5 Things to Do When You Get the Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard

Getting a new rewards credit card can be daunting. With all sorts of bonuses to earn and benefits to consider, it can be easy to lose track of time and miss out on great deals only available to new cardholders. Here are some of the first things you need to do to make the most of your new Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Mastercard®.

Spend your way to the sign-up bonus

One of the first things you should check for with any new rewards credit card is what, if any, sign-up bonus you're eligible to earn, and what the requirements are to earn it. This is almost always spending a certain amount of money on the card within the first three months to earn a big chunk of points, miles, or cash back all at once. The Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Mastercard® has the following sign-up bonus: Earn 70,000 bonus miles after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first 90 days..

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

It might seem like a big stretch to reach, but within 90 days there are a lot of essentials you can put on your new card to make your way toward the spend goal. Groceries, toiletries, coffee —once you start paying for these things with your new card, you’ll be close to the minimum spend in no time. If you’re worried about hitting that minimum spend goal, set a calendar reminder 90 days from opening your account so you know how close you are. You don’t want to miss out on those bonus points.

Invite a friend to Hawaii

One of the major perks of the Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Mastercard®, which has an annual fee of $99, is a one time, 50% off companion ticket. That’s one full round-trip ticket from North America to Hawaii at half price. This discount is available for 13 months after you open your account, so start planning early and find a friend to take advantage of the discounted ticket. On each year anniversary of the opening of your account, you’ll earn a $100 companion ticket discount, opening the door for repeat Hawaii fun.

Discover partner programs

The Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Mastercard® is built to get you to Hawaii again and again, but sometimes it’s nice to mix things up. If you aren’t looking to fly to Hawaii but still want to make use of your points, don’t worry. HawaiianMiles are incredibly flexible due to several strategic partnerships. Hawaiian Airlines has a partnership with JetBlue that allows you to redeem your HawaiianMiles directly for JetBlue flights. JetBlue flights can be booked for as few as 10,000 miles. If you need a rental car instead of a flight, points can be redeemed towards Avis or Budget car rentals. Or if you would rather redeem for hotels, you can do so with Hilton. Each HawaiianMile is worth 1.5 Hilton Honors points. No matter how you want to spend your miles, there’s an option available.

Plan your Hawaii trip

This is a no-brainer for anyone getting this card. Hawaii is the destination of choice, and all of the rewards are geared towards getting you there. One of the easiest ways to book your ticket is by redeeming your HawaiianMiles. The sign-up bonus of 60,000 miles may be enough to get you a complete round trip ticket on its own, depending on your departure city. You can book flights from the West Coast to Hawaii for as few as 20,000 miles, and from the East Coast for as few as 30,000.

Share miles with friends and family

So you’ve used your sign-up bonus for round-trip tickets, but you still have some miles left over? Why not share with your family or friends? Holders of the Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Mastercard® can transfer miles for free, with no transaction fees and no minimum point limit on what you can transfer. The only limit is that you can transfer a maximum of 10 times each calendar year.