The new premium credit card, launching at Alaska/Hawaiian in 2025, comes with a $395 annual fee and exclusive features aimed at loyalty members and frequent flyers. We are all interested in the card’s benefits with the upcoming integration of Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines loyalty programs. Here’s what we know as it relates to Hawaii travelers.

The Global Companion Award Certificate is one of the most notable perks, albeit not Hawaii-centric. It can be used internationally. This certificate is valid on Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, and other partner airline mileage redemptions. As a first for Alaska cards, it can also be used for business and first-class awards.

Cardholders will automatically receive one certificate yearly and can earn a second by meeting spending requirements.

Alaska Lounge passes (quantity still unknown) will also be included, which could be valuable, especially with new lounges planned for Hawaii and mainland gateways. Other benefits include inflight Wi-Fi vouchers and accelerated elite status within the new loyalty program, further positioning this seemingly expensive card as a potential game-changer for those navigating the growing Alaska-Hawaiian route network.

Why this card matters for Hawaii travelers.

The companion award certificate could be the standout benefit for Hawaii travelers. Unlike Alaska’s existing Companion Fare, this certificate is redeemable for travel that includes premium cabins. For frequent flyers between Hawaii and the mainland or those connecting to international destinations, this may open up interesting and valuable opportunities. We plan to get one of these cards as soon as it becomes available to report back on how well it works.

In addition, the inclusion of partner airlines such as Japan Airlines and Qantas may appeal to Hawaii residents seeking more global travel options. For those who regularly redeem miles for international trips originating from Hawaii, this feature could make the card particularly useful.

Another unique feature that stands out is earning three miles per dollar spent on dining and foreign transactions—an uncommon benefit not regularly seen on other cards.

Can the annual fee be justified? The verdict is out.

The $395 annual fee is higher than the current offerings from Alaska (Bank of America) and Hawaiian (Barclay). Whether it makes sense for Hawaii travelers will depend largely on how frequently the card’s benefits can be used successfully. The companion award certificate alone has the potential to offset the cost if it can result in premium class redemptions. However, as has become increasingly clear over the years, successfully redeeming awards has become more challenging. In this case, the proof will truly be in the pudding.

Alaska Airlines is planning to expand all of its premium offerings, including three new lounges. These will open at San Diego Airport, Honolulu Airport, and a new flagship international lounge coming to Seattle. We don’t have dates yet for these lounges to open. The lounge passes being included may become more compelling due to the expanding number of Alaska lounge locations.

Get a head start and $5 worth of free bonus points.

Alaska Airlines is offering an early signup bonus for travelers who join the waitlist for the $395 premium credit card. By adding your name to the list, you can earn 500 bonus miles right now (a value of $5).

Additionally, cardholders who apply and are approved when the card officially launches will receive another 5,000 bonus miles on top of the standard welcome offer. Cardholders upgrading from an existing Alaska Airlines consumer credit card are not eligible for the bonus miles.

To join the waitlist and secure the bonus miles, visit Alaska Airlines’ official page: Sign up for the Alaska Airlines Premium Credit Card waitlist.

Comparing the $99 Alaska and Hawaiian cards with the new $395 premium card.

The Alaska Airlines $99 Visa Signature card and the Hawaiian Airlines $99 World Elite Mastercard have been popular options for Hawaii travelers, offering valuable perks for a comparatively low annual fee. However, the new $395 Alaska premium card will introduce significant changes, with both opportunities and drawbacks for island travelers.

Alaska Airlines $99 Visa Signature card.

The $99 Alaska card is best known for its annual Companion Fare, which allows cardholders to bring a guest for $122 (including taxes and fees) on paid Alaska Airlines flights. This benefit is limited to economy class, however, and cannot be used on mileage redemptions. For Hawaii travelers flying to or from the mainland, this feature can quickly offset the card’s cost and has been mentioned favorably by many commenters.

The card earns three miles per dollar on Alaska Airlines purchases and one mile per dollar on all other transactions. Cardholders also receive free checked bags for themselves and up to six companions on Alaska-operated flights. Its straightforward benefits make it appealing for budget-conscious travelers.

Hawaiian Airlines $99 World Elite Mastercard.

The Hawaiian Airlines card focuses on interisland and transpacific routes. It offers a one-time 50% off companion discount for a roundtrip main cabin ticket between Hawaii and the mainland, but this is only available during the first year. Unlike the Alaska card, this feature does not renew annually. However, the Hawaiian card provides an annual $100 companion discount for roundtrip travel between Hawaii and the mainland, which is available every year after the account anniversary.

