Card comparison
Which card is better between Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard and Gap Encore Mastercard?
Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard is the better overall pick over Gap Encore Mastercard because it leads on Madeen's weighted scorecard (78 vs 22) across categories, bonus, benefits, and fee.
Effective rate Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard
Annual fee Gap Encore Mastercard
Welcome bonus Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard
Benefits value Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard
Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard is the stronger overall pick between Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard and Gap Encore Mastercard because it leads on Madeen's weighted scorecard (78 vs 22) across categories, bonus, benefits, and fee. Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard (3.6% top effective rate) vs Gap Encore Mastercard (1%): Madeen's catalog compares fees vs fees across dining, grocery, gas, and travel — not just headline categories.
Choose A if
Choose Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard when its strongest categories, bonus, or perks match how you actually spend.
Choose B if
Choose Gap Encore Mastercard when the fee, welcome bonus, or issuer ecosystem fits better than the headline winner.
Full comparison
How do Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard and Gap Encore Mastercard compare across all spend categories?
Across all five spend categories, Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard and Gap Encore Mastercard trade wins row by row. Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard peaks at 3.6% effective; Gap Encore Mastercard peaks at 1%. Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard wins the headline effective-rate view in this pair.
| Category / metric | Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard | Gap Encore Mastercard | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dining | 2x miles (3.6%) | 1x points (1%) | Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard · 2.6 pts |
| Grocery | 2x miles (3.6%) | 1x points (1%) | Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard · 2.6 pts |
| Gas | 2x miles (3.6%) | 1x points (1%) | Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard · 2.6 pts |
| Travel | 1x miles (1.8%) | 1x points (1%) | Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard · 0.8 pts |
| Other | 1x miles (1.8%) | 1x points (1%) | Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard · 0.8 pts |
| Welcome bonus | ~$1440 estimated | — | Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard |
| Est. annual benefits | $2385/yr | $490/yr | Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard |
| Annual fee | $99 | $0 | Gap Encore Mastercard |
| Holistic overall | 78 pts (cat 33, bonus 20, benefits 21, fee 4) | 22 pts (cat 7, bonus 0, benefits 4, fee 11) | Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard |
Madeen take
How to think about this pair
Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard (3.6% top effective rate) vs Gap Encore Mastercard (1%): Madeen's catalog compares fees vs fees across dining, grocery, gas, and travel — not just headline categories.
Strategy
Use Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard when Best for spenders who put meaningful volume in dining and can earn 2x miles. The welcome bonus can help if you can meet the spend requirement.. Use Gap Encore Mastercard when Best for spenders who put meaningful volume in dining and can earn 1x points.. Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard is weaker when Compare it against simpler no-fee cards if you want minimum.
Hold both?
Many Barclays users can hold both cards if each covers a different spend lane and the combined annual fees still clear your break-even math.
Welcome bonus playbook
If you are chasing a welcome bonus, Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard leads on catalog bonus value. For long-term category earn after the bonus, Gap Encore Mastercard is the stronger keeper in this pair — but only if its annual fee still makes sense for your spend.
Madeen analysis
Which card has stronger benefits: Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard or Gap Encore Mastercard?
Madeen estimates $2385 annual benefit value on Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard versus $490 on Gap Encore Mastercard. Credits only matter if you will use them.
Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard
Total est. value: $2,385/yr
Credits and perks only help if you will actually use them in a typical year.
- Lyft $1,440/yr
- Mastercard Transit Benefit $200/yr
- World Elite Concierge $150/yr
- Instacart $140/yr
- Two Free Checked Bags $140/yr
Gap Encore Mastercard
Total est. value: $490/yr
Credits and perks only help if you will actually use them in a typical year.
- Mastercard Transit Benefit $200/yr
- Instacart $140/yr
- Family of Brands Bonus $25/yr
- Free Fast Shipping $25/yr
- Quarterly Bonus $25/yr
Welcome bonus
Which welcome bonus is stronger for Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard or Gap Encore Mastercard?
If you are chasing a welcome bonus, Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard leads on catalog bonus value. For long-term category earn after the bonus, Gap Encore Mastercard is the stronger keeper in this pair — but only if its annual fee still makes sense for your spend. Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard lists 80k Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards; Gap Encore.
Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard
80k Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards
Gap Encore Mastercard
—
Caps & conditions
Caps and earn limits
Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard has catalog caps that can change the winner on heavy category spend, while Gap Encore Mastercard looks cleaner on cap structure in this snapshot.
Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard
- 2x MILES ON DINING
- 2x MILES ON GAS
- 2x MILES ON ELIGIBLE GROCERY STORE PURCHASES
Who should pick which
Scenario playbook
Cashback-first user
Pick Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard
Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard is the better cashback-style pick because it has the cleaner effective-rate and fee blend for this pair.
Travel & points user
Pick Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard
Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard is the stronger travel-style pick because it combines better reward value with more travel-friendly positioning.
No annual fee priority
Pick Gap Encore Mastercard
Gap Encore Mastercard is easier to keep for no-fee users because it has the lighter annual-fee burden in this pair.
Heavy dining spend
Pick Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard
For restaurant and dining-coded spend, the winner is whoever posts the stronger dining effective rate after caps and exclusions — see the category matrix for the current snapshot.
Heavy grocery spend
Pick Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard
Supermarket and grocery coding can differ from superstores and delivery, so compare the grocery row before you optimize a weekly shopping basket.
Welcome bonus chaser
Pick Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard
If you are chasing a welcome bonus, Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard leads on catalog bonus value. For long-term category earn after the bonus, Gap Encore Mastercard is the stronger keeper in this pair — but only if its annual fee still makes sense for your spend.
Fee-sensitive keeper
Pick Gap Encore Mastercard
When you want the card that is easiest to keep year two, annual fee often matters more than a narrow category edge.
Decision guide
Which card is better between Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard and Gap Encore Mastercard?
Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard is the better overall pick because it leads on Madeen's weighted scorecard (78 vs 22) across categories, bonus, benefits, and fee. Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard (3.6% top effective rate) vs Gap Encore Mastercard (1%): Madeen's catalog compares fees vs fees across dining, grocery, gas, and travel — not just headline categories.
When should you pick Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard over Gap Encore Mastercard?
Choose Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard if Best for spenders who put meaningful volume in dining and can earn 2x miles. The welcome bonus can help if you can meet the spend requirement.. Best for dining-heavy spend when the $99 fee fits your usage; confirm issuer terms before applying.
Strengths
- Strongest Madeen category is dining at about 3.6% effective (2x miles).
- That dining rate ranks higher than about 92% of cards we track in the category.
- No foreign transaction fee listed.
Tradeoffs
- $99 annual fee requires enough spend in bonus categories to offset.
- Multiple caps, activations, or exclusions may limit headline earn rates.
When should you pick Gap Encore Mastercard over Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard?
Choose Gap Encore Mastercard if Best for spenders who put meaningful volume in dining and can earn 1x points.. Best for dining-heavy spend when you want to avoid an annual fee; confirm issuer terms before applying.
Strengths
- Strongest Madeen category is dining at about 1% effective (1x points).
- No annual fee in our catalog snapshot.
Tradeoffs
- Charges $3 foreign transaction fees.
- Gap Family value depends on how you redeem, not straight cash back.
Common questions about Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard vs Gap Encore Mastercard
Which card is better between Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard and Gap Encore Mastercard?
Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard is the stronger overall fit because it leads on Madeen's weighted scorecard (78 vs 22) across categories, bonus, benefits, and fee. The overall winner depends on your spend mix — use the scorecard rows and scenario playbook to see where each card actually wins.
Which card wins on dining: Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard or Gap Encore Mastercard?
Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard leads dining at 3.6% effective versus 1%.
Which card is better for cashback users: Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard or Gap Encore Mastercard?
Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard is the better cashback-style pick between Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard and Gap Encore Mastercard.
Which welcome bonus is stronger between Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard and Gap Encore Mastercard?
If you are chasing a welcome bonus, Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard leads on catalog bonus value. For long-term category earn after the bonus, Gap Encore Mastercard is the stronger keeper in this pair — but only if its annual fee still makes sense for your spend.
Which card has stronger benefits: Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard or Gap Encore Mastercard?
Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard leads on estimated annual benefit value in the Madeen snapshot.
Which card has the lower annual fee: Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard or Gap Encore Mastercard?
Gap Encore Mastercard has the simpler fee story in this pair ($99 vs $0). Annual fee only wins if you use the rewards and credits that justify it.
Is Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard or Gap Encore Mastercard better for travel spend?
Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard is the stronger travel-style pick between Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard and Gap Encore Mastercard in this snapshot.
Can you hold both Barclays cards?
Yes, many people can hold both Barclays cards when each covers a different spend lane and the combined fees still make sense.
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Reviewed by Madeen editorial review
Catalog snapshot 2026-05-01
Updated 2026-06-25
Content tier Standard
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