4 Top Benefits of the Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard

A Hawaiian vacation is something many of us fantasize about, but it might not appear to be practical. Whether it's the cost of travel or the time investment required, it may seem like something is always getting in the way of going on that dream trip.

Today, a Hawaii trip is easier than ever to achieve thanks to the perks from the Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Mastercard®, which has an annual fee of $99. This travel rewards credit card is specifically geared toward making your Hawaiian dreams a reality, with perks and benefits that will help you get to the islands.

Here are some of the top reasons why this is the card to choose to help you on your way to a tropical vacation.

50% discount on companion ticket

Nothing makes a trip to Hawaii better than sharing it with a close friend or partner. Not only do you have someone to take your picture for you (a must when visiting the lush forests and beaches of Hawaii), but you’ll also share memories to last a lifetime. Cardholders of the Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Mastercard® receive a one-time 50% off discount for round-trip travel between Hawaii and North America.

That means that if you’ve been saving up for a trip, but your friend hasn’t, you can use this discount to get them a more affordable ticket, or it can be a good way to save on a family trip.

The discount is available for 13 months from the opening of your account, so plan your trip (or your card application) accordingly. And if you had such a great time that you want to go again, don’t worry, because you'll also get a …

$100 companion discount annually

It may not be worth as much as the 50% discount, but taking $100 off a ticket is nothing to sniff at. Every year on the anniversary of your account opening, you’ll get a $100 companion discount that’s valid for travel between North America and Hawaii for one year. This means you can continue to invite friends with you every year as long as you have an account in good standing, and they get $100 off their ticket.

» Learn more: Baffled by points and miles? Let the 80/20 rule guide you

Generous sign-up bonus

It’s standard for a rewards credit card to offer some kind of sign-up bonus after you spend a certain amount in the first few months of having a new card, and the Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Mastercard® is no different. The card’s current sign-up bonus is as follows: Earn 70,000 bonus miles after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first 90 days.. Those miles are valuable: Hawaiian Airlines lists flights to Hawaii from the continental United States for as few as 20,000 miles each way from the West Coast and 30,000 each way from the East Coast. (Or even fewer miles if you're redeeming for a discount award.)

Flexible redemptions for miles

One of the worst things to discover once you’ve signed up for a new credit card rewards program is a limitation on how you can actually use your miles. HawaiianMiles, while most valuable when redeemed towards Hawaiian Airline tickets, can be redeemed a number of other ways. You can redeem for tickets on partner airlines, including JetBlue and Korean Air. And you can also redeem for nonflight awards like car rentals, hotels, gift cards, or magazine and newspaper subscriptions (though often at a less-impressive value).

The bottom line

The Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Mastercard® is a great way to turn your Hawaiian dreams into a reality. While many of the benefits are Hawaii-centric, they are generous and frequent. And once you’ve racked up enough points, you’ll be able to redeem for reasonably priced inter-island flights and flights between the continental U.S. and Hawaii. Miles earned can be used for other airline carriers, too, so you can redeem them even when your destination isn’t Hawaii, and there are other options for using your miles when flights aren’t the best choice.