The Hawaiian card earns three miles per dollar on Hawaiian Airlines purchases, two miles per dollar on dining, gas, and groceries, and one mile per dollar on other transactions. Additional benefits include a free checked bag for the primary cardholder on flights booked directly with Hawaiian Airlines.

Significant new $395 card challenges to consider.

While the Global Companion Award Certificate is a major selling point of the new Alaska premium card, its actual value for Hawaii travelers hinges on specific mileage caps. Alaska Airlines has confirmed that these certificates will have mileage value limits, but the exact details have not yet been disclosed. Based on early speculation, the caps may be too low to fully cover first-class or business-class award flights on transpacific routes, particularly to or from Hawaii.

To address this, Alaska will offer a “top-up” feature, allowing cardholders to add miles beyond the certificate’s cap to book higher-value awards. While this provides flexibility, it may diminish the perceived value for those choosing the card specifically to book premium travel.

This feature resembles a benefit found on the Amex Bonvoy card, which offers an annual Marriott free night award. If the point value of a desired hotel exceeds the certificate’s limit, cardholders can add points to reach the required total. Similarly, Alaska’s top-up feature could help travelers salvage value but may not meet expectations for those seeking seamless premium-class travel benefits.

It remains unclear how well this benefit will deliver for Hawaii travelers aiming for premium-class experiences or long-haul trips. The certificate may offer solid value for those who typically book economy awards. However, its appeal could diminish for travelers hoping to unlock higher-end travel options, especially given the card’s $395 annual fee.

Another limitation is the lack of a fuel surcharge waiver for partner airlines like British Airways. Although the card waives the $12.50 partner award booking fee, travelers booking with partners such as British Airways will still face substantial surcharges, which can range from $500 to $1,000 each way for first-class or business-class awards.

Final thoughts for Hawaii travelers.

Alaska Airlines’ new premium credit card offers some intriguing perks for Hawaii travelers, including the companion award certificate, lounge access, and enhanced earning potential on dining. For frequent flyers traveling between Hawaii, the mainland, and beyond, the card could deliver strong value if used strategically. However, the $395 annual fee and potential limitations on benefits may make it less appealing for occasional travelers. Ultimately, whether this card works for Hawaii travelers will depend on how well its features align with individual travel habits and redemption strategies.

We plan to report back on how well the card performs once it becomes available. In the meantime, we welcome your input on airline-branded premium credit cards and their potential value for Hawaii travelers.

Life in Hawaii was a beach for Luigi Mangione, before the privileged 26-year-old computer engineer flipped a switch, went off the grid and allegedly gunned UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in cold-blood outside a Hilton hotel in Midtown. 

Exclusive photos, obtained by The Post, show the murder suspect having fun in the sun, dining with tanned pals and even frolicking with a pair of beauties during his time at the penthouse in Surfbreak, a “co-living” space in Honolulu near Waikiki, where he stayed from January to June in 2022 paying $2,000-a-month.

In one photo, the murder suspect cuddled up next to a grinning woman, Tracy Le, with his arm draped behind her on a couch. Aanother snap shows Mangione tickling the gal pal and another woman in a hallway.

“There was no simmering anger that was visible,” Josiah Ryan, a Surfbreak spokesperson, told The Post.

Le, a data engineer in New York City, posted the pictures on her Instagram account in April 2022, with the caption, “So many people I love in one picture.”

Mangione was “the only name whose FaceTime calls I would pick up. He was one of my absolute best, closest, most trusted friends,” she wrote in the caption of a TikTok video, which showed Mangione — who now stands accused of killing Brian Thompson, 50, on the streets of Midtown — holding mochi ice cream at a grocery store with a giggling alongside Le.

The Post reached out to a number of the individuals depicted in the pictures, including Le, none of whom responded to a request for comment or an interview. 

The NYPD is exploring whether a July 2023 back injury fueled Mangione’s apparent hatred toward to the medical industry.

Mangione, who was arrested at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pa., following a five-day manhunt, was found with a three-page manifesto accusing “parasitic” health insurance companies of corporate greed.

The accused killer was locked up without bail at State Correctional Institution in Huntington, Pa., and is fighting extradition orders to ship him back to New York. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to the slew of charges against him, including murder and illegal gun possession.

His jail cell is a far cry from the alleged killer’s beginnings. Mangione’s grandfather, the family patriarch Nick Mangione Sr., built a network of businesses that ranged from developing and owning local resorts and country clubs to nursing homes and a radio station in Baltimore.

