Card comparison
Which card is better between Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard and Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express?
Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard is the better overall pick over Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express because it leads on Madeen's weighted scorecard (61 vs 39) across categories, bonus, benefits, and fee.
Effective rate Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard
Annual fee Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard
Welcome bonus Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard
Benefits value Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express
Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard is the stronger overall pick between Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard and Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express because it leads on Madeen's weighted scorecard (61 vs 39) across categories, bonus, benefits, and fee. Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard and Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express split the win across categories, fees, and bonuses. Madeen's snapshot favors checking dining, grocery, and travel rows — not just each card's headline top category — before you pick a primary.
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 Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express when the fee, welcome bonus, or issuer ecosystem fits better than the headline winner.
Full comparison
How do Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard and Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express compare across all spend categories?
Across all five spend categories, Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard and Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express trade wins row by row. Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard peaks at 3.6% effective; Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express peaks at 2.1%. Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard wins the headline effective-rate view in this pair.
| Category / metric | Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard | Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dining | 2x miles (3.6%) | 3x points (2.1%) | Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard · 1.5 pts |
| Grocery | 2x miles (3.6%) | 2x points (1.4%) | Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard · 2.2 pts |
| Gas | 2x miles (3.6%) | 2x points (1.4%) | Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard · 2.2 pts |
| Travel | 1x miles (1.8%) | 3x points (2.1%) | Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express · 0.3 pts |
| Other | 1x miles (1.8%) | 2x points (1.4%) | Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard · 0.4 pts |
| Welcome bonus | ~$1440 estimated | ~$700 estimated | Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard |
| Est. annual benefits | $384/yr | $679/yr | Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express |
| Annual fee | $99 | $650 | Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard |
| Holistic overall | 61 pts (cat 27, bonus 13, benefits 9, fee 12) | 39 pts (cat 13, bonus 7, benefits 16, fee 3) | Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard |
Madeen take
How to think about this pair
Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard and Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express split the win across categories, fees, and bonuses. Madeen's snapshot favors checking dining, grocery, and travel rows — not just each card's headline top category — before you pick a primary wallet card.
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 Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express when Best for spenders who put meaningful volume in dining and can earn 3x points. The welcome bonus can help if you can meet the spend requirement. Travel perks may add.
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, Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express 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 Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express?
Madeen estimates $384 annual benefit value on Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard versus $679 on Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express. Credits only matter if you will use them.
Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard
Total est. value: $384/yr
Credits and perks only help if you will actually use them in a typical year.
- $100 Companion Discount $100/yr
- Priority Pass $99/yr
- Two Free Checked Bags $60/yr
- World Elite Concierge $25/yr
- Global emergency services $10/yr
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express
Total est. value: $679/yr
Credits and perks only help if you will actually use them in a typical year.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck $120/yr
- $100 Marriott Bonvoy Property Credit $100/yr
- Priority Pass™ Select $99/yr
- Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance $40/yr
- Marriott Bonvoy® Platinum Elite Status $35/yr
Welcome bonus
Which welcome bonus is stronger for Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard or Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express?
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, Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express 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; Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express lists 100k Marriott Bonvoy.
Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard
80k Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express
100k Marriott Bonvoy
Caps & conditions
Caps and earn limits
Both Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard and Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express carry structured reward caps in the catalog. Compare the category that matters most before assuming the headline multiplier lasts all year.
Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard
- 2x MILES ON DINING
- 2x MILES ON GAS
- 2x MILES ON ELIGIBLE GROCERY STORE PURCHASES
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express
- 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines
- 3X points at restaurants worldwide
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 Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard
Hawaiian Airlines World Elite 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, Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express is the stronger keeper in this pair — but only if its annual fee still makes sense for your spend.
Fee-sensitive keeper
Pick Hawaiian Airlines World Elite 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 Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express?
Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard is the better overall pick because it leads on Madeen's weighted scorecard (61 vs 39) across categories, bonus, benefits, and fee. Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard and Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express split the win across categories, fees, and bonuses. Madeen's snapshot favors checking dining, grocery, and travel rows — not just each card's headline top category — before you pick a primary wallet card.
When should you pick Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard over Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express?
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 Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express over Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard?
Choose Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express if Best for spenders who put meaningful volume in dining and can earn 3x points. The welcome bonus can help if you can meet the spend requirement. Travel perks may add value beyond the earn rate.. Best for dining-heavy spend when the $650 fee fits your usage; confirm issuer terms before applying.
Strengths
- Strongest Madeen category is dining at about 2.1% effective (3x points).
- That dining rate ranks higher than about 80% of cards we track in the category.
- No foreign transaction fee listed.
Tradeoffs
- $650 annual fee requires enough spend in bonus categories to offset.
- Marriott Bonvoy value depends on how you redeem, not straight cash back.
Common questions about Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard vs Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express
Which card is better between Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard and Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express?
Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard is the stronger overall fit because it leads on Madeen's weighted scorecard (61 vs 39) 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 Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express?
Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard leads dining at 3.6% effective versus 2.1%.
Which card is better for cashback users: Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard or Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express?
Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard is the better cashback-style pick between Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard and Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express.
Which welcome bonus is stronger between Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard and Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express?
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, Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express 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 Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express?
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express leads on estimated annual benefit value in the Madeen snapshot.
Which card has the lower annual fee: Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard or Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express?
Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard has the simpler fee story in this pair ($99 vs $650). Annual fee only wins if you use the rewards and credits that justify it.
Is Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard or Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express better for travel spend?
Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard is the stronger travel-style pick between Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard and Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express in this snapshot.
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Reviewed by Madeen editorial review
Catalog snapshot 2026-05-01
Updated 2026-06-13
Content tier Premium depth
Madeen compares cards you add to your wallet using published catalog rules — no bank login required. Issuer pages control current fees, caps, exclusions, and eligibility; Madeen does not issue cards, make approval decisions, or provide financial advice. Madeen may earn compensation from apply links. Affiliate disclosure