Editorial disclosure: CardRewards.ai is an independent comparison service. Card data comes from issuers' published terms; data as of September 27, 2026. Card issuers do not influence our rankings or content.
Annual fees: American Express Business Gold Card $375/yr, Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Business Mastercard® $99/yr. Strongest bonus categories: American Express Business Gold Card on top spend category, Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Business Mastercard® on dining.
Card data as of September 27, 2026.
American Express
Barclays
Annual Fee
Welcome Bonus
| Category | American Express Business Gold Card | Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Business Mastercard® |
|---|---|---|
| Advertising | 4X | 1X |
| Dining |
The Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Business Mastercard® wins in 1 of 1 categories. The American Express Business Gold Card leads in 0. 8 more categories depend on booking channel or caps.
Top Spend Category
Depends: up to $150,000/yr; Automatically selected from 6 eligible categories
American Express Business Gold Card earns 4X when conditions are met; Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Business Mastercard® earns 1X (1X without restrictions)
Advertising
Depends: up to $150,000/yr
American Express Business Gold Card earns 4X when conditions are met; Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Business Mastercard® earns 1X (1X without restrictions)
Software
Depends: up to $150,000/yr
American Express Business Gold Card earns 4X when conditions are met; Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Business Mastercard® earns 1X (1X without restrictions)
Dining
Depends: up to $150,000/yr
American Express Business Gold Card earns 4X when conditions are met; Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Business Mastercard® earns 2X (2X without restrictions)
Electronics
Depends: up to $150,000/yr
American Express Business Gold Card earns 4X when conditions are met; Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Business Mastercard® earns 1X (1X without restrictions)
Both scenarios favor the Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Business Mastercard® on net value (rewards, usable credits, fees, and welcome offer).
Published annual fees: American Express Business Gold Card $375/yr, Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Business Mastercard® $99/yr — a $276 difference before welcome offers and credits.
| 4X |
| 2X |
| Electronics | 4X | 1X |
| Gas Stations | 4X | 2X |
| Software | 4X | 1X |
| Telecom | 4X | 1X |
| Top Spend Category | 4X | 1X |
| Transit | 4X | 1X |
| Office Supplies | 1X | 2X |
| Everything Else | 1X | 1X |
Network
Key Benefits
Pros
Cons
Gas Stations
Depends: up to $150,000/yr
American Express Business Gold Card earns 4X when conditions are met; Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Business Mastercard® earns 2X (2X without restrictions)
Telecom
Depends: up to $150,000/yr
American Express Business Gold Card earns 4X when conditions are met; Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Business Mastercard® earns 1X (1X without restrictions)
Transit
Depends: up to $150,000/yr
American Express Business Gold Card earns 4X when conditions are met; Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Business Mastercard® earns 1X (1X without restrictions)
Office Supplies
Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Business Mastercard® earns 2X vs 1X
Modeled net value (bonus categories at unconditional rates, caps applied). Spend mix: dining 15%, groceries 15%, gas 10%, travel 10%, everything else 50%. Statement credits use the same recurring usable estimates as each card's detail page; first-year-only credits count in year one only. Welcome offers valued at each card's program rate shown on this page.
Both scenarios favor the Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Business Mastercard® on net value (rewards, usable credits, fees, and welcome offer).
| Scenario | American Express Business Gold Card | Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Business Mastercard® | Ongoing winner | Year-one winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light spender: $1,000/month | Rewards: $180 Credits (our usable estimate): $216 − Annual fee ($375) Ongoing: $21 Year one: $21 | Rewards: $225 Credits (our usable estimate): $65 − Annual fee ($99) Ongoing: $191 Year one: $941 | Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Business Mastercard® | Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Business Mastercard® |
| Heavy spender: $4,000/month | Rewards: $720 Credits (our usable estimate): $216 − Annual fee ($375) Ongoing: $561 Year one: $561 | Rewards: $900 Credits (our usable estimate): $65 − Annual fee ($99) Ongoing: $866 Year one: $1,616 | Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Business Mastercard® | Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Business Mastercard® |
The American Express Business Gold Card costs $375/yr — that's $276 more than the Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Business Mastercard® ($99/yr). To justify that gap, you need to extract at least $276 in annual value from the card's higher earn rates and benefits.
Bottom line: Use the year-one vs ongoing table for modeled earn value at your spend level. The $276 fee gap means the American Express Business Gold Card needs roughly $276 more in annual rewards (or credits you will use) to break even on top spend category and advertising and everyday spend.
Editorial disclosure: CardRewards.ai is an independent comparison service. Card data comes from issuers' published terms; data as of September 27, 2026. Card issuers do not influence our rankings or content.
