Hawaiian Airlines & Barclays Respond to Beat of Hawaii: What It Means for Your Credit Card and Miles
Hawaiian Airlines & Barclays Respond to Beat of Hawaii: What It Means for Your Credit Card and Miles
Source: In reference to reporting by Beat of Hawaii
By: Hawaii Reward Travel
Aloha Hawaii travelers,
We’ve been tracking every twist and turn of the Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines merger, and this week, Beat of Hawaii shared an important update that got our attention, and should get yours too.
In a recent exchange with Hawaiian Airlines and Barclays (the issuer of the Hawaiian Airlines credit cards), Beat of Hawaii raised key questions we’ve all been wondering:
What’s going to happen to our Hawaiian Airlines credit cards?
Will we still earn miles after the merger?
What’s the timeline for transitions?
Here’s what we learned from their reporting, summed up for our Hawaii Reward Travel ohana:
💳 1. Barclays Credit Cards Aren’t Going Away (Yet)
According to what Hawaiian Airlines and Barclays shared with Beat of Hawaii, there are no immediate changes to the co-branded Hawaiian Airlines credit cards. You can continue earning and using your HawaiianMiles as usual—for now.
But with the full transition to Alaska’s Mileage Plan expected in Fall 2025, changes will eventually come. It’s likely the Hawaiian card will get rebranded, replaced, or possibly phased out once the programs officially merge.
🔍 Our advice: Keep using your card if it makes sense for your spending, but don’t be surprised if major changes are announced after the merger finalizes.
🔄 2. Mile Earning Continues (But Watch for the Fine Print)
You’ll still earn HawaiianMiles when using your Barclays card for now, and those miles will eventually convert to Alaska miles at a 1:1 ratio (as previously announced). However, once the mileage program transitions, there could be adjustments to the card's earning structure or benefits.
✈️ Strategy Tip from Hawaii Reward Travel: It might be time to think about flexible points cards, which offer multiple airline transfer partners, especially if you want more redemption flexibility beyond just Hawaiian or Alaska.
🛑 3. Don’t Panic, But Prepare
We’ve heard from so many of you worried about your miles, upgrades, and elite status. The takeaway from this update is: You’re safe for now. But the landscape is changing. HawaiianMiles is on the clock.
If you’ve got a stash of miles—or if the Barclays card is your primary travel card—it might be time to review your points strategy.
👀 Stay Tuned with Hawaii Reward Travel
We want to mahalo Beat of Hawaii for digging into this and sharing what Hawaiian and Barclays are saying. You can read their full update here: Beat of Hawaii article.
We'll continue to track updates and share what it means for our local flyers—from mile conversions to card changes and booking sweet spots using Alaska miles.
Follow us on Instagram @hawaiirewardtravel and check back often as we guide you through this transition with clear strategies to save money and fly smarter from Hawaii.
Need help figuring out your next card or planning around these changes?
We’re here to help. Book a free consult or join our points strategy program today.
Let’s make sure you’re ready for what’s next—because even when the airlines change, your dream trips shouldn’t.
Mahalo,
Scottie & the Hawaii Reward Travel Team