There, he attended the $35,000-per-year Gilman School where he became valedictorian, but appeared shy socially.

“I don’t remember him ever having a serious girlfriend. He was very shy with girls,” a classmate who asked to be anonymous told The Post.

Painful Paradise

Mangione, who graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, was working remotely as a data engineer at California-based auto website TrueCar Inc. in 2022 when he moved to Surfbreak as a respite from his chronic pain.

“He communicated that being in Hawaii might be good for his health concerns. I heard that he had some brain fog,” Ryan recalled, noting Mangione underwent a background check and paid his own way at Surfbreak, where he had his own room and shared a kitchen and living space with housemates in the high rise building.

“He was well liked by people. He wasn’t a big partier or anything like that. He loved hiking and doing things with people. He [helped start] a book club,” Ryan said.

But, the Maryland native’s medical issues took a turn for the worse after he strained his back during a group surfing lesson that worsened his already injured lower back, according to R.J. Martin, who became friends with Mangione in 2022.

“His spine was kind of misaligned,” Martin told The New York Times.

“He said his lower vertebrae were almost like a half-inch off, and I think it pinched a nerve.” 

Seeking pain relief, Mangione began practicing yoga with Dorian Wright, a Honolulu-based yoga teacher, between 2022 and 2023. He remembers Mangione’s movement being limited during a back bending pose.

“He was very clear when he told me where his back injury was … He was receptive of me helping him work through his injury,” Wright said.

Another teacher at the studio, named Summer, instantly recognized the University of Pennsylvania grad from his Tinder profile which she had matched with, according to Wright.

“One of our teachers matched with him on Tinder. She was taking my class at the same time as he was. She was like, ‘I wanted to go up to him and ask him out on a date, but I was too nervous,” Wright recalled of Mangione’s dating profile where he appeared smiling in a navy hoodie crouched down with an active volcano in the background of his profile photo.

Mangione listed travel, reading, hiking and working out as his interests.

“He’s a tall good looking guy – that’s the only person I know who he [Mangione] was going to potentially go on a date with,” Wright told The Post.

But life wasn’t all sunshine for the brunette bachelor. In July, 2023, Mangione took to Reddit to post about slipping on a piece of paper, noting it hurt to sit down and that his leg muscles were twitching. He reported numbness in his groin. 

Martin told The Times this seemingly sidelined Mangione’s sex life, because “he knew that dating and being physically intimate with his back condition wasn’t possible.” 

The back pain became so severe, he consulted with doctors and eventually quit his job in 2023 to spend time reading and doing yoga. 

It’s unclear if Mangione was covered for healthcare during that time. An NYPD official confirmed Thursday the Ivy League grad was never a client of UnitedHealthcare medical insurance.

Free Fall

He continued to read about big pharma and the medical industry, including books such as “Crooked: Outwitting the Back Pain Industry and Getting on the Road to Recovery’’ and “Why We Get Sick: The Hidden Epidemic at the Root of Most Chronic Disease ― and How to Fight It.” The titles were added to his virtual bookshelf on Goodreads between May 2022 and February 2023. 

The reading list also linked to handwritten notes by Mangione that detailed he was suffering form spondylolisthesis, a condition that causes a vertebra to slip or shift into the vertebra below.

He traveled from Hawaii back to the East Coast for spinal fusion surgery in July, 2023, later texting Martin on Aug. 10 a photo of his spinal X-rays, The Times reported.  

Mangione returned to Hawaii after the surgery, and moved into a 1,000-square-foot, two-bedroom apartment in February, records show, though it’s unclear if he lived alone.

He appeared to become more radicalized, praising Unabomber Ted Kaczynski 35,000-word manifesto on in a four-star review on his Goodreads page, calling the domestic terrorist — responsible for a series of bombings over a 17 year time period to call attention society’s dependence on technology — a “political revolutionary.”

After March this year he stopped responding to messages from friends and then even his own family and his movement and whereabouts between then and the Dec. 4 shooting.

A concerned friend texted in June, “where in the world are you?” to no reply.

Mangione’s family reported him missing on November, 18 in San Francisco. Just days later he arrived in New York City on a Greyhound bus from Atlanta, according to sources, to scope out the scene and allegedly carry out his twisted plan to shoot down Thompson with a ghost gun he had 3-D printed.

“He was in a lot of pain and needed a lot of help,” another high school classmate told The Post.

“Of course I’m shocked but there was a darkness to him that was always there.”