare. But in early comments on BOH and elsewhere it has received mixed reviews. The associated companion award certificate is a potentially valuable benefit for Hawaii travelers. Unlike Alaska’s existing Companion Fare, this certificate can be redeemed for travel that includes the possibility of premium cabins. For frequent flyers between Hawaii and the mainland, or those connecting to international destinations, this could offer new opportunities to save on higher-class travel.
Another key feature is the inclusion of partner airlines such as Japan Airlines and Qantas. For Hawaii residents planning global travel, the ability to leverage these partnerships may make the card especially appealing. Travelers who frequently redeem miles for international trips originating in Hawaii could find this feature particularly useful.
In addition, the card offers three miles per dollar spent on dining and foreign transactions. This uncommon benefit provides added value for those who spend on travel-related categories, making it a potential favorite among frequent international travelers.
We plan to get one of these cards as soon as it becomes available to report on how well it works and whether it lives up to its promise for Hawaii travelers.
While intriguing, expressed skepticism has include one commenter who noted, “High-end airline cards make zero sense unless you’re absolutely certain you will only fly on that airline.” That while others highlighted the lack of clarity about how this new card fits into the merger. Another commenter wrote, “The big question for me is what’s going to happen to the Barclays card? Until we know, it’s premature to pick anything new.”
This uncertainty underscores the importance of monitoring updates from both airlines before making decisions about switching or closing cards. You can read more about Alaska’s new premium card and its potential impact here: Game-Changer or Bust? New $395 Alaska/Hawaiian Card for Hawaii Travelers.
Looking ahead: Lessons from readers and past mergers.
The American-US Airways merger shows how quickly—or slowly—airline-branded credit card programs can change. Travelers should stay informed and act strategically as we all continue to learn more, in order to maximize benefits.
Beat of Hawaii will continue to provide unique updates on the Hawaiian-Alaska merger and how it affects Hawaii travelers and loyalty programs.
We welcome your comments!
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Having read the comments today regarding this BOH post, I have to say that my experience with the AA Aviator Silver Mastercard from Barclay’s has been superior to the AA Citi Mastercard, but not in a significant way. My experience with the Barclay’s Hawaiian Airlines Mastercard has always been excellent, and more so than what I experienced years ago with the old Bank of America Hawaiian Airlines card that I believe was folded into the former Bank of Hawaii card. My experience with the Alaska Airlines B of A card has been excellent so far. I can easily understand that people living in Hawaii would be concerned about what will replace the current Barclay’s Hawaiian Airlines Mastercard. It has been a good partner for HA customers through the years from my perspective.
Aloha to all.
Not sure what I’m going to do, but one thing is for sure, I Refuse to do business with BoA. They suck! If they get rid of the Hawaiian card I’ll probably cancel and take the hit to my score rather than stay. With the rising costs of Hawaii I rarely use my card anyone, ever since I got the Capital One Venture X. Usually switch between that and my Delta Amex, as Delta points are more useful than Hawaiian
Guys – your characterization of what happened after the AA and US Airways merger is completely incorrect. Both Barclays and Citi continued to market, promote and issue new cards for over a decade after the merger (and I fact both continue to issue cards today). It was announced that later this year (2025) the contract with Barclays has ended and they will be phased out, with Citi taking over as sole card issuer for AA. Please correct your article.
In reference to Citi – I have had so much trouble with fraud on the citi card I don’t use it. I have had multiple replacement cards. The last replacement card was used the first week it was issued and not by me.
It was officially announced over a month ago that AA will transition exclusively to Citi for all its credit cards. The Barclay’s Aviator Mastercard will be discontinued at the end of 2025. The latest communication I received from AA is that Citi will acquire all of the Barclay card customers and transition them into Citi AA credit card accounts. I’m most interested in this process as I have both a Citi AA card, and a Barclay Silver Aviator card. They both have a very high credit limit and losing either one would be a significant loss of available credit. I have the same situation with Alaska and Hawaiian. Needless to say this is a developing situation that many Hawaiian Airlines card holders will be watching intently. We all will be grateful for BOH coverage of future developments as they unfold.
Mahalo Nui for your reporting.
Hi Daryl.
Yes, will do. Losing credit cards with high unused credit limits has an impact on credit scores.
Aloha.
Big Mahalo to Daryl for bringing this up (wish it was sooner as I just renewed my card from Barclays not thinking ahead, which is my bad). BOH: would it be possible to look into why we as a consumer should have to suffer adverse credit should accounts be closed, after all, it’s not our fault right? As journalist, you would be doing everyone a huge favor. You can even call yourselves “Investigative journalists”!
If your Barclay’s account is shifted over to whatever bank Alaska is in bed with at the time then there will be no real impact on your credit score. Canceling your credit card outright can have a slight impact on your score but if you have good credit already this whole thing is much to do about nothing.
I have had the Barclays Hawaiian card for several years. As a single person it is hard to rack up enough points to fly first class yearly which I like to do. Will the Alaska card cover Hawaiian Airlines flights? Questions questions. How much does cancelling a card affect your credit score?
Thank you for this article. This has been uppermost in my mind about the merger. I did not want too but recently had to re-up the Barclays card. For me the biggest problem is how this will affect my credit scores. THere is still no clarity on the issue from either airline. Of the options you mention, I think for holders of the Barclay card, the USAir/American process works best to preserve holders credit scores.
I must give both airlines demerits on how they are handling this issue; leaving their customers in a state of unclarity and possible negative impacts on their credit scores
Barclay’s has offered the American Airlines Aviator card for several years so they are still a player with American!
I booked my last flight w Barclays card points, and will not renew it. Need to make sure they don’t ‘auto-renew’ it. These guys are sneaky. And I signed up for the regular Alaska card, and we are using that one. We will see how it goes.